Page 11 of Mated Exile

I frown at him, uncertain whateverythingis. "It's like I told you: we've got to get rid of the curse."

Kieran's mouth tightens. "And the werewolf council? What do they have to say about this?"

"They're in agreement," I tell him, wincing at the resigned expression that flickers across his face. Kieran has technically inherited William's totem voice and position on the council, but until and unless he's mated, the position isn't official. "Niall has signed off on it too. We'll be welcoming the new alpha with open arms, and once he's set things straight here, he'll appoint a second-in-command from his own pack to take things over here."

Lance says sharply, "So we'll be their ancillary. A lesser pack beneath their thumbs, without the stability of atruealpha to lead us."

My teeth grind together as I bite back all the exhaustion and pain inside me, facing him without betraying on my face how I feel. "He'll be our alpha. And his pack is only a state away, in southern Nevada. It's hardly the bad end of a deal, given our current state."

"It's a half-life. Not enough to really change things," Lance argues. "We'll just be limping around until the pack inevitably dies without someone to renew our strength."

"He's going to restore the land."

"Will he? Or will he just leech the last of our strength, take our best remaining pack members, and leave us to die?"

My patience is wearing thin. "Enough of this. It's two weeks before the alpha even arrives, and we have better things to do. Finn, let's go—we need to put that nose of yours to work."

Finn frowns, glancing back and forth between Lance and I, but eventually he shrugs and does what I said. As we grab our shoes from their spot at the front door and finish clearing away breakfast, Cat watches with a curious gleam in her eyes. She pulls me aside when she gets a moment.

"Is this something I should be worried about—this new alpha?"

I know what she's really asking. "He'll let Delilah into the pack. Especially now that she has her wolf." Swallowing, I admit, "Once he's found a mate for her, I'm sure she'll be able to summon her wolf easily. She'll be happy."

It's a bitter thing to say, because I can just imagine thatothermate now, and I know it won't be me. There's a chance Finn could shoulder his way in with his charm, or Lance with his easy calm exterior, but I have a dreadful pit in my stomach that tells me somehow, Kieran will win that fight.

I should be happy for him. Delilah will be good for his soul. When she's around, sometimes he looks like he used to, before he turned into the person he is now. Maybe even just the hope of getting to be with her could motivate him to clean up and stay sober until the Summit. After that, if they really do have a mate bond, like the other day showed, I'm sure the new alpha will let them perform the Mating Ceremony.

Biting back the snarl I want to let loose at that thought, I reach out and softly squeeze Cat's shoulder. "I won't let anything bad happen to her. I promise."

"I know," she says, looking up into my eyes with a calm expression on her face. "Now, go get her, before it's too late."

Nodding sharply, I break away from her, and join the others on the front porch. They're waiting for my signal, though each of them looks unhappy and confused in their own way at my recent news. Pulling out my phone, I scroll down to Niall's contact and tell myself that they'll get over it soon enough.

"Niall is out in the woods," I tell them, tapping over to his location data, which he freely shares with me. "It shouldn't take more than five or ten minutes to get to him, if we set a standard pace. But we'll go slow—for Finn's leg."

And for the sharp pain in my stomach, which is getting harder to ignore. A shift back to my wolf form would normally fix it—that fix hasn't worked this time around. It should've healed by now. It's not something worth delaying our mission over.

"Let's get out there, then," Lance says, his impatience finally showing on his face. "We've waited as long as we dare."

Kieran nods sharply. "Agreed. I won't feel right until I see that she's safe and sound again."

I glance at our last member. "You ready?"

"I am," Finn says, but there's a wary look in his eyes. He doesn't elaborate, though he does study me briefly, like he's searching for something. "Do you think you'll be able to keep us on course?"

I know what he's asking. He wants to know if he thinks I'll be able to gather us together in our wolf forms and keep us actively communicating with each other. It's something I've been able to do before, though not lately. The skill comes and goes whenever my wolf wants it to.

"I don't know. I'm going to try my best, though."

"You should do whatever it was you did last night."

A frown tugs down my mouth. "What do you mean?"

"Last night?" Finn studies me. "Lance and I heard your voice in our heads. That's why we came running out into the woods. And then later, when the doctors came, you were able to calm my wolf."

Going still, I flick my eyes to Lance—and he nods in confirmation. Kieran asks slowly, "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"It does," Lance says, his voice confident yet somehow cold. "Roarke is a natural born alpha. Atruealpha. The kind who could hold this pack together and maybe even heal it. But he won't even give it a shot."

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