No one stood. There were a few muffled whispers, but no one dared challenge the imposing presence among them. Laina’s heart galloped faster in her chest. Her wolf panted excitedly in her head.
“Goddess, Laina, that man has a set of brass balls,” Cameron whispered. “If you don’t run into his arms right now, I swear I will.”
Heart thumping, she started for Kyle, when Silas cleared his throat.
“Ah, the brother alpha,” Kyle said. “I remember saving your furry ass as well. Why are you looking at him, Laina? You’re as much alpha on the inside as he’ll ever be, and you know it.”
Silence. Dozens of grim faces stared at him with dagger-filled eyes. A growl came from deep within the crowd.
Silas’s lips pursed. “You don’t understand how it is, Kyle.”
“I understand that you’d be dead and most, if not all, of these fine people would be bowing down to Alex if it weren’t for Laina and me. You can’t deny that.”
“I don’t,” Silas said through his teeth. The murmurs among the crowd grew louder.
Cameron shook his head and stepped down from the marital platform.
“What are you doing?” Laina asked.
“Helping you,” Cameron said. “I’m your friend. I won’t let you fall on your sword. If you’re going to sacrifice yourself for the pack, I won’t be the means. I couldn’t live with myself.” He strolled calmly down the aisle and disappeared through the glass doors.
Preotka Artemis sighed. “There is no law against binding a wolf and a hybrid. He brings himself willingly to your door. The goddess will allow you to open it if you choose.”
Laina looked again to Silas.
Her alpha brother scratched the back of his head and scanned the staring faces of the crowd. After a long moment, Laina saw something come over him, a resolve, a softening of the shoulders. When he looked at her again, it wasn’t as her alpha; it was as her brother. “Kyle’s right. You’ve always found a way to do what you wanted to do. Your pack needs a brave and daring leader, a princess who knows her mind, not a mindless robot. As your alpha, I order you to choose for yourself, follow your heart, and do the thing that will bring you happiness.” Silas rubbed his chin. “He’s worthy of you.”
Kyle’s gaze turned back to Laina. “Not a single objection.” He took another step toward her and held out his hand.
“It isn’t safe for you to be with me.”
“It isn’t safe for anyone if I’m not with you,” he whispered.
At war with herself, she thought about being strong, about protecting him, about doing the right thing for her pack. None of it mattered. None of it mattered if she couldn’t have Kyle.
Slowly, she slipped her fingers into his. And he promptly yanked her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder to the loud murmurs of the crowd. “Nice meeting you all. Hope to see you again real soon.” Kyle saluted as he carried her from the gardens, Laina bouncing on his shoulder.
Panting, Milo looked up at her from Kyle’s side. She didn’t protest. Kyle could have carried her back to Sable Creek for all she cared. Instead, she watched the marble floor morph into the velvety blue of the north parlor. Kyle shut the door behind them and set her down on a chaise in front of a crackling fireplace. He sat down next to her, crossing his leg at the ankle and staring into the flames.
He said nothing, but as the silence raged on, Laina thought she knew what he was waiting for. “I’m sorry I left you. I wanted to keep you safe and give you room to do your work. I didn’t want to ruin your life.”
“Oh Laina, you didn’t ruin me. You saved me. I was a puppet. Do you think I enjoyed being trotted out at the company’s whim on the arm of some beautiful stranger hell-bent on advancing her career at my expense? No. I was numb, not happy.”
“But your company…”
Kyle leaned on his elbows. “As it turns out, I’ve been let go from my position at Hunt Club.”
“What?”
“Nate reassigned me as groundskeeper of our Red Grove property.”
As if to back up his favorite human, Milo moved between them, nudging Laina’s hand with his sloppy wet nose.
“You’re moving here? Permanently?”
Kyle nodded. “I’ll be living in our father’s cabin where Gerty’s and Arthur’s trees are for the time being, but I am free to live wherever I want as long as I can maintain the grounds. I have a feeling, given the circumstances, I could convince Gerty to provide us with a protection spell anywhere we wanted if I asked.”
There was no stopping the tears now. Laina let them flow down her face with abandon.
