Page 9 of Wolf Queen

To keep her safe.

Willow might never be able to understand that or to forgive me for what I did—she made that pretty clear in her letter—but surely Hermione can see where I’m coming from.

As we step out of the elevator, striding toward the main entrance where a team of enforcers is already waiting, I add softly, “I did it because I care about her, H. Because I need to keep her safe, even if she ends up hating me for it.”

Hermione sighs. “And she might, Maxim. But I’ll do what I can to bring her back to you, anyway. She sure as hell isn’t safe out there.”

We’re still several yards from the team she’s so swiftly and capably assembled, when she stops and turns to face me. “But you crossed a line last night,” she whispers. “Not just with Willow, but with me. I can’t support anything like that. Ever. No matter what’s at stake. I need you to promise me nothing like that happens again or…I’m out. For good.”

I clench my jaw and drop my gaze to the marble tile beneath our feet, feeling like I’ve swallowed a hurricane.

There are so many emotions rampaging in my chest that I’m not sure what to feel or say, but I am keenly aware of the two distinct sides of the storm inside.

One half is enraged that my second is daring to challenge my authority at a time like this, livid that she’s set herself up as my moral superior and determined to show her how wrong she is about everything—from Willow to me to how far we have to be prepared to go to save our people.

The other half is…miserable, panicked, and desperate to prove to the women I love—from Hermione to Willow to Diana—that they are so fucking important to me. They are in my heart and mind all the time, even when I’m forced into making decisions that aren’t the kindest or the fairest.

Or even decent.

It doesn’t matter that she lied about what Pax did—or didn’t—do to her. What you did to Willow last night is indefensible.

The voice in my head squirms through my brain, leaving more pain and regret behind, but I don’t have time for any of this shit, so I simply say, “I hear you. We’ll talk more later. Getting Willow and Diana back where they’re safe comes first.”

She hesitates only a second before she nods and says, “Agreed,” but it’s long enough to see the disappointment in her eyes.

I still have her loyalty—for now—but I’ve lost her respect.

And fuck, that hurts, too.

As we organize the enforcers into groups of five and quickly map out the route each team should take to catch up to the garbage truck and cut it off before it gets too far uptown, my throat is full of knives. Every word forced from my lips slices me on the way out.

Once we’re through the doors, I’m grateful for the cold air outside the tower and a reason to run up the street while Hermione leads a team to the east and the next avenue over. Cars would be a waste of time at this point. The rush hour traffic is crawling along so slowly, we’ll be able to move faster on foot. And the garbage truck will likely stop several times before its final destination, giving us ample opportunity to close the distance between us.

I’m feeling optimistic about that, at least. We will catch up to Willow and Diana and bring them home.

What happens after that, however, remains to be seen.

If they start spreading dangerous stories about me being some sort of “Shadow King,” I’m not sure what I’ll do. Most of my people won’t believe it, of course—they know how hard I work to ensure their safety and happiness—but dissent from my nearest and dearest could be dangerous.

Willow is so new to our pack that her words alone shouldn’t make much of a difference, but with Diana backing her up…

Diana isn’t your typical angsty teen. After our mother died, the entire pack rallied around her. She may have spent most of her nights in the nursery with her nanny, but she was raised by every wolf in our tower.

They love her not just as their pack princess, but as one of their own children.

They love me as an Alpha doing my best to follow in my father’s footsteps.

No matter which of us comes out on top in their hearts, being forced to choose sides will fracture our pack at a time when we need unity the most. This battle with my sister will make it that much easier for Bane to swoop in, get rid of me, and take control.

And no matter what Willow and Diana think, I know Bane isn’t what’s best for our people or the shifter world.

When life gets hard, Bane gets disinterested or worse, belligerent. After our mother died, I doubt he visited Diana more than a handful of times before he and Kelley took off. I was in the nursery at least three or four times a week. Diana had sleepovers at my place until she was eleven and decided hanging out with her big brother wasn’t cool anymore and she’d rather spend Friday nights with her friends.

And it’s not just family that Bane has a habit of letting down. Dad doesn’t talk much about the time he spent training my brother to take over as Alpha, but he’s let enough slip that I know he wasn’t pleased with Bane’s focus, work ethic, or dedication to the pack.

Maybe that would have improved as he aged, but I doubt it. Bane is who he is and that isn’t a person who has any business leading our people.

I’ll find a way to make Diana understand that, to convince her that I’m the lesser of two evils at the very least. And that I’m trying, so hard, to do what’s best for the pack with as little damage to each individual member as possible.

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