Warmed by that, she said, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“I don’t want you or your cat uncomfortable here.” Dominic wanted both of them to love it, wanted them to come back again and again—which was why he’d warned his pack to be nice and not run Mila through a gauntlet. Honestly, though, he didn’t believe they’d be anything less than welcoming, especially since they were so excited to be finally meeting her.
He drove into the concealed parking lot at the base of the mountain and whipped the SUV into a free space. “Come on. They’ll be waiting.”
As they walked hand in hand through the expansive forest, Dominic took her down the most scenic route. They crossed the river, meandered through a pretty meadow, and passed a frothy waterfall. He watched her carefully, absorbing every reaction, loving it whenever her face lit up. “So you like it then?”
“Yeah, I like it,” Mila replied. Her cat liked it even more. The feline’s excitement built as she drank in every scent, every sight, every sound.
Her stomach fluttering, Mila blew out a breath. She wasn’t nervous. Aside from the moments before a performance, she was never, ever—
Okay, she was nervous. Not about meeting the pack itself but because she knew it was important to Dominic that they like her. Madisyn and Harley had assured Mila that the Phoenix Pack were good people and that they would like Mila for the simple reason that Dominic mattered to her. Still, that didn’t chase her nerves away. And the stomach fluttering intensified when she heard voices and laughter up ahead.
Dominic gave her hand a supportive squeeze. “They’ll be nice, just like your pride mates have been nice to me. Well, most of them have.”
Mila’s head whipped around to face him. “Some of my pride mates gave you shit? Who?”
Her protectiveness made Dominic smile, and he just had to press a quick kiss to her mouth. Though he hated to speak the bastard’s name, he explained, “I meant Joel.”
“Oh. Well, he doesn’t like most people.”
Dominic’s brows drew together as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “He’s very different from me.”
“Yeah, he is,” Mila agreed. Their biggest difference was that whereas Dominic had an easy way with people and could make friends in an empty room, Joel didn’t warm to others easily and didn’t consider many people friends.
“Fate pairs us with someone who’ll suit our personality. It paired you with someone very different from me.”
Something about the way he said that made Mila frown. “And what, you think that means that you and I won’t work in the long run?”
“Don’t you?”
“No. Adele’s very different from me. Sweet, bubbly, and a little oblivious. Yet, she and Joel really do complement each other in many ways.”
Dominic’s brows shot up. “Never thought of that.”
She gave him a patronizing pat on the head. “What have I told you about thinking? You leave that to me.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and nipped at her fingers. “Kind of bitchy when you want to be, aren’t you?”
“You’re only realizing this now?”
The scents of sawdust, tree sap, smoke, and food drifted Mila’s way just as they stepped into a clearing. Some people were perched on the fallen trees framing a man-made fire pit. Others lounged on patio chairs or lay on blankets. Plates, cups, and various foods were spread across the nearby picnic table.
A few camping tents had been set up near a small campervan. Mila supposed they were for the adults, who were hardly likely to sleep in the nearby tree house.
It was no typical tree house. It was more like a miniature cabin built on high, thick tree stumps. There was a rope ladder on one side and a spiral wooden staircase on the other. The cabin had a front porch, cute little windows, and a tube slide attached to the center of its base—she was guessing there was a trapdoor that opened onto the slide. Kids were swarming all over it like insects, laughing and squealing.
Digging cans of soda out of the huge cooler near the picnic table, Trey was the first to spot her and Dominic approaching. Even though her cat had met him once before, she went on full alert, eyeing the Alpha carefully, sensing his level of strength, and identifying him as a potential threat.
Built like a freaking tank, Trey headed toward them. He nodded at his enforcer before inclining his head at her. “Good to see you again, Mila. Welcome to Phoenix Pack territory.”
And then all the chatter just stopped.
Dominic stifled a smile. It was almost comical the way all the adults turned their heads at once. As they took in the sight of his hand joined with Mila’s, they smiled. And he knew that if he hadn’t warned them in advance that it wasn’t wise to get touchy-feely with a pallas cat, they’d have descended on her as a group. Most of them had pestered him at one point or another to bring her here.
Trey gestured at Taryn. “This is my mate, Taryn.”
The Alpha female waved, her smile wide. “Howdy. I was hoping you’d come.”
As Trey called for the kids to come down to meet Mila, Makenna spoke. “It’s really good to see you, Mila. I’m Makenna. The tower of doom and gloom behind me is my mate, Ryan. Ignore the scowl. It’s a permanent thing. Standing next to him is his cousin, Zac. Oh, and that she-demon scrambling over here is my little girl, Sienna.”
Mila smiled at the dark-haired girl, who she’d seen plenty of photos of, thanks to Madisyn. “She’s Madisyn’s goddaughter, right?”
Makenna nodded. “That’s right.”
“Looking better than you did the last time I saw you, Mila,” said Dante. “This is my mate, Jaime, and our boy, Hendrix.”
“I’m so psyched to finally meet you,” said Jaime, cradling the sleeping baby. She tipped her chin toward the people sitting beside her on the fallen tree. “This is my brother, Gabe, and his mate, Hope.”
Sidling over to Dominic, Trey said quietly to him, “We tried to get Allen to come here, knowing Greta would be on her best behavior if he were around, but he’s visiting family in Florida.”
Dominic let out a quiet curse. Before Mila could ask him if something was wrong, Taryn spoke again.
“Let’s get the rest of the introductions out of the way. The boy who’s climbing Trey’s back is our son, Kye. Over there on the blankets we have Lydia, Cam, Grace, and Rhett.” She pointed at the group of people on the lawn chairs. “That’s Marcus and Roni, a pair of mated enforcers. Trick, another of our enforcers, is next to them with his mate, Frankie, who is an amazing sculptor. Sitting on the log opposite Jaime is our Head Enforcer, Tao, and his mate, Riley, who is also the pack’s Guardian. The boy climbing Tao like a fence post is Dexter, and the little girl with pigtails hanging from the branch above my head is Savannah—they belong to Riley and Tao. The little girl peeking at you from behind Riley’s leg is Lilah, she’s Grace and Rhett’s daughter.” Her brow creasing, Taryn gestured at an elderly woman, hesitantly adding, “And this is—”
“I’m Greta, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Smiling, the old woman shook Mila’s hand, all grace and warmth.
Mila’s mouth kicked up into a smile. “Same to you. I’m Mila.”