"You sll like brine," Zarek grumbled into her neck, inhaling deeply. His nose wrinkled. "Like a wet dog and salt."
"Hey!" Kaelen called out from the fire pit where he was sharpening a cleaver. "I heard that."
"It’s true though," Iris chirped from where she was sitting on Zarek’s boot, hugging Roxy’s ankle. The little wolf-girl sniffed the air dramatically. "Mama slls like fish! Like the river, but... stronger."
Roxy laughed, leaning back into Zarek’s solid warmth. "That’s because I was a fish, Iris. For a long ti."
Zarek stiffened slightly. He pulled back just enough to look at her profile, his dark brows knitting together in a frown of confusion and concern. "A fish? You shifted?"
"It’s a long story," Roxy promised, patting his cheek. "A story for later. Tonight is for food. Look at them go!"
She pointed toward the makeshift outdoor kitchen.
The cooking competition had begun, and it was nothing short of a spectacle.
Ren, the Fox, was a blur of red hair and manic energy. "I am making the Spicy Stir-Fry!" he announced, tossing chopped vegetables into the air and catching them. "Extra chili! Just how she likes it! Prepare to weep, you bland carnivores!"
Roxy laughed. You are a carnivore too, Ren.
"Stir-fry is a side dish," Kaelen scoffed. Kaelen had taken the pri cuts of the boar and was seasoning them with a rub Roxy had taught him months ago, garlic, crushed peppercorns, and wild herbs. "A Queen needs red at. I am grilling the steaks. Rare. Bloody."
"Both of you lack nuance," Syris hissed. With a fluid, hypnotic grace, grinding spices in a stone mortar. "I am preparing the curry. It warms the blood. It engages the senses."
"I am making the stew," Torian rumbled. The Bear was the picture of efficiency. He was chopping root vegetables, potatoes, carrots, turnips, into perfectly identical cubes. "It is hearty. It fills the belly. And it is cost-effective."
It was like they were doing a food comrcial.
The children cheered from the sidelines.
"Go Papa Wolf!" Axel and Onyx howled, jumping up and down.
"Go Papa Ren!" Iris shouted, traitorously switching allegiances because she liked spicy food.
Roxy watched them, her heart swelling. This was it. This was the chaos she had missed. The bickering, the competition, the overwhelming amount of testosterone confined in one small clearing.
They worked fast. Beastn didn’t plod around a kitchen like humans. They used their enhanced speed and strength. Kaelen flipped four massive steaks at once. Ren’s wok was practically catching fire. Syris tasted his curry with a forked tongue, adding a pinch more cumin.
Within thirty minutes, the air was thick with the most intoxicating slls Roxy had ever encountered. It didn’t sll like raw fish of the Spires. It slled of smoke, fat, earth, and spice.
"Done!" Ren shouted, slamming a lid onto a pot.
"Ready," Kaelen grunted, pulling the steaks off the grill.
"Table," Zarek commanded from his seated position, not moving an inch.
Kaelen wiped his hands on a rag. He walked over to the side of the Manor where the massive, heavy oak dining table usually sat on the porch. He didn’t drag it. He grabbed one leg and hoisted the entire thing, solid wood, easily five hundred pounds, over his head with one hand.
He walked it into the center of the yard and set it down with a gentle thud.
"Show off," Ren muttered, carrying a stack of bowls.
"Chairs!" Torian ordered.
Axel and Onyx scrambled to help, dragging the heavy wooden chairs across the grass. Torian carried three at a ti, arranging them perfectly around the table.
The spread was magnificent.
Steaming bowls of spicy vegetable stir-fry. A platter of charred, juicy boar steaks dripping with juice. A pot of rich, yellow curry that slled like heaven. And a cauldron of thick, hearty root stew.
Roxy’s stomach gave a loud, treacherous growl.
"I need that inside ," she moaned, eyeing the steak. "Right now."
"We eat," Zarek declared.
He stood up, lifting Roxy with him as if she were a doll. He walked to the head of the table and sat down. He didn’t put her in the chair next to him. He settled her firmly on his lap, sideways, so he could access the food while still keeping an arm around her waist.
"Zarek," Roxy giggled, "I can sit on a chair."
"No," Zarek said flatly. He picked up a fork and stabbed a piece of steak. "Open."
Roxy opened her mouth. He fed her.
The flavor hit her tongue, char, salt, the iron tang of the at. It was rougher than the magical food bubbles the God had given her, but it tasted better because Kaelen had made it.
"Oh my god," she groaned, closing her eyes. "Kaelen, marry again."
