Page 21 of Beyond the Grasslands

“I understand.” He stood and moved to go to the office door. I thought he meant to leave me there, but he had apparently heard something I missed. He opened the door and two of the pack’s shifters moved into the space to deliver the breakfast he ordered. They set the trays down on his desk, bowed their heads out of respect, and then left the office as quickly and quietly as they had appeared.

Thorin returned and sat on his side of the desk as he uncovered the platters full of food. My uneasiness of accepting prepared food from his pack came back then. It smelled delicious, but I knew first hand that some scents overpowered the ones that could signify a problem.

“You look as though the food just made you ill. What happened?” Thorin asked as he quickly covered the platters again.

“I-Um…” What the hell could I say to him without offending both Thorin and his pack. “The day I was attacked, I didn’t feel well. It was like walking through a fog and not having total control over my limbs.”

“That’s understandable when you have a head injury.”

“No, Thorin. That’s how I felt before Miriam hit me over the head. It was the reason she was able to sneak up behind me to begin with. I have reason to believe someone in this pack put a tranquilizer in my food or drink that morning.”

“Why hasn’t anyone told me this?”

I shook my head. “Honestly, I think the only person I told was the girl who has been charged with bringing food to me since being brought back to the pack.”

“What in the hell have you been eating and drinking, if you didn’t trust the food we serve?” He was angry, but I knew immediately that it wasn’t with me.

“She brought me prepackaged stuff that I could inspect after the first time.”

“So, you’ve been living off of what? Junk food and bottled drinks?” I nodded my head and Thorin returned a growl of frustration. “That is not acceptable.” He lifted the lid again and dug into the food and then seemed to remember something. Thorin pointed to the clock on the wall. “You time this.” He ordered me as he shoveled food into his mouth. “If nothing happens to me, then you eat too.” He swallowed another bite and then shook his head and growled again. “Then you’ll have to eat cold food.”

“Maybe, we could just get another person here who I trust to look out for me and make sure I’m not acting funny.”

“What if they give you a lethal dose?”

My eyes bugged out so wide it felt as though they might dislodge from my head. “Do you think someone would do that?”

“I didn’t think someone would give you a tranquilizer, attack you on my land, or offer you up to another Alpha.” He stood and paced behind his desk. “My pack’s behavior toward you still needs to be addressed, but we have yet to get through all the interrogations of the most likely suspects, and come to find out, we didn’t have all the information to ask the proper questions to begin with.”

“I’m sorry, I should have told you, but in my defense, you weren’t exactly in communication with me before.”

“Every time I think I couldn’t possibly fuck this situation worse than it already has been, I am proved wrong.”

Chapter 10

Secrets Revealed

THORIN

I waiteduntil Nika appeared thoroughly worn out by the day’s activities and then had Janella brought to the office to come gather her friend.

“You’re not done, though.” Nika’s instance was part of what I had grown to love about her. She didn’t want me to work harder than she did.

“You might be fully recovered physically, but you still need plenty of rest, especially since you haven’t been eating well during your recovery. I want you and Janella to go run for a bit and catch a rabbit or something to supplement what you haven’t been eating.”

Janella smiled at me for the first time since she had come to the pack with Nika. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’ve wanted to stretch my paws, but was afraid to do it without someone I trusted with me.”

“Oh, Janella, why didn’t you say something sooner?” The concern in my mate’s tone made me ache for both of them.

“You had enough to handle, but now that you’re better, I think it would be nice to take Thorin’s advice.”

“Where will you be?” Nika asked. I noticed her trepidation and figured she was worried that I would want to shift and comewith them. It was one thing to find my wolf asleep with her, it was another to go running in the wild with him. Even I was wise enough to understand.

“I have some more interrogations to get through, especially after what you revealed for me.”

Nika nodded and turned to go, but then seemed to think better of it and turned back to me. “I want to know what happens with those interrogations, especially before any judgements are cast.” I gave her a nod of agreement and then the two women took off.

Warren stood off to the side and I wanted more than anything to have him follow them and keep them safe, but I also needed him at my side as we questioned pack mates who had gone against my mate, possibly my past potential mate, and my own father as well.

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