Zira marveled at the spread laid before them. Their pack was small, but their appetite was right up her alley. She sat at the table, planning where to start. Her dream-like state was interrupted by a few curious stares from the pack members taking their seats.
“What,” she asked as they smiled and looked away.
“Your passion for food never ceases to amaze me,” Isaiah smiled, placing a napkin around Arias.
Zira rolled her eyes and started to eat, and her little food symphony began.
“We can’t take you anywhere,” Zed said, sitting across from her with Bella and Alistar.
Zira would’ve said something, but her mouth was full, so she stuck to just glaring at him. He could tell what she wanted to say. Some of the members laughed and watched her in awe as she ate. When they rolled by with the desserts, she couldn’t pick between the apple pie or sweet potato pie or chocolate tart.
“Which one do you think, Bugga,” she asked Arias.
“All of them,” he smiled.
Zira laughed. “You might be my son after all,” she said, nodding to the servant to place a slice of each in front of her.
Zira started to eat and noticed Arias staring at her with his dessert in his hand. Fruit. Zira internally gagged. Fruit was good but nothing compared to sweets.
“You don’t want him hyped on sugar all day,” Bella told her earlier when she picked a fruit cup for Arias.
Zira looked at his face and his pout was close enough to make her fold.
“You know your dad and Nana will be mad if you have sweets.”
“Please, please, please. Mommie, please.” The eyes…. his eyes are getting to me and…
“Did you hear that, Nina? He said Mommie,” Zira preened.
“Oh, he’s good. He’s really good. Don’t do it. We need to show a strong hand.”
“A little sugar won't hurt right, Bugga,” Zira whispered to him while Isaiah was busy talking on his phone and Bella left to get her own tea bags.
Zira took a small piece of sweet potato pie and gave it to Arias, who hungrily gobbled it up and looked at her for more.
“That’s all you get, Bugga,” she said, finishing the pie and reaching for the chocolate tart. She guided it to her mouth and noticed Arias still staring at her. She looked at him and his eyes went to the piece of tart before going back to her. Zira looked at Isaiah and could see he was still distracted. “Okay, just one bite and that’s it.”
She quickly gave the bite to Arias, who couldn’t have been happier. She looked up and saw Isaiah frowning at her.
“What? You didn’t warn me about his eyes. How can I say no to the eyes? And he called me Mommie.”
“Well, you’re going to deal with him later when he can’t sleep,” Isaiah warned as he sat down to wipe Arias’s face. Zira went for the last piece of dessert with a smile.
“Well, if it isn't the little spitfire in heat,” a voice chuckled behind them.
Two men approached their group, one sat near Zira and the other sat across from them. Zira didn’t look up from her dessert but knew by their scent it was the twins she came across in the hallway of the palace. The one sitting next to her was all smiles. The one across from her, sitting next to Alistar, glared at her while she ate.
“Hi, I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself last time. I’m Ezekiel and that’s my brother, Malachi."
Zira gave both of them a nod as she continued eating with no care in the world. Ezekiel kept going.
"You might remember us from the other day when you handed our asse-"
"Hey, there's a kid here," Isaiah said while covering Arias’s ears.
“Sorry,” Ezekiel smiled, “our butts to us the other day. It’s been a while since that happened to either of us. It was quite a treat.”
“She was lucky,” Malachi growled.
“Or maybe she’s just good,” Zed countered.
“I’ve been training since I was a kid, kid,” Malachi said with his eyes still on Zira. “I know talent when I see it. She’s an amateur at best.”
“Yet, she was still able to best you. Heard you barely laid a hand on her but somehow ended up on the floor,” Zed said.
“I’ve been there, my friend,” Alistar grumbled. “It’s…humbling.”
“And don’t forget the broken nose,” Ezekiel happily added, much to Malachi’s displeasure.
“Hardly,” Malachi growled at them before returning his gaze to Zira. “Is this what you do? Let others speak for you?”
Isaiah started to speak but felt Zira’s hand on her leg. She shook her head and continued eating. She had dealt with macho men worse than Malachi and, besides, she was enjoying the apple pie.
“Maybe a second round is needed. No interference and you can show me just how good you are,” Malachi teased, but Zira continued to ignore him, which only pissed him off. “Are you even listening,” he asked, reaching for her plate.
A loud thump could be heard across the room as Zira drove a knife into the table. It was only a half of an inch away from Malachi’s hand that was touching her plate. Her eyes slowly moved from her plate to Malachi’s eyes.
“Get your hand,” she said, slowly, “off my plate or lose it.”
They stared at each other for a moment longer before Malachi looked around the table at the others. Everyone seemed to find the situation amusing except for Malachi. As much as he wanted to challenge her, something about her aura made him move his hand.
“It’s just dessert,” he grumbled, focusing on his own food. “Don’t have to get so touchy.”
Isaiah couldn’t help the growl escaping his throat, but Zira’s hand squeezed his thigh, and he could see Arias getting uncomfortable. Isaiah picked him up instead to soothe him when Zira noticed as well. She could care less about Malachi’s bruised ego, but she didn’t want Arias to feel uncomfortable.
