“That’s perfect,” Noah said, ruffling her hair. “There’s juice in the fridge and snacks in the pantry. Help yourselves.”
“Is the man you’re getting nice?” Rowan asked suddenly.
Noah paused at the door. “He’s... complicated. But he’ll help your mom. That’s what matters.”
“Please,” I whispered as he headed for the door. “Anyone but him.Please-”
But he was already gone, leaving me on a stranger’s couch in a town full of monsters, burning up from a supernatural infection while my four-year-olds decided the throw pillows needed rearranging. The fever made everything feel surreal.
“Mama needs water,” Rowan announced, watching me with those too-knowing gray eyes.
“I’ll get it!” Thea raced toward what I assumed was the kitchen.
I closed my eyes, trying to block out the pain and the memories and the horrible irony of it all. Of course Knox would be the only one who could save me. Of course I’d have to see him again, weak and dying and desperate. The universe had a sick sense of humor.
17
— • —
Knox
I sat through another excruciating council meeting, watching Alderic Thorne pitch his daughter with all the subtlety of a used car salesman. The conference room felt too small, too warm, filled with the competing scents of ambition and politics that made my skin crawl.
“The Thorne line has produced strong Alphas for generations,” Alderic droned on, gesturing to Mary beside him. She sat perfectly straight in an expensive red dress, her smile never wavering despite the fact that we’d been at this for twenty minutes. “Mary has been trained in pack politics since birth. She speaks four languages, holds a degree in international relations, and has extensive combat training. She would make an exemplary Luna.”
My wolf retreated deeper with each word, curling into himself with visceral disgust. The very suggestion of taking another mate made him want to tear through my skin and run until we hit ocean.
“Her bloodline is impeccable,” Elder Harrison added, clearly in Alderic’s pocket. “The merger would strengthen our southeastern alliances considerably.”
“I wasn’t aware we needed strengthening,” I said flatly.
Elder Brennan cleared his throat. “The pack does need stability. An Alpha without a Luna, especially one who’s already... struggled... with recent challenges, creates uncertainty.”
Struggled. That was a nice way of saying I’d nearly lost three challenge fights in the past year because my wolf was dying from the inside out. Each month it got harder to maintain dominance, to project the strength an Alpha needed.
“The pack has thrived under my leadership,” I said carefully, keeping my voice neutral despite the urge to flip the table and walk out.
“Of course,” Alderic agreed smoothly. “But perception matters. The younger wolves grow restless. They whisper about their Alpha who lives alone, who takes no mate, who grows...” he paused delicately, “distracted during important matters.”
“Distracted?” I let a hint of warning enter my voice.
Mary leaned forward slightly. “Last week during training, you called Cole by the wrong name. Three times.”
I remembered. I’d called him ‘Noah’ repeatedly, because my mind had been elsewhere, lost in memories of a morning that haunted me. But they didn’t need to know that.
“The younger wolves notice these things,” she continued, voice perfectly modulated. “They wonder if their Alpha is fully present. Some have even suggested that perhaps the stress of leadership without... personal support... is becoming too much.”
“That sounds dangerously close to questioning my fitness to lead,” I said quietly.
“Not at all,” Alderic said quickly. “We’re simply observing that even the strongest Alpha benefits from partnership. Your parents understood this when they led together for thirty years.”
My parents. The former Alpha pair who’d stepped down at the traditional age but remained influential in pack politics. They’d made their opinions on my unmarried status crystal clear in private, though they’d never presume to bring it before the council.
Elder Whitlane shifted uncomfortably. She’d never been fond of Alderic’s power plays. “Knox has led us well through difficult transitions. His personal life is his own concern.”
“Is it?” Mary’s perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. “When unmated females approach him at pack gatherings and he doesn’t even notice? When our allies question why the mighty Knox Raven refuses all political matches? It affects all of us.”
“The Silver Moon pack has three unmated daughters,” Elder Harrison added helpfully. “They’ve expressed interest in strengthening ties.”
