Page 65 of Ascension of the Pack

Grimacing, I left them to their grief and went to my office. sat at the security console. ‘Hey,’ I greeted him. ‘How are you doing?’

‘I’ve been better, Alpha,’ he admitted.

‘It’s been a turbulent few weeks.’

He nodded. ‘You can say that again. Greg told me about David. The whole thing is pretty hard to believe.’

‘Yeah.’

Liam cleared his throat. ‘I’ve been seeing one of the Devon wolves, but she wants to go home.’

‘I’ll be sending them all home soon,’ I confessed.

He smiled. ‘She’ll be pleased.’

‘And what about your relationship when she goes?’

‘Oh, we’ll do the long-distance thing. We’ve talked about it.’ He bit his lip. ‘She doesn’t want to leave Devon so I’ll need to move there eventually if things develop. We’re nowhere near that point, not at all, but she pointed out how unfair it is that the female wolves always have to move packs. I think she’s right.’

I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. ‘I’m proud of you. When you’re ready, say the word and I’ll facilitate the transfer.’

‘I don’t want to leave you,’ he blurted. ‘You’re the best alpha I’ve ever had.’

Of course we are,Esme said.

‘Thanks, Liam, I’m trying my best. But you have to do what’s right foryourlife, not mine.’

He nodded solemnly.

‘Any idea where Greg is?’ I asked lightly.

‘He had some business to attend to offsite.’

My stomach knotted. Mindy: Mindy was his offsite business. Before I could process that thought, my phone rang. Steve Marley was calling and I swiped to answer. ‘Hey Steve.’

‘Lucy. I have a development.’

My mind went blank temporarily. A development with regard to what? A moment later my brain fired up – he was talking about Daniella’s kidnapping. Shit. I hadn’t told him she was no longer kidnapped. ‘Yeah?’ I said vaguely.

‘We managed to track down the van. It was stolen but the theft was caught on camera and one of the thieves was in the system. Mindy Hunter.’

Goddamn fucking Mindy. She was one of the pricks who had kidnapped Daniella? Whatever Greg was goingto do to her, it wasn’t enough. She wasdefinitelyDomini – she had to be! ‘Right,’ I said, trying to keep my tone even.

‘She’s a brethren family member for an Elder dragon called Geneve.’

I made my best non-committal noise. ‘Uh-huh.’

‘I went to speak to Mindy’s dragon, as protocol dictates. Guess what I found?’

I pretended to hazard a guess. ‘A pissed-off dragon?’

‘A hoard on fire and a load of pissed-off brethren convinced their dragon was dead. Oh, and a shit tonne of dwarves trying to claim squatters’ rights.’

‘Oh.’

‘Oh,’ he parroted. ‘I also found a cell with a door kicked in and some anti-werewolf chains that had been broken apart. Any of this ringing any bells, Lucy?’

‘Nope,’ I lied flatly. ‘Should it?’

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