Page 20 of Destined Mate

Though my ribs had protested, the ache wasn’t half as bad as when I’d moved to sit and stand from the other car. “It was a good idea. Thank you.”

“No problem,” he answered as he gently put me in the seat and buckled me in.

For a moment, I felt like a child. My hands clenched. I hated being this weak.

Bodey shut the door and hurried to his side, throwing my bag in the back seat on the way. I glanced out my window to see everyone still watching us leave. Theo looked tense, and Zeke’s expression was stony. Worse, I saw the panicked looks on my family’s faces, and I could only hope that Bodey had scared Zeke enough that he would leave them alone.

Within seconds, we were off, and when my garage faded from view, I leaned my head back on the headrest and took in the dark leather interior of Bodey’s Jeep. It was hands down the nicest car I’d ever been in. His scent, mixed with leather, had my eyelids drooping.

I was safe…for now.

“I’m sorry about all this,” he said, messing with the buttons on his dashboard. “They shouldn’t treat you that way. We’re about three hours away, so get some rest.”

My mind raced as I tried to figure out how to respond. Every time I thought of something, the words got lodged in my throat like a dry pill, so I said the only thing I could, “Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything else. The two of us fell into a comfortable silence, and before I knew it, my eyes had closed, and everything faded around me.

* * *

A door shut gentlybut loudly enough to stir my consciousness.

“What thehell,man?” Jack asked excitedly. “Do you have any idea what shit you’ve just stirred?”

My heart thudded against my ribs. We must be at Bodey’s place. I opened my eyes but remained still. I wanted to hear what they were going to say, and if they knew I was awake, the conversation would end before it began.

CHAPTERSEVEN

“Be quiet,”Bodey demanded. “She’s resting.”

The voices were coming from behind the vehicle, and that lessened my tension. My eyes fluttered open to find a white wall in front of me. I glanced around and realized there was a door to the left—we had to be in Bodey’s garage. A sleek black Mercedes-Benz SUV was parked in the space beside me.

My throat constricted. I hadn’t considered that Bodey might be with someone. He wasn’t mated—I could tell by his scent—but that didn’t mean he wasn’t committed.

“Yes, because, clearly, everything is about thisgirl,” Jack grumbled but a whole lot more quietly.

I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the three other royal advisers, along with a man who looked like an older Bodey.

“Son,” the man said, placing a hand on Bodey’s arm. “Jack has a point, though he could have been less confrontational about it. Do you think bringing her here was wise?”

I rolled my head to the left so I could watch them in the mirror as I listened. I kind of wished I had slept through this conversation. No one but Bodey seemed to want me here. A knot curled inside me.

“Guys, I had to.” Bodey rubbed a hand down his face. “I couldn’t sleep last night after we left her there, so I drove through the neighborhood this morning to make sure nothing was off.”

From his spot between Jack and Miles, Lucas lifted a hand. “Whoa. What do you mean you went and checked on her this morning? Zeke promised he wouldn’t harm her. I don’t understand why you even went there.”

Miles groaned, his face contorting. “We all know how Zeke is. That’s why he went.”

“Exactly.” Bodey’s shoulders straightened. “And you wouldn’t believe what I saw.” His voice hardened. “He had her working in the yard of one of the guys who attacked her last night. She’d already dug up and planted at least seven flower beds in front of the house, and they had mulch and stones out there for her to take care of next.”

The older man hung his head. “I knew he was bad news. I advised King Richard that Zeke shouldn’t be considered for the open Oregon royal adviser role, but the king insisted he had to meet with him for appearance’s sake since he was one of the strongest alphas in Oregon and should be considered for the role. It was supposed to be a formality.”

Jack snorted. “But Fate fucked us when Richard found his chosen mate while he was there.”

“Now, Jack. Mila was a good woman,” the older man countered. “She was just close to Zeke, and that friendship influenced the king to put Zeke in charge, and so here we are…yet again.”

My heart squeezed. I’d heard stories about Queen Mila. Apparently, she’d been close friends with Zeke, sort of like I was with Theo, but she’d also been one of the strongest wolves in the pack. Zeke had taken her loss hard, and on the night of her death, he’d come back to the pack with me. I wondered if that was why he hated me—he associated me with her death—but I’d never been brave enough to ask anyone…not even Theo.

“The past doesn’t matter. Samuel needs to check into it once he’s king.” Bodey shook his head. “I wish I’d dragged your asses there with me. If you would’ve seen…” He trailed off. “I don’t even know how she was still standing. If I hadn’t seen her stuck in human form and unable to pack link, I would’ve never believed she was a weak wolf. She shouldn’t have been able to do even part of that job, and when I stopped her, I couldseethe agony on her face and by the way she held her body. I don’t think I could have done the work with her injuries.”

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