Page 21 of Broken Wolf

“Yes. In a way.” She shrugged. “I talk to mine all of the time, especially when men are stupid.” She reached out and rubbed my hand. “I say this not to hurt you, but my mate was upset I was coming here to help you again when you’re not our blood. I talked over my feelings with my wolf on the flight here, so I feel confident how to handle that when I return home.”

I searched her eyes. “How will you handle it?”

“Harshly.” She nodded when I couldn’t hide my shock. “I love you, Seraphine. I do not care that you are adopted. You are our blood now and I adore you.” She let out a slow breath. “And it is time to admit that something was wrong with Bernard.”

I felt my blood run cold and she did a double take, clearly busting me.

“What do you know?”

“I really don’t want to start trouble,” I whispered, pulling my hand away. “Your grief is valid no matter who he was.”

“Yes, but you are not a replacement for him. You are… I want to say better, but that’s still comparing grandchildren. You are not interchangeable, and—I know you feel like a vehicle we traded up for when we speak on this sometimes.”

“Yes, but a lot of that is my sensitivity to how I was raised and treated,” I reminded her. “That’s how it always was in foster care. I got traded out for a better kid. It’s triggering for me.”

She nodded. “That is what your mother and I have learned.” She took my hand back. “Tell me. There is no drama from me. Only some harsh truths we need to learn.”

I nodded and told her what Zeno’s younger brother Joshua had told me about Bernard. I even went further and told her when Melicent had talked about their beliefs that wolves who weren’t made right should fall on their swords, I worried she knew and was trying to comfort me. But I didn’t know. I didn’t know any of that for sure.

“What did your FBI files say?” she asked after several quiet minutes. She scratched at her arm when I didn’t answer. “You profile your criminals to catch them, yes? What did his profile say?”

I thought back to it and frowned. “I honestly don’t remember. It’s been so—I retain that information as needed and drain it when the case is done. Otherwise, we’d all be too overloaded to handle the next case. I could look, but none of it was flattering. It might be worse for you to hear.”

She seemed to accept that. “Maybe. Maybe if this doesn’t work, but Zeno’s brother is a good person to have them speak with as well. He isn’t some outsider who barely knows our family. He was Bernard’s uncle and very involved in our family when he was around.”

But removed enough with his travels that he wasn’t blinded to the situation. That made complete sense.

“I’m sorry that I’m bringing this upset to your life,” I whispered.

“You are not. Stupid men are who don’t hear us that you are not a replacement for Bernard are not worth a thought, and we have not transferred our feelings for him onto you. I love you for who you are. I didn’t meet you with love. It grew.” She took my face in her hands. “Because you are worth loving. You are easy to love. I know you are struggling, but believe me that I believe that. For now.”

I could do that.

I could do at least that for right now.

6

I waited in the hallway with my party until it was the best time to enter. I wanted roll call taken and the mundane parts handed before I made myself known. There were some nervous people who clearly wanted to warn people in the room, but a few looks from me with my badge out and they knew their asses would be grass if they got involved.

I nodded to the others when I heard the formalities were all done and they were about to move on to approving the agenda for the meeting.

Yeah, that was where I ruined their night.

“I have several things to say about your agenda tonight and an item from last meeting,” I said loudly as I crashed the Sioux Falls City Council meeting.

“Rudeness isn’t tolerated here, miss,” one of the council members said, rage in his eyes, clearly recognizing me.

“Cute,” I snickered. “Sure, now that you called me ‘miss’ instead of Alpha or Chief Thomas, I’m going to let go of the crap you’ve been pulling. Yeah, that’s how I normally work.”

“I don’t know what you’re prattling on about, but these meetings are for residents only,” a different council member said loudly. “You’re not allowed to be here as—”

“Cut the shit,” I drawled as I walked right towards the podium. Two different people looked to block me but thought better of it when I simply tapped my badge. “We all know that I can be here as the Alpha of the Sioux Falls pack. I hold the trust with the land no matter what you pulled last meeting to change the rules of who can attend.

“But I would have to go to court to fight what you did. Making it that it must be named title owners, not a trust or corporation which you know is how we hide our pack lands for our safety. And while we’re fighting that in court, you could handle the agenda you have planned today and screw over my pack.”

I reached behind me and grabbed the files from the bank representative who I’d roped into this.

“Your assumptions are your own,” the first guy snapped. “We were tired of people who don’t live here trying to have such a say in our city including corporations and—”

---