“Yep. Because when she won, no one would be able to object, and Izzy and I could run the pack together and finally pull us into the present instead of living fifty years in the past.” She sank back against the chair. “But now Faris is dead. And while I don’t give a fuck about that part, it’s really ruined my plans.”
Jake sat up straighter, a sudden buzz about him that hadn’t been there before. “I could just take his place though, right? Nothing has to change. If I fight Izzy—and lose, obviously—then she gets to claim you as hers and I’m off the hook, no? Surely Xen and Haylen can’t go back on their deal if it was out of my control?”
It sounded perfect in theory, but if that was the case, why hadn’t Myla led with that as a proposal? One look at her grim expression told me it wasn’t as straightforward as it sounded.
“It’s a fight to the death,” she said simply, and I watched all the fight drain from Jake like someone had pulled the plug on him.
“Fuck.” He scrubbed both hands over his face, blocking everything out, and my heart hurt at the despair rolling off him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, the sincerity in her voice making me like her a little more. “I wish it could’ve been that easy. Trust me.”
“Are there any more old pack laws that might be of use?” I asked. History wasn’t really my thing. Neither was pack law.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, I don’t know all of them, but I can’t think of what sort of law could get us out of a pact that we both agreed to.”
I narrowed my eyes as something occurred to me. “Why did you agree? With Faris out of the way, you could’ve said no to Jake. Then chosen another pack member you aren’t all that fond of and still executed your original plan.” She flinched, and a low growl rumbled out of me because Iknew. “Did you suggest it?”
“What? No. Of course not.”
“But you agreed to an arranged marriage with someone you’ve never met. Why?”
“I already told you—”
“No.” I cut her off with a snarl. “Tell me the truth now or we’re done.”
She snarled back, a fire in her dark eyes that should’ve warned me off, but I ignored it. “You need my help to get out of this.”
“We’ll find another way.” I shrugged. “Maybe there’s another law that’ll let me fight you for Jake’s hand.”
Her eyes widened, the fire in them dimming slightly as her gaze swept over me. I was a big guy, even by shifter standards. Genetics had gifted me a head start, and I’d built on that with regular visits to the gym. Myla might be fierce and ready to take on her whole pack, but in a one-on-one with me? She didn’t stand a chance and she knew it.
“There’s no such law.” Her voiced lacked the conviction it needed.
“Are you sure?” I taunted. “I might not be up to speed with all the old laws, but I know someone who probably is.”
“Rys?” Jake asked, curiosity filling his eyes as he looked at me. He might not have known where I was going with this, but he trusted me enough to let it play out.
I had no idea how far back into our history Rys’s knowledge of pack law extended, but I was willing to bet he’d give it a good go at finding out if there was anything that could help us.
If only I could tell him what was going on.
But Myla didn’t need to know about that part.
“Fine,” she gritted out. “I agreed to marryyou”—she nodded at Jake—“because I’d already agreed to marry whoever he thought was best for the pack, and I knew he was going to choose Owen for me. Izzy’s an amazing fighter, but I’m not sure if she could beat Owen, and I wasn’t willing to risk her.”
I thought as much. Not that I blamed her, objectively speaking. Myla didn’t know us; she was just trying to get out of a shitty situation.
But she’d been willing to have her partner fight Jake to the death without regard for him or anyone who cared about him.
And for that I wanted to kill her where she sat.
Only the knowledge that it’d fuck me and Jake over if I did it kept me in my seat. Didn’t stop my claws from sliding out or my fangs breaking through my gums.
Didn’t stop me letting Myla see it all either.
She paled but straightened her shoulders regardless, her chin tilted up. “It didn’t seem like a big deal when you were some random stranger. But then I met you both and—”
“And?” I prompted.
