Page 59 of Chosen Destiny

“No,” she scoffed, then glanced at the other two former advisors sitting at the table. Her expression became strained as the corners of her mouth tipped downward.

I followed her gaze and saw the same uncomfortable looks on their faces. Everyone agreed, but no one wanted to hurt Jasmine.

“Carl and I should head outside and keep watch,” Phil said as he patted Carl’s shoulder. The two of them jumped to their feet and hurried out the front door, leaving the uncomfortable situation behind. I didn’t argue. With the others leaving, we needed someone to watch out for Kel’s attack.

“It’s not personal.” I reached out to touch her again but dropped my hand. I’d just grabbed her, and I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable with me. “They did what we asked them to do, which was more than I expected.” I looked at Bodey, relieved to see that the dark circles under his eyes were gone and his complexion was almost back to its usual warm-olive tone. “They helped us save Bodey without me needing to hand myself over.”

Miles linked to Bodey and me,The witches are pulling out and waving for us to follow them. We would join you all, but the men are saying we’re going somewhere else for the witches to heal us.

That’s right,I replied as I watched Jasmine scowl.We don’t want to risk any humans seeing injured wolf shifters being carried into the house. They’re taking you to a remote spot to heal you all as much as they can.It was the least we could do for the Midwest wolves, even if they planned on returning home.We’ll join you soon.We needed to get away from this house anyway. Kel would attack us here as soon as possible; I almost expected her not to wait until nightfall.

Jasmine rubbed her arms and remained silent.

Michael glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.

He didn’t need to link or say anything. I understood the message.

“We need to leave,” I said.

“Or find a place to stay in Idaho.” Michael ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the others.

“We need to go home.” Bodey’s hands tightened on my waist. “Kel will retaliate, so our priority is to get back to our packs and deal with the fallout of Oregon leaving the territory before she does.”

“We’ve had little to no sleep,” Michael said, staring at Bodey. “And we’re still healing. We can’t push ourselves.”

This was new. Normally, Bodey and Michael were in agreement. Both had a point, but I agreed with Michael. “You’re right. We’re all tired.”

Michael nodded, and Bodey sucked in a breath as disappointment wafted through our bond. Whatever was going on with him was strange, but I’d have to figure it out later when we weren’t under threat of an attack.

“But the risk of not getting back to our people is greater,” I said and swallowed, trying to figure out the best answer. “I’ve had a nap, so I can drive.” I hated driving, but when the situation arose, I’d do it.

“I’ve been locked up in a dungeon and feel better than I have since I got captured.” Bodey squeezed me lovingly. “So I can drive as well, even though I don’t want to be separated from Callie.”

So we only needed a driver for the third vehicle.

Jasmine groaned. “I can drive Dad’s car. I didn’t fight much, and I’m pretty well rested. As long as we stop somewhere to get coffee and some candy, I’ll be good for a few hours. By then, someone else will probably be up for driving.”

“If you can give me three hours to rest, I can take over then.” Michael licked his lips. “We’ll be safest at home, and we need to make sure Oregon doesn’t try anything.”

Shit. We needed to inform the other Northwest states that Oregon was no longer ours. My skin crawled as I thought about how our people already had concerns about me. This would only validate their feelings and have more of my people thinking I was an incompetent leader. Yet another thing Kel no doubt desired.

What’s wrong?Bodey turned to me, examining my face.

I didn’t consider Oregon trying to take over the rest of the states. Lynerd could be coordinating more attacks.My parents and childhood pack were no longer tied to me. All this time, I’d thought I’d be relieved once I was free, but now I felt a deep ache from losing my links to Theo, Mom, Stevie, and even Pearl.What if my family gets hurt? And we need to inform all the alphas about Oregon leaving.I’d been so consumed with Bodey and his injuries that I hadn’t considered the impact of losing Oregon on the rest of our people. What kind of queen was I turning out to be?

We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll reach out to the alphas in the Northwest Territory to spread the word,Bodey vowed.We’ll return home and make sure we protect them.

My heart sank, and I thought about Bodey driving after everything he’d gone through. I connected with him,Are you sure you’re up for driving? You’re still healing, and I hate to put that pressure on you.

He turned me to him and cupped my face as he leaned his forehead against mine. His irises lightened to nearly cobalt as an endearing expression softened his face.Being with you has done wonders for me mentally and physically, and the thought of getting you back home where we can connect in a way we haven’t in too long has my wolf stirring. Even if my human side gets tired, my wolf won’t let it rest.

I grinned, liking the thought of him clean, naked, and underneath me. Hell, he probably wouldn’t make it out of the shower before my self-control snapped and my wolf surged.Okay, you have a point.

I thought that might ease your mind.He winked and kissed me.

But the uneasy feeling coursing up my spine ruined the moment. With Kel breathing down our necks, I was eager to get the hell out of here.

Pulling away from Bodey was the last thing I wanted to do, but my wolf relented at the thought of him getting captured again or worse. I stepped away and faced the group. “I’ll drive the Mercedes, Bodey will drive the Navigator, and Jasmine will take Michael’s car. Split up as you see fit and let’s move out.”

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