Page 41 of Wolf's Reckoning
“Of course, Father?—”
I heard the cold, cruel chuckle behind me. “He wasn’t talking about himself.”
A shiver of fear trickled down my spine. I turned slowly and looked at Wolfe in front of me. He was smiling, and it wasn’t pleasant.
“He means me.”
Chapter 11
Wolfe
I didn’t move at first. Couldn’t.
The words were still echoing off the stone walls like war drums.
“Wolfe is my chosen successor.”
I wasn’t sure what shocked me more—Malric saying it or the druidagreeing. I’d expected resistance. Fury. Maybe even a strong curse. But the druid had merely looked at me with their mismatched eyes and…smiled.
When Malric had embraced me, sensing my alpha scent, I had told him I would prefer it if no one knew. He hadn’t asked why; he had only told me he needed to rest. I had left him in his room, my head a mess. I’d kept my mask on, let no one see I was off my game. When Lewis came and got me from outside, I’d braced myself for the worst. When I entered Malric’s rooms, he had called for the druid right away, and I was sure it was either to have them cast me out or maybe share what I had shared with Malric about the rogues.
To have me declared as hischosen heir?
I hadn’t even had the power to protest; I hadnotseen this coming. Ihada pack. A good pack.
When I’d tried to make them listen to that, Malric waved it off, and the druid carried on doing whatever the fuck it was the druid did when an alpha was ready to pass to the great hunt.
Instead of explanations, what I got was silence.
The only light moment in all of this had been seeing Rowen’s face. She turned to me, her senses telling her what they said was true, and she’d been very loud in her protest. Thank the Goddess that someone reacted like this was a crazy idea…even if it was her.
She looked at me like I’d just slit her throat and called it mercy.
I couldn’t wait in here for a moment longer. I didn’t need to hear the druid spin this into a blessing from the land or the Goddess. I stepped out.
Killian immediately fell into step beside me, his silent presence wrapping around me like comfort. We walked out of the hall, into the humid heat of the forest. Away from them all.
He walked with me until I hit the tree line.
“You gonna say something?” he asked, breathing low and tight.
“I… No.”
“Want to tell me what happened? Has the alpha passed?”
“Not yet,” I growled. “Soon.”
“Then why do you look so pissed?”
“I said I didn’t want to talk about it,” I growled at him.
“And I heard that and thought fuck that, tell me what’sgoing on.” He looked over his shoulder. “She pick one of those assholes?”
My laughter was loud and short. “No. I wish she had.”
Killian was frowning. “Right, you tell me now, or I’m going back to ask them.”
He would too. Killian had impulse control issues. “Malric named me his successor.”
