Page 22 of Chosen Destiny

Something akin to pride floated from Lynerd to me, and he replied,I can do that.

Good.I wanted to get away from everyone and have a moment to myself. Ever since I’d woken up with my memories and remembered that Bodey had been taken, I’d been around at least three other people at all times. I needed to process everything that had happened during the past few hours to ensure it wasn’t affecting my judgment, especially since Samuel wasn’t thrilled with my decisions. I linked with Lynerd and Samuel,I’m going to check on a few of your people.

I rubbed Bodey’s spot in my chest, wishing he were here with me. The fact that his bond was cool was a blessing. If he had been awake, he probably would’ve been enduring torture. But I missed his touch and hearing his opinions more than I’d thought possible.

Samuel’s hand dropped as he replied only to me,I’ll stay here to make sure nothing gets out of hand.

I nodded. My absence might calm the volatile situation, so I headed in the opposite direction of the neighborhood, ready to perform my job and find some solitude.

* * *

By ten at night,Sybil had been buried, and the former advisors and I had dropped by every pack house for a few minutes to check on them. Jack, Lucas, Miles, and Samuel had joined us for the last hour, and we’d just finished updating Lynerd on everything, including our plan.

Now it was time to get Theo back to the Oxbow pack neighborhood as the official alpha leader. With Zeke out of commission, they were down one strong wolf.

As I passed Jack’s vehicle to slide into the passenger seat of the SUV, in which Zeke was pouting comically in the back seat, Lynerd grabbed my arm.

My breath caught. “Everything okay?” I tried not to wince, but having a man outside of Bodey and my newfound family touch me didn’t feel right.

He dropped his hand as his brows furrowed.I feel like I should be going with you like the other three royal advisors, but I need to stay here tonight. I’ll meet up with you all tomorrow instead. Between the coven mourning and my needing to prepare for my absence tomorrow and the next night, I don’t feel comfortable leaving at the last minute.

I mashed my lips together, but when I opened my mouth, he lifted a hand.

I get that all of Oregon is my responsibility, but my pack isn’t used to not having me here.He blew out his cheeks.

He didn’t want to abandon his people. I understood and respected that.Stay. Get things settled. You just took the position a couple of hours ago, so of course you need time to organize things. Besides, you’re already a step ahead.I forced a smile, wanting him to know I understood.Normally, the Oregon royal advisor fights me on everything, so the fact that you want to support me and help to make decisions is leaps and bounds better.

Taking a step back, he sighed.I can’t believe I’m the royal advisor now. Thank you for making it possible, and I’m determined to do a far better job than Zeke ever did.

In fairness, it wouldn’t take much to make that possible.

I have no doubt you will.I fought back a yawn.But we need to get Theo back to his pack so he can take on his role and get Zeke situated before we leave tomorrow. I’ll link with you in the morning to tell you where to meet us.

Sounds like a plan.He held the door open.

As I slid into the seat, Samuel cut his eyes to me and started the car. He glanced to the back seat where Jasmine and Theo sat.

Without saying a word, I already knew what he was implying. The ride to Oxbow was going to be a doozy.

Soon, all three of our vehicles had backed out of the driveway, and I leaned my head against the headrest. I was happy that Bodey wasn’t in any additional pain, but I couldn’t help but worry. It had been a while since he’d woken up. My only solace was our connection. At least he wasn’t dead.

I wrapped my arms around my waist and exhaled. That wasn’t as comforting a thought as I’d hoped.

As we pulled onto the main road, I wished I could fall asleep, but the tension in the car was palpable, and my worry for my mate made sleep impossible.

When we’d been on the road for a while in complete silence, I began hoping Theo would let it go. He usually avoided confrontation, but as some of the worry wafted away, he cleared his throat.

“Why did you take that position away from me?” he asked, his voice low.

Great. We were going to have this conversation out loud. I guessed I deserved that. “It wasn’t about taking it fromyou. It was about honoring my parents’ wishes from seventeen years ago. They didn’t believe he was fit to lead anymore.”

“You don’t trust me to do that?”

Samuel shook his head.You can’t allow him to challenge you like this. You made a decision, and we must respect that. Fate chose you to lead us.

True, but he just wants to talk to me about it.Every person who asked me to explain my logic wasn’t necessarily trying to undermine me. I’d hurt him, and we were friends. He needed a chance to process. I was just thankful he was willing to hear me out.

“Theo, this isn’t about you as a person.” I turned in my seat to look him in the eye. He and Jasmine were holding hands, and I hid a grimace. Bodey wouldn’t handle that well, but Jasmine was an adult who could make her own decisions.

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