“This isn’t evil magic,” Brad says. “It healed you. It stood up against our enemy—and it sounds like it was born out of love.”
I shake my head. “Don’t say that. I swore I’d never love anyone ever again.”
Luke’s hand tightens on my shoulder, and for a moment, we sit in silence. My memories threaten to overwhelm me, and I stand up, shoving them away so I can pace.
“So, I’m guessing you fucked up?” Brad asks. “You didn’t wake up wide-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning?”
“No,” I say. “I practically bolted from the house, and I barely spoke to her.”
“You have to fix this,” Brad says.
“Yeah,” Luke agrees. “This isn’t cool, man.”
“What?” I almost yell. “I thought you guys would be on my side! Don’t get involved in missions; stay neutral. Isn’t that right?”
“Dan,” Brad says firmly, “you’re not on a mission. You’re in a marriage. I know the magic freaked you out, and that’s completely understandable, but you fucked up with Grace. It’sobvious to me you’ve got feelings for her, and you need to talk to her.”
“Oh, don’t,” I groan, sitting down again. “Don’t start making sense. I can’t take it.”
“Sorry, bud,” Luke says, sitting down next to me. “But I agree. You could have something real with this girl, and it’s not the magic scaring you—it’s getting close to her.”
I shake my head, but don’t bother opening my mouth. I know they’re both right.
“We’ve got warriors coming in,” Brad says, checking his phone. “New formations based on the snake’s movements. We need you to step up, Alpha, and rule your pack as well as your marriage. Are you going to step up to the challenge?”
A sigh eases out of me, and I nod, slowly standing up. “Let’s go and have this meeting,” I say. “This part, I know how to do. I can stress about Grace later this afternoon.”
Warriors begin to arrive, and we talk about our new maneuvers. Even though I’ve never been in a command position, I find it easy to coordinate my men and assign new tasks. It even gives me a sense of belonging, instead of feeling like an imposter as I feared it would.
We’re wrapping up with the warriors when I see the women and the rest of the men approaching. Grace looks cool and in control, her head held high with an almost regal bearing.
She’s so strong, like ice. But last night, I saw her melt. She was vulnerable, raw, burning with need. It’s this duality I can’t handle. It confuses me… and her magic scares the pants off me.
Grace walks straight over to me and takes my hand. We talk to the pack together, and I can see everyone is comforted byour unity. For a couple of hours, we eat and talk, listening to the concerns of our people and doing everything we can to ensure the members from all three packs are thriving.
It feels wrong keeping so much from them, but I know that hearing details about how close the snake was last night will only scare everyone and make them feel helpless.
If people panic, all this hard work will be for nothing. We have to protect these people at all costs—even from themselves.
I meet up with the kids again, and while I play with them, I realize how important it really is to keep the military operations secret.
They are counting on me. It’s scary to think of how much rests on my shoulders right now, but at the same time, I feel fiercely protective of all of them. I wouldn’t quit now if the snake melted out my eyeballs.
It doesn’t escape me that this is the literal truth, and my thoughts are almost a challenge to the big, scaly bastard.
Come at me again, and we’ll see what you’re really made of!
As the afternoon draws to a close, Brad and Alisha depart to go back to Eccles. I promise to update Rex later with all relevant information, and from there, hopefully, come up with a plan to lock the snake back in the rock for good.
The pack begins to break up to go back to their own homes, and Grace holds my hand as we say goodnight to them. When we turn to walk home, she keeps pace with me for the first time and doesn’t let go of my hand.
Hope sparks in my chest, and I wonder if she’s forgiven me for my behavior this morning.
Even if she’s okay, I still have to apologize. The guys were right, I need to examine this—both the event with the magic and my encounter with Grace. I’ve been a fucking coward, and I’m ashamed of it.
We cross the front lawn of the house, and I give Grace’s hand a squeeze, hoping she’ll turn and look at me. I realize I’ve missed her smile, and I’m dying to see it, as well as the way her eyes shimmer when she’s truly happy.
She doesn’t look at me, and I see her shoulders suddenly tense up when she feels the pressure of my fingers. She speeds up a little to get ahead of me and keeps her eyes facing forward.
