Every solution surrendered something. Aaron knew his choice, knew too what he would do in Malachi’s place. But maybe, if he’d been tasked with upholding the customs of a millennium, the situation would feel impossible for him too.
Malachi pushed to his feet. “I wonder what Arlo would say.”
“You going to talk to him?”
“No. The decision’s on the alpha, and no one else.”
Anytime he spoke of his status in the third person, he was feeling the weight of it and choosing to stand up under it. Aaron clapped him on the back, an easy gesture this time, no urgency in it, but the urgency hadn’t left. The problem remained.
“You’ve got my respect and my friendship,” Aaron said as they reached the house. “Forever, Mal. Whatever your decision.”
“The pack needs you.”
“Yeah.” Aaron grinned. “They do.”
“Ember’s not bonded to you. Technically, until she is, nothing prevents her from spilling to vampires and social media that she witnessed a pack of lupines running under the moon.”
Aaron glanced through the window, but she had left the kitchen. “She won’t do that. I know it’s a risk to take my word on it, but she won’t.”
Malachi gave a disapproving huff.
“I’m telling you.”
“And if she does, I’ll have waited here, in a place she knows and can return to. I’ll have left my pack vulnerable to invasion and destruction.”
Aaron shook his head.
“What?”
“You fall into sensational phrasing whenever the alpha burden gets to you.”
Malachi growled. Pressed his palms to his eyebrows. Yep, stress headache. No one could say Aaron didn’t know him.
“And you haven’t slept at all, probably haven’t eaten, probably bounded all over your vast property until you reached my door by accident. Why don’t you go home and rest for a minute?”
Vast property. Home. The thing Malachi loved, the thing he might be about to lose.
“Later.”
“Then will you come in?” Maybe Ember could feed him.
“Not until I’ve decided,” Malachi said, then bounded off down the hill.
Of course Ember expected to be kicked out. Expected it, deserved it, dreaded it, harbored no hope she could prevent it, though she would fight it. Yet her heart cracked when Aaron entered the living room, sank down on the couch, and said, “It’s…um…not good.”
She set aside his beaten copy ofGreat Expectations, curled her legs under her in the chair, and tried to brace herself. He hunched forward, elbows on knees, and studied her.
“I’m being banished,” she said.
“The pup should hear this too.” He got up and trudged down the hall. He knocked on Quinn’s door, and they returned together.
Quinn said, “So what’s going on? I smelled the alpha. Was it about Aunt Em? Does she have to leave?”
Aaron motioned Quinn to join him on the couch. “It’s more complicated than I knew.” He resumed his previous posture, elbows on knees. He let out a long sigh. “There’s a custom that’s been with wolf packs for a long time. When we’re seen under the moon by a human…”
Quinn jumped to his feet. “A long time like medieval time? Like they would’ve burned Aunt Em at the stake? No way, Aaron. The alpha wouldn’t burn Aunt Em at the stake.”
“Hush, pup.” His voice was harsher than Ember had heard him use with Quinn.
