Although I was relieved that they finally knew why I couldn't speak about Zandia, I was still frustrated by the situation. There had been enough secrets and misunderstandings between us already, and this would only make things worse.
"Can you reverse it?" I asked Kearan, my voice barely above a whisper as I watched him work. His fingers trailed over my skin, tracing circles around the bite. It was soothing and made the pain from the bite disappear.
"No," he shook his head as if emphasizing his point. "But I can heal the wound to make sure you don't get an infection."
A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed this new piece of information. My mates exchanged wary glances among themselves as they tried to come up with a solution, but it seemed like there was no easy way out of this mess.
Grayson stepped forward, determination etched into every line of his face. His gaze locked onto mine with unwavering intensity. "We'll find a way through this," he promised, his voice firm yet gentle at the same time.
"We need to get out of here," Trux growled, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at me. "We can't stay here. First, we need to clean up this mess, deal with the agents, and then get to one of our safehouses to figure out how to fix this."
My stomach twisted in knots as I watched Trux's reaction. He was clearly furious, and I couldn't blame him. My own confusion and frustration only added to the growing tension between us.
"Trux," I began, but he cut me off with a sharp wave of his hand.
"No, Parker," he snapped, his voice tight with anger. "I'm the Alpha and I'm in charge."
I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain what had happened, but everything felt so jumbled and chaotic inside my head.
"Trux," Seph said softly, her eyes pleading with him to calm down. "We need to figure out what Zandia did to her first before we can decide on any next steps."
Trux's expression softened slightly as he looked at Seph, but the anger still simmered beneath the surface.
"No, you're not." The words were out before I could stop them. Go figure. I could say one of the few things that would piss off the Alpha.
The team fell silent as they looked at me. From the turmoil flooding me from the mate bond, Trux was more than angry. Closer to supernova. This wasn't going to go well.
"Parker," Grayson finally spoke up, his eyes meeting mine with unwavering determination. "What did she do?"
I swallowed hard, not entirely sure of what I could share without triggering Zandia's compulsion.
"She... uh... she sa-" Panic shot through me as I realized how much angrier Trux would be when I finished explaining.
"Can you tell them about your promotion?" Grayson asked softly as he gently took my hand in his own. "I can read it from your mind, so you should be able to share."
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
"Okay, then." Grayson said as he looked at everyone else. "Trux, before you do something rash or say something you can't take back, remember you're not thinking clearly. You're feeling the Hesolga creep up. It's not helping the situation. Besides, I get the feeling that whatever choice Zandia gave Parker wasn't much of a choice."
My gaze met Grayson's as he smiled softly at me, his grey eyes welcoming. I appreciated him more than ever in that moment as he stood up for me against Trux.
"Parker," Grayson said, his voice soft and reassuring. "Go ahead, tell us."
I took a deep breath, focusing on the memory of our conversation. "Zandia said she was promoting me to the head of the division," I began, watching as confusion and surprise rippled through the group. "She also mentioned that I would be in charge of all the teams, including ours."
Seph frowned as she tried to process this new information. "But why would she do that? She doesn't give a shit about the teams. That was made clear the last time she showed up."
"I have no idea," I admitted, feeling a sense of unease settle over me. "But she made it clear that we had more responsibilities than just completing our mission."
Ryker's eyes narrowed as he studied me. "What else did she say?" His voice was cold and detached, reminding me once again that we hadn't fully resolved our issues.
My heart sank at the reminder of my failed mating with him. I wanted nothing more than to fix things between us, but there were still so many unanswered questions and unresolved tensions between us. At least he was talking to me. That had to be a good sign. Right?
"I know you're mad at me," I blurted out before realizing what I was saying. Trux's expression darkened at my words.
"Parker," Ryker cut in, his voice leaving me chilled. "We'll deal with our mating issue later."
Grayson squeezed my hand before continuing. "What else did Zandia say?"
