Page 37 of Married to the Wolf

Her husband’s ears turned red. She guessed he didn’t like being compared to a kitten. Good to know she had a great insult should he push her patience.

He groaned in defeat. “Fine. Come back and sit down. I’ll tell you.”

She didn’t budge. Realistically, he could order Alex to grab her, and she would be nothing against his strength. However, she knew Sebastian well enough to know he didn’t want order his men to manhandle her. In fact, he didn’t allow the men to touch her at all.

“You’re determined to disrespect him, aren’t you?” Alex said, but she didn’t detect the usual dislike. Her care of Sebastian and rescuing the other wolves from his pressure must have changed his opinion of her, at least a little.

“I’m determined to show him I’m not going to be controlled.”

“You—”

“Quiet, Alex,” Sebastian ordered.

Alex went silent.

“To put it simply,” Sebastian explained. “We were betrayed.”

She gasped. “By who?”

“Belle.”

“That’s impossible!” She stopped. Was it impossible? She thought back to the party and recalled Belle’s comments and her opinions about Sebastian. Feeling like a prisoner without sympathy from her leader, she’d believed she had no way out of her situation. Would she betray all of her people just to get back at Sebastian and to run away?

Sebastian rubbed his neck. “I have to gather evidence, but I’m certain she revealed the location and timing of our gathering to the hunters. The number of them there last night makes me suspect she told them there would be two other packs present. They could slaughter three families at once.”

“Oh God.” Sophia pressed a hand to her mouth. She felt sick. To think of the number of shifters at the party, all of them being killed, would be too much. Tom was gone, but what other casualties were there? “What are you going to do?”

Despite everything, she felt sorry for Belle. If she could help her to go away and live quietly, she would do it. Something told her Sebastian saw things differently. Could she convince him to let Belle go if she promised never to come back?

“She will be killed.”

Sophia shrieked. “Don’t you think that’s a little extreme? Sebastian, she’s hurting. She told me her husband was abusing her. Surely, you have ways of helping your people beyond getting them to mate!”

He frowned at her. “Don’t allow her opinions to influence you.”

She put her hands on her hips. “You’re saying it isn’t true?”

“I’m saying it’s not the whole truth.”

“Sounds bad enough.”

He leaned back against his pillows, and she noted the pallor of his skin. It would be some time for him to fully recover. She considered leaving him alone for now, but a woman’s life was at stake.

“Sophia, I feel your stubborn determination across the room, and I’m telling you stay out of it.”

“I’m not going to keep quiet while you murder some poor woman for doing something she felt she had no choice but to do.”

“And would you feel differently if she’d arranged for shifters to attack a bunch of unsuspecting humans?”

She stumbled over her response and then gave up.

He nodded. “Before you start accusing your husband, know that I’m not the one that will kill her.”

“Meaning you’ll order one of your men to do it.”

“No, it means there were two other packs involved. Either I will find myself in a war of retribution, or she will be killed—by one of the others. I cannot tell them to forgive her because she didn’t know what she was doing. Both packs will send representatives to hunt her down and…”

Sophia shuffled over to the bed and sank down onto it. Tears sprang to her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but new ones formed. “What will happen to her son? Are they going to kill him too?”

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