“Such a beautiful name.” Greta lightly touched Mila’s dark curls. “And such pretty hair.”
“Thank you.”
“You know something? I’ve been waiting for my boy to finally meet someone worthy. You took your sweet time,” Greta chastised him, her eyes twinkling.
“Oh, you’re related?” asked Mila.
“Not by blood, but I think of him as my grandson. He thinks the world of me, just as I do of him.” Greta patted his arm. “Now, Dominic, you go find a seat for your Mila, and then get her some food and—Kye, don’t climb the camper!” She offered Mila an apologetic look. “Excuse me.” Greta walked toward the van and tried to shoo Kye off the hood.
Becoming aware of an unnatural silence, Mila looked to see that everyone was staring at the old woman, their expressions ranging from shock to confusion.
“What just happened?” Taryn asked no one in particular. “Seriously, what was that?”
Frankie looked from Mila to Greta. “What did you do? I mean, she was . . . pleasant to you. While sober.”
“Greta likes pallas cats, remember,” said Dominic.
Makenna’s frown smoothed away. “Ah, that’s right. That’s why she has a soft spot for Madisyn. I totally forgot.”
“Can we go back to the tree house now?” Lilah asked her mother, who nodded.
As the kids dashed off, Dominic led Mila toward an empty lawn chair.
“No, she has to sit by me,” declared Jaime.
Dominic frowned. “She’ll be almost directly across from—”
“By me,” Jaime insisted. “I have about an hour to convince her to be my best friend. I can’t do that if she’s all the way over there, can I? Work with me, Dominic—I’m on a schedule here.”
Rolling his eyes, he led Mila to the fallen tree. Gabe and Hope shuffled over, making room for her and Dominic to join them. Instead of sitting, Dominic went to get them some food.
Jaime smiled brightly at Mila. “Hi, I’ve been so eager to meet you. You can imagine we all love Dominic, and due to his obsessive-compulsive dirty-line disorder, we were starting to think he’d grow old alone. You’ve given us hope.” She held a hand up when Mila might have pointed out that it was only early days. “No, even if you and he later part ways, you still bring us hope. You’re living proof that someone can cope with his weirdness.”
Taryn nodded, her eyes dancing. “I have to tell you, we’ve all loved that you made him work for you.”
Grace forked a piece of potato salad. “Things come easy to Dominic, especially with his gift of persuasion. And women have always flocked around him, ready to hop, skip, and jump at his say-so. But it was all shallow. They didn’t have any real interest in who he was; they wanted him like you’d want a pretty accessory.”
“Or they wanted to be the one who tamed him—it would have done something for their egos,” Taryn added. “No one really tried to get to know him. No one looked past the surface and saw that more lurked beneath. And no one ever mattered to him before, so we all just want to kiss you.”
Lydia nodded. “It’s very true. Even Greta does, apparently.”
“And let me tell you, having Greta’s seal of approval is no small thing,” said Frankie.
“She’s very possessive of Trey, Dante, Tao, and the enforcers,” said Riley, tossing a piece of dry wood into the fire. “Calls them her boys. Doesn’t like having unmated females around them. Each time one of the guys found his mate, she did her best to chase her off . . . and remains a witch to them to this very day. Except for Roni. She loves Roni.”
Roni shrugged. “What can I say? I’m immensely lovable.”
Dominic sat beside Mila and handed her a loaded plate of food. “Here, baby.”
“Thank you.” Mila set it on her lap and then grabbed the can of soda he’d held carefully in the crook of his elbow.
Sighing dreamily, Jaime looked at the others. “Aw, he calls her ‘baby.’”
Dominic’s brow furrowed. “This isn’t gonna get weird, is it?”
Dante snorted, carefully taking Hendrix in his arms. “Dude, if my mate’s involved, it always gets weird.”
Jaime sniffed at him. “So true.”
Mila tucked into her food, feeling surprisingly relaxed as opposed to overwhelmed by the number of people there. But then, they made it easy for her to be comfortable when they were so welcoming and genuinely pleased to meet her. Plus, the territory itself was so peaceful that Mila couldn’t help but be relaxed. Even with the kids squealing, she could still enjoy the serene sounds of fire crackling, birds chirping, and branches creaking in the breeze.
Once her cat got past the need to watch the pack as if they were potential threats, she began pushing against Mila’s skin, wanting out, wanting to explore.
A soda can hissed as Taryn popped it open. “I should probably be up front about this, Mila, and say I’m so jealous of you.”
Blinking, Mila tilted her head. “Why?”
“Because I really want to be a pallas cat.” And the Alpha female sounded amazingly put out that that wasn’t the case.
Jaime chuckled. “Taryn’s been saying that ever since she saw the video footage of Madisyn kicking the asses of three sows in the restroom at Enigma.”
“Speaking of clubs, we were at the Velvet Lounge a couple of weeks ago when you were performing there,” said Frankie. “Can I just say, you have a beautiful voice.”
Mila smiled. “Thank you.”
“On another note,” began Tao, roasting marshmallows, “is your father an art thief, Mila? Because you’re a total masterpiece.”
Chuckling along with the others, Trick said, “I was wondering if your father was an alien, because there’s nothing like you on Earth.”
Another round of chuckles.
“I was thinking of calling God and telling him I found his missing angel,” said Marcus. “Seriously, Mila, is that a ladder in your pants or a stairway to heaven?”
Dominic glared at his laughing pack mates. “I knew you’d all be assholes.”
Marcus shrugged a shoulder. “We’re just getting some payback.”
Mila turned to Dominic with a sigh. “You hit their mates with cheesy lines, don’t you? Honestly, GQ, I don’t know how you’re still breathing.”
Dominic smiled. “I save all the lines for you now.”
“Lucky me, I guess,” Mila muttered. He just laughed.
Standing near the picnic table with Dante and Trey, Dominic drank his beer as he watched Mila help Dexter pile things inside a plastic bucket that was tied to a rope. Kye and Lilah then pulled the rope, hauling the bucket up to the tree house. Dexter was a playful kid but not much for chatting. Right then, though, the cheetah cub was jabbering on and on about something to Mila, who he’d led over there by her pinkie finger the moment she’d finished her food.
Highly protective of Dexter, little Savannah had spent a full five minutes watching Mila with a death glare that spooked most adults. Dominic had tensed when Mila’s eyes went cat as she glared right back at Savannah. But that show of strength seemed to have settled the viper, because Savannah was now twined around one of Mila’s legs while tugging on Sienna’s foot. Yep, the pup also seemed drawn to Mila—Sienna had demanded to be picked up and had been perched on Mila’s hip for at least the past half hour.