guilt about being nervous that you’d be hurt tomorrow.” I ducked my head for a moment before meeting his eyes again, knowing he’d understand what I meant. My wolf trusted him and his strength, knew he was stronger than Gwyar and he needed our support—expecting him to lose would hurt him.
“But the feeling isn’t going away?” he guessed, watching me.
“It’s getting worse. My wolf was going crazy last night,” I admitted. “She wants to hunt them down, she doesn’t care about the challenge, doesn’t care about the law. She wants all of the pups, Raff, Zelda, Borris, and all of you hidden away while she goes and hunts them down.”
“She sees all of his circle as a threat,” Shannon murmured.
“Rhiannon too,” I added with a sigh, rubbing at my brow. “Even with Zev questioning people here, there’s no way to test if someone has been manipulated. For all we know, we have an army of zombies at our back.” I looked at them pleadingly. “My wolf is going insane—I’m going insane.”
Alarick sighed, stroking a gentle hand across my cheek. “You’re not. There’s a reason we want this done in front of a mediator and witnesses, Pixie. We know Gwyar is going to try something.” He tugged on my hand, settling me down on his lap.
“So what can we do?”
“We’re heading right from here to Ocean Mist territory. He has to let us reach the territory for the challenge to be acknowledged,” he explained. “It’s why I worded it the way I did. If he were to intercept us on the way and try to challenge me, I wouldn’t have to accept, and all of you would be able to offer backup.”
I nodded that I understood. “And if he cheats? The way Ashley did?” I shivered at the memory of the vervain coursing through my body, the way it had burned as it had eaten away at my insides.
“Then I kill him before his cheat kills me. The same way you did.” Alarick kissed me lightly. “And let you and Fillian patch me back up again.”
I groaned, shoving his shoulder. “I still don’t like this.” I chewed on my lip before he tugged it from my teeth. “Luna comes with us,” I decided, feeling a pang in my chest at the thought of leaving the others here.
The others began to protest, but I lifted my hand.
“Selene said she was our priority, right? To keep the moon blessed safe. There’s no reason to go after the other pups, and Zelda and Borris can help keep Raff safe while we’re away, but I don’t trust that someone won’t turn on Luna if Gwyar has ordered them to. If she’s with us, she can’t be used against us,” I reasoned.
Alarick sighed. “Will it make you feel better to have her with you?”
“A little.” Very little, but they didn’t need to know that. My wolf was still going mad inside me. There was something we were missing, I knew it, and I wasn’t going to lose any of them. I didn’t care what it took—they were my friends. My family. My everything. I—
“Well, fuck.” My eyes widened as I stared up at the ceiling.
“Language, Ms. Miller,” Ian rumbled, reaching out to squeeze my knee. I swatted him away and pushed to my feet, beginning to pace again.
“Didn’t you just get her to stop that?” Zev drawled, flipping himself right side up again. “I thought we just did this merry-go-round.”
I turned to stare at them, taking them all in. None of us were in our school uniforms anymore since Alarick had ascended to alpha, but for the upcoming meeting we had all dressed well, and in the pack colors of blue and gray.
Shannon was beautiful in her navy dress, her dark hair in an intricate braid across her shoulder, her soft green eyes catching the light behind the wire frames of her glasses. Zev’s shirt was the color of moonlight, his pants a dark gray, surprisingly unwrinkled despite the way he lounged even now against the couch with a smirk on his lips, his reddish hair tousled. Chann was in blue rather than gray, the navy sharp against his tan skin and green eyes, as his laughing gaze stared at me from his spot on the floor. Ian was serious as ever in his dark gray three-piece suit, regal as a king on his throne where he sat on his chair, his chocolate eyes sharp behind his glasses. Alarick’s blue gaze was soft as he watched