Dimitri and Alexei were on one end of the table, smiling and laughing easily. I recognized the man and woman seated across from them as the two that had been in the room when I first met Nikolai.
The man was generically good looking, fit with a strong jaw and nose that had clearly been broken more than once. The dark hair around his temples was graying, and he was laughing easily at something Dimitri said.
The woman, however, immediately zeroed in on us when we stepped into the room.
Not us.
Me.
She was staring at me with curious blue eyes, her blonde hair falling in soft waves down her back. She lifted a champagne flute to her lips, the delicate column of her throat working as she swallowed. She set the glass down and watched as Nikolai and I approached.
“Hey,” Dimitri greeted with a smile that he quickly smothered. “How’s Tate?”
“Talking to Dante and Ryder,” I answered softly. “She’s not doing great.”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “If there’s anything we can do, let me know.”
“You can get us on the first plane home,” I said bluntly.
The soft laughter of the woman across from me snagged my attention, but she was grinning at Nikolai.
“Oh, I like this one, Nik,” she said warmly.
Nikolai gave her a tight lipped smile before glancing down at me. “Skye, this is my wife, Natasha.”
Wife, not mate. Interesting.
“Hi,” I said, trying to smile at her.
Natasha stood slowly, moving around her chair to stand in front of me. Her icy gaze moved slowly over me, missing nothing. “I suppose that makes me your wicked stepmother.”
I met her gaze and held it, not entirely sure what the proper reaction to that was.
Whatever I did, Natasha seemed amused. She grinned at me after a beat with a wink. “Truthfully, it’s wonderful to have another woman around. All these men all the time can become a little tedious.”
“Might I remind you, darling, that it’s usually you who invites all the men around?” Nikolai replied dryly. If he was annoyed by that, he certainly didn’t look it. He smirked at her, almost indulgent.
Natasha waved him off with a sigh. “I have needs, Nik.”
Dimitri groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Mama.”
Rolling her eyes, Natasha turned to her son with a reproachful look. “Dima, certainly you’re old enough to understand that women enjoy sex as much as men. I didn’t have your father spend hours telling you how to please a woman because we loathe intimacy.”
I almost choked on my own spit. Jesus.
A muscle ticked in Dimitri’s jaw as he stared at his plate. A second later he slapped Alexei, who hadn’t stopped laughing.
Rubbing his shoulder, Alexei flashed me a smile.
“Speaking of pleasure, this is Tomas,” Natasha said, gesturing to the man still seated beside her. “He’s a … friend of mine.”
Nikolai snorted, shaking his head. “A friend? Is that all he is, wife?”
Natasha grinned unabashedly. “It’s good to have friends from local packs. Helps us with networking.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Tomas told me, taking all of this in stride.
“Same,” I replied, not sure how to navigate this situation.
Thankfully Alexei jumped in, saving me from any more awkwardness.
“Will Tate be okay?” he asked me curiously.
I hesitated before giving a tiny, one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to process.”
“Of course it is. I’ll have one of the staff send some food up to her. Maybe some tea?” Natasha waved over a man that had almost melted into the background.
“That’s … thank you,” I murmured. I doubted tea or food would make Tate feel any better, but it had been awhile since she’d had any food.
The man disappeared behind a door on the far side of the room.
Natasha reached out and took my hand in hers. “Dima told me about the explosion and your pack.”
I ignored the low growl that came from Nikolai as he stepped around me and headed for the head of the table.
Natasha flashed him an irritated look as he passed, not ignoring his reaction at the mention of my pack. She smiled when her eyes came back to mine. “I’m so sorry you can’t be home right now. If there is anything you or your friend need, please tell us.”
“Thank you,” I answered. I managed a small smile.
“Let’s sit, shall we?” Natasha let me go and moved back to her seat, freeing me up to sit in the empty seat to Nikolai’s left.
Alexei flashed me a grin, standing up and moving down a seat so I could sit between him and Dimitri. Dimitri pulled the chair out for me, waiting for me to be settled before sitting back down in the seat to my left.
Natasha rested an elbow on the table, placing her chin in her hand as she studied me from across the table. “You’re very pretty. You must have gotten that from your mother.”
My spine stiffened, not sure if she meant that as an insult or not.
“Thank God for that,” she continued with a laugh. “Anything is better than a miniature Nikolai running around.”
Nikolai sighed and leaned back in his chair, but his gaze was amused as he looked at Natasha. “You’ll have to forgive Tasha, Skye. We so rarely have guests that she forgets her manners.”
She snorted. “My manners are flawless, husband. Need I remind you of the time you destroyed a three hundred year old crystal vase arm wrestling the Alpha of the Obinisk pack?”
“He needed to be taught a lesson,” Nikolai returned with a wolfish grin. “Besides, he didn’t seem overly bothered when you spent the night consoling him.”
Dimitri groaned beside me and shook his head. “Can we not?”
Natasha narrowed her eyes at him. “Who ever would have thought our son would be such a prude?”
“You’re my mother,” he argued, emphasizing her title. “I don’t need to hear about this. And neither does Skye.”
Natasha waved a hand and fixed her gaze on me. “Skye is a healthy, young female with a bonded mate. I’m sure she understands the physical needs of a woman.”
My eyes went wide, not sure how to answer that.
“Mama!” Dimitri snapped.
Natasha winced, looking genuinely ashamed. “I apologize, Skye. Sometimes my mouth gets the better of me.” She tried to shake off the sudden tension. “My son tells me that you’re bonded?”
I nodded slowly, ignoring the pang of longing as I reached for my own glass of water and sipped from it. “Yeah.”
She and Nikolai exchanged unreadable looks, silently communicating until Natasha finally broke and looked away first.
“A bond is a beautiful thing between mates,” she finally said.
“Tash.” There was no missing the warning in Nikolai’s tone.
Again, Natasha looked at him, lifting her eyebrows as if she was challenging him. Nikolai openly glared back at her.
My eyes volleyed back and forth between them until several people emerged from the side door and brought out plates of food, setting them on the table. One of the men serving leaned over Nikolai’s shoulder and whispered something to him as he set the plate in front of the Alpha.
Nikolai’s eyes immediately went to me for a second before he gave the man a nod, effectively dismissing him.