Page 7 of Nico

Pecan Pines had been one of them. At the time, I'd assumed it was just wishful thinking. Then the cast had been announced a few months ago, and filming was supposed to begin soon.

And now there was a meeting at the packhouse. I didn’t want to get my hopes up over some vague rumour.

Still, Michael had heard it from Griffin, his mate and one of the pack's enforcers. That made the information a lot more reliable than some random rumour online.

And Michael was an official Shadowfall ambassador…

My eyes widened. The corner of his mouth twitched before he gave me a single, knowing nod.

I slammed my laptop shut so quickly that I winced at the sound. For one horrifying second, I worried I'd damaged the machine.

Then I remembered everything was backed up to the cloud. Anything important could be salvaged. There wasn't time to pack properly. I shoved my laptop into its case along with my phone, charger, hoodie, and the drinks I'd somehow never gotten around to finishing.

Michael helped me gather the rest of my things while I thanked him repeatedly between hurried breaths.

“Thanks. Thank you. For everything.”

“You're welcome.”

“And the shirt, the lanyard.”

“I know.”

“And—”

“Go.”

I ran all the way to the packhouse. The packhouse wasn't exactly a large building, but that didn't mean I knew where a meeting this important would be held.

I tore through the corridors, following the increasingly obvious trail of enforcers stationed at various points along the way, all of whom turned to watch me as I hurried past.

I probably looked unhinged. I didn't care. As I'd expected, the trail eventually led me to a door at the end of one of the corridors. The council room.

Griffin stood guard outside.

His gaze swept over me, from my Shadowfall shirt to the lanyard hanging around my neck, before returning to my face. For a second, he looked like he wanted to ask what the hell I was doing there.

I straightened my shoulders, lifted my chin, and walked straight past him as though I had every right to be there.

Confidence was probably more convincing if I didn't give anyone time to question it. I grabbed the handle and swung the door open.

“Sorry I'm late!”

I looked around, and a roomful of mostly confused faces stared back at me. The first person I noticed was Tony, whose frown was unmistakable. I decided not to bother trying to decipher Cooper's expression.

The pack alpha looked somewhere between confused and exasperated, which was probably fair considering I'd just burst into his meeting and announced myself as being late when I hadn't actually been invited.

Then there was the third man in the room. He wore a similar expression to Cooper, but somehow managed to look even more intimidating. ‘Proper’ was the only word I could think of.

Everything about him looked put together, from the way he stood perfectly straight to the dark suit fitted neatly over his broad frame.

His short hair was parted and combed to one side, not a single strand seeming out of place. Even his jaw looked tense, the hard line of it making his already serious expression seem even more severe.

He looked like the sort of man who had never once in his life been late for anything.

Or, for that matter, burst into an important meeting wearing a Shadowfall T-shirt and an Ailwyn lanyard. I wondered if the meeting wasn't going well. I also wondered who he was.

Another actor, perhaps? He certainly wouldn't have looked out of place on a movie set. Maybe one of the elf warriors. A serious one, judging by the expression on his face.