Chapter Twenty-Three

We arrived at his pack an hour after we left my apartment. We're late, but it doesn't matter, right? It's just a casual party. I hope. Because it's definitely my fault that it took so long.

"Stop worrying, please." Says Ike as we break through the trees into the clearing. He takes my hand and squeezes it firmly. It makes me feel grounded.

I take in the sights in front of me. First off, I'm not sure Ike knows what a bonfire is, because this isn't a bonfire. They've got store bought fire pits set up in the middle of the clearing, about four of them, rather than one large fire. Each has its own group of people sitting around it, some in chairs, some on the ground. There was music coming from somewhere, though I wasn't sure where yet. It sounded like a radio station. I could smell alcohol and meat cooking. My stomach growled at me, reminding me that I had not eaten dinner yet. I knew where my first stop would be.

"Are you hungry?" Ike asks, looking down at me.

"You read my mind." We appro