“Only if you get power hungry and people want to break free, hmm?” She handed Hadriel the tab. “You won’t have the same power over people if they take thatproduct.Does the thought of losing control scare you?”
A strange tone had entered her voice, as though she were speaking about something else. It probably had something to do with whatever had happened in that moment when her wolf had come to the surface, teetering on the edge of being pulled out entirely but unable to claw free. The human part of her had been kicked around and managed all of her adult life. She’d been scarred and scared during her childhood. Her life had made her somewhat pliant, willing to accept a harsh reality just to keep living. Her wolf, however, would be brand new. Fresh. There was no telling what sort of creature would emerge, and how that might change Aurelia’s willingness to calmly accept her current situation. Her wolf might’ve said something before being thrust back into the darkness, something that would clue in Aurelia to her situation.
I answered her as though I didn’t suspect any turmoil. “The thought of losing control of the pack does scare me, yes. It should scare everyone. I keep us together. I keep us operating smoothly. Through my bond, we are united, and when we are united, we are stronger. When we are at our strongest, we are at our safest. That bond is important to protect this pack, and jeopardizing it with chemicals jeopardizes us all, including you.”
She huffed, her eyes narrowing. “Jeopardizes me? You’re taking me to my death. How much more could I possibly be jeopardized?”
But a shadow moved behind her eyes. She feared something worse than her predicament with me. I wondered what it was.
I knew better than to ask. She’d shut me down hard and fast and probably never speak of it again. I was learning when I could push, and when I shouldn’t. She might often be pliant, but she could also be stubborn as all hell.
“Is eating going to ruin whatever this drug—excuse me.” Hadriel put his hand on his chest. “Thisproductdoes to me? I’m starving.”
“No.” Aurelia started away, looping her arm in Hadriel’s and tugging him along with her. “Let’s sit, though. You’re about to get very lazy.”
“I love lazy,” Hadriel replied.
I hung back, hands at my waist, looking at the crate of tabs at my feet. The others were quiet, watching me.
“Thoughts?” I prodded, my mind scattered.
“What, uh...” Dante cleared his throat. “What happened there?”
“My wolf pushed when he shouldn’t have and I had to talk him back. He’s grown... fond of her. He wants to meet his other half.”
They nodded in understanding, but their stances were still uneasy.
“What else?” I pushed. We needed to have this out. Things were getting too complicated. They needed to know I was still fully in line with our goals and my duties.
“She has a lot of power,” Sixten said.
“Of course she does. She’s my true mate. She’ll match me.”
“If she shifts, will she then be able to affect a bond like you do?” Tanix asked. “Because, assuming you can’t talk your wolf back one day, we’d have some serious problems if she ever tried to disrupt the pack, which she might do out of spite. Or to get away.”
I took a deep breath. “In theory, she won’t be able to mess with the bond without training. There is a quality to being an alpha that is instinctive, but many of the details need to be taught. I’ve studied since I first shifted. She shouldn’t be able to do much damage right away.”
They nodded again, the tension of the group starting to drain away.
“This product is dangerous to the pack,” Tanix said, nudging the crate with his toe. “It sounded like Hadriel didn’t much like it, but it still weakened the bond.”
I nodded, looking down on it. “I have questions. Can it be tossed into a stew, for example, and fed to us without knowing? Can it be slipped to us in another way?”
“What happens if it’s you who takes it?” Tanix asked. “If it is slipped to you in your sleep?”
“He wouldn’t be in wolf form in his sleep.” Dante frowned at Tanix. “That’s a bit too far along Paranoia Lane, don’t you think?”
Tanix bristled. “Is it? If I were her, I’d do everything in my power to break this pack down and get away. We’re not dealing with a morally sound individual. We’re dealing with a woman who was just handing out drugs mere moments ago. She refuses to take accountability for what she has done, and she constantly pushes back on the alpha. Do you really think, when given the chance, shewon’tdo everything in her power to disrupt the pack and escape?”
“She doesn’t even know she’s magical,” Dante said. “Since we’ve taken her in our custody, she hasn’t tried to hurt anyone. She’s joking and having fun with Hadriel, for fuck’s sake. She’s not acting like a normal criminal.”
“Because she’s been dazzled with a true mate connection, most likely, and it hasn’t yet sunk in that we’re going to kill her?—”
“Enough.” I held up a hand, closing my eyes. “Enough. Pack this product away and make sureno oneis allowed near it. Make sure someone is watching our food and water. This product is dangerous to our way of life, and we need to account for that.”
“Can I just...?” Sixten raised her hand. “Can I just point out that she has popped a random tab into her mouth on two occasions without flinching? She offered to take half of the ones Hadriel would eat. Is it just me, or is she not at all concerned with how dangerous they are?”
She wasn’t—not even a little bit. Her confidence in her creation was unparalleled. Even Finley, master plant worker, would sometimes pause when under scrutiny of a potentially dangerous mixture. Not Aurelia. She believed one-hundred percent that her creation was safe, validating it by taking it personally.
