After taking a quick, refreshing shower and some much-needed Tylenol, Tao pulled on some clothes and made his way to the kitchen. As he entered, his stomach rumbled at the sight and smell of the delicious spread on the dining table—scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, cereal, and biscuits and gravy were among the selection. Grace, the pack’s cook and mother hen, stood at the stove while the rest of the pack sat around the table.

Sinking into a chair, Tao loaded his plate with food as he scanned the room. Riley hadn’t yet arrived, which made him frown. He saw that many of his pack mates looked as if they were suffering from serious hangovers, especially Ryan’s teenage cousin, Zac; he’d been allowed only one beer, yet the kid looked dead to the world.

Makenna in particular, who was filling Savannah’s and Dexter’s plates, seemed badly hungover with her puffy face and the bags under her eyes. She knew the kids well, since she worked at the homeless shelter where they’d stayed before coming here with Riley for sanctuary. It was only later that Tao had figured out that Riley didn’t need sanctuary at all.

Lilah, Grace and Rhett’s pup, giggled loudly and clapped at something Kye said. Pretty much everyone at the table winced at the sounds.

Jaime slapped her hands over her ears, looking close to tears. “Sound is pain.”

Dante began massaging her temples. The Beta pair were an extremely tight couple, most likely because they’d known each other since childhood. “Did you have a good birthday?” he asked Tao.

Tao nodded. “Thanks to all of you for the party and presents.”

His pack mates gave him strained smiles, with the exception of Jaime’s brother, Gabe. Leaning his head on the table, the submissive male lazily lifted his hand to acknowledge Tao’s words. He’d most likely meant to give him a thumbs-up or something, Tao couldn’t be sure.

Gabe’s mate, Hope, said, “I hope you liked the cake that Grace and I made.”

“There’s still some left,” said Greta.

Marcus’s head snapped up. “There’s cake left?” The male enforcer ate like a horse and, like his mate and fellow enforcer, Roni, he was obsessed with cake.

“You already ate most of it,” Lydia complained.

Marcus tipped his chin toward Cam. “He okay there?” Her sleeping mate had sunk so deeply into the chair he looked close to slipping right off it. Lydia just shrugged as if too tired to help him.

As Tao chatted with his Alphas, Taryn and Trey, he listened for Riley’s approach. It was at least twenty minutes before she arrived, and he tracked her every move as she headed to the table. He really did love to watch her walk. She had a fluid, predatory grace that said she was confident, capable, and not to be fucked with.

As she took the seat beside Makenna, Tao studied her carefully. He’d watched her often enough to be able to read her moods—much too often, really—but nothing in her expression gave away anything about her phone call.

Had it been bad news? Was someone hurt? Had she been asked to return to the flock?

More and more questions sailed around his head, none of which he would ask her at that moment in front of the pack. The news was for her to share or not. And if he knew Riley like he thought he did, it would be not.

Riley poured herself coffee and met Tao’s gaze across the table. She’d felt the burn of it on her skin as she entered the room. She warned him with her eyes not to question her now about Lucy’s call—and he would question her about it sooner or later—but there was really no getting Tao Lukas to do anything he didn’t want to do.

“I’m never drinking again,” said Taryn, eyes closed. The blonde might be small, but she was all Alpha. She had an aura of authority and dominance that Riley’s raven highly respected.

“I promised myself that same thing twenty minutes ago,” said Riley, shaking her head when Makenna offered her some toast; her stomach protested the idea of food. Turning to the only female enforcer, she griped, “It’s not fair that you look so fresh.”

Roni buttered her toast. “It’s only because I didn’t drink as much as you did.”

“You were more interested in the cake,” said Jaime.

Roni frowned at Jaime. “I’m mated to Marcus. If you don’t get to the cake fast, you don’t get cake.” Marcus smiled, eyes dancing with amusement.

Jaime raised a hand. “Girls, I say we make a pact here and now never to even touch a bottle of tequila ever again.”

Makenna nodded. “It would be for our own good.” Ryan grunted at his mate in what might have been agreement—Riley didn’t know. Mostly mute, he often communicated with grunts that only Makenna seemed able to fully translate.

“Don’t kid yourselves into thinking you won’t break that pact,” said Trey. Unlike his mate, he was powerfully built. The two Alphas might be very different in size, but they were both equally crazy, in Riley’s opinion.

“Dexter, you can’t!” said Kye.

Riley turned her attention to the cheetah cub, who was stuffing food in his pockets again, and groaned. “Dexter, please don’t do that.” She smiled in approval when he put the bacon back on the plate. “Thank you.” Of course, she knew he’d slip it into his pocket the moment she looked away.

Zac pushed away from the table. “The smell of food is killing me. I need a dark, quiet room so I can die in peace.” As he left the room, he passed Trick—another enforcer, who happened to be more deliberately annoying than even Riley—and bumped fists with him as he entered.

Seating himself at the table, Trick looked around, and his mouth quirked. “You all look like extras from Dawn of the Dead.”

Taryn glared at him. “Why don’t you have a hangover?”

Trick shrugged. “I rarely ever have them.”

“Lucky bastard,” said Riley, raking a hand through her hair. “I wish I could say I look rougher than I feel, but I don’t.”

“You don’t look rough,” insisted Dominic with a mischievous grin. “You look beautiful. You make me think of fast food—I want to take you out and then eat you in my car.”

Jaime chuckled, Tao growled, and the others groaned.

Dominic had an idiotic habit of dishing out cheesy pickup lines, and often used them on females who were either mated or dating; that aggravated their partners, given that shifters were very possessive. All that aside, Riley thought the cute blond enforcer was pretty funny.