The Wolf's Surrender - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,30
ultimate choice falls to the Alpha, and Tomas chose mercy. Not that exile is such a mercy. Jeff’s link to the pack was severed. Tomas made it clear that if he ever saw his face again, he would kill him.” Kenyon shook his head. “Exiles aren’t the same as regular ferals. Much saner, just alone, which I guess can do things to you. But he hasn’t been gone from us long. The madness must have been there to begin with. You’re right, we should have just ended it. But it wasn’t my decision.”
“Those laws are there for a reason,” Jenner growled. “And now you’ve unleashed this on us. A feral with a makeshift pack loose on our territory, and an innocent woman being hunted to ground.” He slid an unreadable look at Mia. “He must think—”
Kenyon bared his teeth and growled, cutting him off. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. He’s insane. The Silverback will take responsibility. And we’ll protect our own. She’ll be safe.”
Jenner’s lips curled. “Mia is not the Silverback’s responsibility.”
“Enough!” Bane’s sharp command made Mia jump. But his tone seemed to be enough, barely, to keep Jenner and Kenyon from ripping into one another. The Alpha’s eyes flashed as he looked between them.
“I think we’ve found out as much as we can from Mia right now, so you two can postpone your pissing match for when I don’t have to watch it.” He looked at Mia, gentling visibly. “I’d like to try to guide you in connecting with Gaines again, to see if we can find out where he is.”
She didn’t want to say yes. But she also knew that if she wanted him caught, there was little choice.
“When?” she asked.
“The sooner we can get him the better. Tonight.”
Mia nodded, though the thought left her cold. Still, the sooner the better. She now had no doubt he would come for her if she didn’t do something, and on her own there was no way she could fight him. He knew his own abilities. She was nowhere near comfortable with her own. At least, in working with the Blackpaw to find Jeff, she wouldn’t just be the damsel in distress on the sidelines.
He needed to be caught. She needed to stay sane and alive. Right now, that was all that mattered.
Feeling strangely better now that her situation had been laid out so plainly, Mia accepted Bane’s hand and got to her feet, then watched him issue his orders with the brutal efficiency of a general. Jenner hovered close by, even more intimidating than Bane because of his silence and the steely glint in his eyes. He had called himself a Lunari. She wondered what that was, though she had a feeling knowing might make his presence more unnerving than it already was.
“Go ahead and call Tomas,” Bane said to Kenyon. “Tell him what we know.”
Kenyon gave a quick nod. “He should be here himself before long. We’ll need to discuss Mia’s protection. She should be under constant watch.”
Jenner shifted and crossed his arms over his chest, fixing Kenyon with a piercing stare. “She is now. Are you questioning my ability to ensure her safety?”
The Silverback hesitated. “No, of course not,” he allowed. “I just wondered where you intend to keep her—”
“Keep me?” Mia interrupted, looking between the two angry werewolves. “Okay, one, I’m standing right here, so you might want to take that into consideration when you’re talking about me. Two, nobody is keeping me anywhere. Believe it or not, I can handle myself pretty well when I’m not alone in the woods with a guy who hasn’t mentioned he can grow fur and fangs. I appreciate the offer of protection, but if it’s going to turn into some kind of weird house arrest thing, then I’ll find somewhere to stay that’s less—”
“Intense?” Bane asked, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Exactly,” Mia agreed. Bane’s grin, handsome though it was, did exactly nothing for her frayed nerves.
“Good luck finding that around here,” he said. “And I’m afraid that these two are your best bets. You don’t know all the things Gaines might pull. We do. A wolf will need to be with you here, Mia, whether you like it or not.”
“She stays with me,” Jenner said flatly. Mia looked sharply at him. His words surprised her. But more than that, his expression, which was nothing short of deadly, filled her with a strange combination of nerves and pleasure. Despite the fact that he’d