Brielle couldn’t leave the enclave, Shay was already going to get the fae piece, Leigh’s pregnancy was now in the second half, and travel would get more and more difficult the further along she was, and I couldn’t leave the pack without being attacked.
It was a shitty situation, there were no two ways about it.
No one seemed surprised when Reed cleared his throat. “Fiona and I are willing to go for the good of the pack. But based on our interactions with both King Cysernaphus and the vampires, we feel it’s best if we have at least two additional pack mates to back us up.”
“I wish it could be me,” Brielle said, sadness seeming to clog her throat for a moment before she got it under control. “But we can definitely find someone to go with you. Perhaps??”
“I volunteer,” Samuel offered, pushing off the wall he leaned against to stand up straight. “I’m already here, and I’m nearly healed from the run-in with the Hungarians. No sense sending me home just to bring another guy back.”
Reed acknowledged him with a nod. I couldn’t help it when my eyes slid off Samuel and down to my scowling mate in the wheelchair next to him. He was magnetic, drawing me in even when he wanted nothing to do with me.
“Are you all just going to pretend I’m not here? I can go. I’ll be healed in another day or two, and I can be the fourth. There’s no reason to send a pregnant female’s mate on a dangerous mission when you’ve got two unattached men available right here.”
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look away. Damn him, and his unattached self. Apparently, I was the only one thinking I owed him a conversation before making any rash decisions.
There was a long, uncomfortable pause before Dirge cleared his throat. “You’re not unattached anymore, Lucien. And while you’ve been away, we’ve uncovered some unfortunate consequences of the omega seal. Any unbonded female with the seal on her palm will be hunted by all unbonded males outside her alpha-omega pair’s pack. So until you and Olivia bond, she’s vulnerable and requires extra protection.”
His words were like sandpaper over my skin, even though he said them with painstaking kindness. I’d never felt more like a burden than I did at that exact moment, as every eye in the room swiveled toward either me or Lucien, as if waiting for him to respond or for me to burst into flames from embarrassment.
The latter felt like a distinct possibility. I refused to cry about it, so bring on the flames.
After yet more silence, I finally stole a glance toward Lucien, his jaw tight, teeth ground together in apparent fury as a muscle ticked above his temple.
Just great. He wants even less to do with me now, the helpless infant he can’t wait to be rid of.
“I’m sure we can work that out. You said extra protection. That doesn’t have to be me, does it?”
Dirge’s jaw actually dropped. Lucien’s callous response carved away at my heart like a chain saw decimating a block of butter. “Well, no-she’s safe with anyone under Kane’s direct pack link, but surely??”
“It’s settled, then. I can still go.”
I could feel eyes burning into me, waiting for my response, but there was only one thought on my mind. One neon-glowing, obvious solution.
If I was such a problem, I’d just excuse myself from the whole mess. He didn’t want me? Well, he wasn’t the first. And I certainly wasn’t going to sit around and be pathetic and needy where I wasn’t wanted.
I lifted my chin, ignoring every person in the room except one.
“That’s okay,” I said, pleased to hear how steady I sounded despite the pain pulsing through my veins like a second heartbeat. “I’m actually going back to Alaska as soon as the jet’s ready. I’ll be safe with the pack there, right, Kane?”
Lucien
Her response should have made me really fucking happy, or at the very least relieved to kick the whole fated mate can down the road. I pushed her away, after all.
The barb about me being unattached? Yeah, that was not at all smooth or subtle. I’d caught her flinch out of the corner of my eye, even though she tried to hide it.
So why did it feel like my wolf was about to tear himself out of my skin when she said she was leaving?
Not leaving just the room, where I could scent her sweet, floral perfume like it was my drug of choice. No, she wanted off the whole damn continent that I was on.
Could I blame her? No.
Did my wolf give a shit about why I needed to push her away?
Also no.
If my body hadn’t been battered and broken so recently, I was pretty sure he’d have torn himself out of me and pounced on her, pinning her beneath us so she couldn’t escape. But that was insane. I didn’t even know her, and she was young enough to be my daughter. Many times over.
I had no right, even if my wolf was demanding that we had every right. “Ours” was pulsing behind my eyelids on loop, like a chant.
Ours ours ours ours ours.
“You would absolutely be safe with the rest of the pack back in Alaska. I just thought…” The high alpha hesitated, giving me a very pointed look, as if I was about to jump in and interrupt what he was about to say.
But was I? Was I going to stake some claim on her, pound my chest like a caveman?
My wolf wanted to, with every fiber of his being. Even after wolfsbane, he was practically ravenous to sink his teeth into her at every chance. But that wasn’t normal. That was more proof I wasn’t fit for a sweet woman like Olivia.
Not to mention, I was hideous now, and without my looks, I had literally nothing to offer a woman. The thought sent a fresh spear of anger through me, and I gritted my teeth, hating the way even the small motion pulled at the giant, still-tender scar on my face.
The darkness inside me right now was too toxic. I shouldn’t stop her from running.
I cleared my throat, shook my head. “We should probably discuss those plans together.” I cast a quick glance around the room and added, “Without an audience.”
She nodded stiffly, and I knew she probably wanted to smack me for being an ass.
But it was for the best, damn it.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply