Page 67 of Chosen Destiny

My heart thundered, and my chest warmed. Samuel would have an official role as advisor and some of the responsibilities he’d grown up expecting. Bodey was making things right in the best way possible under the circumstances.

Samuel froze, and his face turned pale. Something unreadable crossed his face, and he opened his mouth to respond.

CHAPTERTWENTY

The tension hung soheavy in the air that I could barely breathe. Having Bodey focus on the entire territory with me was something I’d wanted—not that I felt as if I couldn’t rely on Samuel, but Iknewmy mate and I would be stronger if we worked together. I just hadn’t wanted to ask him.

Theo fidgeted, and Bodey’s arm shook slightly as he continued to hold his hand out toward Samuel. Between that and his increasing worry through our bond, I’d had enough.

I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but before I could speak, Samuel cleared his throat.

He straightened and homed in on me as he linked,Is that what you want?

The question seemed simple, but the answer wasn’t. I wasn’t sure how to navigate it, and Samuel’s face was indifferent. I wished I could feel the other pack members the way I sensed Bodey so I’d have a better idea of how to respond in a way that would do the least amount of damage. Since I couldn’t do that, I’d give Samuel the answer I would want to hear—the carefully worded truth.Having Bodey as a royal advisor and the king consort is a conflict of interest that I fear will become a problem if we defeat Kel.

My wolf growled at the wordif, but I couldn’t be foolish or arrogant. Kel had the upper hand, and losing Lynerd and Oregon had been a critical blow. Dancing around the truth wasn’t wise, especially in a time of war.It’s not that I don’t want your counsel. I do. I appreciate your insight and opinions, but you can still offer that in the royal advisor role. If you don’t want the position, I completely understand. You don’t have to take it.We could put Jasmine in charge when she graduated. She might not have the strongest wolf, but I doubted this region would argue with it, especially since she’d have my backing and Bodey’s.

“Uh…” Bodey began lowering his hand. “If you aren’t—”

Before he lowered it completely, Samuel took it and gave it a firm shake. Samuel blew out a shaky breath and said, “It would be an honor.”

Bodey’s lips pressed together. “Look, if you aren’t sure, it’s fine. You can take time to think about it. I just—”

“No, I want it.” Samuel scratched the back of his neck. “I needed to make sure Callie was okay with it before accepting, in case she had other plans.”

I smiled sadly. “If I had something brewing, I would’ve run it past you or stopped Bodey before he offered you the position, but like he said…” I placed my head on Bodey’s shoulder and interlaced our hands. “If you need time, you can have it. We don’t have to make any rash decisions.”

Snorting, Jack deadpanned, “Really? With Queen Kel around, I feel like we’re always chasing her tail.”

“Man.” Bodey scoffed, glaring over his shoulder at Jack.

“What?” Jack retorted.

“Sometimes it’s better to leave things unsaid,” Stevie chastised.

I couldn’t take my eyes off my brother. I searched for any clue that might tell me how he felt inside since he kept himself so guarded.

His forehead smoothed out, and he smiled easily at Jack’s comment; he truly seemed relieved. My lungs worked easier. At least one more thing hadn’t imploded.

Jack huffed. “Please.”

I managed to pull my attention from Samuel to study Jack.

As expected, he was being more himself now that he was back with Stevie.

“Nothing is better left unsaid as long as youmeanit.” Jack waggled a finger. “Here are my rules. If I care for a person, I don’t say anything out of anger or annoyance. That shit has to be something I’ve felt for a while, or I know it won’t change. It’s gotta come from a place of love. And unfortunately, Queen Kel is kicking our butts. That’s no reflection on Callie and her role as queen. Kel had this shit planned long before Callie was ever inked as our ruler.”

Now that he’d pointed that out, I realized it was true—he didn’t give us hell unless it was out of fun. He liked to cause problems, but his intentions were usually innocent. And he wasn’t stating anything many of us hadn’t been thinking.

“You don’t hold back with me.” Theo placed his hands in his pockets as he stood awkwardly at the end of the couch.

Turning back to him, Jack narrowed his eyes.

“I kind of feel part of the group.” Theo grinned, though it didn’t completely reach his eyes.

“Don’t.” Jack cleared his throat. “I say shit to you all the time out of anger because I don’t give a fuck about you. The way you stood back and allowed Callie and Stevie to be mistreated was cowardly. If you were meant to be an alpha, you would’ve challenged your dad. Instead, he’s rotting in a basement because he went unchecked for too long.”

Theo flinched, and I grimaced.

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