Page 3 of Kiss of Embers

My mother had been the first to die.Bad luck, people had called it. Moon sickness was rare. No one knew why or how it happened. In a healthy werewolf, human and beast shared a mind, but the human was always in control. When moon sickness struck, the human retreated, leaving only the beast. The werewolf turned feral, losing the ability to shift and communicate. Human emotion and cognitive function disappeared. Death followed. I witnessed the disease’s progression in my mother, and I watched my father take her life to spare her dignity. The entire pack had mourned for a month.

Then more cases appeared.

One by one, pack members grew ill. Still heartbroken over my mother, my father hunted the sick to protect the rest of the pack. I joined him, and we spent our nights battling our own people. Friends. Former teachers. Wolves I’d known my whole life. By day, my father searched for a cure. He consulted with witches. He tasked Drute with finding ancient medical texts. He instructed Serge to ask the gods for mercy. It never came. And one night, a pair of moonstruck wolves overpowered him. Before he could get his feet under him, the wolves ripped his head from his shoulders. By the time Drute and I found my father, the moonstruck wolves had savaged his body so badly that his immortality couldn’t revive him.

“I know this is difficult to hear,” Brader continued, his voice yanking me from my memories. “And I understand your reluctance to relinquish your position. You’re the first female alpha in a hundred years. Of course you’re proud of that, andyou should be. But not at the expense of the people you swore to protect. Selfishness is an undesirable trait in an alpha, Zara.”

I couldn’t hold back my gasp. In a flash, my blood went from cold to hot. “You have a lot of nerve coming onto my lands and calling me selfish.”

“The solution to your problem is obvious,” Brader said as if I hadn’t spoken. “You must take a mate.”

I knew my wolf glittered in my eyes as I held my ground, my stare locked with Brader’s. “Is that what you would do in my position? Faced with a crisis, find the first woman willing to marry you?” And this was a new fucking tactic on Brader’s part. Every other time he’d proposed marriage, he’d rattled off a list of benefits and amenities like a real estate agent selling a house. Apparently, he’d grown tired of hitting a dead end and had decided to change his approach toinsults and misogyny.

Brader’s jaw tightened. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Really?” I made a show of looking at Drute. “Did you hear something different?”

“Enough, Zara,” Brader said, frustration flitting through his eyes. For a moment, he looked like he might reach for me. Then he glanced at Drute and appeared to think better of it.

I folded my arms—and cringed inwardly when my waterlogged clothes adhered to my skin. “I appreciate the advice, but I’m not in the market for a husband right now.”

Brader’s expression went stony. “A marriage between us makes sense. My father believed it, and so did yours. Our packs have been close for centuries. United, we can figure out what’s causing the moon sickness.”

“You don’t know that,” I said, dredging up the same counterarguments I’d used for the past year. “You claim I’m selfish. Trust me, Brader, if I thought walking down the aisle would stop moon sickness from killing my people, I would havealready done it.” I shook my head. “My answer is no. Uniting our packs won’t solve anything.”

Silence fell. Brader’s blue gaze stayed steady, his normally affable demeanor replaced with something hard and brittle.

“It’ll buy you protection,” he said finally. Without breaking my stare, he gestured toward the forest around us. “I crossed your border today, and you had no idea. I didn’t encounter a single Rockford wolf when I stepped onto your lands. I walked right up to the house, and no one tried to stop me.”

My heart beat faster. I drew an unsteady breath as fresh humiliation washed through me. Again, denial was pointless. Lately, just about everything seemed pointless.

“You don’t have enough people to defend your territory,” Brader continued. “I’m offering you partnership and mutual respect.” For the briefest moment, Brader’s gaze roamed, touching on my hair and chest before returning to my face. “Things could be good between us, Zara. You’re not indifferent to me.”

My cheeks heated. “I’ll think about it,” I said. Anything to stop him from reminding me of youthful mistakes I preferred to forget.

He looked like he wanted to argue—or remind me of those mistakes. Instead, he stepped backward. “All right.” With a curt nod toward Drute, he turned and strode up the path. Minutes later, he took a hard right and entered the forest without a backward glance.

I exhaled slowly. “I offended him.”

Drute made a noncommittal sound. “Ashcroft is proud. But he has a point.”

Disbelief shot through me. “Are you serious?” I asked, turning to Drute.

The big gargoyle’s features were as fierce as ever, but his voice was gentle as he said, “We’ve lost half the pack. And Iwon’t be around forever. My term of service is drawing to a close, child.”

A lump formed in my throat. “I haven’t been a child for a long time.”

He smiled, showing the tips of his fangs. “Sixty-five is nothing to me. Besides, I knew you when you were a troublemaker with golden pigtails.” His smile grew. “And a teenage troublemaker with a bad attitude.”

The lump burned. “That’s true.” Drute had been present when I was born—and every day since. No one was more loyal. Devotion was an integral part of his being. Once they bonded with a family, gargoyles were steadfast guardians and advisors. I wasn’t certain how I was going to function without Drute. But like it or not, I was going to find out.

I cleared my throat. “I’m not sure my attitude has improved all that much.”

Drute reached out a claw-tipped finger and caught the tear that spilled down my cheek. “You’re doing the best you can under pressure, Alpha.” His broad shoulders lifted as he sighed. “But my point stands. I’ll return to my plane before the year is out. And you know I can’t come back.”

The reminder was unnecessary. I’d thought of little else over the past few months. And maybe Brader was right about me. It was selfish to want Drute to remain at my side forever. He’d served my family for just shy of five centuries, earning his immortality. The catch was that he could only claim unending life in his own world. And once he crossed back to his plane, the portal connecting our two realms would slam shut behind him, preventing his return for any reason.

An ache shot across my heart. More tears threatened, but I blinked them away before they could fall. Drute had every right to celebrate his freedom. I wouldn’t ruin it by sobbing on his shoulder.

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