Kaelen smirked from across the table, slicing at for the twins. "I intend to."
"Try the stir-fry!" Ren demanded, shoving a bowl toward her.
Roxy took a bite. It was spicy, Ren-level spicy. It burned her tongue and cleared her sinuses instantly.
"It’s fire!" Roxy gasped, fanning her mouth. "It’s perfect! 10 out of 10, Ren!"
Ren preened, his tail wagging so hard it thumped against the chair leg.
Tanith, who Kaelen had fixed into her stroller, called out for Roxy. She looked at Roxy with eyes as if she was about to cry. Roxy smiled and patted her own knee, the one not trapped by Zarek or Iris.
"Co here, sweetie," Roxy invited.
Tanith didn’t hesitate. She climbed up, curling into a small ball on Roxy’s available lap space. Zarek grunted but allowed it, seemingly deciding that the snake-child was small enough not to be a threat to his monopoly on Roxy.
Roxy fed Tanith a piece of potato from Torian’s stew.
"Good?" Roxy asked.
Tanith nodded slowly, chewing.
"Torian, the stew is like a hug," Roxy praised, blowing a kiss to the Bear. "Solid. Warm. 10 out of 10."
"And the curry?" Syris asked, leaning forward, his eyes slitted in anticipation.
Roxy tasted it. It was complex, savory, and rich. "Syris, you are a wizard. 10 out of 10. You guys... I missed this food so much. I missed you so much."
The mood at the table shifted from competitive to sentintal. The sun had fully set now, and the fire pit cast a warm, flickering orange glow over their faces.
Ren stopped eating. He looked at Roxy, his ears drooping slightly.
"I lost the scent," Ren whispered, his voice cracking. "That day... in the woods. I went to get mushrooms. When I ca back... the scent trail just ended. Like you vanished into the air."
He looked down at his hands.
"And I lost the most important thing in the pack. I am sorry, Roxy. I should never have left your side."
The table went quiet. Kaelen stopped chewing. Torian looked away. They all carried that guilt, the guilt of the Alphas who had failed to protect their mate.
Roxy’s heart broke for them. She reached across the table, ignoring the way Zarek tightened his grip.
"Ren," she said softly. "Look at ."
The fox looked up, his green eyes shimring.
"You didn’t lose ," Roxy said firmly. "I wandered off. I was foolish. I saw sothing shiny and I walked into a trap. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but mine."
She smiled, a soft, forgiving thing.
"Do not spoil the feast with guilt, Ren. I am here. I am whole. And honestly? I think I’m stronger now. So no more ’sorrys’. Okay?"
Ren sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "Okay."
"How are you feeling now?" Roxy asked gently.
"Better," Ren admitted, a small smile returning. "Better now that you are close. I can sll you again. Even under the fish sll."
Ugh!
He reached across the table, his hand stretching out to cover hers. He just wanted a touch.
Zarek bared his teeth. It wasn’t a playful growl. It was a deep, nacing, possessive warning that rumbled from his chest directly into Roxy’s back.
Ren froze. He snatched his hand back as if he had touched a hot coal.
"Zarek!" Roxy exclaid. She turned and slapped his muscular thigh. "Stop it! Be good to them! They are your pack!"
Zarek didn’t even blink. He glared at Ren, his arm tightening around Roxy until she squeaked.
"Mine," Zarek muttered into her hair. "Eating ti. No touching."
"You are impossible," Roxy huffed, though she leaned back into him anyway, secretly loving the weight of his jealousy. It was annoying, yes, but it made her feel safe. It made her feel wanted.
The al wound down. The bowls were licked clean. The boar was nothing but bones. The children were sleepy, leaning against their fathers.
"Alright," Roxy announced, clapping her hands. "Since everyone is fed and happy... I have presents."
"Presents?" Axel perked up from Kaelen’s lap.
"Yes," Roxy bead. "Gifts from the Deep. Things you have never seen before."
She reached for her inventory, preparing to summon the chest of pearls she had brought back.
But before she could, she felt a small tug on her sleeve.
She looked down.
Tanith was still curled on her lap. The snake-girl had been silent the entire al, observing everything with her vertical pupils.
Now, she was staring intently at Roxy’s face. She reached up a small, pale hand and touched the diamond clasp of the ruined Imperial Silk dress. Then, she touched Roxy’s cheek.
Tanith opened her mouth.
Usually, she hissed or babbled, but this ti, her voice was clear. It was soft.
"Mama," Tanith whispered, her eyes wide with wonder. "Bwuful."
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