Was it the way my heart raced when Joanna looked at me? The way my tension melted when I walked into a room still clinging to her scent? Or maybe it was the fact that for the first time in years, rogues and all, I could actually sleep through the night.
I dug my heels into the floor, resisting the urge to pace again.
“I can’t tell her.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. My wolf barked, ashamed of the desperation in my tone.
Maya’s gaze flicked back to meet mine, my answer confirming her suspicions. The corners of her mouth rose, but the smile was gone as quickly as it came. “Willful omission of the truth is as harmful as a lie,” she said with narrowed eyes.
“I’m an alpha,” I snapped. Simply considering Joanna anallyhad cost me several wolves. Thomas and his traitors had risked their lives trying to overthrow me. How many more would desert me once they learned just how important the hunter was? “…She’s a fucking human.”
“Then let her go, Marcus. And reject the bond.”
I sprung to my feet, heat flushing through my body. “There’s no telling what would happen to either of us. You know that.”
“And there’s no telling what will happen toyouif you just ignore it.” Maya’s expression softened, and she reached out to hold my hand. “I’m saying this as the woman you chose to keep you and your pack safe.” Her grasp tightened. “Joannaishuman.And unless her hunter’s mark allows it, she will never feel the pull the way you do.”
Offering Joanna the Bite when she was justthe woman I couldn’t stop thinking aboutwasn’t easy, but it was bearable. Listening as she avoided giving me an actual answer was excruciating, but I could live with it.
But now… knowing that she was always meant to be mine, but that she didn’t want me as deeply as I wanted her, needed her… that’s what would be the death of me.
I pulled free from my gamma’s hold and strode to the bar cart set up in the corner of the office.
She continued with her warning as I poured myself a double shot of whisky. “This can drive you mad, Marcus.” She paused, no doubt noticing the dangerous amount of wolfsbane bitters I was adding to my glass. “You’ll be pacing your office in the dark before you know it.”
I chuckled at her attempt at humor before inhaling the drink in one breath. I slammed the empty glass down on the cart, wincing as the wolfsbane burned through me. “Would knowing she’s my mate help us?” I asked, my voice low. “Or would it push her further away?”
The couch groaned, and I turned, watching as Maya approached me.
She squared her shoulders. “Let me be frank, Alpha… I like Joanna, but… I don’t care what happens to her. And not knowing what choice she’d make can literally kill you.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that. She needs to know. She needs to choose. And if she’s foolish enough not to choose you…” She gave me a comforting smile. “Your pack will be your strength. We’ll help you get through this.”
I exhaled sharply, the gravity of her words pinning down the chaos in my mind. “The Goddess has a piss-poor sense of humor,” I muttered, turning to pour myself another drink. Iknocked it back as quickly as the first and picked up the bottle of whiskey for a third glass when Maya snatched the wolfsbane bitters from off the cart.
“Alpha,” she warned, “if I wouldn’t let the absence of a choice kill you, what makes you think I’d let a poor one do it?”
I tilted my head, unable to hide the grin that spread across my face. “Well, damn,” I teased, eyebrow raised. “Maya Williams, you haven’t been that smart with me since we were kids.”
Maya’s eyes had widened as soon as her words left her mouth. Her gaze, now pinned to the small bottle in her hands. But she didn’t apologize. She knew I wouldn’t ask her to. Because she was right about Joanna… and about the wolfsbane. The toxins were already working to cloud my mind with a blissful, warm fog—even though the right amount of it could bring a shapeshifter to his knees.
I placed the whisky bottle back on the cart. “Does this mean you’re closer to accepting my offer?” I crossed my arms, awaiting Maya’s response.
She released a heavy sigh, playing with the bottle in her hand. “I…” She hesitated, the defined muscles in her arms tense. “I’m still trying to understand why you won’t let the pack vote—”
“Simple. I don’t want their opinion,” I answered, taking Maya by the shoulders. “There is no one I trust more than the woman standing in this room. And if anyone thinks there’s a wolf more deserving of being their beta than her, they’re fucking morons.”
Her eyes widened. “Alpha—”
“I told you I’d wait for you to accept, and that’s what I’m doing. So, if you’re about to say anything besides ‘of course, Marcus,’ don’t bother.”
Maya closed her mouth and didn’t protest when I grabbed the bottle of bitters from her hand.
“Now, what do you have for me?” I said smoothly.
As Maya briefed me on her visit to the neighboring Laughton Pack, the wolfsbane couldn’t work fast enough.
Garreth Laughton was fucking useless. Turns out my fellow alpha knew about the uprising long before I did and decided that this wasn’t his battle to fight. Either the humans won and things remained the same, or the rogues won and werewolves lived like ‘royalty’. Garreth had only seen opportunity and ignored that this war was a damn powder keg.
“Garreth noticed we lost a good bit of our pack and assumed it was because they joined the uprising,” Maya declared, taking a small sip from her glass. “Torching the warehouse was a great idea. The less rogues have to tie the attack to wolves, the better. If they believe humans are their only threat, maybe they’ll grow careless.”
I needed to tell Joanna what I’d learned… but I still hadn’t heard from her.
