Page 47 of Sold Bullied Mate

As I step out onto the porch, I nod to the two shifters assigned to protect my house, letting them know I’m leaving. Their eyes glint from the trees, sure and steady. Two of our top fighters.

Surely, they heard the slam of her door, too.

I shift and launch into the trees, running through the scrubby underbrush and loving the feeling of the dry dirt underfoot. My thoughts aren’t ordered, and I need to get them that way. I can hear Gramps’ voice in my head:To be a good leader, you need to prioritize, order, take action.

Gramps trained me for years to take over the pack. During that time, he talked about the importance of finding a good luna, how my mate would be just as important to my leadership as my own discretion.

He always, somehow, made it seem like I would have a choice in the matter.

But more than that, he never spoke of how one would go about balancing mate and pack. Surely, he must have struggled to balance his duties to the pack with his own wife? Except my grandma wasn’t his mate—just the luna he chose. And for him, there had never been a question between who he would choose.

The pack always, always came first.

Now, information from Aidan swimming in my head, I can’t shake the different directions pulling at me. One that saysto go to Kira, to give her whatever she wants so she’ll stay with me, so her anger will dissipate.

But the other, stronger side, insists that it’s more important to keep her safe. If something happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to go on. She might be angry at me for the time being, but I can’t sacrifice her safety.

And yet another side says that I shouldn’t be thinking about Kira first and foremost. That if my first thought isn’t what’s best for the pack, I’m already failing.

My mind turns back to Aidan in that bunker, and how, once I’d agreed to give him what he wanted, he shared the information he had with me. The lights flickered slightly as he spoke, his tone low and even, relaying the details as though reading from a report.

After she left, Jerrod somehow had an epiphany that Kira was actually a psychic, that her gift was real, despite not believing it before. And he’s decided he’s going to do what it takes to get her back into the Grayhides, no matter what it takes.

As Aidan told me about Jerrod’s strange affinity for Kira, my hackles rose, bile churning below my throat. There’s not a doubt in my mind that bruise on her face was from him—that his interest in her is not purely due to her gift.

I break through the trees and into the gorge, the dirt shifting from loose and powdery to solid rock, the colors deepening and reddening. This is where Gramps used to take me to run with him, to improve my stamina. It’s the painting I had commissioned that hangs in my bedroom. To remind me of all the work I’ve done to get where I am now.

If I had things my way, I’d propose to her tonight, plan our wedding tomorrow. Throw a party for the whole fuckingpack and show everyone how I cherish her. Introduce her as the new Luna.

Right now, with the information from Aidan, I don’t feel secure enough to let her out like that. Parade her in front of everyone, only to give Jerrod even more chance to get to her? A fool’s decision.

But what is therightdecision? How can I do what’s best for the pack, Kira, and even me?

The walls of the canyon race by on either side of me, and when I look up, I see the deep black sky with pinpricks of stars. More than anything, I wish Gramps was here, so I could keep asking him everything I don’t know.

***

When I wake up the next morning, Kira’s door is still firmly shut to me.

My body aches from her absence, and my sleep last night was total shit. I tossed and turned, came out and sat in the hallway, staring at the door, listening to the sound of her heartbeat through the door.

Since marking, her, she’s officially been accepted back into the pack again. That means she’s mine in more ways than one. My mate, but also one of my packmembers. And my first priority is protecting her, even if that means dealing with her disdain. As long as she’s safe, we can work through everything else later.

By the time I get to the pack hall, there’s a commotion. The place is usually pretty tame, with a few committee meetings taking place, members of the council managing their ownseparate affairs, but today it’s abuzz with shifters coming and going, more of our fighters called into action.

“He’s been taken care of,” Emin says, appearing beside me, and I’ve been so lost in my head it actually makes me jump. If he notices, he doesn’t comment on it, which I’m thankful for.

Of course, Emin is talking about Aidan, who, at this moment, is in one of the various cells in the basement of this building. It’s separate from the town jail, which is meant more for drunkards and overnight stays.

Turning, I face Emin, who stops and raises his eyebrows at me.

“What’s your read on him?”

Normally, I don’t question my own judgment. But this is about Kira. Aidan gave me information about my mate, told me about the dangers that might come for her, and I know that might make me more favorable toward him.

Emin studies me for a moment, and without me having to say it, I feel that he understands this situation. He knows how I feel for his sister, and how I’ll eventually make it clear that I’ve claimed her.

It’s obvious to those closest around me. My scent is already changing.

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