Dinner in a werewolf packhouse is nothing like dinner in a normal home.
In a normal home, people sit.
Talk.
Eat.
Laugh.
In a packhouse?
They watch.
They study.
They judge.
Like predators waiting for weakness.
And tonight, the predators are hungry.
Ethan leads me into the main dining hall.
I stop in the doorway.
It's huge—long stone tables, wooden beams across the ceiling, warm lantern light, walls decorated with ancient wolf symbols.
Dozens of wolves are already seated.
Their heads turn sharply when I step in.
The sound of chatter dies instantly.
An ocean of yellow, blue, green, brown eyes stare at me.
Stare through me.
Some curious.
Some hostile.
Some calculating.
My spine straightens.
I am not prey.
Aiden enters behind me, aura filling the hall like smoke and steel.
The wolves lower their heads slightly—not in fear.
In respect.
He stands beside me, close enough that our arms brush.
"Don't wander," he murmurs.
"I wasn't planning to," I reply.
Before we can move, a soft, sweet voice carries across the room.
"Aiden~!"
Serene glides toward us like a moonbeam in white silk.
Perfect.
Composed.
Loved by everyone.
The pack brightens at the sight of her.
Of course they do.
She has been their unofficial Luna for years.
She stops in front of us, tilts her head, and gives Aiden a gentle smile. "The Council asked me to sit near you tonight."
Aiden's face doesn't change.
"I'll sit with my wife," he says.
Serene's smile flickers for the first time.
But then she turns her attention to me, masking her irritation with sweetness.
"Liyana," she says softly, "let me help you to your seat."
Before I can answer, she lightly touches my elbow.
A small touch.
Soft.
Delicate.
Harmless.
But the bond reacts instantly.
A spark jolts under my skin.
My wrist mark burns faintly.
Aiden's head snaps toward us.
His eyes cut to her hand on me.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"Don't touch her," he says sharply.
The hall goes dead silent.
Serene's hand freezes mid-air.
She withdraws it slowly, eyes wide, hurt blooming across her face like a bruise.
"I… I was just trying to help," she whispers.
Aiden doesn't soften. "You don't touch what the Alpha's bond reacts to."
A few wolves gasp.
Bond.
The word ripples across the room like fire.
Serene's gaze drops to the floor, her fingers trembling slightly.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
She's not sorry.
She's furious.
And the pack sees the shift in Aiden's behavior.
They exchange looks.
Aiden's wolf reacts to the new wife.
Not the girl they've loved for years.
Wolves are loyal.
But they're also sensitive to power shifts.
Aiden guides me gently toward the head table.
He pulls out the chair beside him—not for Serene.
For me.
I sit.
Every pair of eyes in the room follows the movement.
Serene takes a seat across from us, posture perfect, smile strained.
Kai sits next to her, looking way too entertained.
Kai leans toward Serene and whispers loudly enough for us to hear:
"Don't worry. You're still pretty. Not as interesting as the new Luna, but pretty."
Serene shoots him a glare sharp enough to kill a normal man.
Kai just grins.
"Try not to burn any roses tonight, Liyana," he adds.
Aiden kicks him under the table.
Kai chokes on air.
Good.
The Dinner Begins
Food arrives—huge trays of meat, roasted vegetables, bread, bowls of steaming broth.
Wolves eat like they fight—fast and aggressively.
I pick up my spoon.
Dozens of wolves still stare at me.
A young female wolf leans toward her friend and whispers—not quietly at all—
"Look how thin she is. Human bones break easily."
Another one snickers. "She won't survive one full moon."
Aiden's aura flares so sharply the wooden table creaks.
The girls shut up immediately, heads lowering.
Serene clears her throat, voice gentle but purposeful.
"You must be new to our world, Liyana. It's understandable if you're struggling."
I blink.
Struggling?
I look perfectly composed.
Serene continues sweetly, "Humans aren't used to our senses, strength, or emotions. It must be overwhelming to be surrounded by wolves."
She smiles delicately, eyes never leaving mine.
