Only, he didn’t feel very fucking tame at the moment.
While a part of him appreciated that they had welcomed Sammy with kindness and enthusiasm, he didn’t see why they had to touch him to do it. They shook his hand and clapped him on the back. Some wolves touched his arm or his shoulder as they spoke.
A few reckless souls had even been so bold as to hug him.
Sammy didn’t appear unnerved by the attention, which actually made it worse. If he had shown even the slightest hint of discomfort, it would have given Dominic an excuse to keep everyone away without looking like a complete psycho.
As it stood, he could do nothing except watch and quietly contemplate homicide.
“Relax,hermano,” Saint admonished for what felt like the dozenth time that night. “Breathe. Have a beer.” He pushed a cold bottle into Dominic’s hand. “You’re scaring theniños.”
“The children are fine.”
The smallest ones chased each other through the field, their laughter echoing across the clearing. The preteens mostly sat around the fire looking mildly offended, their phones glued to their hands. Only those old enough to shift and join the run for the first time appeared nervous, but that had nothing to do with him.
“Okay, fine, but it’s still annoying.” He took a long pull from his own beer, then tilted the end toward Sammy. “He’s fine. Everyone loves him.”
They did, and he could see why. Sammy radiated warmth and goodness.
He must have met at least fifty different people in a short time, but he gave each one of them his undivided attention. He spoke with care, a rarity among this group, and he asked thoughtful questions instead of offering the same canned responses over and over.
Everything about him invited people in, from his sweet smile to his kind eyes. Of course, the pack couldn’t help but respond to him.
Dominic still hated it.
“They could love him a little less.”
Saint snorted and rocked sideways to bump their shoulders together. “If you’re that jealous, go get him.”
“I’m not jealous.” He absolutely was. “Does he look overwhelmed to you? I think he looks overwhelmed.”
“Probably. You literally threw him to the wolves.”
He hadn’t thought about it that way. “I told Chapel to keep an eye on him.”
His brother dropped his head and groaned. “Not the same thing, Dom. You kind of suck at this.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he snapped.
He would eviscerate anyone who even looked at his mate wrong, but he didn’t know how tobewith him.
“It’s not that complicated. Just go over there and talk to him.”
“What do I say to him?”
“This is embarrassing.” Closing his eyes, Saint pinched the bridge of his nose as he rattled off a litany of insults in Spanish. “Just talk to him like you would anyone else.”
But he didn’t give a fuck about anyone else. If they took issue with something he said, that was their problem. The last time he had intentionally set out to make someone like him, he’d been sixteen and madly in love with the baker’s daughter.
Their romance had lasted three days. Then she’d dumped him for some idiot with a big…horse.
“Does his hair look darker?” It definitely looked more ginger than strawberry blond, and he thought he detected streaks of auburn.
He hadn’t considered how Sammy might struggle with control around so many people. Fuck, maybe this had been a bad idea.
“It looks normal.” Saint shrugged. “He looks cold, though.”
Firelight flickered across Sammy’s face, casting an orange glow around him like a halo. His fleece sweater draped to the tops of his thighs, and the sleeves covered his hands to the fingertips.