Page 21 of Wolf Touched

“What do you mean it’s not my home anymore?” Raffe’s nostrils flared, his mouth set in a firm line.

Every inch of me wanted to step closer to him, but I kept my feet firmly planted. Standing beside him would make it all worse. They needed to seehim, their future leader and alpha, not me.

Aldric flicked his attention to me then back at Raffe. “Son, you chose a human—”

My patience snapped, and I stepped up beside Raffe anyway, allowing my wolf to surge forward. I rasped, “I’m not human anymore, so that’s not a valid complaint.”

Pride surged through our connection, catching me off guard. I’d thought Raffe would be annoyed with me for speaking up since he was the alpha heir, but the opposite was true.

“That’s impossible.” Aldric’s forehead creased, and he leaned toward me and took a huge sniff. “That … that has to be from the partial mate bond.”

“It’s completed now because she’s a wolf,” Raffe said and moved so Aldric could get a strong whiff of him as well. “Our scents are combined inbothof us.”

“What is this sorcery?” The older man’s eyes bulged. “She must be a witch. Someone we can’t trust. This goes against nature.”

Raffe’s jaw clenched.

Despite holding my tongue my entire life, I couldn’t anymore. I was tired of people disregarding me and pushing me aside. “Even if that were the case, I was stillhumanfirst. Either way, I’m supernatural now, whether you like it or not.”

“Wolf shifters can’t be turned.” A man with ash-blond hair crossed his arms. He appeared to be in his fifties, slightly older than the king and Aldric. “Because inevitably, some weakfool”— he paused, glaring at Raffe—“falls in love with a human and hopes he can change her so they can be accepted by the pack. But that’s not how it works.”

“Yet, she’s proof that it did.” Raffe gestured at Aldric. “You met her before the bond was complete, and you could tell she was human.”

“The rest of us can vouch for it as well.” Adam moved forward, flanking my left side. “And she’s not a witch. She’s never smelled like one.”

“Son, be quiet.” A man with light-brown skin and curly dark hair broke in front. “You don’t need to remain loyal to someone unfit to lead, especially when the king has ordered that his son may not return here. Even the king has turned his back on Prince Raffe.”

The sharp slice of pain that came from Raffe stole my breath. Even though Raffe had said that if being cast out was what it took for us to be together, so be it, hearing that his dad had actually come to that decision hit hard,especially when the news had come from someone else. His dad should have informed Raffe himself.

“Not only has he decided to mate withher, but he had you bring a human and a vampire to our pack home.” Adam’s dad’s expression twisted in disgust. “Someone so reckless can’t take over the alpha position and lead us.”

Between his words and Raffe’s pain, I couldn’t take any more. “You mean someone who isn’t bigoted and who can see things beyond the wolf shifters’ point of view? Because, let me tell you, narrow-minded people actually hinder progress and alienate anyone different from themselves. True strength and courage are in seeing the world from other perspectives because not all things are right or wrong. There’s a shit ton of in-between.”

“This is exactly what they’re referring to.” A man with bronze skin scoffed. “You have no respect for tradition and supernatural law. I’m just glad my son, Adam, Josie, and Lucy can now be free of Raffe’s recklessness.”

A lump formed in my throat. I hadn’t considered it could be just Raffe and me when this was all done. My heart ached at the thought of not having Adam, Keith, Josie, and Lucy around. And lumping Keith in with the rest of them made me question my sanity. But Raffe and I could get through anything, even as a pack of two, as long as we were together.

I couldn’t gloss over what Keith’s dad had accused me of. “I do respect tradition and laws, as long as they make sense. There’s value in all of that, and even in past mistakes. But standing between fated mates … there’s no justification in the world for that.”

“I agree.” Keith stepped forward, dragging Octavia along slightly behind him. “Dad, they love each other. Believe me, I was against it before, but if you just—”

“No!Stop right there.” Keith’s dad’s eyes darkened to onyx. “You will not get more involved in this mess than you already are. This endsnow.”

“That’s something I can agree with.” Raffe arched a brow, and his gaze settled on Aldric. “Should I link with my father, or do you want to inform him that I’m here to speak with him?”

“Your father isn’t here. He’s in Atlanta delivering this unfortunate news.” Aldric clasped his hands together. “That’s why I’m here, deliveringthisnews since your mother went with him. He doesn’t want to be interrupted unless it’s a life-or-death emergency, which this isn’t.”

I snorted. A personcouldcall it life or death. “What do you consider a situation where we show up with a human, a very injured vampire, and Josie at half strength?”

“An unfortunate inconvenience.” Aldric’s expression softened as he glanced at his daughter. “One I’m looking forward to hearing explained.”

I had no doubt hedidn’twant to hear it, but I wouldn’t contradict him.

As if reading my mind, Josie and Dave flinched, and Josie leaned away from Dave, biting her bottom lip.

You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,I linked with her, wanting her to know she had my support.Other than the almost-dying part.

The corners of her mouth tilted upward, and Aldric’s concern faded into a scowl.

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