Fraser's twin brother, Fergus, sighed and said, "Aye, he's our guest. Let the human decide how much fun he wants to have instead of trying to force it on him."
Chase McFarland—Grant's younger brother—jumped in. "Tell me your plan, Fraser. Maybe I can help you."
Chase kissed his pregnant mate, Layla, on the cheek, and the female merely laughed as Fraser and Chase went off to some corner to discuss who the hell knew what. However, Holly signaled she would keep Fraser and Chase in check—mostly because Layla was under orders to take it easy due to her pregnancy and had promised to sit down most of the night—and the human female motioned for Cat to take Lachlan away to somewhere safe.
Noticing the cheesecake in Lachlan's hands, Cat motioned toward the table. "Here, let's put your dessert with the rest of the food." Once they were away from the crowd, she stole a glance at Lachlan. And at the slight frown on his face, she laughed. "This is them being calm, so you may want to steel yourself for much worse."
As the music increased in volume—her brother did it on purpose to annoy their mother, she was sure of it—she took the cheesecake, laid it down, and turned toward Lachlan.
He stood there with his brows furrowed as he watched the growing group of Fraser, Chase, Holly, and Grant, and she wondered if all of this was too much too soon. She whispered just loud enough for him to hear over the music, "I tried to talk them out of it and suggested a smaller dinner first, but they were adamant about welcoming you properly."
Lachlan met her gaze again, and he shrugged. "I'll just watch and learn how things work here. Once I figure that out, I won't be so surprised."
She raised her brows. "I've lived here my whole life and I still don't have it all figured out. So good luck with that."
He almost smiled. "Aye, well, sometimes an observer notices things quicker."
When he relaxed, the Scot in Lachlan came out more. However, she didn't want to spook him so didn't point it out. Instead, she handed him a plate. "Hurry and take whatever you want to eat. And don't be polite about it either. My brother Connor alone could eat half the food on this table." She took a plate as well. "I think we have about thirty seconds, maybe sixty, before they notice and come running. So, be quick about it."
And as she rushed from dish to dish, taking what she wanted, sure enough, the others made a beeline straight for the table.
Still, Lachlan waited off to the side. Oh well, he'd learn soon enough.
Smiling, Cat took the last of the food she wanted and waited at a safe distance from the table to see what happened.
Lachlan prided himself on watching a situation, gathering the facts, and making an informed decision.
But as most of the others in the room rushed over to the table, pushing him out of the way, he wondered if that kind of approach would work on Lochguard.
Especially as Faye shoved the ginger-haired twins—her brothers, if he remembered right—so hard they fell back on their arses.
One of the female dragons—the doctor?—stopped next to him and murmured, "And this is why we're in the great hall. Aunt Lorna's dining table isn't big enough anymore."
He glanced over at her, her hand on her barely noticeable pregnant belly—one of the dragon-shifters had mentioned her state to him coming in—and he frowned. "You should be going first."
Layla shook her head. "It's okay. Chase will get me a plate."
Still, the fact the others were piling their dishes full without letting the pregnant woman go first rankled him. So much so, he decided to screw being observant and restore some order. Manners weren't solely for humans, after all.
Lachlan shouted, "Stop!"
And, miraculously, everyone did and looked at him.
He may not be the most outgoing of people, but he was used to sometimes being the center of attention because of his job. So he cleared his throat and said, "Have some manners," before clearing a path to let Layla through.
Her mate instantly came to her side, murmuring questions if she were all right, and Lachlan let the dragonman take care of her. Still, Lachlan crossed his arms and glared around the room.
He didn't care if one of those people were the clan leader or that two of them were in charge of security. If they punished or lectured him for wanting to help a pregnant woman, then so be it.
Finn walked up to him and put out a hand. Lachlan barely resisted blinking at the gesture. Once he took it and they shook, Finn smiled at him. "Aye, you're going to do just fine here."
Lachlan had no bloody idea what that was supposed to mean, but he asked, "Was this some sort of test?"
Finn snorted. "I wish I were that clever, but my family is a bit wild at times. And we all know the MacKenzies will battle each other for food, so everyone usually just lets them sort it out amongst themselves. But you're right—Layla should've gone first." He slapped him on the shoulder. "But she's just about done, so now it's your turn. You're the guest, after all, aye?"
All eyes were on him again, and so he did as the clan leader asked. Once done, he scanned the room, and he hurried to the end of the lone, long table set up for the meal.
Between the wall on one side and one chair on the other, Lachlan at least minimized how many people sat around him.
It also gave him a better vantage point to watch how they all interacted with each other.
Regardless, he waited for the others to sit down before he began eating.
Since Cat had already filled her plate, she ignored the niggle of shame at not thinking of Layla first and walked toward the long table set up for the night.
She wasn't sure where to sit, but then Lachlan sat down at one end, the section nearest the wall, and she smiled. If she were new and didn't want to be in the middle of the madness, she would've picked the same spot.
And while she didn't mind her clan members, she quickly sat across from Lachlan and asked, "Were you a dragon-shifter in a former life?"
He frowned slightly, his fingers playing with the fork beside his plate. "What are you talking about?"
She shrugged. "I don't claim to be an expert on humans, especially human males, but I don't think many others would've done what you did just now, with Layla."
He grunted and laid down his fork. He murmured so quietly that if she didn't have supersensitive hearing, Cat might've missed it. "I spent too many years hurting others and disregarding everyone's feelings. I'm trying to make up for it."
As he began to play with the cutlery again, she tried to figure out his meaning. Lachlan may be uptight and not quick to laugh, but he'd never been mean or cruel to her. She should hold her tongue, but she blurted, "How did you hurt others?"
Their end of the table was still empty, although she didn't think for long since she saw Finn and Arabella heading their way. However, she wasn't entirely sure he'd answer until he said, "It's a long story. Maybe some other time."
She could tell by the set of his jaw that Lachlan wasn't going to change his mind this evening simply because she’d needled him.
Besides, as Finn and Arabella sat next to them, she noticed how Lachlan's face turned into the impassive front he usually wore.