to be as protected as possible. But I never could have guessed it was the reason she’s survived this long.”
Fuck.
Edon and Jace stood just inside the door, their expressions unreadable. I’d run upstairs to shower and change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, needing to get rid of my suit. Silas and Luna had agreed to watch Willow. Damien was supervising.
“The full moon last night would have triggered her need to shift.” Edon sounded thoughtful. “Or it could have been linked to my ascension. There was a lot of lunar energy in Clemente Clan as a result, and obviously one of my wolves initiated her change at the camp.”
Yeah, that was a conversation we still needed to have. “You realize I want those lycans slaughtered, yes?”
“You might have to fight Silas for the opportunity,” Edon replied. “Damien just showed him the files he found on Willow, and my Enforcer is demanding retribution in my head as we speak.”
“Good.” Not the fighting part, but the retribution part. “He can help.”
Edon grunted. “You underestimate his need for vengeance.”
“And you underestimate mine,” I countered, stopping in front of him. “One of your lycans bit her for sport, probably to leave her in torment to die. I intend to return the favor. Then I’m going to castrate every single lycan who touched her. And if I’m not satisfied with the results, I’ll burn the fucking building to the ground with all your mutts inside.” I’d remove the humans first, of course.
A muscle ticked in Edon’s jaw as he squared off with me. “You don’t have jurisdiction in my territory, Your Highness.”
“I wasn’t asking, Alpha.”
“Gentlemen, we’ll determine the proper recourse for punishment once we’ve resolved the more pressing issue, which is the hybrid sleeping in the living room,” Jace interjected. “The council will expect her to be terminated.” He held up a hand as I growled. “I’m not saying I agree. I’m saying we have a problem.”
“Lilith will insist on Willow’s execution,” Edon agreed, his wide shoulders visibly relaxing as he took a less defensive posture. “She’ll make it public, too.”
“Yes. But you both already knew that was a possibility before turning her.” Jace’s silver-blue eyes locked on me. “So what was your plan for hiding her?”
“There was no plan, as I never intended to hide her,” I admitted flatly. “You may be comfortable living beneath the council’s authority, but I find the activity rather tedious. I haven’t survived this long by being told what to do and how to do it.”
Jace’s lips twitched. “I’ve always admired your fuck-all attitude, Ryder. However, in this case, I don’t think it’ll be enough. Unless you’re okay with the council voting to exterminate your new creation?”
I lifted a shoulder. “They’re welcome to try. That doesn’t mean they’ll succeed.” I’d train Willow myself, and given her combined traits of lycan and vampire, I suspected she wouldn’t be all that easy to kill. They’d have me to contend with as well. Damien, too, if he chose to help.
“You can’t take on the entire council by yourself,” Jace pointed out.
“You assume the council will all eagerly jump to do Lilith’s bidding,” I returned. “I’m confident they won’t. You’re proof of that.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t there an edict against consorting with the opposite species?” I arched a brow, fully aware that, yes, such an edict existed. “Yet your penchant for lycans is well known.”
“Relationships are forbidden. I just fuck.”
“Perhaps,” I conceded. “But you’re also standing in my office having a willing conversation about how to hide my precious pet rather than reporting my actions to Lilith.”
“I could have sent her a message while you were changing. Perhaps I’m just stalling you.”
I smiled. “You didn’t.”
“How are you so certain?”
“Because my system network won’t allow any electronic communication to leave this property without my permission.” I walked around my desk to click a few letters and numbers on my keyboard, then spun the screen around. “The only message you sent was to Darius telling him you’ve been delayed by an intriguing situation.”
Jace gaped at the monitor, his calm exterior allowing the first fracture of surprise to filter through. “That’s impressive.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I replied, shutting off the screen with another keystroke. “But that’s not the topic for consideration at the moment. The more pressing item is the fact you’ve not reported a single damn thing to Lilith. And neither has Edon.”
I allowed those two facts to sink in and reveled a bit in their silence.