I hid my smile. Mera was so unlike other powerful beings. In general it bothered her to use her power against others, especially those weaker, but if you hurt anyone she cared about, you’d better start praying to whatever god you worshipped because you were on your way to the afterlife.
"She stays to protect the pack." Another shifter spoke up—a lanky, dark-skinned man who had been silent until this point. "Our alpha promised that if she stayed and mated his son, who is not quite of age yet, that we would all be protected from any further pack punishments."
He lifted his head fully, and unlike the others, almost managed to meet Mera's eyes. "Sam owes us nothing, but she stays for us regardless."
"Why would the alpha want her for his son?" Mera’s voice lowered as she shook her head. "It makes no sense since she’s already a rejected mate."
"His older brother was the one who rejected her," the man said, face drawn. "The previous future alpha, who was killed by his father after Sam left.”
“Why?” Mera pressed.
“The alpha found out that the reason she left was because his son rejected her. That was when his obsession started.”
The blond female laughed without humor. “He wants the strong bond of a true-mated alpha. He’s obsessed now with recreating it with his youngest son.”
“And Sam is the one he’s chosen,” Mera said softly, sucking in a few deep breaths before turning to meet my gaze. I wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking, but it was clear that we had a lot to discuss once we were away from curious shifters.
"I need you to give this to her when she returns," Mera finally said to them, pulling free a piece of the parchment. "She can write on this paper, and I will get the message. The alpha cannot know about it, either.” Her gaze turned darker. “I want you all to swear that you will not screw up this simple task. I know your energy now and can track you without breaking a sweat."
Technically, Shadow could, and judging by the smile playing around his lips, he enjoyed Mera secondhandedly using him as a threat.
"We promise," one of them squeaked. "We will guard this parchment with our lives and give it to Sam with your words as soon as she returns."
"Thank you," Mera said with a nod. "Appreciate the help."
Her face was blank, but those of us who knew her quite well could see the worry burning in her eyes. She didn't say a word until we’d walked toward the edge of the town and Shadow had called a doorway, but as soon as we were in the white hallway, she broke.
"What the actual fuck?” Her growl was loud. “Sam and I have near mirror-image pasts.” Her breaths came in and out harshly. “She never told me her mate was also an alpha's son."
"Do you want to go to New Orleans?" Shadow asked, his concerned gaze locked on his clearly stressed-out mate.
Mera slowed her breathing in an attempt to calm herself. Almost worked too. "As much as I do, I could see in their memories that Sam is physically safe. She’s also had more than a few opportunities to allow us to help and has refused. Showing up there is not going to change that. Not to mention I’m probably the last person she wants to see.”
“You think she blames you?” I asked, trying to work out that statement.
Mera nodded. “Possibly. What happened with Torin and me clued these fucks into the true-mate bond and what rejection can take from the pack. I managed to escape, but Sam had to go back without a mate like Shadow waiting in the wings to ease her pain.”
“She doesn’t blame you,” Shadow said straight up. “I sensed her emotions, and she cares for you a great deal. I think she might just have a bit of a savior mentality.”
Mera swallowed roughly, her eyes glassy. “Yeah, she definitely does. I was a complete stranger when she risked Torin’s wrath to help me.” She roughly wiped at her eyes before sniffling a few times and pulling herself together. “We need to help Reece now, but the moment we’ve dealt with the Desert Land’s issues, I’m going to track Sam down and ask some very pointed questions. She might think she's doing the right thing, but she's really throwing her life away. If it's a simple matter of dealing with a megalomaniac alpha, well, we've proven more than once that we’re capable of doing that. I want her to know there’s another option."
"I don't understand why she didn't just tell you this in the first place," I said. "It's a simple issue that has a simple solution. There was no need for the suffering and secrecy."
Shadow released a low laugh, pitching his shoulder against the white wall as he waited. "Humans don’t think like the rest of us. They're young and idealistic. And if they're even remotely decent, they always want to martyr themselves."
Mera glared and nudged him, not even moving him an inch. "Firstly, she's not human. But for the rest... you're probably right. I think Sam has spent her entire life feeling lost, like an outcast in her pack, and now she finally has validation. A place and purpose. Acceptance. All of which doesn’t take away from the fact that very soon I’ll be tracking her ass down to have a rather frank discussion."
Shadow inclined his head, straightening again to tower over us. "Simone first?" he checked, and Mera nodded, mood brightening a touch.
"Yes, absolutely. I don't think she'll be at the New Orleans meeting, because Torma wouldn't send all their shifters in fear. They've changed a lot since we restructured them, but their overwhelming arrogance remains."
Shadow's chuckle echoed down the hall as he once again wrapped arms around his mate. "These packs would have flourished with you as their god."
Mera pushed up on her toes, pressing kisses to whatever parts of his skin she could reach. "They flourished with you. You gave them wings and let them fly."
Shadow met my gaze over the top of her masses of red hair, and his expression… I wondered if anyone else outside of Mera, and now me, had seen him wear a look of such devotion.
This was not the same beast I’d gone up against over the years.
