3.1 | Animal Instinct ✓

16 | queen

1 6

q u e e n

THE MOMENT JED stepped into the diner, all conversations abruptly ceased.

It wasn't his presence that took them by surprise; rather, it was the look of deathly calm on his face that made several of them scramble up from their seats, a courageous few stepping forward as they regarded him with worry. Spike, who was manning the counter during the morning shift, immediately straightened, while Lorraine came rushing out of the kitchen mere seconds later.

"Alpha?" Adrian was the only one who dared to speak up. He glanced my way and I bit my lip, trying my best to convey my most apologetic look. He frowned and looked back at Jed. "Is everything – " He stopped and nodded, then glanced at his other friend behind the counter. "Spike, find Lance and get him to bring Diego over. And the rest of you," he said to everyone else in the diner, "clear out."

Spike promptly headed for the exit, leaving a stunned silence behind him. But then Adrian gave a warning frown and everyone began to get up. Amidst worried murmurs and hushed whispers, they quickly exited through the side doors.

"We're really sorry about the inconvenience," I told them, nodding apologetically at the few who glanced my way. "But this is really important."

Adrian headed outside with everyone else. Even though Jed's expression didn't change, I didn't miss the blazing anger in his eyes. When he glanced at me, I half-expected him to maintain his fury from the moment I told him about Diego's ring.

But I was surprised when his expression softened just fractionally, and he held out a hand to me, only to think twice and retract it at the last second. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly, and the mere fact that he was still speaking in those low, soft tones I was so familiar with made me smile in relief.

"Yeah, of course," I assured him quickly and reached down to take his hand. His fingers were furled into a tight fist, his nails digging into his palm, and I brushed my fingertips across his knuckles until he was slowly unclenching his hand and looping his fingers through mine. "But can I stay in here?"

He frowned and started to step back, but I only tightened my grip on his hand.

"I know you want to keep me safe," I continued calmly. "And I'll be safe if I stand behind the counter and you keep him away from me. But this place is going to be very testosterone-charged very fast, and I'm not sure I want to see a casualty right here in this diner. So let me sit in and listen to what he has to say. I'm the one who decided to trust him in the first place and I want to know if I'm wrong."

Jed stared at me for a moment before he nodded. His expression warmed a little when I smiled, but then turned cold when we heard scuffling outside. I squeezed his hand and moved to sit by the counter. Adrian pushed the doors open, as Lance and Spike shoved an annoyed-looking Diego in.

"Alpha," Adrian said to Jed, "should we leave?" When Jed shook his head, he took his post by the main door, leaving Lance and Spike to guard the other exits.

Diego rolled his eyes at their theatrics before narrowing his eyes at Jed. "So what did I do now?" He drawled, sounding entirely bored as he folded his arms across his chest. But I didn't miss the way his stance was almost defensive, mirroring the others' almost perfectly.

Jed nodded at Adrian, who immediately stepped forward. "Alpha wants to know about that ring on your right hand," said Adrian. "How did you get it?"