Diesel snorted. “Because he wants to smother you.” He looked over my shoulder at Wolfe. “She needs a better teacher.”
“You?” I asked him, hearing my doubt, knowing I would refuse.
“Me?” Diesel winced. “Fuck no, I’m no druid.”
But he was. He had to be. “You have magic inside you!”
Diesel’s grin was wicked. “So the females tell me, but I’m not a druid.” He looked around the room at the others, who were suddenly fascinated with my floorboards. “Or a shaman. I’m just…me.”
My eyes narrowed. “Well, justme,” I mocked him, “when you walked in, whatever magic is in merecognizedyou.”
He didn’t answer, and the silence stretched into uncomfortable.
Wolfe cleared his throat. “How is it outside?”
“Tense,” Brand answered immediately. “Blueridge Pack is unsettled. They lost some friends yesterday. Stonefang wants to check on the Grumps.”
“I’m going,” Diesel said. “Thalia and I, Cody no doubt—he won’t want her alone right now—we’ll cross tonight, and Thalia will ensure everyone is okay. Report back.”
“While he’s gone, Killian and I have agreed on who and what patrols we need; the border will be protected to ensure no attacks happen with the land open,” Brand told Wolfe. He reached into his pocket. “Oh, and this was left at the west ridge.”
Wolfe reached past me, and I saw the crumpled bit of paper and the undeniable seal of the Pack Council. Wolfe read it and grunted.
“We have three weeks,” he told us. He handed the summons to me, and I read the message. “Both of us.” He tipped his head back against the wall. “I don’t like it.”
“You’re not meant to,” Diesel said gruffly. “That’s the point.”
“Do you think the attacks will stop?” I asked.
“No.”
I looked at Killian, who had answered. “But…”
“They want us scared and angry,” Killian explained. “The best way to do that is to keep us unsteady.”
Wolfe nodded. “But we will fight them,” he told me. He kissed my cheek, then got to his feet. “I’ll go with Thalia tonight.”
The others spoke up, voicing their objections, but Diesel simply sat back and waited. I watched him, still not convinced he was simplyhim. There was nothing simpleabout Diesel. He’d been watching Wolfe, but he must have felt my stare, and his gaze turned to me. He raised an eyebrow. I flushed, looking away quickly.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Diesel announced, shutting everyone else up. “Rowen, we need to go for a walk.” He stood fluidly. “Come.”
“I…”
“You don’t get to order her,” Wolfe spoke calmly. “She is my mate, the alpha of your pack’s mate. Respect is due.”
I thought Diesel would laugh, but instead, his head dipped in acknowledgment. “You’re right, Alpha. Rowen, would you walk with me?”
I wanted to say no, but something was happening here, something Wolfe needed more than I did, I guessed. I got to my feet. “You can help me find a new couch,” I told Diesel. “And then carry it here.”
“Pilfering deserted houses, disguised as shopping,” he joked. “I like it.”
Wolfe kissed me lightly before we left. Brand and Killian watched us leave, their eyes filled with curiosity and something that looked a lot like anticipation.
Diesel walked beside me, his huge form taking up more space beside me than I was used to. “I really do want a new couch,” I told him, breaking the silence.
“I already found you one,” he confirmed. He had a hair tie in his teeth, and I watched him as he pulled his long hair back into a ponytail. A few twists of the hair tie, and he had a very smooth, very styled tight ponytail, the tail twisted to form a soft-looking knot at the nape of his neck.
“Why does your hair always look wet?”
