Chapter 5
The following evening, I told Ethan that my college friend would be joining us for dinner, and he agreed without much reaction.
By the time Ryan stepped into the packhouse, Ethan was already waiting in the dining room, and the moment their eyes met, my wolf sensed the tension between them.
Ethan was our Alpha.
His presence usually filled a room without effort, carrying the authority that came with his position.
But Ryan carried himself differently, standing with quiet confidence as he met Ethan’s gaze without trying to challenge his authority, and neither man looked away.
I watched them for a moment before stepping forward.
“Ethan, this is my college friend, Ryan Whitmore.”
I turned toward Ryan.
“Ryan, this is my husband, Ethan Blackwood.”
Ryan extended his hand.
“Alpha Ethan Blackwood,” Ethan corrected.
I almost shook my head. Funny how he suddenly felt the need to emphasize his title.
“Nice to meet you. Claire mentioned you a lot,” Ryan said as he shook Ethan's hand.
“Nice to meet you, too. Welcome to our home.”
Ryan's grip was firm but calm, while Ethan remained composed, though I caught the slight tension in his shoulders.
I said nothing as I took my seat at the table, watching the two men across from me, and for once, I wasn't the one feeling outmatched.
Dinner began quietly, with Ryan sitting beside me while Ethan sat across from us. When the waiter brought the menus, I opened mine and started looking through the choices, only for Ryan to glance at mine instead of his.
“She doesn't eat offal,” he said calmly. “And she hates anything too bitter.”
I looked up.
He continued without hesitation.
“She likes her food zesty, but not scorching.”
The waiter nodded and waited patiently while Ryan glanced over the menu.
“We'll have the beef stew, garlic shrimp scampi, buffalo cauliflower, and tomato bisque.”
The waiter finished writing everything down before leaving.
Ryan turned toward me.
“Anything else you want?”
I smiled.
“No. That's perfect.”
Across the table, Ethan’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth, his expression almost priceless as I realized that after five years of sharing a home, a pack, a bed, and a life with me, my husband still had no idea I hated offal, while Ryan remembered.
“You've got a good memory,” I said, making my voice a little sweeter on purpose.
Ryan smiled.
“I've always had a good memory for anything about you.”
Ryan’s eyes remained on me without once glancing at Ethan, and his words settled over the table as Ethan slowly lowered his fork, picked up his glass, and took a sip, his jaw tightening as he swallowed.
I lowered my gaze to hide my smile because this wasn’t about making Ryan pretend to love me or making Ethan jealous.
Not yet.
This was about showing him something he had refused to understand for years.
Megan wasn't the only person who could be close to someone and have that closeness dismissed as harmless.
If Ethan could defend every boundary Megan crossed because she was simply his longtime friend, then he had no right to question mine.
Ryan reached across the table and quietly moved the water glass closer to me.
“You'll want this with the soup.”
I blinked. I had forgotten that I always drank water with my soup.
He hadn't.
“Thanks.”
Ethan's eyes followed the movement.
My wolf caught another change in his scent, a faint trace of irritation beneath his controlled expression.
Ryan continued talking about college, bringing up small memories I hadn't thought about in years.
We talked about the old café near campus, the terrible coffee we used to drink, the professor who never remembered our names, and the late nights we spent studying while trying to hide our scents from passing pack members.
Ryan remembered every little detail I had almost forgotten.
I found myself laughing without forcing it, my wolf relaxing at the familiarity of his presence, while Ethan watched in silence, his attention no longer indifferent but quietly watchful.
When dessert arrived, Ryan pushed the chocolate cake toward me without asking.
“You'll want this.”
I stared at him.
“You still remember?”
“You used to steal mine whenever you said you weren't hungry.”
I laughed softly.
“I did not steal it.”
“You ate half of it.”
“That was hardly stealing.”
Ryan grinned as Ethan’s fork stopped. I looked across the table. His expression stayed controlled, but his hardened eyes showed something had changed.
For years, I had watched Ethan give Megan the attention I tried not to notice.
Tonight, I wasn't ignoring anything. I was letting Ethan sit across from someone who remembered the little things about me, from what I liked and hated to what made me laugh and what I reached for without thinking.
For once, Ethan was the one realizing how much he didn't know about the woman sitting across from him.My wolf settled quietly inside me, not because I had won Ethan back, but because I no longer knew if I wanted him.
Being overlooked had hurt more than I admitted, and tonight, Ethan was finally getting a taste of that pain as I lowered my eyes to my plate and hid a small smile.
For once, I wasn't the one feeling invisible.
I was the one being noticed.