“They’re the ones who treated you badly. If anything, they should have to prove themselves to you, not the other way around.”
She opened her mouth, a question on the tip of her tongue.Do you see me as a worthy person?Was he talking about himself when he said they should prove themselves to her? Or did he think of himself as separate, different from them? She wanted desperately to ask, but she snapped her jaw shut. If she asked, he might see that she still had lingering desires for him; she might also see that even now, his rejection still stung.
No. No, she wasn’t going to give him that sort of power over her.
She’d just gotten her face back into a carefully arranged neutral expression when he looked back at her. His eyes, a beautiful and unique shade of gold, hardened.
“Your magic is why I’m here to talk to you,” he said, as though this was a natural continuation of the conversation.
She tensed instantly. That tone wasn’t one that someone who thought she was worthy of respect would use. Her hands clenched into fists as she struggled with the sudden, swooping changes in her state of mind. What did he care about her magic? Or worse—did he know that she could access it now? Did he realize she could cast small spells?
“Mind your own business!” The words came out in a harsh, low whisper. Kira winced internally but only glared at Joshua.
“It’s important,” he said, his voice low.
Kira yanked open the door to her car. “I don’t care. If it has something to do with my heritage, Gwen can tell me. Not you.”
She slid into her car and started driving away, then put on her seatbelt. When she glanced in the mirror, she was relieved to see Joshua remained where he was standing. He watched her go but didn’t chase after her.
Good. She didn’t want him anywhere near her.
***
She’d been home for less than an hour when a council errand boy knocked on her door. He handed her an envelope, inside which was a summons to the Elder Council. Kira stared at the letter, then checked the envelope to ensure it was addressed to her. The boy stared at her, expecting some sort of answer.
“They couldn’t have phoned me?” she grumbled, looking up at him. “Why do we let them boss us around when they’re so stuck in the past that they can’t even use a phone?”
The boy twitched uncomfortably. “What answer do you wish to send?”
Kira sighed. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Relief washed over the boy’s face. Kira stepped back inside her house; she had just started cooking her supper and quickly put things away, wetting her hands to pat her hair into some semblance of order before heading out.
The town hall was being decorated for some event that Kira hadn’t heard about. She took a moment in the large hall to calm her racing heartbeat. What was this summons about? Only one way to find out. She’d never been asked to meet with them before. Did they blame her for the demon activity, too? If they did, she didn’t know how she’d defend herself.
But they couldn’t banish her without the approval of the Alpha, right? And Rafael wouldn’t allow that. He would stand up for her. Gwen would, and so Rafael would as well.
She took a deep breath as she made her way through the hall to the upper floor, to where the Elder Council’s chambers were. The Council was there, chatting idly to each other. They all grew serious and attentive as she entered.
“Ah, Miss Smithson,” Elder Priest Thera said, her voice sharp as a blade. “Thank you for finally joining us.”
Kira glanced at the clock behind them. It had only been fifteen minutes since the errand boy arrived at her house. She clenched her jaw, refusing to apologize for nothing. Her gaze dropped to the floor, though, unable to stop herself.
“Well, now that you’re here,” Thera continued, “we’ve been studying the information left to us by generations past about witches.”
Kira tensed. Her hands clenched, and she held her breath. It was about her heritage. They were going to banish her! After all these years of being in this pack, they were going to kick her out. Where was she even going to go? What would she do? Kelsie paid her good enough to get by, but her savings wouldn’t last long on the mainland.
“It’s been decided that all witch-descendants who show signs of being able to access their magic will be married to a strong wolf,” Thera said, her voice breaking through Kira’s thoughts.
“Married?” Kira repeated, her chin jerking up.
Thera nodded, her expression inscrutable. “It’s clear from Rafael’s union with Gwen that a strong wolf father and a magicalmother create strong children. And I presume you do want children of your own?”
It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement. Kira wanted to say no just to see the Elder’s reactions, but she kept quiet. She did want children. Her mind swirled in confusion as she processed what was being said.
“I don’t understand where this is going,” she said slowly.
Thera waved a hand. “We know you have no potential mates in the pack. So we have decided to arrange your marriage, Miss Smithson.”
