“What things?”
Greene sat up a bit. “Stirrings. Rumors. The Fae seem to be a bit . . .animated. More and more sightings of them here in the mortal plane. I know I mentioned it before, but it isn’t going away. If anything, concerns are mounting.”
“I’m glad I’m not at the Council if I would have to understand the Fae.”
“We don’t understand them either, of course, even with their own representatives in the room, but they have connections everywhere, and what’s more their Counselor is acting as if everything is fine. No one will ask him what the hell is going on, obviously, afraid of being seen as crossing some boundary with their private business.”
“Is anything going on?”
“As of now, no.” Greene shifted in his seat, stretching in the warm water. “But, I did get word while I was here that they have asked for a meeting with Galt, and then right after that, meetings with two other countries we hadn’t anticipated.”
“Interesting.”
Greene shrugged. “Issues with the Fae affect everyone, even if they themselves don’t realize that sometimes. But, it means more Council time for me, and more interim-Alpha duties for you.”
“I told you that’s not a problem, Greene.” Seath ran his hand through the water. “How bad is it, though? With the Fae?”
“They gave me Teller as a bodyguard full-time,” Greene said with a humph. “Not like before when he was merely on my detail as needed.”
“I can’t imagine what Evan, the world’s most capable assistant, thinks of that.”
Greene laughed out loud. “They seem to get along.”
“And Teller, you trust him?”
“With my life.”
Seath nodded, accepting Greene’s take on the tall, lanky Elf. Teller was blond and fair, with blue eyes that seemed to miss nothing. A sort of competence surrounded Teller, telling Seath that Greene was in good hands.
Greene gave a hum, lowering his shoulders into the warm water, finally relaxing fully as they sat in companionable silence in the springs.
“What about your Little Wolf ? Do you need more time? Or do I make the overture to Taured and acting-King Tremon?”
Seath stilled. “I’m not going to change my mind, Greene. Not about Lycan or about letting him come to the realization on his own about us being mates. But, when the time is right, I would like to come to my mate with as much of my integrity intact as possible.”
Greene flashed a smile. “Fair enough. We’ll figure it out.”
Chapter fourteen
What Little Wolf Knows
Minwatchedastheyoung omega tended to his duties with a level of precision that most of his age did not dedicate to simple tasks, such as laundry or cleaning vegetables. But, Lycan had been in her kitchens for over six weeks now since right after Greene left the last time.
She kept a sharper eye on Jason, the sleek panther shifter who was the low man in the kitchen until Lycan showed up, than she did on the omega. As an Alpha herself, she knew Jason’s type and how his eyes seemed to linger on Lycan.
The fact that Jason didn’t notice how the Pack Legate’s eyes also lingered, possessively, or how the Pack Legate had begun making more frequent trips to the kitchen was beyond her. Lycan might as well have a bright sign over his head that proclaimed him as Seath’s as far as she and most of the Pack were concerned. As far as the threshold was concerned.
The betrothal of the Pack Legate to another be damned. It was all a bunch of nonsense if you asked her. She threw the dough from the bowl into the flour with enough force to puff up little white clouds. Or maybe all three of them needed to be together. A prince, the omega, and her Pack Alpha to be. Not as if such relationships were unheard of, there were entire countries run by poly couples, no reason for a Pack to be any different.
Min didn’t care one way or the other, as long as the smart little omega she had gotten to know got his Alpha. As long as Seath got what he longed for. Min had known Seath a long time, and had never known him to want something. Not until now. Not like this.
Min could sense things in others, revealed in colors and visions when she was around them. Not strong enough to be called a gift, probably, but enough to be at least a minor talent. In the Pack Legate she sensed a deep honor, his aura pulsed a dark burgundy and she often saw a heart and a full moon over his head. In Lycan, she sensed a sharp mind, and attention to detail. His aura was rich gold, and there was a stole or a cape that appeared from time to time, but most often a book.
Those insights came to her in flashes, sometimes in color only. When Seath and Lycan were near each other the colors blended, joining together to make new ones. The colors reached for one another, as clear and plain as the dough in her hands.
The threshold liked Lycan, her hearth liked him, and the Pack Legate needed him. Prince Donovan, who had not even set foot in the Pack lands, could stay across the sea where he belonged, as far as she was concerned. What was he going to do, anyway? A conservative place like Taured couldn’t raise the kind of omega Greene and Seath’s progressive pack would need.
But, Jason didn’t seem to get it. Any of it. As Pack, he should. Min put that information away as something to bring up with Briar, or perhaps Luke. The Northwest Pack was successful. It was prosperous and self-contained, a sovereign nation and had few rivals and no known enemies. It boasted of port cities and thriving communities with a menagerie of citizens. Witches, elves, shifters, and even their vampire.
