"For the most part, yes," Diaval answers. "Within reason, of course." He turns in his seat to look at me, and I watch his eyes become his dragon's for the briefest of moments—vertical pupils in pools of molten gold. I nod at him, then snuggle back against Torben. I'm so used to Fi handling all the trouble that I'm not sure I can do it. Then again, she started some of the trouble sometimes.
A mix of excitement and trepidation boils within me. I'm an emotional paradox. As much as I want to know who I am, I'm afraid of being away from Fi. Pulling my arms close to my body, I press my forehead against Torben's neck, using his beard to hide me from the world. Diaval was smart, putting my two bonded mates back here with me. Their presence soothes me—Torben's warmth, Khal's cool touch on my feet, the steady rhythm of their breathing. Yet knowing the mythics in the front are also mine is a comfort in itself.
They will burn the earth to ash to protect me.
At least, that's what my wolf tells me.
And for the first time, I believe her.
Chapter 2
Torben
My sweet littlemate is a ball of anxiety and fear, and I can't fix it. After she asked her questions, she curled back up into a ball, using me as a pillow. I don't mind it, but I know being away from Fi is going to have repercussions we can't anticipate. Her breathing slows, and I feel her mouth pop open as her hand slides down my chest to rest at my hip. My little wolf has stressed herself out enough that she's fallen asleep.
"Is she okay?" Khal whispers as he stops massaging her feet. Easton's eyes keep jumping from the road to the rearview mirror.
"Yes and no. They've hammered the fear of what's out there into her for so long that leaving her territory is terrifying." I band my arm tighter around her, listening to her breathing. Still slow and steady. Her body has become pliant in my arms. Thankfully, she can rest for a while in peace, knowing I will protect her with everything that I am.
"I don't know what was worse for her—the way the witches treated them, from what I was told, or the fear of not knowing who killed Fi's parents." Khal types on his phone absently.
"Neither is good," Easton states. The steering wheel creaks under the pressure of his grip.
"Precisely. Throw in that she's only recently been able to access her wolf, and it's a recipe for disaster." Diaval looks back at our sleeping mate. "Damn witches sticking their noses where they don't belong. She would have been better off raised with her own kind."
"Do you understand what you're saying? We may never have met our mate if that happened." I whisper-yell at Diaval.
"I understand that. Unlike you, I am blessed with long years." Diaval shuts up and turns back to face the road.
"The elephant in the room is why they hid a bound wolf in a witch family." Easton glances up at the rearview mirror.
Murmurs of agreement echo softly within the car. None of us can begin to comprehend why that was done. "We should probably find a place to rest for tonight. There's an inn just outside of Norburg—looks like it's named the Claw and Fang Inn." I hold the map with my free hand while the other keeps Feray secure against my chest.
"I wouldn't suggest that one. It's owned by my people, and if we're trying to remain under the radar, we should skip it." Khal keeps texting someone, and I'm becoming more curious the longer it goes on.
"I agree. There's a dragon-owned inn called the Crossroads, not horribly far from Thornford. It would be in everyone's best interest to stop there. A dragon's silence can be bought." Diaval's tone leaves no room for argument. Apparently, how he said it woke Feray up. She nuzzles my neck.
"Where are we?" She slowly sits up, rubbing her eyes before looking around.
"We've got about another thirty minutes until we're out of Briarvale forest." Easton offers gently. Feray nods and accepts the water Diaval passes back to her.
"Aha!" Khal looks up at us. "My informants just got back to me about Blackmore. It's predominantly wolves with very few other species in the town." He scrolls further and stops. "Apparently, Roman is the Blackmore Alpha, and Marcus from the council is from Dunnam. Interestingly enough."
Feray turns to face him. "That is interesting. Do you think they know more than they're letting on?"
"It would definitely make more sense as to why they were pointing you in a certain direction," I state.
"What we really have to question is how many people on the council actually know who you are and where you come from, versus those willing to give us the information we need." Khal sets his phone down.
A silence hangs over the car for several beats too long, making the hackles on the back of my neck stand on edge. I look up front and see both ancients seem to be in conversation with each other. It's kind of freaky how they can do that without talking or being in a pack or bond together. Their eyes flicker randomly to the color of their beasts before Diaval turns to look at us. He takes several moments to gather his thoughts. "It wouldn't be the first time the council or the local packs manipulated things."
Khal's phone beeps several more times as messages pour in. His eyes fly over the text, and he fires back a response almost immediately. "Blackmore, according to my sources, issurrounded eighty percent by mountains. There are several tunnels through caves that lead out into the wilderness through different parts of the range." He scrolls further. "There've been several uprisings in Blackmore, which prompted the alpha to return ahead of schedule. According to my source, he's had several younger males attempting to take the mantle from him." He scrolls again, then stops. "Rumor has it, it's happening across all the wolf packs. The younger generation isn't thrilled with the archaic ideals." He looks up and around at all of us.
Easton clears his throat. "There's been an issue for the past hundred years—fewer females are being born. At one point, they highly encouraged males to be born because of the wars between different species. Now, because of that selective breeding, there are fewer females to help continue the population." His eyes look up into the rearview mirror, and I see Feray look back at him, nodding slowly.
"Well, that explains why some of us have more than one mate." She looks down and starts fiddling with the hem of her shirt again.
I rest my hand between her shoulder blades and give them a gentle rub. "My people have always birthed more males than females. It's been common practice amongst the bears for a female to have multiple mates. It distributes the workload within the family, provides greater financial stability, and means more to provide for the children. All the work with raising them doesn't fall on just the female when there are multiple males in the house." I offer a bit of my experience living in my sleuth.
