Page 6 of Destined Mate

Bodey radiated power,so much so that I could feel his command sink straight into my bones. Despite being weak, my inner wolf never considered cowering, not even when my brain told me to. Even when Zeke used his alpha will, I wanted to fight back and usually had to resort to biting my cheek until it bled so that I wouldn’t run my mouth.

For the first time ever, my wolf damn near submitted but then decided not to. I straightened my back and faced him. My ribs burned, and I almost whimpered, but I gritted my teeth to hold back the noise and stood my ground. “I have to go. My alpha is looking for me.”

Bodey snatched the phone from my hands and stared at the message on the screen.

“Hey,” I snapped and took it back, returning it to my pocket. “That’s rude. You don’t read other people’s messages without their permission.” I waited for him to put me in my place. I always did this and got myself into more trouble.

“It’s going to get worse.” His eyes darkened to midnight black. “It seems like your alpha has already decided you’re guilty. How is that even possible? He hasn’t heard your side!”

“Dude,” Jack said as he smacked Bodey on the back. “I’m sure she’s well aware of that. Next thing you’ll tell us is that the sky is blue and Nirvana isn’t the best band ever.”

Bodey snarled.

Lucas shook his head. “Not the time, Jack.”

Apparently, Jack liked the sound of his own voice, but I needed Bodey to see reason. “It’s their word against mine, and the longer I stay away, the guiltier I’ll appear.” He couldn’t argue with that.

“She’s right.” Lucas sighed. “We should let her go. This is Oregon pack business. Besides, she needs to rest and take care of herself. He can’t deny they attacked her—just look at her.”

My shoulders relaxed. At least one of them was on my side. “Theo will be there to help me handle his father, the alpha.”

“Theo?” Jack’s head snapped toward me, interest clear on his face. “As in Theo Stark?”

My breath caught, so I nodded. They’d piece together who I was now.

Bursting out in humorless laughter, Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “Zeke Stark is your alpha. Why am I not surprised?”

By the way Lucas’s, Bodey’s, and Miles’s noses wrinkled, it was clear the four of them felt the same way about Zeke as he did about them. But now I understood why Zeke didn’t like them. All four of them were more powerful than he was.

There was no point in denying it. “Zeke is my alpha.”

Miles crossed his arms and rubbed the scruff on his face. “Bodey, I get this sucks, and I hate having to remind you, but it’s the rule. We can head back with her and tell him what we saw.”

Growling, Bodey glared at him and said, “You’re right.” His jaw twitched. “It’s just that none of this should’ve happened. Wolves shouldn’t hurt one another, especially not their own pack members.”

I sucked in a breath. “You guys don’t treat your weak shifters this way?”

“King Richard was a big advocate for mutual respect and caring for one another, even across territory lines.” Lucas’s lips pressed into a firm line. “Since we haven’t had a king in seventeen years, things have gotten far more lax than they should have, but that will change when Prince Samuel takes the throne in a couple of weeks.”

We’d heard about the future King Samuel from Zeke. He was turning eighteen in two weeks and would finally be old enough to ascend to the throne. Zeke had informed us that pack tensions would worsen once that happened, but I wondered if that was because he’d once again have to answer to someone. I cherished the fact it would be someone so much younger.

“The reason the adviser roles were created was that the original pack had grown too large for one person to manage across five states,” Lucas continued. “Our job is to ensure we function as one pack, the way it originally was, with everyone’s best interests at heart.”

This was new information to me, but it didn’t matter. I had to get back to Zeke. “Thank you for helping me, but—”

“Here, Callie.” Brows furrowed, Bodey held out his shirt. “Go put this on.”

I cringed. I’d forgotten I was nearly shirtless, even though it was why I’d been clutching my chest. I didn’t want to obey him, but the last thing I wanted to do was stumble back to my pack this torn up and broken. Accepting the shirt was more for me than about him.

Before I could reach out to take it, he’d placed it in my hands gently, so I didn’t have to extend my arm and injure myself again.

My vision blurred at his kindness.

He took a hesitant step back. “I know it’ll hurt to put that on. I’m willing to help if you want.”

“No!” I exclaimed.

Jack snickered and muttered, “Bodey’s stealing my lines.”

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