“You think it’s just about Vicon, or also because he killed the prime minister?”
Walsh shook his head. “He was well within his right to kill Locke. The guy went mad and physically tried to hold him back from inspecting the building we thought you were in. We had evidence and he shut the whole thing down. Locke threw the first punch, went feral like a strung-out junkie.”
I frowned. That was… crazy and weird. It was so obvious that the people running these cities were corrupt as all hell.
“What does Sawyer’s dad think of all this? He must be… pissed at me.”
Walsh scoffed. “All due respect to my alpha… but he’s too soft. Sage’s dad would have been a better fit, and Sawyer will be an amazing leader. Curt brushes things under the rug and is always avoiding fights. He’s known for being a pushover, so the other leaders push him around.”
I winced. That was basically what I’d seen of the alpha as well. “So he doesn’t really care?”
Walsh shrugged. “He’s deferring to Sawyer on everything. I think he can’t wait for his son to take over next year.”
Geeze, that was not what the largest city of werewolves needed, a weak alpha. I was glad Sawyer was stepping up, but killing the prime minister, declaring war, and then getting on house arrest, wasn’t exactly in the plan.
“You should try to get some rest. That shoulder will heal faster with some sleep. I’ll keep watch.” He tipped his head toward the fire, where he’d laid out a few sleeping bags. A yawn escaped me at the mere mention of sleep, and I nodded.
A few hours wouldn’t hurt. “Thanks,” I told him, and took a sip of water from my canteen before slipping into the warm sleeping bag. It smelled like Walsh; he must have given me his. I set a mental clock for three hours so I could wake up and take a shift so Walsh could get some sleep.
Suddenly, the weight of the day pressed down on me. Killing the troll after getting shot, then sticking a hot poker in my own arm, then killing the psycho dark fey. It was all too much.
‘Gonna sleep a bit. Walsh keeping watch. Love you.’
‘’Kay, me too.’Sawyer’s reply was instant.‘And I really fucking love hearing you say that you love me.’
I fell asleep with a grin on my face.
I awoketo the sound of a banging metal pot and the smell of coffee.
Coffee.
My eyelids snapped open to see Walsh pouring thick black liquid into three steaming mugs. Then he poured some powdered cream and sugar packets into all of them.
“You have coffee!” I sat up and reached my hands out greedily for a mug.
He chuckled and I could see why Sage found him handsome. He was good looking in that rugged, I-don’t-talk-and-I-look-like-an-axe-murderer way.
“I like to be prepared,” was all he said, and handed me a mug.
Sage walked out of the bathroom then wearing tight yoga pants and a white t-shirt with no bra. Her red hair was pulled high into a messy topknot and she held a toothbrush in her hand. She was effortlessly beautiful, and I didn’t miss how his eyes raked over her body as she spoke.
“Walsh is a prepper. He’s probably got a sewing kit in his pack.”
Walsh scowled at her. “I do. Because sewing kits are useful in emergencies.”
Sage grinned, looking way too beautiful for this hour. “The next time I have an emergency button that needs mending, I’ll run right over.” She reached out and grabbed her mug from him and took a sip.
He chuckled. “You haven’t gone through senior year survival training yet. You’ll see. That shit will break you.”
Sage looked slightly terrified, but brushed it off.
“Senior year survival training?” I asked.
Walsh flicked his gaze to me. “When you become Sawyer’s wife, they’ll make you take it too. Throw you into the woods with a backpack and make you live off the land and find your way home.”
“Okay…” I looked at Sage, worried for her, and now for myself, although that was quite similar to what I was doing now. It was not lost on me how casually everyone assumed I was going to become Sawyer’s wife. I mean… he had to ask me and I had to say yes. Which I totally obviously would after some hardcore groveling for wearing that stupid necklace and picking Meredith.
Walsh shrugged. “Clearly it’s come in handy, so we have to prepare for anything.”
