“I don’t suppose you have any idea why she’d lie about something like this, do you?” Tao asked the Alpha.

Nick puffed. “To answer that question, I’d have to understand how women operate. I’m still working on that one.”

“There’s one thing you need to understand, Nick.” Dante’s expression was grave. “I appreciate you contacting me about her claim and that you’ve taken her to task. But if she continues to make a false claim and spread any more lies about me, I will not ask you to interfere on my behalf.

I’ll act on it myself, with or without your say-so.”

Nick shrugged. “I’d say the same if the situation was reversed. I take it Trey didn’t let Taryn come to the meeting because of the pregnancy.”

“We’re planning to tell them later,” explained Tao.

“Good decision.” Nick nodded approvingly. “She can’t battle to come to a meeting that’s already taken place. So how’s she getting along with the pregnancy?” Dante smiled. “She’s not impressed about the waddling or the swollen belly, and she has a mood swing about every eight minutes, but other than that she’s fine.”

“Is she in touch with her dad, or has he disowned her again?”

“She’s talked to him a few times over the past month, but that was mainly because she was negotiating Shaya moving to our pack.”

“And, um, how’s Shaya doing?” The casualness with which Nick had spoken was forced, Dante knew.

The guy was genuinely interested in Shaya, Dante was sure of that. Whenever Nick was in their territory, he watched her with the same na**d voracity that he had at Taryn and Trey’s mating ceremony. Oddly, though, he never spoke to her, and the bubbly female never made any attempts to speak to him—as if by mutual agreement they were each pretending the other didn’t exist. It was weird, to say the least. “She’s fine.”

A tall, slim blonde suddenly passed by, wiggling her ass provocatively…which was most likely why the guys at his table were practically drooling. Dante probably would have reacted the same way if he hadn’t felt…distracted. There was a trace of a familiar scent in the air that made his nerve endings come alive.

He scanned the diner slowly, confused and curious…and his mouth fixed into a hard line as his gaze landed on a particular table.

Motherfucker. Dante’s wolf leaped to attention as he recognized that plush mouth, long sable hair, and pair of smoky-blue eyes that had a mischievous twinkle. But even as his c*ck was jerking and hardening, his mood was swiftly changing from relaxed to agitated.

Because she wasn’t alone. No, she was sitting opposite some guy, giving him that beaming smile that never failed to affect Dante. Whereas usually that smile shot straight to his groin, it was now twisting his gut, because it wasn’t directed at him.

He’d felt the same way this morning after witnessing Jaime joking around with Dominic.

What, you’d expected her to sit with you even though you give her no encouragement whatsoever?

Well, yeah, he had, actually. It was what she normally did each morning.

He was conscious that conversation was continuing around him, and he was even occasionally contributing to it, but his attention was mainly on Jaime as he willed her to look at him. Willed her to move her focus from that a**hole, whoever he was, for just one f**king minute. Then, suddenly, she did and her eyes found his. He could have sworn she shuddered slightly, but then she gave him a cool, polite smile and returned her attention to the guy at her table.

Dante’s wolf growled at her aloofness, pushing at him to go to her. So this was the reason she was no longer interested in him. What was so damn special about that guy? He just looked like some pretty boy. Not that Dante truly cared or anything. His ego cared, but that was different—Jaime’s abrupt indifference was a blow, and no dominant wolf reacted well to an ego blow. That was all it was.

Swallowing back a growl, Dante forced his gaze away from Jaime. He should be relieved that she had gotten the message that he wasn’t interested. Instead, he was annoyed. And he was annoyed that he was annoyed. He hadn’t realized until now that although her crush had made him feel uncomfortable, he’d liked it. He’d liked that there was someone around who wanted him that much, someone who would give him her undivided attention. His ego had liked it. And now he was battling the urge to go over there and drag her away from the other guy. With her attention suddenly gone, it felt…cold.

When the sound of her husky laugh met his ears, arousal shot through Dante in spite of his irritated state. Clearly, the guys had also heard it, because their heads all swerved around.

