By the time we’d washed up and gotten re-dressed in our battle clothes, we were both grinning ear to ear and ready forsecondbreakfast. I couldn’t even complain.
We decided to go down to the infirmary first and check in on Fiona. But when we got there, the place was almost a ghost town. Wolves healed fast, and Fiona was nowhere to be found. But Oli and Lucien were there, leaning against a counter covered in medical supplies and chatting.
“Elodie!” Olivia raced over to hug me, giving Valens a warm look before returning to Lucien’s side. “How are you guys this morning? Nothing you need me to look at?”
“We’re good. We just wanted to check on Fi.”
Olivia waved her hand in a “don’t worry” gesture. “She’s good, thanks to you getting her here so quickly. I was able to reverse the damage. She may be sore until her human sidefinishes removing the swelling, but there won’t be any lasting effects. Reed, however, may never let her out of his sight again. Prepare for hugging when he finds you two.”
Lucien snorted his amusement from her side, but didn’t disagree. While it was just the four of us, I had a question for him, though.
“Lucien, do I need to do anything official to join the Hungarian pack? I know I mentioned it before, but… I’d like to have things settled.” Valens squeezed my hand supportively.
Lucien grinned. “You have to formally pledge in, since your bond isn’t complete yet. But that only takes a minute.”
“Can we do it now?”
His good eyebrow shot up in surprise. “Sure, if that’s what you want, but there’s no rush. You’ve always got a place with us.”
“Always,” Oli agreed, beaming. “I’m so glad you’re staying.” She clasped her hands under her chin, the picture of happiness.
Given all the gore I could imagine she’d seen yesterday, that was a testament to her good and kind nature.
He rattled off the pledge, and I repeated it. Then he offered a hand for me to shake. “Welcomeofficiallyto the Hungarian pack. We’re thrilled to have you.”
Valens growled when I shook his hand, and I swatted backward for him to hush. Lucien was mated and not at all interested in stealing me away.
Still, the primal part of me was happy that Valens didn’t even want another male to touch me. He was possessive in all the best ways, and it kind of made me want to drag him back to our room, but my stomach was growling pitifully.
“Breakfast time for you, Firecracker. We’ll see you two later.” Valens didn’t even wait for a response before tugging me out of the infirmary and up toward the kitchens.
We made it as far as the family wing before Gael stopped us in the hallway, fully dressed for battle. “Oh, good. Kane’s looking for you two. Can you head to his office?”
Valens sighed, and I elbowed him in the ribs. “Of course. We’ll head there now.”
Gael gave us a funny look but didn’t comment as he bustled off.
“Why is the world conspiring against me feeding you?” he muttered as I led the way to Kane’s office. It was pretty much theonlyroom in the castle that hadn’t been repurposed to housing, feeding, or bathrooms for the army. There were wolves everywhere.
We stopped and knocked on the open doorframe before Kane waved us in. I eyed his throat, but there wasn’t even a scar where yesterday, I’d seen spine. The memory made me shudder.
He pushed back from his desk and strode around it, stopping directly in front of us. “Thank you for coming. There are two important pieces of business. First and foremost, Elodie…”
My whole body tensed. I had no idea what business he could have with me personally. Would he be disappointed I’d wanted to join the Hungarian pack instead of sticking with Galyna to guard Brielle? Surely he understood that my mate was part of the Hungarian pack…
Before I could get too carried away, he shocked my brain to stillness. “Brielle explained to me what happened yesterday. She was very upset, and I know she intends to find you and apologize to you as well. But it’s my understanding that you played a major role in me standing here today. I owe you a life debt. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, it’s yours. Say the word.” And then he craned his neck to the side, exposing his bare throat to me.
The high alpha of the nine great packs just bared his neck tome.It wasn’t done. It was… astounding. I stood there, agape,completely blank for anything to say. Eventually, I spluttered a thank-you.
He chuckled. “No, thankyou. You were there for my mate when I couldn’t be, and that’s worth more than you know.”
I nodded mutely as he turned his attention to Valens. “The Johnson City pack captured a wolf yesterday that I’d like you to take a look at. Your new guardian talents allow you to read magical enchantments, correct?”
“Correct, High Alpha.”
Kane nodded. “Excellent. He’s wearing one of the collars. If you can read the enchantments, that could give us a leg up on the pixie king, and we need every advantage.”
Valens straightened at the news, interest suddenly piqued. “I’d be glad to. I can’t guarantee I’ll know how to disarm it, but you’re right. We need everything we can throw back at them. This is a huge win.”
