Michael didn’t look away from Karl. “How did he come to you? Does anyone else know he’s an Argent?”
His leg was screaming. If he stayed standing, he’d end up flat on the floor. Better to sit before he made it obvious how weak he still was.
Leon was tense as Karl fumbled his way down onto the bed, as if he wanted to help but was unwilling to take his eyes off Michael and the other shifters even for an instant.
Karl breathed a few times before speaking, not wanting to drag this out but not wanting his voice to crack with just how much relief it was to sit again.
“He had no memory of being a very young pup,” he said at last. “He came to us through a series of accidents, met his mate, and stayed. And yeah, it was a bit of a surprise to find he was an Argent.” He huffed a small laugh at that understatement. “God, it’ll take hours to explain it all, but everyone knows now. The National Council, non-shifters—everyone.”
He caught a gasp from Ruth, swiftly stifled, and pinned her with his gaze. “He’s safe,” he assured her. “The shifter who ordered the—the attack on your pack is behind bars for it. As are those who carried it out. They’ll face shifter justice.”
The silence that followed was easier, somehow, no longer charged with the threat of imminent violence. Leon eased his stance slightly, though Karl could see there was tension still coiled under his skin.
It was Ruth who finally spoke, her voice small but fierce. “He was seven.”
“I know.”
She swallowed convulsively. “He’s my son.”
There was a world of hurt in her voice that Karl couldn’t even begin to imagine.
“He’s safe,” he promised her again, unable to think of anything else that might touch the pain she was carrying. Had been carrying foryears. He could see it now in her face, the economy with which she spoke and moved. She’d gotten on with life because life had given her no choice, but she’d had nothing to spare for anything that wasn’t essential. And yet… and yet she’d been kind to him, and God, if that didn’t remind him of Jesse. All of his kindness and softness hidden under sharp edges, but there nonetheless.
Silence followed, then Ruth stood and walked slowly out of the room, holding herself very carefully as if she might break. Hailey went with her, staying close.
But Michael neither moved nor spoke. He kept Karl pinned with his gaze, still assessing, still untrusting.
Eventually, he said, “I’m going to brief the pack now, but we’ll need to talk more.”
“Of course you will,” Leon said flatly. “You’re wolves.”
Michael returned his look, not quite hostile but definitely not friendly. “How does that even happen?” he asked. “A cat and a wolf. Mates.”
Karl stilled. Leon’s original, outlandish claim had been a lie, and Michael wouldn’t take it well if he ever found out. They’d need to tread carefully. “You mean, logistically?Or—”
“I mean at all,” Michael said. “I’ve never seen it. Never even heard of it.”
Leon tucked his hair behind his ear, so often a bad sign. “Isolation does tend to limit one’s perspective,” he said, deceptively mild.
Karl winced. There they were, the claws beneath the pretty packaging.
“We haven’t killed one another yet,” he said, shooting Leon a warning look, “so somehow, it works.”
Michael gave a low grunt that might have been a laugh. “All right. I have to brief my pack before the rumors run wild, but we’ll need to talk more soon.”
He finally turned and left, the other wolves filing out behind him.
Leon waited until the door clicked shut, then let out a long, quiet breath. He pulled the covers back for Karl to lie down, pulled them up over him and thumped one of his pillows into shape with unnecessary force.
“So that was fun.” If he’d been in cat form, Leon’s tail would have been lashing. “Next time you decide to upend our entire exit strategy, a little warning would be nice.”
“Sorry.” Karl was genuinely ashamed of his lapse in judgment.
Leon let out a sharp, exasperated sigh. “You know, I kept wishing you’d get something wrong. That just once, you’d leap before you look, the way I always do.” He shook his head, still annoyed. “I didn’t think you’d choose somethingthatspectacular and almost get us killed.”
Karl reached up and caught his hand. “Sorry,” he said again, more quietly.
The irritation seemed to drain from Leon. He let himself be pulled down to sit beside him.
