In the Land of Gods and Monsters

Chapter Twelve

Dinner turned out to be a much larger affair than I had originally anticipated. Clad in my sweats and tee-shirt from my hectic morning, I entered the dining room to find hordes of people milling about, talking, eating, and laughing with one another. Unsure on how to proceed, I awkwardly hung near the doorway until Ezra's brother spotted me.

"Poppy, there you are. Get something to eat quickly, Ezra is on his way, I can feel it," he said, biting into a slice of bread. I scanned the room and noticed the large buffet set on a table in the corner.

"Who are all these people?" I asked quietly.

"My pack!" he cried, grinning proudly. It was clear that he cared for his people.

"Oh. Also, what is your name? You never said," I asked, following him as he moved toward the buffet line.

"I am Aries. But you may call be Ari if you like."

"Alright," I said, scooping a heaping mound of mashed potatoes onto my plate. I added some mac and cheese and a couple rolls of bread before turning back to face Ari.

"So just carbs then?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's all I need," I laughed. Ari led me to a large table and introduced me to his beta and gamma, and their mates. I nodded and smiled politely.

"And this, is my gorgeous mate Lana," he said, leaning down to place a sloppy kiss on the cheek of a small blonde woman with bright green eyes. She laughed and shoved him aside playfully before turning toward me.

"I truly am sorry to have met you under such circumstances Poppy, but it is a pleasure nonetheless," she said, getting up to give me a hug. I encircled my arms around her awkwardly.

"You seem like a lovely person, despite the situation," I mustered.

We had all sat down and begun to chat quietly when the room began to shake. I grabbed the edge of the table and looked around in fear.

Ari laughed and took a large swing of his drink.

"Ezra is right on time," he said, standing up just as Ezra marched into the room. The look on his face was murderous.

"ARI," he boomed, stopping in the dead center of the room.

"Dear brother," called Ari, turning to face him. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Ezra seethed.

"Where is she?" he cried. At this, I piped up.

"I'm here!" I said through a mouth full of mashed potatoes. Ezra gaze landed on me in an instant as I stood up and smiled.

"She's quite alright," said Ari. "Just trade her for the land and we'll be set."

"You will have none of my land. I won't play games with you, Ari."

"Then you won't be leaving here with your mate," he reasoned, holding his ground.

Ezra rolled his eyes and stalked over toward me. Grabbing my arm, he began to lead me out of the dining room. I barely had time to wave goodbye to Lana.

"You may have the land, but if you pull this stunt again, I will not hesitate to kill you," Ezra called as we moved toward the exit. The last thing I heard before we closed the door to the home was Ari's booming laughter. Ezra led me to the car. We both got in quickly and he began to speed away.

"I didn't know you had a brother," I said, breaking the silence.

"I would have preferred it that way," he said through gritted teeth. I moved my hand into his and felt his muscles relax.