I was almost one hundred percent sure Rys would be okay with it. Axel? I didn’t know which way he would go. “Do you think either of them would be okay with it?”
Mase hummed. “I think Rys would appreciate a chance to do this in private.”
“I agree.”
“And his feelings towards Zane have softened somewhat. Axel, though…” He held his hands out. “I just don’t know.”
“That’s about where I am too. I think facilitating this now, though, in a controlled environment, is far preferable than having their first meeting be somewhere like Cassie’s or Midnight.” I rubbed my jaw, contemplating the best way to approach this. “We aren’t scheduled to transport Zane until later this afternoon.”
“Rys is at the pack house all day,” Mase offered.
I pulled out my phone. “You go back in there and tell Zane we’ll ask, but offer no guarantees. I’ll give Axel and Rys a call.”
As it turned out,both Rys and Axel were prepared to come into the station to meet with Zane. So just after lunch I escorted them both down to the same interview room we’d used that morning.
As with every time I saw Axel, I thought as hard as I could about that night at Stella’s. About what Xen had accused John Allen of doing and what he’d ordered me and Jake not to do, praying thatthis timehis magic would kick in and he’d be able to read my thoughts.
And just like all the times before it, nothing happened.
Was it me? For whatever reason, did his magic have an aversion to working when in proximity to me? The way my luck was going recently, I wouldn’t rule it out.
Jake, Mase, and Chylath waited for us in the room with Zane.
I wished I could’ve told Jake to fill his mind with that night, over and over, but he had no idea about Axel’s ability and I couldn’t tell him because it wasn’t my secret to disclose.
After introducing Rys and Chylath, Jake took Chylath back upstairs to give us some privacy. I watched him go, embracing that tiny pang of longing that flared in my chest whenever we were apart. I glanced back to find Axel watching me, frowning slightly. I held my breath, every fibre of my being willing him to see what was in my head as I rushed to fill it with nothing but memories of that night.
Come on, Axel. Please.
“Take a seat,” Mase gestured to the two chairs at the table opposite Zane, drawing Axel’s attention, and I curled my hands into fists to hide my frustration. He was just doing his job, doing what I should be doing instead of trying to force something that obviously wasn’t going to happen.
“We can’t leave you alone,” I said, moving to stand beside Mase against the back wall, “but we’ll try and be as unobtrusive as we can.” I checked the time on my phone. “You have thirty minutes.”
Zane fidgeted in his seat, eyes fixed on the table before blowing out a breath and looking up at Rys and then Axel. “Thank you for coming,” he said, and I wondered what expression Rys and Axel wore. As an alpha, Rys could be intimidating, scary if he so chose, and I wondered how hard it was for Zane to look him in the eye after what he’d done.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was soft but clear. “I’m sorry I played a part in allowing Tombs to capture you and torture you both.”
“If you could go back and change it, would you?” It wasn’t Rys who asked; it was Axel. His voice so devoid of emotion, I hardly recognised it.
“I—” Zane faltered. “If it meant my family were still safe, then yes. You were my friend, Axel. I should never have put you in danger, either of you… but I—fuck.” He tried to run a hand through his hair, cursing again when the cuffs stopped him. “I was so scared of what would happen to Larissa and the kids, I couldn’t think of anything but seeing them safe. I’m so fucking sorry.”
I wasn’t sure what answer Axel had been expecting, but he didn’t offer anything else.
Zane sat forward, arms resting on the table, and sighed. “I know we can’t go back to how it was before, and I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just hope this has made it easier to be civil when we inevitably run in to each other.”
Rys reached across the table and grasped Zane’s wrist. I lurched towards them when Zane startled, but Mase grabbed my arm.
“Wait,” he murmured.
“I do forgive you,” Rys said, surprising the fuck out of me and everyone else in the room. “You were protecting your family in the only way you thought you could. Do I think there was a better way?” He let out a harsh laugh. “Yes, I do, but I believe you when you say you felt like there was no other choice. But, Goddess forbid, if you are ever in that situation again, I expect you to come to me, or Max, or anyone of us. Because despite everything,wewould help you.”
Zane sat there stunned, and I knew he didn’t believe Rys’s words, saw the evidence when his gaze swung to Axel.
“I’m not as ready to forgive you as Rys is,” Axel said, more warmth in his voice this time. “But he’s right. If anything like that happens again, I would help you in a heartbeat.”
Zane blinked back tears, the emotions rolling off him a jumbled mess. “Thank you.”
When no one else spoke, I figured we were done. “Let me escort you two back to the car park; we need to prepare Zane for transportation soon.”
I left Mase with Zane and walked Axel and Rys back outside. We were almost to the car when Axel grabbed my arm. He glanced from me to Rys and back again.
“Something wrong?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“You tell me.” Axel’s violet gaze bore into mine. “What the fuck is going on with your pack?”
