When I turned around, Wheeler had reached out and gripped the other end of the table. His taut muscles looked like granite.

In my defense, I was wearing a thong.

“Morning, Naya!” April gave me a lively smile and took a seat at the table. She had on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt.

“Have you heard from Reno?” I asked, twirling the dish towel.

“He called me this morning and said they’ll be there around noon or so. Everything’s going great, and he’s going to talk to the Packmaster and make sure Skye has everything she needs before he leaves. He’s done this sort of thing before. It’s great they accept any Shifter animal. It’s like a big commune or something, but in an undisclosed place. Sometimes I wonder if it’s really in Colorado or if he just tells me that to throw me off. I’m just glad it all worked out.”

“Me too. I’m making coffee,” I said. “Want some?”

“No, I’m sticking with juice. But thanks. Lexi will probably want some.”

Lexi wandered in with her hair in a tangle. “Want some what?”

“Coffee,” I said.

She stopped in the middle of the room. “Oh, uh… no thanks. I’m probably going to take a nap later on. We had a late night, so I don’t want the caffeine to keep me awake.”

“I could brew a pot of decaf.”

“We don’t have any,” she quickly said. “Did my mom already leave?”

“A few minutes ago,” Wheeler confirmed. “Is Austin awake? I need to talk to him about Delgado.”

“What about him?”

Wheeler stabbed his biscuit with a fork and ate it that way. “Well, for one, he’s going to be gunning for your friend. That what you want?”

The rest of the pack made their way into the room, quiet and ready to eat. William had put a bowl of fruit down in addition to a jar of strawberry preserves and a jug of whole milk.

“I like the view this morning,” Denver said, giving me a playful wink. He took a seat near the end of the table.

Wheeler merely watched him while he continued eating his biscuit like an ogre.

Denver placed two fingers in his mouth and a sharp whistle pierced the air. “Toss me an orange,” he shouted at Lexi.

She hurled an orange across the table and he caught it with one hand.

Denver straddled the bench and peeled the orange with his fingers, rubbing the sticky juice on his Atari shirt. Denver usually wore cargo pants or distressed jeans, but I’d seen him wearing long shorts in the summertime. I guess he wanted the women to see how nice his legs were.

“So, what are we going to do about Delgado?” Jericho asked Wheeler. “I have a family to protect. Did anyone recognize you at his house?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Wheeler replied with a mouthful of biscuit. “He probably had surveillance cameras set up. He’s not an idiot; he’ll figure it out. Let him get pissed. Angry men make stupid mistakes.”