The world stilled as I stared at the shifter, his words settling into place. I took in his ragged appearance, and the grief in his eyes. It wasn’t just because he had been the queen’s personal guard.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak as I waited for Vasken to confirm my suspicion thathewas the father, but as if he’d decided it was too painful to talk about, he lifted from his position, grabbed the empty jug from the floor and left the room.
I watched him leave, a part of me wanting to call after him. To demand that he tell me the full story, but I didn’t. The shifter was hurting, and I wouldn’t add to his pain.
My head was still spinning as I lifted to my feet. I had to tell my monsters everything I knew. But first, I needed to find my wolf.
CHAPTER 26
~ Raine ~
Ihadsearchedmostof the hideout and the adjoining caves, and I was about to see if Kade had returned to our room, when his scent of sandalwood and coffee filled my nose. Curious, I followed the scent through one of the underground tunnels that led into the forest. The wolves from the House of Worzel were among the monsters who had chosen to camp under the stars, and I slowed my steps when I overheard Kade speaking with a familiar female. Keeping hidden behind a large oak, I stayed silent, though I knew it was only a matter of time before they picked up my scent. The fact they hadn’t detected my presence already showed just how engrossed they were in their current conversation. Kasey, her mate, Tristan, and Kade were speaking, while a group of wolves listened intently.
“You’re our alpha,” Kasey said with a biting edge to her words. “We need you.”
Standing with his feet wide, Kade folded his arms across his broad chest. “This is a difficult time for all of us. The pack is doing well with you leading them.”
Kasey scoffed. “I’m not an alpha, Kade. You defeated Zacal, and it’s your responsibility to step up. After what Zacal confessed, you should have been leading us this whole time.”
Many of the wolf shifters who were scattered around them nodded their heads, agreeing with Kasey’s statement, but there were a few who still looked unhappy about the whole situation.
“We’re weak without our alpha,” a shifter with a bald head and brown eyes called out. He stood with his arm draped across a female’s neck, and it wasn’t hard to guess they were mates. “What happens if we have to head into battle?”
Kade’s expression hardened. “We have King Adrien and Warrick to offer the fae, and if they see reason it won’t come to that.”
Growls and sniggers erupted from the wolves.
“Only a fool would believe the fae will accept peace,” Tristan said, stepping closer to his mate. “We’ve been patient with you, alpha, but the wolves need you. Every day the tension between our houses rises. Why do you think we stay in the forest? Monsters of different breeds aren’t meant to live together.”
Kade ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. “You just need to hang in there a while longer.” His eyes suddenly sharpened, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly as he breathed in, and for a moment I thought he’d call out to me, but he didn’t turn my way.
I realized now that all those times Kade had disappeared during the past nights, this was likely where he’d been. With the wolves.His own kind.My throat grew tight as I thought about what the wolf had said just before. That monsters of different breeds shouldn’t be together. Monsters like demons, vampires, sirens, wolf shifters, and…dragon shifters.
“You shouldn’t be out here, beautiful,” whispered a low voice. Icy breath puffed on my ear, and I shivered as I spun to find Locke crowding over me. My mouth popped open in surprise, but before I could utter a word Locke lifted a finger to his lips and curled his arm around my back, leading me further into the forest. We remained silent as we made our way through the trees, moving away from the secret tunnel entrance that led back to the underground hideout. I was about to comment and ask how far we were traveling, when Locke finally turned toward me. In a swift movement, he spun me around, pressing my back against the trunk of a nearby tree.
“It’s not wise to spy on wolves,” he pointed out as he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine.
I sucked in a sharp breath before clearing my throat and forcing a disapproving look to my face. “I wasn’t spying. I was checking to see if Kade was all right. With you both disappearing so much these past nights, I was worried when I woke and he wasn’t there.”
Locke’s lips curled upward, and one of his hands gripped my waist and slid higher, his claws dragging against my shirt. “I told you, I’ve had to speak with the gargoyles. And the wolves aren’t wrong about the tension in the camp. It isn’t natural for the different houses to work together like this.”
“I know. It’s just—”
“We’re not trying to keep secrets from you. The gargoyles have always kept to themselves, and since losing most of their kind to the outliers…well, they’re not doing so well. As for Kade and the wolves…” Locke sighed. “He’s in a tricky position.”
“But why? Zacal admitted to lying about the fae being behind all those wolf deaths. He’s the rightful alpha to the pack. Doesn’t Kade know I understand that? It’s obvious they need him.”
“If I officially take my place as alpha, they’ll expect me to be with the pack at all times,” Kade growled, stepping from the trees behind us as if he was materializing from the shadows. His golden eyes glowed as he pinpointed where Locke had me pressed against the tree, and my mouth became dry. “Locke is right. You shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. It’s lucky the wolves were so distracted.”
I lifted my chin. “But if your place is with them...”
Kade narrowed his eyes as he came in close, boxing me in from the side. Goddess, I’d never seen him so serious. “My place is with you, Mahare. And Locke, Asher, and Darian. There was a time when my pack meant more to me than anything. But things have changed. I still have loyalty for the wolves, but they’re not the family they once were.” He blew out a breath. “If there was another wolf who I believed was strong enough to lead the pack, I would step down again in a heartbeat. For you. Kasey is proving to be worthy, but only time will tell.”
My heart pounded at the intensity of his gaze. “What? No, you can’t step down.” I knew how strongly Kade felt for me, but I also remembered the guilt he had carried when he thought he’d failed the wolves. He cared for them, and he would be a great leader.
“There are rules in Katakin set by the Taratun council, and one of them is that you can’t take a mate unless they belong to the same house and are of the same breed,” Kade explained.
“Yeah, since when have you obeyed the rules?” I retorted. “You’re already defying them by not being a part of any house right now. And I’m pretty sure no one gives a shit what the Taratun thinks given our current situation.”
