"Are you afraid of me?" Chris asks, his voice laced with pain. He's not even looking at me, probably afraid of my answer.

Am I afraid of him?

No. He may intimidate me sometimes, but not scare me.

I place my hand softly on his arm to prove I'm not afraid as I shake my head no.

I feel him shift towards me on the log, but I just keep looking into the woods. His hand lands gently on my cheek and I subconsciously lean into his caress before catching myself. He turns me to look at him, his hazel eyes searching mine as he asks, "What is it then?"

"I don't know," I admit, trying to drop my gaze. I had no idea my actions had left him feeling like this; the guilt gnaws at me. He turns me back, clearly wanting more.

"You do intimidate me sometimes," I admit. "Your emotions are so volatile, and you're hard to read."

I struggle to put my feelings into words; I haven't even figured this out for myself yet. "You confuse me one minute, then make me feel safe and protected the next," I trail off. "I don't understand any of this; how you can stand out so much and break every boundary, and yet it's so easy to be around you sometimes," I say more to myself in barely a whisper.

It's frustrating the effect he has on me, and that's what scares me, not the man himself.

The realization is shocking; I feel my walls crumbling under his intense gaze.

I didn't want this, did I?

After what happened to me, I swore I'd never let a man have that kind of power over me again.

Yet here he is, making his way in, and I'm letting him. Why?

Caught up in my own world, I don't notice him closing the gap and bringing his lips to brush mine. The sudden contact is startling and I gasp, frozen in place. Before I can process what he's done, his lips find mine again. Soft yet firm, his kiss is surprisingly gentle. I sit there unmoving for a moment before my lips meet his, returning the kiss so naturally.

His hand moves from my cheek to the back of my neck, deepening the kiss once I return it. My hand slips up his chest, earning a deep growl of approval that causes a tightening in my core. As quickly as he started, Chris pulls back with a final light kiss, leaving me breathless and my heart racing. He looks down at me, eyes flickering between their regular hazel and a deeper brown.

Snap!

The sound of a twig breaking barely has time to register before Chris shoots up, taking me with him. In one fluid motion, he sweeps me behind him as he faces the direction of the sound. I hook a hand on his side to steady myself as I gain my bearings. I feel his low warning growl through my fingertips before it reaches my ears.

"Hey, Chris. I don't suppose you've seen a little elf roaming these woods, have you? I seem to have misplaced mine."

Another growl leaves Chris as he picks up the empty beer bottle and chucks it at Jace's head. He ducks, but Jude, who's right behind him, catches it. His eyebrow raises with a look of concern on his face.

I slowly step out from behind Chris. "There you are, little elf." Jace flashes me a knowing smile as his eyes zero in on my hand on Chris's side. Blush burns my face and I drop my gaze and step away from Chris.

"You of all people should know better than to sneak up on an Alpha," Chris snarls.

Jace is completely unphased. "In all fairness, I tried to give you a heads up, but I couldn't get through," he says, tapping his temple and grins. "Now I see why."

"What do you want?" Chris asks, the annoyance clear in his voice.

"Well, dinner is ready and we are missing our guest of honor," Jace teases, mischief dancing in his grey eyes.

Not wanting to prolong this awkward exchange any longer, I head towards them. "Lead the way," I say to Jude, hoping to move past the questions I see in their eyes.

Jude looks at me a moment, his eyes asking if I'm okay. I just give him a quick smile and nod. Thankfully, he turns to lead us back to the BBQ.

Before we even make it out of the woods, the aroma hits, causing my mouth to water. The walk back is quiet, but I can feel Chris's eyes on me the whole way as I walk with Jude.

Xavier has beers waiting for the guys by the time we get to the table. Claire gives me a suspicious look as she takes my empty cup to refill it. I can't help but blush under her scrutiny, which apparently answers her question as she breaks out in a triumphant smile.

I gladly take the drink, downing half of it right off the bat and earning a hearty laugh from her. Hoping my blush will be gone by the time everyone takes a seat, I beeline for an empty seat in the middle of the table.

A moment later, the guys bring platters piled high with ribs, chicken wings, potato skins, and all sorts of food. The spread's impressive, fit for royalty. Jude and Jace walk up behind me, setting their drinks down on either side. Before they can sit, a barely audible rumble sounds. Jace slides his drink across and sits down on the opposite side of the table as Chris takes the seat next to me while Jude sits on my right.

