Page 45 of The Court of Truth

“Is this where you come to announce that you’re taking our pack alpha with you?” she asks, her head tilting to the side as she searches for an answer, and I shake my head. There’s no anger or animosity in her words, more curiosity than anything.

“No. This is where I spend a few hours with one of the men I love before I leave him here and tour with my council so he can focus on being the alpha of his pack.” I take a sip of my water, wishing it was a beer, as another girl on the other side of the table clears her throat.

“It’s as simple as that?” she asks, tucking her brown hair behind her ears as she eyes me, and I scoff.

“Fuck no, but it’s a necessary sacrifice,” I admit with a shrug, and her eyebrows gather in confusion.

“Why make it?”

It’s a simple question, but I need more if I’m going to answer her honestly. “What do you mean?”

“Why sacrifice what you want for others?” she reiterates, and I take a moment to find the right words.

“It’s hard. I’m not sacrificing for someone else, not really, and neither is he.” Sweeping my tongue over my bottom lip, I find the man I’m talking about on the other side of the room. He’s standing shoulder to shoulder with Jake, assessing the gathering, but he must sense my stare because his eyes whip to mine a moment later. His eyebrows lift in question and I offer a reassuring smile before turning back to the brunette. “Do we want to be together? Yes. Do we want a safer kingdom? Yes. Do we want the wolves to thrive? Yes. We’re doing all of this because we want to, the sacrifice is more personal, that’s all.”

“Personal?” Janie pushes, taking a swig of her beer, looking down the length of her bottle with amusement in her eyes as she baits me.

“Sex. The sacrifice is sex. Does that make you feel better?” I say with a snort as beer sprays from her lips. The entire booth breaks out in a fit of laughter while Janie shakes her head in disbelief, like she didn’t ask for that response.

“You’re funny,” another girl states, nestled in the booth, and I shake my head.

“No, I’m a bitch deep down,” I reply with a grin, making her smile spread wide.

“We’re all bitches here,” she says with a wink, and another round of giggles takes over the other booth. As the laughter calms down, the blonde girl on the other side of the booth locks eyes with me and I instantly feel a sense of solemnity wash over me.

“He says you’re not selfish,” she murmurs, her voice barely audible over the rest of the room.

“He does?” My eyebrows rise in surprise as she nods. “I don’t even want to know what else he says, do I?” I tease, and she shakes her head, her cheeks gaining a soft pink hue.

“They’re nice things,” she promises, and Janie nudges me.

Our eyes meet and I’m overwhelmed by the sense of pride and appreciation in her gaze. Her lips part, but before she can say a single word, I sense a presence behind me.

“Can we leave now?”

Peering over my shoulder, I find Cassian standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his heated eyes set on mine. “Leave?” I repeat, and he nods.

“Yeah. We came, like you asked. We showed our faces, like you asked. We mingled, like you asked. And now I want to leave so I can have you all to myself.”

“Oh, wow. Swoon.” I don’t look at the woman, recognizing her voice as the brunette from earlier, and I shake my head, amused, as my heart flutters in my chest.

“Go,” Janie states, nudging me again. “You know, get some of that sex you’re going to be missing out on,” she insists, making Cassian’s eyes narrow in question, but I shake my head again, waving her off.

Cassian smirks as he offers me his hand. “Don’t worry, ladies. It’s not like she won’t have three other men traveling on the tour with her. They’ll keep her busy if I don’t ruin her myself,” he grunts, the words spoken in a rich, teasing tone making my thighs clench as I leap down from the booth and into his waiting arms.

“Lucky bitch,” someone snickers from behind me as Janie cackles.

“Right?”

With my fingers laced with Cassian’s, I let him tug me from the restaurant, and as we step out into the cool night air, a sense of contentment washes over me. Resting my head on his arm, I sigh with relief as we stroll through the trees back toward his cabin.

“That was good,” I state, and his fingers tighten around mine as he presses a kiss to the top of my head.

“I think so.”

“Not perfect, it’s going to take time,” I add, looking up at him, and he nods.

“I can admit when I’m wrong,” I mutter and grin.

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