Page 45 of Fated Exile

"Did you ever doubt it?" Cat raises a brow, putting her hands on her hips, impatience on her face. "Of course I wanted to see my baby girl become queen, or whatever it is you're becoming."

"Alpha. One of two." Craning my head around, I find Kerry sitting on a lawn chair just behind her, with a plate of cold cuts, cheeses, and fruits in her lap. "I hope you're not tugging on any stitches."

"Don't worry about me. You should be more concerned about your man in there." She motions towards the Mating Circle. "I think I just heard one of the wolves ask him what he was going to do about the low birth rate. Think he'll propose impregnating all the women of the pack? Because I don't know how he could fix it otherwise."

Laughing, I point out, "Roarke isn't the only fertile male in the pack. Even Niall is young enough to still have kids. All we have to do is get some fresh blood in, and things will pick up again."

Kerry raises a brow. "So you're suggesting Niall do the impregnating?"

Cat suggests, "He could start with me."

"Get in line, shortie. I may be old, but that doesn't mean I can't compete. And after all that time in the mountain I deserve some fun."

"You mean after all that time in the mountain your pussy isn’t dried up?"

I can't help but laugh. Kerry and Cat are laughing too, neither of them truly meaning the jibes. It's not a big surprise that my aunt by blood and my beloved foster mother get along so well. If anything, it makes me feel that much closer to the birth mother I never knew.

"I have to get back. They'll be expecting me soon," I tell them both. "Don't get into any trouble. I know you will anyway, but I just have to say it. And promise me that if something happens, you'll both get out of here as quickly as possible."

Cat holds up her car keys. "I've got a full tank and parked my car on the path, as close as I could get it. Got a few stink eyes for that."

"And I'm a weaver witch," Kerry reminds me. "Just because my guts spilled out of my body recently doesn't mean I can't cast a mean spell. If something happens, like those vampires attacking or Delphine showing up, you should worry for the people doing the attacking. Not for me."

"Good."

Grabbing a glass of punch, I wander back into the circle. It might be my imagination, but I swear that this time, the cracks I have to step over and slide past are thinner and less noticeable. Which would mean that the Mating Circle is healing itself already, and the Summit has barely even begun, with no sign of the moon above.

It isn't my imagination. I stumble on Kieran and Bastian kneeling by one of the main cracks, conferring with each other.

"This one was about two point five inches before, now it's... one point seven five. Nearly a one inch shrinkage." Kieran snaps a measuring tape into his palm and types up some notes on his phone. "What do you think?"

"Let me feel."

Closing his eyes, Bastian puts his hand on the edge of the crack. I observe him from a distance, not wanting to interrupt. When I reach out my senses, I can tell that he's pushing his awareness down into the earth and centering himself, just like he told me to do before I cast a spell.

"There's a sickness down there that feels... heavy." Bastian grimaces. "It reminds me of what I felt in my mind, before. But it's retreating. There's an energy signature pushing it back, and it's getting stronger... and stronger... actually, it's getting closer."

Bemused, I stare down at Bastian from a few inches away, having stepped closer to him with every word of his last sentence. "Hello. I didn't know you could do that."

"Delilah!" He jerks his eyes up to me, pulling his hand from the crack. "We were just doing some research to make sure everything will be in place when the moon is full overhead."

"I can see that." Kieran is hiding his amusement poorly. "Are the cracks really getting smaller?"

"All of the ones we've been tracking have, at least based on our measurements. We're not sure why, but the rot is retreating." He stands up and leans in close to me, the masculine scent of him teasing my senses. "Maybe it has something to do with you."

"Maybe," I acknowledge. "But I'd bet the pack also has something to do with it. Look at them—and look at Roarke. They're all uniting for him."

What was once a bustling crowd full of worry and consternation is now a group gathered together with a purpose, beating with a single heart. Roarke is still standing on the platform, fielding questions, but at this point half of them are jokes. He's grinning, a necklace of flowers draped over his shoulders and various gifts laid at his feet.

Then suddenly he's looking over at me. "There she is!" His voice booms across the space between us, almost a little too loud. I notice it at the same moment that I notice the cup he's holding in his hand, nearly emptied of punch. "Delilah, get up here. It's time to nominate you as well."

"Me?" I glance over at Kieran and Bastian, heart fluttering. "I thought we'd just mate, and then..."

"Go on," Kieran says softly, drawing me close with a hand on my hip. He drops a kiss on the corner of my mouth, sweet and tempting. Heat flares inside me. "They're ready to show you support. Let them make up for all those years you spent in exile. God knows that's exactly what I plan on doing."

The heat inside me grows at the promise of his words and the lust burning in his eyes. Pulling away from me, he pushes me towards the platform with his hand. Bastian joins him, shooting me an apologetic look as he tugs me forward.

Then I'm halfway through the crowd, the plate of snacks forgotten in my hands, then lifted away entirely. I drink several gulps of punch and lower the cup to find Lance and Finn staring at me. They take up positions on either side of me and usher me forward, a willing yet resistant captive.

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