As Xavier and Claire come with the last dishes, they look from Chris to the empty head of the table, landing back on me in question. "Take a seat, Xav, it's not a formal dinner," Chris says. Xavier takes the head seat with Claire at his side.

"You've outdone yourselves," Chris says approvingly. "We might need to have company more often," he finishes with a chuckle as everyone digs in.

With that, dinner commences, and a lightness settles on the table as easy conversations and laughs sound often. Ethan's in his glory, gnawing on a large rib bone like some feral pup. I can't help but laugh as he snaps at Jude's hand when he tries to grab it.

I look around, seeing everyone in a new light. There's no longer the formal barrier required with secrecy. I hadn't even realized it was there before, but now that it is gone, I don't know how I didn't see it sooner.

"So what made you cook an entire butcher shop tonight, Jace? I mean, it's great, don't get me wrong, but there's so much food!" I say.

He beams at my complement. "There's no such thing as too much food here. Whatever's left over afterwards will go back to the pack house kitchen and won't last long." He winks at me. "My BBQ is always in demand."

I frown, thinking about what he means. "Why don't they just come and grab it while it's hot, then? It's always best right off the grill," I reason.

"They didn't want to overwhelm you with too many people at once," Sara chimes in with a smirk.

"I appreciate that, but I don't mind at all," I reply, earning a skeptical look from Sara. "Really, I'd rather everyone enjoy it while it's hot. I've got nothing to worry about, right?" I shrug, but that last part is more to myself.

My heart nearly leaps out of my chest as I feel Chris's large hand on my thigh, snapping my attention to him instantly.

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about from anyone here," Chris promises me, giving my leg a squeeze for emphasis. "You sure you don't mind more company?"

Suddenly, I'm painfully aware of just how close he is now. I nod, not trusting my voice, and give a small smile before turning back to my plate. I catch the trace of a smirk on his face; he knows exactly the effect he's having on me!

I throw back the rest of my drink and go to get up for a refill, but Chris simply chuckles, shaking his head as he takes my glass to refill it.

Before long, others start to arrive. Doc was the first to arrive; apparently his first name is Marty. He introduces me to his mate Lily, who also works at the pack hospital as a nurse. Slowly, more people file in, some say hi, others give just a quick smile and nod. The last group that arrives are apparently warriors and take up with Sara.

The influx of people put Jace back to work on the grill. Xavier and Claire also help to feed the expanding group. Chris is off talking on his cell while Jude and Ethan are in a larger group of people. I frown.

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

The fact that they are wolves has nothing to do with my discomfort; I'm not fond of large gatherings. I can manage them okay by clinging on to people, but everyone's busy.

A familiar presence brings me out of reflection. "You look pretty far away there," Chris says, then raises a brow. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking," I trail off.

"If there's too many people, I can send some away," he suggests. I put a hand on his arm and with a sad smile, shake my head no. He turns to me. "What's wrong then?"

"Nothing, it's just a moment."

He keeps watching me, clearly wanting more of an explanation.

"You know, I never used to be this bad around people. I used to be pretty comfortable at BBQ's and bonfires." He frowns at my words. "I just don't want you to think that you or anyone else has done something all the time. Sometimes it's just my own issues."

"What changed?" He asks, hazel eyes full of concern. I shake my head and head back towards the group, noticing the crowd around Jude and Ethan has cleared out. I grab Chris's wrist to drag him along so he doesn't think I'm running away. "Sorry you don't have to tell me," he apologizes.

"Just don't want to get into it now," I dismiss. "Come on, let's make s'mores or something."

I look at Jace, who's making a funny face. "What? You guys don't eat s'mores here?" I scan the group; everyone is giving me the same confused look.

"Really!?" I furrow my brows and scoff. "Toasted marshmallow, chocolate and Graham crackers? Not ringing a bell at all? How?" By this point my face contorts in disbelief– like how do they not know what s'mores are!?

Jude is the first to crack, followed by everyone else. I smack Jace in the ribs as he bursts out laughing. A moment later, Claire returns with a tray of marshmallows, chocolate bars and Graham crackers. "Yes, we know what s'mores are. Your face was priceless, though."

Dorks.

I roll my eyes and drag a smiling Ethan over to the fire to roast marshmallows. Before long, we're laughing over stupid things. Jude knocks Jace's marshmallow into the fire. Jace then sets Jude's on fire. I'm pretty sure Xavier and Claire are the only adults left making proper s'mores.

