Page 36 of Fated to the Feral Wolf

“Okay, sooner or later. Fine. But what if they could have years together before then? Why have nothing if you could have something!” Leigh stood from the edge of the bed, raking frustrated fingers through her long blonde hair. “Even if theygot a week. Wouldn’t you rather have a week with your mate thannothing?”

“No! It’s reckless, and it could end with both of them dead sooner. Do you care so little for your friend that you would throw away what could becenturiesof life for a few days of pleasure?” Gael held his position leaning against the wall, but the grating derision in his tone was enough to slough off a layer of skin.

All of them and their bickering were driving me nuts. I didn’t care what they decided; I wasn’t shifting. It was too risky, and none but Kane had the power to force the issue. I paused, casting a glance at him and then at the little she-wolf at his side. Brielle was a wildcard, but somehow, I didn’t think she would press beyond what Shay and I wanted, even if she could.

Leigh spun toward Gael, fury tingeing her cheeks red. “You don’t know that—you’re just guessing. So, get off your fucking high horse. Wolves age so slowly that it could be tomorrow or five hundred years and he wouldn’t have been able to tell in that vision. But you also don’t know that they’d only have moments. She could get those five hundred yearswith himbefore the price comes due. And yeah, if I was blessed enough to find my mate, and I had the choice between any amount of time with him and none? I’d choose him.Every fucking time.”

You could have heard a flea jump, the room was so quiet.

“Guys, I think we all need to take a step back, here.” Brielle’s voice was calm but firm, and Leigh immediately spun away, giving Gael her back. He took a step after her, his rage at the obvious diss tingeing the air with an acrid sulfur scent that burned away his usual wolfy pine. I stepped between them, lifting my lips in a snarl.

Leigh was Shay’s family, which meant she was mine too, and for some reason, this male couldn’t seem to stop pissing her off.

I didn’t like it, and I wasn’t sure I likedhim. Inner circle or no, if he didn’t stop hurting the females under my protection, I’d tear his throat out and piss on his corpse. That I could still do in wolf form, and at this rate, I’d enjoy it.

“Back off, Dirge. This doesn’t concern you,” Gael said hotly, meeting my gaze in a challenge.

I growled, but then dainty hands grabbed me by the ruff and pulled me back. Shay. “Stop it. Both of you,” she said, casting a disapproving look at Gael too, though she quickly ducked her head away from the other male.

That just made me want to leap at him more. But I didn’t. Her hands were tangled in my ruff, anchoring herself as much as me. So, I leaned into her thigh, soaking up the contact.

Reed stood from his chair, casting the two of us a glance I couldn’t decipher in this form. His scent was bitter, though, like coffee left too long to burn. “I don’t think this is a decision they can take lightly, and regardless, it’s not something we can decide for them. As much as I hate to say it, for now, he needs to stay in wolf form. We need to do more research on the Fetya before we can say with any certainty what might happen. And, unfortunately, the discussion is going to have to wait. Our plane is ready to take us back to the pack grounds so we can wait for word from the Kodiak sleuth.”

“It’s okay, we’ll figure this out. I promise.” Brielle crossed to loop her arm through Shay’s, grabbing Leigh with the other. “Maybe this Jada will know how to help you too. If she’s old enough to recognize omega magic, surely she’s seen a Fetya vision before, right?” Her chipper smile and soothing presence had the intended effect, the tension in the room ratcheting down several notches as the men filed out. I stayed back, watching them go—keeping a particular eye on Gael, though he didn’t spare the women another glance.

“Come on, we’ll help you pack up your stuff, then let’s getout of here. The Athabascan pack have been lovely hosts, but I need some space,” Leigh said as she headed into the bathroom.

Seconds later, the sounds of her roughly shoving toiletries into a bag reached us, and Brielle chuckled. “Those two are like oil and water, aren’t they?” she whispered to Shay.

“More like gasoline and firecrackers,” Shay muttered as she hurried to pack.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Shay

The trip back to Pack Blackwater grounds was uneventful, and I let out a sigh of relief when my feet touched familiar territory once more. But we weren’t even to the UTVs we’d left parked beside the hanger when a runner burst out of the woods.

I tensed as he approached, only relaxing when I realized it was Julius, the top enforcer. After Gael? I thought that was right. A lot had happened in the past month, but in-depth conversations about Pack Blackwater’s structure weren’t on the list, and we’d only been briefly introduced.

Dirge tensed at my side, then took a tentative step forward.

Did he know Julius? I watched Dirge closely, but Julius had eyes only for Kane.

“High Alpha, an urgent missive came in less than ten minutes ago. A…” He checked the paper in his hands, “Jada, reported to be a Kodiak bear shifter, if you can believe that, is requesting an immediate audience.”

Kane lifted one eyebrow in surprise as he held his hand out for the letter. Julius passed it to him before finally surveying the rest of our group.

“You lot look like you just came from a fucking funeral. Haven’t we had enough of that?” He shook his head, eyes finally landing on Dirge. “Holy shit. That you, man? You back?” Julius dropped to his haunches, getting on eye level with Dirge. “Red’s all gone, at least.” He reached up slowly and then rubbed Dirge behind the ears.

“He can understand you,” I said, cursing the waver in my voice, how weak I sounded. Would I ever get used to speaking up around men? If Dirge couldn’t speak for himself, I would have no choice.

“Yeah, excellent. If you shift back, we could use another good enforcer. Technically, all the spots are full, but with all this shit going on, we could use another trustworthy man.”

Dirge snorted, but didn’t answer otherwise.

“Julius,” Kane said, and Julius stood, leaving Dirge at my side.

“Yes, Alpha?”

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