Said cub arrived late, as per usual, and with Ryon in tow. Both of them ceased their shit-talking when they saw Mariana standing in the doorway, a dish towel tucked within her hand at her hip. “What am I to do with the both of you and your tardiness?”

“Love us,” Hel said, hugging the female around her neck. “For we certainly love you and your magical cooking.”

Ryon kissed Mariana’s cheek. “What he said.”

She swatted them away with the towel. “Oh, sit and eat.”

“Rotten suck-up,” I muttered to Hel when he took his seat on the other side of Aster.

“Learned from the best,” he said, and he wasn’t referring to me.

Aster and I laughed when Fang glared. “Enough with the teasing.”

“Stop giving them reasons to,” Olivianna said and scooted back to her seat beside him as her son joined her.

Fang turned his scowl upon her. It melted when she whispered something in his ear that made his eyes and teeth flash with a sickeningly pleased smile.

Despite neither of them wanting to commit beyond friendship with certain benefits, the seamstress and the commander had made it last, and slowly, it had turned into something permanent.

Olivianna’s mate was, unfortunately, still floating around. He served in Dade’s legion. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that the king’s seamstress and friend was not to be discussed.

The male who’d never given Ryon the time of day was well aware not to mistake that for approval of his actions, but Olivianna had lost any hope for a relationship with her son’s father long ago. He was married, and he wanted to remain that way. As the years had raced on, it was clear she did, too.

I could respect that. It was the wolf’s absence in his son’s life that I would never respect.

But if Ryon cared, and if he cared that he might one day serve the king alongside the father who abandoned him, then he showed no signs of it. He had Fang, who was more friend than father, but admittedly a far better role model than the rest of us.

“Treaty,” Berk spat, tucking a napkin into the collar of his shirt. “Waste of fucking time, just you wait.”

“Stars, Berk.” Mariana dumped a dish of roast vegetables onto the table. “Must you insist on spending the rest of your days worrying over things that will likely never happen?”

“Someone damned well needs to. The human swine will have us all swimming in mud if they aren’t better kept within their cage.”

We all laughed, and Berk glowered at each of us.

“Eat your dinner, Berk,” Mariana scolded gently.

He glared but picked up his fork, and we all laughed harder as he grumbled, “Who’s being teased now?”