“Hey, it’s Jaime,” drawled Trick, smirking at Dante. “Looks really good today, doesn’t she?” Tao strained to look. “Who’s that guy she’s with?”

“No idea,” said Trick before turning back to Dante. “Well, it seems like you’ve been officially replaced.”

Dante ground his teeth so hard that it was audible, which made Trick’s smile widen.

Nick didn’t even have the decency to hide his amusement. “I think that concludes the meeting.

If I hear any more about Glory’s brothers, I’ll let you know.” Dante nodded as they all stood and headed for the door. Behind him he heard that husky laugh again, and it took everything he had not to turn around. His wolf growled his disapproval, not understanding why Dante hadn’t gone over there to warn off the other male, which served to remind Dante exactly why he was staying clear of this female.

Only once before now had his wolf ever been so incited by a female. Naturally, Dante hadn’t had a problem with answering that craving—over and over again, in fact—because he hadn’t suspected that things would get as complicated and painful as they later did. Never would he chance that happening again. Never.

Gathered with the pack in the living area after dinner, Jaime pretended that she couldn’t feel Dante’s eyes on her. His gaze had been drilling into her since she came home—and not in a good way. It wasn’t the kind of look that would heat a girl’s blood; it was a piercing scowl that sent a shiver down her spine. He had shot Jaime the same look in the diner, but rather than making her nervous, a bolt of heat had lanced through her the second her gaze met his. But then, Jaime had never responded appropriately to danger. She didn’t seem to have a “flight” response. That had gotten her into all kinds of shit.

Unable to think of a reason Dante suddenly found her scowl-worthy, she paid no attention to him. Instead, she allowed herself to be distracted by the blond pervert beside her on the gigantic sectional sofa who could always make her laugh.

“Look at you,” drawled Greta from a black leather armchair. “One minute you’re chasing Dante, and the next minute you’re all over Dominic like a rash.” Hunk, who was snuggled on Jaime’s lap, hissed loudly, but Jaime simply smiled at the fuzzy-haired old woman. Her face was twisted into a scowl that wasn’t all that different from the decorative swirls carved into the sandstone of the main wall. Greta had always terrified Jaime as a kid, just as she’d terrified every kid other than Trey, Dante, Tao, Marcus, Trick, Ryan, and Dominic—her boys.

“At one point, you practically stalked poor Dante.”

“Stalked?” echoed Jaime. “No, I just watched him. At night. From behind a bush. Using night-vision goggles.”

To her surprise, Dante’s frown melted into a smile. No one ever stepped in to defend the old woman, because they all knew that the only way to deal with her was tit for tat. If the unmated females couldn’t handle Greta, they’d never survive in the pack.

Greta sneered at her. “You shouldn’t be surprised that he isn’t interested. What would he want with a big-breasted, fat-assed slut like you?”

Jaime sighed dramatically. “I wish the wizard had lived up to his promise and given you a heart.” In some ways, Jaime found her amusing. Her wolf didn’t, however. The cranky animal wanted to lunge at Greta and take a bite out of her. No surprise there. Her wolf’s answer to everything was, sadly, “attack.” Once again, Jaime found herself grieving the patient, nurturing, playful wolf that had once lived within her until that f**ked-up night all those years ago.

“I suppose you look a tiny bit better nowadays. You’d always been a fat child.”

“I prefer the term ‘charitably shaped.’”

“If you thought being thinner would bag you one of my boys, you’re very wrong. They can see right through power-hungry sluts like you. You wanted to be Beta female, and when that didn’t work you moved on to one of the enforcers, didn’t you? I told them that that’s the only reason you’d applied to switch packs. I told them not to accept you. But did they listen to me? Noooo. Don’t think that means you’ve won. I’ve got my eye on you. I always look out for my boys. Dante and Dominic are just as much my grandsons as Trey.”

“That’s nice. Maybe that means they’ll help you out with this emotional crisis that you’re going through.”

Greta narrowed her eyes. “That’s a terrible attitude you’ve got.”

“Yep, and I know how to use it.”

“You’re no better than her.” She nodded toward Taryn, who was laughing on the reclining end of the sectional sofa. Trey placed a possessive, protective hand on her pregnant belly. Their bond was so strong and solid it was almost visible. It had Jaime feeling a little jealous.

The tiny, blonde Alpha female gave the old woman a smile that dripped with pity. “Greta, maybe you should take a Valium and have a nice nap. You’re only raising your blood pressure, and we don’t want that.”

Ignoring her, Greta curled her upper lip at Jaime. “Have you always been such an insufferable flirt?”

“‘Minx’ would be the word I’d use.”

She pointed hard at Jaime. “Just remember that I’m onto you. Your cards are marked. So I’d give up your little seduction plan if I were you, because it won’t get you far. As if any of my boys would go for a submissive tramp like you anyway—big boobs or not!” Jaime cocked her head and frowned. “You know…it sounded like English, but…”

“There’s that smart mouth again.”

“If you don’t want to listen to it, by all means, go back to Narnia. I’d imagine you’re missing your wand and crown anyway.”

Greta glanced around the room. “Have you all heard the way she speaks to me?!” Many of them looked like they were holding back a laugh at the look of outrage on Greta’s face. Taryn, unsurprisingly, didn’t.

When the old woman again sneered at her, Jaime gave her a beaming smile. “Be honest, Greta, you’ve missed me all these years, haven’t you?”

“Ignore her,” Taryn advised Jaime. “Don’t let the senile old crone wind you up. It’s what she lives for.”

“I heard that,” said Greta.

“Well, it wasn’t like I was whispering.” Taryn gave Jaime a pleading look. “Any tips on how to deal with Old Mother Hubbard here? You’ve known her longer than I have.” Jaime pursed her lips. “Don’t get light in her eyes, don’t get her wet, and never feed her after midnight.”

“I’ve had enough.” With a humph, Greta rose from her seat. “I don’t have to sit around here and be insulted.” She practically marched out of the room, mumbling to herself.

Lydia shook her head, chuckling. “That woman will outlive us all.” Tao smiled, running a hand through his tousled chocolate-brown hair. “She’s more strong-willed than all of us put together.”

Strangely, Jaime found herself wondering why though she favored the shade of chocolate-brown over walnut-brown, she preferred Dante’s hair to Tao’s. In fact, if any of the enforcers should be her type, it was Tao. All her past boyfriends had been similar to him: intense by nature, hair that was short but long enough to ruffle, and with a body that was muscular but more athletic than burly.

Dante didn’t fit into her type at all, and yet it was him she was drawn to. And didn’t that just chafe.

“So,” drawled Trey, turning to Dante. “Tell us more about this meeting you went to.” Once Dante was done telling the tale, Taryn cursed a blue streak that would have made any sailor proud. Oh, he’d definitely made the right decision by not telling her sooner.

“I never liked that bitch. She flirted with Trey when I went to that mating ceremony on Nick’s territory. I was five feet away at the time.”

“Yeah, but you scared her off.” Trey affectionately rubbed circles on her belly.

“Want me to kill her?” she asked Dante, sounding hopeful.

“No, I don’t,” he chuckled.

“Seriously, Trey can hold my hair back out of the way and I’ll—” Trey cupped his mate’s chin. “You will not get into any kind of confrontation with anyone.

Besides, Nick’s said he’s dealt with it. Let’s hope that’s the end of it.”

“There’s still the matter of her brothers,” Marcus pointed out, running a hand through his short, dark curls as if trying to straighten them.

Dante crossed his arms behind his head and sank farther into his chair. It was pissing him off that his eyes kept darting to Jaime of their own accord, but he managed to veil his irritation from the wolves around him. “It might be better to let Glory and her brothers sweat, leave them wondering what we’ll do or if we’ll do anything at all.”