Page 86 of Chosen Destiny

He truly was a man of action. I couldn’t complain. Having experience in this arena could go a long way if we could trust him. “Okay, book the flight. Send me the text with your arrival information.”

“Will do. See you soon.” The line went dead.

I could only pray to the gods that Bodey and I hadn’t invited another threat onto our land.

* * *

At nine that evening,Bodey and I drove Jack’s Navigator up to the Lewiston, Idaho airport, over an hour away from our Grangeville neighborhood. Jack had pouted, but we needed three rows of seating, so Stevie had gotten him to relent.

The royal advisors and the former advisors agreed with our decision to have King Sutton, his mate, and his son visit us. Even though we were all weary, Jasmine vouched for King Sutton again, and the former advisors had nothing but good things to say about him. Despite all of our reservations, this was the best chance we had to double our resources and beat Kel.

I tapped my foot to let out some nervous energy. With the way my decisions had been backfiring lately, I feared having them here would make things worse for us.

We’re going to be careful,Bodey assured me, reaching over the center console to take my hand.If either one of us feels uncomfortable taking them back to the neighborhood, we won’t. We have credit cards, and we can book rooms at a hotel.

He was right. I was letting my nerves get the best of me, but Lynerd’s betrayal had been a huge hit to my confidence.

With each minute we waited, more sweat pooled in my armpits. I wasn’t a patient person to begin with, and this uncertainty was stressing me out even more.

When the clock struck nine thirty, a horrible thought hit me. What if King Sutton had never planned to come? What if this was all a plan to get Bodey and me to the airport alone? He’d know that either we or Jasmine would come here to greet him. Either way, it would get Bodey and me exactly where he wanted us.

That was when a tall, bulky man strolled out of the airport’s double doors. His hazel eyes focused directly on me, and he smirked.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX

My pulse poundedas I tried not to squirm. This man screamedpowerful shifter, the alpha magic coming off him in waves. He wore a baseball hat pulled low over his face and a casual olive-green long-sleeve shirt and jeans, which contrasted with his intense stare.

“Bodey,” I murmured, holding the door handle.

“Sutty,” a female voice groaned behind him. “A little help would be nice!”

The man froze and winced. The smirk vanished as he spun around and hurried to the woman behind him. He took the large rolling bag from her and pulled it to his side as the woman straightened.

Despite her jeans and stylish flowy purple shirt, she had on black stilettos. She flung her dark-burgundy hair over her shoulders and arched one perfectly sculpted eyebrow as her emerald eyes sparkled. “That’s more like it.”

“I’m sorry, my love,” he said adoringly and kissed her crimson lips.

“Seriously, you two always gotta be doing that?” A younger man who had to be their son strolled out from behind them, rolling a carry-on. “I don’t know how I haven’t stabbed my eyes out.” His nose wrinkled as his golden irises lightened with mirth.

As I watched the family’s interaction, some of the tension melted from my body. They seemed so genuine that I couldn’t believe it was an act.

Do you want us to leave?Bodey asked, his right hand settling on the gearshift.

Not budging my gaze from the king and his family, I linked,No, but I don’t want to take them far unless we’re comfortable with them. I want to be able to drop them off here and tell them to get on the next plane if anything unsettles either of us.

Of course. It’s you and me against the world.He rubbed a hand along my arm.We’ll stay close to the airport until we’re both comfortable.

I really liked hearing him say that. Having him here to make decisions alongside me eased the worry inside me and my wolf. I trusted Samuel, but Bodey was my other half, and I felt stronger with him by my side.Let’s go introduce ourselves.

He turned off the vehicle, and we climbed out. I waited by my door as he walked around the hood to my side.

As we made our way to King Sutton, his mate, and his son, the three of them grew somber and met us a few feet from our car.

Wanting to take charge since this was my territory, I extended my hand to King Sutton. “Hi, I’m Caroline.” The name still didn’t flow off my tongue naturally, but thankfully, I didn’t hesitate. “And this is my ma—” I stopped myself since there were a few humans nearby waiting for their rides. “My—er—husband, Bodey.” That word, unfortunately, did give me pause and made me feel unsettled.Husbanddidn’t hold half the same meaning asmate, but that was the closest thing I could risk saying.

King Sutton chuckled and shook my hand. “You look just like your father. The resemblance is uncanny.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that. Samuel favored our mother, while I was the female version of our father.

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