“Hey Bugga, everything’s okay,” she cooed, rubbing his back while Arias kept his eyes on Malachi. He could obviously feel the tension in the room and Zira didn’t like it. She turned her full attention to Malachi.
“I get that our last encounter didn’t go in your favor and I’m not sorry about that. So, I would gladly accept another chance to teach you something, but right now is not the time. You’re scaring my kid and I don’t take kindly to that. So how about we all chill and enjoy our meal,” Zira said, looking around the table at the staring eyes with a smile until she came to Malachi. Her smile dropped and her face was as emotionless as his.
"But," she continued, lingering just a moment to get everyone's attention, "if you feel that last part is impossible, then it would be my pleasure to show you exactly what I wanted to do to you that day."
Silence filled the room as Zira and Malachi continued to stare at each other. He quickly stood up, causing Isaiah, Alistar, and Zed to stand at the same time. Zira went back to eating, stabbing the fork into the pie and into her mouth.
“Come, Ezekiel. I seemed to have lost my appetite.”
“I’m okay where I’m at, brother. Appetite still intact,” Ezekiel beamed while patting his stomach. Malachi snorted before turning on his heels to leave.
“Well,” Bella said, “all of this seems to be very unladylike, Zira.”
“Never said I was a lady,” Zira said.
“Yes, yes. Just another thing we need to work on then,” Bella said, placing her teacup down while standing up. “It’s been a long journey and I think it’s time for Arias to take a late afternoon nap.”
Bella walked over to pick Arias up from Isaiah. “Zira, are you coming?”
“Do I have a choice,” Zira mumbled, finishing off her pie.
“What was that, dear?”
“I said I’ll be right behind you,” Zira smiled. When Bella was out of earshot, Zira turned to Isaiah. “Why? Why did we bring her?”
“She wanted to come. She said it would be good bonding for you two as you transition to Luna,” Isaiah said, apologetically. “I think she just feels a bit responsible for the whole Alaia thing. You know, passing the baton to a crazy woman and all.”
"Well, anybody would be a step up from Alaia," Zira said mostly to herself, getting up to follow Bella out the door. She made it out into the hallway before Isaiah caught up with her.
"Hey, go easy on my mother, please. She means well, honestly."
“I’m not Alaia,” Zira said defensively.
“Of course not, and she knows that,” Isaiah said, grabbing her hands and pulling her close. “No one thinks that.”
Zira leaned her forehead against his chest. “I don’t know if I’ll be a great Luna, Isaiah. I can’t be as great as your mom.”
“Hey, every Luna is different, Zi, and the pack is not expecting you to be like anyone else but yourself,” Isaiah said, lifting her chin. “Besides, I can’t think of a better way to show the pack you care than what you’re doing right now for their future Alpha.”
Isaiah planted a soft kiss on her lips, lingering only for a moment before smiling. “Also, the way you handled that guy back there was incredibly hot. I like this badass persona you got going on. Maybe later you can give me a lesson or two.”
Zira couldn’t help but blush a little. “Well, Alpha, the things I could show you could be very…unladylike.”
Isaiah planted a kiss on the side of her neck and whispered in her ear. “I’m banking on it,” he whispered in her ears before pulling back.
When their eyes met, heat ran through her chest, causing a swell of emotions to rise. Her heat was gone, but still she burned for him like never before. She seemed to forget how suffocating his physical presence and touch could be.
“I should probably go before I do something indecent in these hallways. Or goddess forbid your mom to come looking for me,” Zira said, her eyes dropping to Isaiah’s lips.
“Then maybe we should find a place more secluded,” Isaiah smiled, pulling her along the hallway.
He opened the first door he found and pulled them into a utility closet. She smiled thinking about the last time she was stuck in one. At least this time she wanted to be here. Just as the door closed behind them, Zira pushed Isaiah against the door. Her mouth captured his in a heated kiss. They kissed as if it had been a long time since they had seen one another.
Isaiah quickly lifted her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and turned them around so her back was against the door. Her hands snaked their way up his arms and into his hair. A shiver of delight ran through her as Isaiah started to plant kisses down the side of her neck. His mouth, hot and open, sucked along the side of her neck until he came to her marking spot. She moaned when she felt a slight pressure of his teeth.
Then Isaiah stopped abruptly, and Zira could see his eyes glazed over for a second or two. Someone was linking him. She waited with bated breath for him to come back. He released her legs and feet to the floor.
“We have to go,” he said, exiting the closet.
“What is it,” Zira asked. “What’s wrong?”
“We have to get to my mother,” Isaiah said, briskly walking down the hall as she tried to keep up with his pace.
The fact that he wasn’t telling her what was wrong both terrified and angered her. “Isaiah, what is wrong,” she asked again with a bit more force.
Isaiah stopped and looked at her, trying to mask his concern. “Arias is missing.”