Page 63 of Wolf's Endgame

“I wouldn’t have.”

Royce’s cough sounded a lot like bullshit, and Nikan spun to him.

“Nikan!” My voice stilled the words of anger on my brother’s tongue. “Mistakes were made. Things we all regret. We need to focus on what’s in front of us. Now we have sight of the bigger picture.” Tucking Kezia under my arm, I looked at all those gathered in my study. The door opened and we all reacted as if we were about to defend ourselves, but the three shifters who came into my study had me momentarily speechless.

Leo led the shaman into the room, and much to my surprise and Kris’s, Cass made up the trio.

“Cass?” Kris was at her side, a worried glance my way letting me know he wasn’t sure what to do next.

“The shaman said we all needed to be here.” Her eyes met Kezia’s, and she looked away quickly, looking up at Kris with wide eyes. “I don’t want to be here.”

Kezia spoke over her brother, and she wasn’t giving a shit whose mate it was. “Tough, Cass. No one wants to be here. Not for this. But you’re an alpha’s mate. Act like it.”

Cass whirled on her best friend, the first fire I had seen in her…ever. “Because you’re so perfect?” Her screech was almost deafening.

“Goddess, Cass, hardly!” Kezia marched forward and jabbed a finger in her friend’s chest. “But this isn’t a chore you can bat your eyelashes at to get out of! This is serious! Your father’s lost his mind!”

“Says you!”

“Says the silver collar around our necks,” Kris reminded her.

Cass’s eyes filled with tears, and with a sob, she burrowed her head into Kris’s chest and wept. Noisily.

It didn’t help that Kezia rolled her eyes or that her brother looked ready to throttle her when he saw her do it. The shamans weary sigh lessened the tension in the room.

“Kezia, why don’t you tell us what happened, and then we can fill you in on what you’ve missed.”

I saw the change in how she held herself. She went from fiery to uncertain in the blink of an eye, and when she looked back at me, I slipped my hand into hers, squeezing slightly to let her know I had her covered.

“I can tell you.” Quickly I relayed Kezia’s ordeal. Cass cried more, but her worry for her brother made her focus, and eventually, her anger at her father dried her tears.

When I was done and my mate was leaning against me, carefully avoiding looking at anyone, the shaman told us what had happened to him. “They took me from my bed. I knew something was coming. There had been signs for days. I’m ashamed to say I was looking outward for a threat. I never thought the threat would come from within so soon. Not yet. They took me by surprise.”

“Moonstar got you out?” Kezia asked as she pressed into me more.

“Yes.” He looked over at Cass. “I’m sorry, Cassandra, but it was too late for your mother.”

Cass collapsed onto the floor, her grief overwhelming her. Kezia stepped away from me when Cass pushed Kris away, and I watched as Kezia crossed the room to console her, lowering herself to the floor. She wrapped her in her arms as Cass wept for her loss.

“Does Landon know?” Cass asked Kezia through her tears. “You were with him, Kez, does he know?” When Kezia shook her head, Cass’s misery turned to anger. “Don’t lie to me. Did he look like he knew?”

Kezia licked her lips, her tell when she was nervous, but once more, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think he believes you’re both being held with Kris.”

Kris crouched down beside Cass, murmuring too low for me to hear, and when Cass nodded, he scooped her up and withdrew from the room.

“He is too gentle with her,” I said to no one in particular.

“She just found out her mom is dead,” Kezia said with a sigh, her eyes on the closed door. “She needs some time.”

The shaman sensed my stare. “You are both right. She needs to understand this is not a game, but she should be allowed to grieve.”

“There’s a time and a place for mourning,” Leo mumbled.

“There is,” I agreed. “But, we also need to be more understanding.”

“What’s the plan?” Nikan asked brusquely. “We need to retaliate and we need to do it soon.”

“I’m aware, thanks,” I snapped at my brother, and I saw Kezia’s frown. She said nothing but pressed into me again, her arm slipping around my waist. It was remarkable how much her being beside me soothed me. Before, I would have felt restlessness when she was near, and now I realized it was the pull of the bond needing to be completed that had caused that feeling. Blowing out a breath, I met my brother’s stare. “We’re on edge. We’ve heard a lot tonight that we weren’t expecting. I think it’s best to take a moment to absorb everything we have learned.”

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