Now, The Tour - Halley's POV
I follow Sam down the hallway, trying not to let my nervousness show. The smell of cooked meat and eggs hits me before I even see the dining room. We turn the corner, my stomach twisting in knots, and I notice they are already precariously sitting at the table.
Sam walks beside me until I have to go around the table to sit between Colt and Noss. His posture is rigid and I wonder what changed in the last few minutes before we came here. Is it breakfast or does it have something to do with something else?
I can’t ask him if he’s okay, because we’re already sitting down and the brothers are watching our every move.
He glances at me, and for a moment, I see a storm brewing behind his eyes. I swallow hard, unsure of what’s about to happen. His jaw tightens as he sits between Dalton and Nix.
“So, did you sleep well?” Dalton asks, his gray eyes seeming darker than usual when he meets my gaze. “Other than the slight interruption.”
He looks at Nix, who is turning a bright shade of crimson.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, trying to hide how unrelenting their staring makes me feel. “Yes, I slept fine,” I murmur, keeping my voice steady, though I feel like I may fall apart at any moment.
Dalton’s eyes linger on me a moment longer before he nods slightly and turns to the spread of food on the table. Nix, still flushed, picks at his plate without looking up at me. I can’t tell if it’s embarrassment or something else.
Colt and Noss are quieter this morning, their gazes flicking toward me and then at the rest of the table. I can feel the weight of their attention on me.
I bite at my lip, nodding subtly.
Dalton finally clears his throat, drawing attention back to himself. “After breakfast, we’ll take you out on a tour, so make sure to eat enough.”
I nod before digging into my plate.
The rest of breakfast is quiet, which is different from how lively last night was. Once everyone is finished, the brothers stand first, leaving Sam and I to follow.
Outside, the morning air is crisp, but it feels good to my skin. The grounds stretch out before me, wide and untamed, with the pack’s training areas and hunting paths visible in the distance. The sunlight hits the treetops, and for a minute, I forget my nerves as I take in the beauty of it all.
Dalton walks ahead of us with Colt and Noss flanking him. Nix lingers slightly behind, still blushing, but his gaze flicks toward me more than once.
“You’ll need to stay between the four of us,” Dalton says without looking back. “The woods are safe, but it’s easy to get lost if you wander around. You’ll want to see everything for sure.”
I nod, my gaze shifting to Sam. He’s behind us, staying far away from me, but enough to keep me in sight.
We pass the path to the hunting grounds first. The area is vast, marked by worn paths and hunting trails that cut through dense thickets. Dalton gestures toward a pair of deer tracks embedded in the mud.
“I’ll show you the hunting grounds in a moment. We definitely have plenty of wildlife to keep your wolf happy,” Dalton says, finally pausing at the edge of what seems to be where they train. “Strength, speed, and precision is our motto. It’s everything a member of the pack must know.”
Noss and Colt exchange glances, smirking slightly as if enjoying the tension that lingers between Sam and them. I bite my lip, trying to focus on the training grounds like I’m truly interested.
When Dalton moves, I do the same, sticking with them. He walks us around the perimeter of the training field, noting everything that they do. I take it in, though most I miss, because I’m too lost in my own thoughts.
Once he’s done explaining that, he doesn’t bother with anything but the hunting grounds. He takes the first path where the deer tracks were and keeps going. I try to be calm as he leads our little party of six further and further down the path, yet I find myself growing more nervous by the minute.
Out here, there seems to be only us. It would be so easy to kill Sam and claim me as theirs.
I swallow hard as my thoughts become consumed by that one singular thought. My throat goes dry as the woods close in around us. The sun filters through the trees, and the earthy scent of pine and damp soil fills my nose. Every crunch of leaves underfoot makes me flinch, hyperaware of how vulnerable I am out here.
Dalton moves confidently, almost like his wolf is in control, because of the predatory way he navigates the path. He stops when we get a few feet into the woods.
“Here is where most of our hunting practice occurs,” Dalton says, gesturing toward a small clearing. “We train for speed, accuracy, and of course, teamwork. Every member of the pack needs to be ready at a moment’s notice.”
I nod, once again trying to focus on his words, but it makes me wonder why they train so much when there’s no one at war.
Dalton’s voice breaks through my spiraling thoughts again. “There are plenty of prey around here, like I said earlier. Your wolf will enjoy it.”
“I’m sure,” I say, keeping most of my thoughts to myself.
We follow the path deeper into the hunting area, and Dalton begins explaining their techniques for tracking and ambushing. He moves with precision, and I try so hard to pay attention, but every time one of them turns to glance at me, I feel my cheeks heat and my stomach knot.
The farther we go, the more isolated I feel. The dense trees block any view of the houses behind us, leaving just us and the forest. My pulse beats faster, not out of fear, but from the feeling of us being out here alone like this.
I keep my wits about me for the rest of the tour of the hunting grounds and when we leave, I let out a sigh of relief. Dalton continues giving the tour as if he hasn’t noticed that I’ve been a nervous wreck.
By the time lunch rolls around, he takes us back to the house, where we eat quickly and he takes us back out for a tour of the rest of the place. I never realized his territory would be so vast.
It takes until dinner and the sky turns dusk before we finally are in for the night. Sam, of course, has been quiet the entire time and keeps his eye on me. I figure we’ll have a long talk on the way back home.
When we reach the dining room, food is already laid out for us. This time looks to be a lot of the same things, with plenty of meat and sides.
I slide into the chair they clearly want me to sit in, right between Dalton and Noss. The warm scent of food fills the room and everything seems calm. Almost too calm.
I try to focus on eating, though my appetite isn’t what it normally is.
Sam sits across from me, and suddenly goes rigid as he looks past me. I follow his gaze and freeze when my gaze locks onto the window behind us. It’s open with the curtains pulled back, when it wasn’t like that earlier.
The brothers go quiet and look toward the window. I feel my stomach drop. Something or someone is out there, watching us. My throat tightens, and I realize just how exposed I am.
Sam doesn’t speak, but the intensity I feel when he stands and braces for what’s coming tells me everything I need to know. We may not be safe here.
A growl deepens just beyond the window.