Chapter Sixty-Eight
The kitchen door swung open and Wulph stepped inside, the scent of fresh air and pine clinging to him. His sharp eyes swept the room, landing immediately on the three males at the far end of the table. Their expressions — a mix of wariness, irritation, and something that looked suspiciously like sulking — made his mouth twitch.
Auron caught his gaze and gave a subtle nod.
Without hesitation, Wulph crossed the room and slid into the empty space between Avery and Molly. He leaned toward Molly first, his voice warm and approving. “You made it through the course faster than I expected. Good form, quick recovery — you’ll be dangerous once we fine-tune your magic work.”
Molly’s lips curved in a pleased smile. “Guess I had a good teacher today.”
Then Wulph turned to Avery, his grin widening. “And you—” He gave her a quick, familiar peck on the cheek before reaching over to snag one of her rolls from her plate. He took a bite without apology, chewing with obvious satisfaction.
Across the table, Riven froze mid-bite. Lucien’s jaw tightened. Kael’s eyes narrowed just enough to betray his thoughts.
Remy caught sight of their faces first and snorted, trying to smother her laugh. Elena didn’t even try — she bent over the counter, laughing so hard she had to set down the serving spoon before she dropped it.
Auron and Mark exchanged a glance, both of them wearing identical smirks.
“Alright, boys,” Auron said, his tone dripping with amusement. “Time for the next half of the course.”
Mark added, “Eat fast. You’ve got work to do.”
The three males groaned almost in unison, but none of them dared argue. Avery, for her part, simply took a slow sip of her drink, her expression the picture of innocence – though the sparkle in her eyes told a different story. Wulph just kept eating her roll, utterly unbothered.
The boys had barely pushed back from the table when Auron’s voice cut through the room.
“Alright, you three — back out for the second half of the course.”
There was a collective groan, but they stood, stretching stiff muscles and muttering under their breath.
Wulph rose too, brushing crumbs from his hands. Avery leaned toward him just before the door swung shut behind them, her voice low enough for only him to hear — or so she thought.
“Join Auron and Mark for the last half of their course,” she murmured, a wicked little smile curving her lips. “Set them straight for me.”
Wulph’s answering grin was slow and sharp. “Gladly.”
Unfortunately for the boys, the door hadn’t quite closed yet.
Auron, catching the tail end of her words, let out a sardonic laugh. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” He turned to the three of them, his tone far too cheerful. “Wulph, Mark, and I will take you to the pub afterwards. Give you some advice. Help you figure out how not to get tortured by Avery from now on.”
Mark, already standing beside him, nodded in agreement. “Might save your hides in the long run.”
Wulph just shook his head at them, the look in his eyes somewhere between pity and amusement. “You boys really don’t know when to quit, do you?”
Riven’s smile faltered. Kael’s jaw tightened. Lucien exhaled slowly, as if bracing himself.
From her seat at the table, Avery watched them go with a serene expression, sipping her drink like she hadn’t just orchestrated their afternoon misery. Molly caught her eye and smirked.
The door closed behind the men, and the kitchen was quiet again — except for Elena’s soft chuckle and Remy’s muttered, “They’re never going to learn.”
The sun was higher now, casting sharper shadows across the training field as the boys returned to the spot they’d left before lunch. Muscles sore, pride bruised, and still trailing the scent of regret, they lined up for the second half of the course.
Wulph joined them, his presence quiet but unmistakably dominant. Mark and Auron flanked him, all three radiating the kind of calm that only came from knowing exactly how much pain they were about to dish out.
They were halfway through the warm-up when Mark, stretching his shoulders, glanced at Wulph and asked casually, “So, how’s your mate handling the new baby? She had him a couple months ago, right?”
Lucien, who had been focused on his breathing, snapped his head toward Wulph. “Wait—you have a mate? And a baby?”
Wulph nodded, unfazed. “Little girl, actually. She’s already trying to chew through her crib rails. Strong jaw. Might be a biter.”
Kael muttered, “That explains a lot.”
Lucien turned on him, eyes narrowed. “You knew?”
Kael shrugged, wiping sweat from his brow. “He’s visited my pack. It’s not a secret.”
Lucien’s voice sharpened. “Then why the hell didn’t you say anything earlier? We looked like idiots this morning.”
Kael shot back, “We were idiots this morning. You think knowing he had a mate would’ve stopped you from reacting like a jealous teenager?”
Riven, still stretching, raised a hand. “Can we all agree we handled that like absolute morons?”
Wulph chuckled. “I’ve seen pups with better impulse control.”
Auron stepped forward, clapping his hands once. “Alright, enough bonding. Time to sweat. And while you’re running, maybe reflect on how not to end up in Avery’s dog house again.”
Mark added, “We’ll talk more at the pub. If you survive.”
Lucien muttered, “I deserve whatever she throws at me.”
Kael grunted. “Same.”
Riven sighed. “I just want back in the bed.”
Wulph smirked. “Then run faster.”