A low hum of approval spreads across the tables.
Support for Serene.
Pressure on me.
Kai mutters, "Oh no, she's doing her humble attack."
Aiden gives him another warning kick.
Serene tilts her head innocently. "If you ever feel… frightened… you can come to me. I know this packhouse better than anyone."
My smile stretches slightly. "Thank you, Serene. Truly. That's kind."
Her shoulders relax.
Too soon.
"But I'm not frightened," I continue.
"I'm just observing."
"Observing…?" she echoes.
I nod. "Yes. Studying."
"What exactly?" she asks tightly.
I lean forward, voice soft. "Weakness."
The entire hall reacts.
Gasps.
The clinking of cutlery stops.
Serene freezes.
Aiden's lips twitch—he's trying not to smile.
Kai chokes on water.
Serene blinks rapidly. "Weakness…? Are you implying I'm weak?"
"No."
I smile sweetly.
"I'm saying everyone who underestimates me is weak."
Serene's fingers curl into her dress.
A tense laugh escapes her. "That confidence… is impressive."
"Confidence?" I repeat. "No. It's experience."
Serene frowns. "Experience in what?"
"Surviving monsters."
Silence.
Deep, sharp silence.
Aiden turns his head toward me slowly.
There's something dark and curious in his eyes.
Something like recognition.
He knows I wasn't talking about wolves in general.
I was talking about wolves who burned my past.
And the wolf I might burn in the future.
The Alpha's Touch
A large bowl of broth is placed in front of me.
I pick up my spoon.
But the wolves around me continue to stare, whispering:
"Too delicate."
"Not strong enough."
"How long till she breaks?"
My magic itches under my skin.
Aiden notices.
His voice cuts through the murmurs like a blade.
"Eat," he tells me.
I roll my eyes lightly. "I was planning to."
He leans in closer—too close—and steadies my hand on the spoon.
The bond reacts instantly.
A wave of heat shoots up my arm.
Our eyes lock.
He shouldn't touch me.
I shouldn't let him.
But neither of us pulls away.
Not immediately.
A low growl rises from several wolves at the table.
Jealousy.
Confusion.
Instinct.
Serene's breath catches, her face draining of color.
The wolves are sensing a shift.
A dangerous one.
Aiden finally releases my hand, but the air doesn't settle.
His wolf is awake.
Watching.
Protecting.
Claiming without claiming.
Serene tries again, voice trembling slightly. "Aiden… you're acting strange."
He doesn't look at her.
"I'm acting like an Alpha," he says.
"No," Serene whispers.
"You're acting bonded."
The hall goes dead still.
Aiden stiffens.
My heart stutters.
Bonded.
The word everyone fears.
The word no wolf wants to hear when it isn't confirmed by the Moon.
Kai's fork clatters to the table.
Ethan stops breathing.
Aiden looks at Serene coldly. "Watch your words."
Serene swallows. "I just—she's a stranger. We don't know what she is. What if her presence is—"
"My decision," Aiden says sharply.
"Not yours."
Her eyes fill with something I can't name.
Anger.
Pain.
Maybe betrayal.
She stands.
"I won't sit here and watch this," she whispers.
She walks away quickly, her white dress trailing behind her like a ghost leaving flowers in ashes.
No one speaks.
No one moves.
Aiden sits back slowly, jaw tight, eyes dark.
His wolf is too close to the surface.
Dangerously close.
He looks at me then—directly, intensely.
"Stay beside me," he says quietly.
Not a request.
A command.
A promise.
A warning.
A truth he doesn't want to accept.
I lean forward, my voice equally soft.
"I'm not afraid."
His eyes flicker, something sharp and hungry passing through them.
"You should be," he murmurs.
"Because my wolf…" his voice drops lower,
"…doesn't want anyone else to look at you."
A shiver runs down my spine.
Fear?
No.
Something far more dangerous.
Because for the first time in this packhouse full of wolves—
I realize Aiden isn't just reacting to my magic.
He's reacting to me.
And that might be the most dangerous thing of all.