Page 71 of Chosen Destiny

He linked with Jack, Stevie, and me,Get your asses up. We’re under attack.

I winced, hating to bother them, but we needed all hands on deck, especially the royal advisors.

Samuel’s feet scuffed the floor downstairs, and I could tell he was pacing. I didn’t want him to feel he had to carry the weight of this attack on his own. Yes, he might be the alpha here now, but he had all our support.

Are Mom and Pearl okay?Stevie asked, and for a moment, I was puzzled. She could link with them just as well as I could.

I tugged on the links. Both Mom’s and Pearl’s were warm. More of the wolves in the pack were stirring, and all of us were on guard.Yeah, but you can check on them yourself.I understood she was struggling with losing Dad, but linking was as inherent to wolves as breathing.

Bodey and I were hurrying down the stairs when my sister replied,Actually, I can’t. Not anymore.

My feet missed the last three steps, and I stumbled. Bodey moved lightning fast, caught me in his arms, and pulled me to his chest.

He grinned, examining the expression on my face.Are you okay?

Yeah.I shook my head as the world stilled under my feet. I wasn’t surprised that Stevie and Jack had completed the bond—I knew the connection had been inevitable—but Stevie had put it off.I’m fine. The one night I didn’t expect them to complete their bond was the night they did.

Setting me down, Bodey interlaced our hands, and we hurried down the hallway toward the den. He linked,I’m surprised she held out this long. Jack was ready to seal the deal the day he met her.

I flinched, not wanting to picture the image that conjured in my mind. Instead, I focused on Samuel, who was standing between the couch and the fireplace and staring out the window of the door closest to Michael and Janet’s house.

We scurried past the kitchen on our left and the dining room on our right and went into the den to join him.

Let’s go,Samuel grasped the door handle.Our thirty wolves are together, and they’ve picked up the scent. They should reach the other wolves in five minutes. We can’t catch up with them, but we won’t be far behind if we move fast.

A huge lump formed in my throat.I don’t think we should join them.

He whipped toward me and froze. He blinked, then nodded. “It makes sense for you to stay here, but I gotta go out there with my pack.”

He turned to march back to the door, but Bodey had already moved to stand in front of him.

Samuel glared at Bodey as if he had two heads. He rasped, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Bodey crossed his arms. “You shouldn’t go out there for the same reasons Callie and I shouldn’t.”

“Like hell,” Samuel seethed as he tried to pivot around Bodey.

Bodey pushed him in the chest, shoving him back several steps.

“Get out of my way,” Samuel rasped as his shoulders heaved from how hard he was breathing. “You want to stay here, fine, but I need to be out there with those people. They need to see me standing with them.”

Two sets of footsteps came down the stairs, and I sprang into action. If Jack got involved, the situation would only get worse. I had to release the tension and stop the two most important men in my life from fighting each other.

“I don’t know of anyone who would attack us right now besides Kel.” That was one thing I’d learned about Samuel—he responded to logic more than emotion.

Bodey pointed at me and added, “And if Kel gets you, she’ll get Callie. You know Callie couldn’t stand the idea of something happening to you, and Kel will know we can’t be trusted again to do an exchange. This is another one of her games.”

“Shit.” Samuel hung his head. “You’re right.”

Jack breezed into the den with Stevie at his side.

Raising both eyebrows, Jack cupped his ear. “Wait. What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

Taking a few steps back, Samuel huffed and bared his teeth. “You heard me loud and clear. I won’t repeat it.”

Jack pouted. “Dammit. I’ve never heard you admit that before. I wasn’t certain your mouth could even form those words.”

“Behave,” Stevie chastised and smacked his arm. “There’s an attack going on.”

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