Remy doesn’t need to complete the sentence for me to know exactly where his mind is: If the elders find out there’s a possibility my bond with Julien could be broken, they’ll be even more insistent on getting rid of me—especially William.
But Julien would never do that… right?
The fact that my first instinct is still to doubt my mate makes nausea churn in my stomach, but even though Julien and I have made a lot of forward progress over the past few days, my baggage hasn’t disappeared. Closing my eyes, I blow out a breath, smother my insecurities, and pull myself together. I’m Alpha Mate. I should act like it.
Well, fake it till I make it, anyway.
Yet, even as I try to convince myself everything is fine, my brain decides to jump to an unwanted conclusion. Secrets always have a way of coming out and, as much trouble as this one could cause for Julien with the elders, maybe me leaving would be the best thing for him.
Remy narrows his eyes at whatever expression must be on my face. “You’re not going anywhere, Keir. You promised him you wouldn’t run and, despite what you might be thinking at the moment, he’snotbetter off without you.”
Sometimes I could swear my mate’s brother is a mind reader. The way he can predict my thoughts so accurately after knowing me less than a week is almost like magic. There’s no point in claiming I wasn’t thinking exactly what he accused me of, because, once again, Remy can read me way too well and he’d know that was a blatant lie. My cheeks heat and I avert my eyes, feeling a little tooseen.
Despite the hint of discomfort, the fact that someone cares enough about me to want me around gives me a warm feeling in my chest. Sure, it’s not necessarily aboutme.After all, I punched Remy in the face not long after meeting him, but he knows I make his brother happy even though I have my own doubts.
Remy places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “We’ll figure it out. Until then—”
A loud crash from inside Julien’s office interrupts whatever Remy was about to say. A loud thud vibrates the door as something is slammed into it, followed by another thud and then a roar rips through the air. I haven’t seen Julien angry enough to make a sound like that, but something deep inside my chest recognizes the sound of his rage.
I take a half involuntary step toward the door, but Remy grabs my arm. “I think we need to see what’s going on,” I say. “Julien sounds almost murderous and a dead elder is the last thing we need.”
Remy’s brows are drawn together with concern, but he still looks undecided. Another loud thump comes from inside the office.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” says Remy finally as he releases my arm.
In the office, we find a livid Julien, red-faced and snarling, holding William up against the wall by bracing his forearm against the elder’s throat. As we watch, Julien lets up for a second, then slams William back into the wall.
I guess that explains the thudding noise. It was the back of William’s head hitting the plaster. Repeatedly. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy. Though… probably not the best way to keep the peace with the elders. A fact Remy recognizes right away. He rushes over to Julien, tugging at his arm, trying to get his brother to release William.
“Julien,” says Remy firmly. “Let. Go.”
Julien turns his snarl on Remy. “This mangy asshole is so fond of packs who follow the old laws. Maybe I should show him what that would mean for him.”
Remy stops pulling at his brother’s arm and takes a step backward, his hands up in a calming gesture. “Whatever the problem is, this isn’t the way to solve it.”
Julien narrows his eyes on William, the expression colder than any other I’ve seen before on my mate. “You are old, well past your prime. You are weak. Under the old laws, you would already be dead, cast out when you were no longer useful.”
William coughs, his face turning red, but he can’t get enough air to respond. Still, there’s defiance in his gaze. Julien presses his arm harder against William’s throat and the elder’s arrogance turns to fear, then panic as his face turns blue and he scratches desperately at Julien’s arm.
Does it make me a bad person if I’m kind of turned on seeing this side of Julien? I know there was the whole challenge with Derek, but I’ve never seen my mate act quite so… Alpha-y. It’s pretty hot.
Hot enough that—okay, I’m definitely a horrible person. I glance down at the floor and try to think the least sexy thoughts I can. In the thirty seconds it takes for me to, ahem, calm down, Remy has gotten Julien to release the elder and the younger Matisse has his hand on William’s back, muttering into his ear.
Julien retreats to the corner, facing the wall as he clenches and unclenches his hands. I walk to my mate’s side, conscious of the rage practically vibrating off of him. But none of that anger is aimed at me. In fact, the second I’m close enough, Julien grabs me, picking me up and wrapping me in his arms, like he’s afraid I’m going to disappear.
I relax into his hold, running a hand up and down his back in a comforting gesture. Julien buries his nose in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply, as if he’s memorizing my scent.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“He called your old pack,” says Julien in a strained voice.
“Okay,” I say, drawing out the word. “I’m not thrilled about that and it’s a shitty thing for him to do, but why is it causing this reaction?”
Julien lets me go, setting me down on my feet, then placing his hands on my shoulders. “They’re claiming that you were never released from the pack and that they won’t approve our mating.”
I scoff. “They tried to kill me. I’m pretty sure that means they released me.”
Julien shakes his head. “You said they go by the old laws.”
