Page 12 of In Her Own Rite

“They say the packs there have fallen into tyranny. The southern isles don’t have the same infrastructure or resources we do. Apparently things are getting scarce, and it’s putting them under additional strain. There’s been an uptick in violent crime.”

“We should let them in,” Maren says.

“It’s not so simple,” says Saga.

“No, Maren’s right,” says Em next to me.

“What?” I say, unable to stop myself. “Are you serious?”

“Iga’ait,” Saga says with a sigh.Pups.“This is not a discussion for dinner.”

“We’re not pups anymore, Saga,” Seb says. “And you’re right, it’s a discussion for pack council, but I guess we were kept out of that discussion, so we’re doing it here. Kieran, you’re against?”

“Kieran’s notonpack council,” Isolde says dryly.

“He will be next week.”

Em looks down at the table, and I see her shoulders come up, like she’s walling herself in.

“I’m shutting this down,” I say, putting my hands on the table. “Gabe worked hard for this meal, andsomeof us spent three hours training today. I’m starving and I’m not letting dinner be ruined by council in-fighting. Take that shit to the family room after dinner.”

I give Seb a look, and he glowers at me. I take a gulp of my drink as an awkward silence falls at the table.

“So. What else is up this week?” Gabe asks. “Em, how was work?”

“Um, it’s good. We, uh, had rounds. And then I taught Maren how to make healing balm.”

“That’s nice,” says Isolde tightly.

I glance at Seb, who’s clearly struggling to get his wolf under control. Maren has a hand on his knee and is muttering something to him.

Fuck. That one’s on me.

“I’m working on a new wedding arch,” I say, trying to make my voice sound easy.

“Tell us,” Saga says.

I tell her about what I have in mind, and slowly, the tension eases from the air. Gabe cracks some jokes here and there. After a while I see the tension ease from Em’s shoulders, and my own inner wolf is finally able to cool it. But by dessert—Gabe’s outdone himself, with brownies rich enough to tranq an elephant—things still feel unsettled, and no one stays long after dinner. Seb leaves for the temple, and Saga and Isolde agree to take a walk together. Gabe, visibly frustrated, asks Em and me to clean up so he gets the chance to clear his head.

“I should probably get to bed, too,” Em says as we pile up the last of the dirty dishes. “I’ve had a long day, and I think I feel a headache coming on.”

I nod. It’s not a headache. The smell of her heat is getting heavier, and as the hours pass since we were at the apothecary, her little creams are doing less and less to hide it.

“No worries,” I say, carrying the plates into the kitchen. “I should let you get some rest. I know my rite will be big for you, too, with mykattakaceremony.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. It’ll be good for me to get some real sleep.” She starts running the sink, ready to wash the first of the plates as I set the stack down.

“Actually, Sofie had suggested doing something tonight,” I say. “So if you need me out of the way…”

“Oh. You’re seeing Sofie again?” There’s something weird in her voice, and my wolf snarls at me, unhappy.

Stop it, I think.She made her wishes clear. And spending some time apart with her heat coming up will be good for both of us.

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know if she’s still free. Here, let me finish up,” I say, and gently nudge her out of the way of the sink. “You go get some rest. I hope your headache gets better.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”

“I mind. Let me do this for you.”

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