She made him almost smile a lot, he mused as he hopped into the Chevy and headed for the shelter. She wasn’t afraid to ignore fashion trends—in fact, she carried her whimsical dress sense with confidence and dignity. She felt absolutely no shame about her differences or quirks. And she seemed to believe that rational people were the quirky ones.

What he liked most of all about her was her strength. It was a quiet thing that manifested in her bravery and resolve to make a difference for the loners she met in the shelter.

What he didn’t like was that she still hadn’t shared any of her secrets with him. Although she’d told him some things about herself, they were shallow and superficial. None of it gave him much insight into her or what had happened to her. But if she thought he’d give up, she didn’t know him at all.

Pulling up outside the shelter, he beeped his horn. Zac immediately dashed outside and jogged over to the car. Inside, he tipped his chin. “Sup?”

Ryan nodded. “Where do you want to go?”

“You’re letting me choose? Sweet. Um, how about we go for pizza? I’m starving.” He gave directions to the restaurant he had in mind. Once Ryan began driving, Zac asked, “How did mediation go?” He rolled his eyes at Ryan’s grunt. “Dude, I’m not Makenna. I can’t understand your noises.”

“Remy asked them to join his pack. They said no. It’ll go before the council in eight weeks.”

Mouth twitching into a smile, Zac shook his head. “I shouldn’t have asked. Storytelling’s not your thing.”

Ryan just grunted again, which made Zac laugh.

After they’d settled in a booth at the restaurant and placed their orders, Zac spoke. “I’ve heard little things about your pack. Did Trey really almost kill his father when he was fourteen?” He flushed, looking apologetic. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“Yes, I do. You’re a Phoenix wolf now.” He had a right to know.

“I haven’t said yes to your offer.”

“Doesn’t matter. Wherever you are and whatever you decide, you’re a Phoenix wolf.” He could see that his answer touched Zac, and Ryan was glad of it. “To answer your question, it’s true. Trey beat his father, who was also the Alpha, in a duel.” But the sick, abusive bastard had deserved it.

Once the waitress placed their Cokes in front of them before disappearing once again, Zac continued, “Was Trey really banished?”

“Yes.” By rights, Trey should have been appointed as Alpha—it was protocol for someone who defeated an Alpha to then replace them, but some of the pack had come together to instead drive him out. However, Ryan decided not to add on that part, since challenging an Alpha was exactly what Zac’s father had done. Ryan didn’t want to dredge up bad memories.

“Was that when he joined the Phoenix Pack?”

“No. When he was banished, the people who disagreed with the decision left with him. Together, they formed the Phoenix Pack.”

“You were one of them?”

Ryan nodded. “Trey’s my friend, and he hadn’t deserved what happened to him.”

“Did your family leave too?”

“They were happy to see Trey go.” His mother was just as happy to see Ryan go.

“Do you see them much?”

Ryan shook his head. He liked it that way.

The waitress reappeared with their pizza. Once she was gone, Zac said, “I have one more question. Does Trey really turn feral during battles?”

“Yes. But he’s never hurt anyone from our pack. And Taryn pulls him back from that state quickly.” He took a swig of his drink. “There are a lot of rumors, and some have truth in them. But our pack is a good one. We take care of our own. The dominants would fight to the death before they would let anyone in our pack come to harm. Let me take you to my territory tomorrow—just for the day. You can meet everyone, explore the land. It will just be a daytrip.”

Zac frowned thoughtfully. “Okay. Just for the day. But I want Makenna to come.”

Ryan inclined his head, though it galled him that Zac didn’t fully trust his pack not to force him to stay.

“You want her, don’t you? Makenna, I mean.”

Ryan veiled his surprise. “Yes.”

“So why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

“I’m concentrating on you right now.”

Zac chewed another chunk of pizza. “Well . . . it would be cool with me if you asked her out. Just . . . don’t hurt her, okay? She’s been hella good to me. She helped me when I wouldn’t help myself. She’s a good person.”

Yes, she was. Her actions were driven by a good heart and a pain she strived to hide. In the beginning, he hadn’t trusted her level of compassion and empathy. He hadn’t seen how it could be real . . . because he’d never before known it.

“I think she likes you too. So she’d probably say yes if you asked her out.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were playing matchmaker.”

Zac just smiled.

CHAPTER NINE

As Ryan drove through the gates of Phoenix Pack territory the next morning, he stopped beside the security shack. Cam strolled toward the car with a “Hey.”

“This is Zac and Makenna,” Ryan told him.

“And you’re Cam, Lydia’s mate,” said Zac, riding shotgun. “You were in a selfie that she sent me.” The Phoenix wolves often sent him photographs.