I lift my marshmallow out of the fire to check how evenly toasted it is. Happy with its golden brown goodness, I reach up–only to be robbed! Chris towers over my sitting form and snatches his prize with a smirk. My jaw drops, but before I can protest, his cell rings and he walks away. I can't hear what he's saying, but it's clear it isn't a happy conversation. He paces just out of earshot, talking animatedly before hanging up and turning off his cell. Chris looks like he's carrying the weight of the world as he sinks down on a bench.

"That good, eh?" I sit down next to him and pass him a couple of s'mores I managed to rescue from Jace. "I hear toasted marshmallow, chocolaty goodness improves any situation." I nudge him with my shoulder, trying to crack a smile.

"Nothing to worry about. Was just a neighbouring pack. They've been having rogue issues as well." He runs his hand through his already messed up hair. "It's always something," he mumbles. "Come on, let's go back." He stands up and holds a hand out for me, helping me up before leading back to the dwindling group.

"So, when's Challenge this year?" Sara asks casually. "First strings are itching for a whooping." She laughs, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"This year we've got you guys," the tall redheaded warrior chirps.

"Not so fast Nat, the challenge hasn't even been named yet, let alone teams picked," Jace chimes in.

I'm thoroughly lost at this point. "What's Challenge?"

"Challenge is a pack sport. It changes from game to game, but the basics are a challenging team takes on the past winner. Captains are always the same, but teams change. It's partially to break up the routine of training, and partially to showcase individual ability and teamwork. Finishes with a pretty good party, usually some bets placed as well," Xavier explains.

My interest is piqued. "Who are the captains? And what does the challenging team have to do?" Seems like a pretty good rivalry.

"Alpha and head warrior," Jace replies—so, Chris vs. Sara. That would be interesting! "The Challenge is different each time; sometimes it's something like protect and defend, other times more like capture the flag, there may be restrictions like wild form only," he trails off with a shrug.

"Could you be ready for next weekend?" Chris asks. Sara nods enthusiastically, a fire in her eyes. "Teams?"

"I want Jude as my second," Sara says, not missing a beat. She eyes Jude up and down like a steak. "I want to see what he's capable of."

"No." Chris scowls while Jude looks mortified.

"As challenger, I get first dibs. He put in for a transfer. What better way to see if he's a good fit? What's it gonna hurt to knock him around a bit?" Apparently that's her selling point, knowing his grudge with Jude.

"Sorry, Chris, I had no idea she was gonna bring that up," Jude tries to backpedal.

"Don't think you can handle it?" There's a dangerous look in Chris's eye. I can't tell if it's a challenge or if he feels insulted.

"Um," Jude stalls, clearly seeing the trap but not seeing the safe way out. He gives me a desperate look. "I don't want to intrude. Besides, I know that I'm only here because of Jess. I wouldn't feel right playing without her."

My eyebrow shoots up; it's the safest play, but I didn't like being put out as a shield.

Only Jude can get away with that.

Chris leans back in his chair, mulling over his response. Apparently, Jude picked the best exit after all. "She can play too," he replies with an unreadable expression. Sara shoots up. Clearly, this wasn't part of her plan.

"How can she possibly play? She can't even shift?" She snarls in disgust.

Unphased, he shrugs. "So this year will be a human form only challenge. Two years ago it was only wild form. Same rules as always. Submit or outlast, sparing rules." She looks ready to explode as she eyes me.

'You thought she didn't like you to begin with?' Oh no, I've clearly just made it to the top of her shit list!

"Fine!" she snarls, then sneers, "If you want to be stuck babysitting her, be my guest."

Chris lets out a harsh laugh. "Oh no, she's on your team. You want to see what Jude is capable of? He'll be on my team. We'll do men vs women, human only form." At this point we are all just watching, slack jawed, waiting to see what craziness comes next.

"So you'll have Jace, Xavier and Jude, I get saddled with a handicap and get only three warriors?" The outrage is clear in her voice as well as the challenge.

"We'll play double roster, make your team of ten as challenger. I'll take a handicap too." He nods at Ethan, who is bursting with excitement at being chosen.

"Fine," she agrees.

Oh shit, what just happened?

I look at Jude, who's barely containing his excitement. Well, at least one of us is excited. I can suffer through it if that gives him a chance.