Without looking back, he turned and followed Chase into the sharp morning air, his wolf already rising, ready to defend his town from his own stupid mistake.
Chapter 13 - Dani
Dani sat at the big oak table in Thistlehouse’s front room, hands wrapped around a mug of cooling tea, watching snow slide lazily past the windows. A log crackled in the stove. Someone had hung herbs to dry from the rafters; they brushed the top of her head when she leaned back, a familiar sensation from home.
Arthur was a knot at the back of her ribs, a steady tug of a presence headed downhill with his men. The bond said he was focused, grim, but not in immediate danger. That was the only reason she wasn’t already halfway through the woods to be out there with him.
“Honestly,” Penelope said, primly sipping a cup of tea opposite her, “if the Volkhov don’t just rip the Volnoye’s throats out on sight, I’ll be disappointed.”
“Dominic won’t risk an open fight so close to town,” Lavinia said. She sat near the stove, knitting something unrecognizable. “Not during daylight hours, at any rate.”
“Then he can invite them up to the mountain and rip their throats out there,” Penelope said. “Problem solved.”
A couple of the Juneau witches laughed. Someone made a low, appreciative noise at the thought of Dominik Volkhov losing his temper.
“They’re not all idiots,” Dani said, before she could stop herself.
Heads turned.
Lavinia’s needles paused. Penelope’s eyebrows went up. Edith, leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded, watched Dani over the rim of her mug, and narrowed her eyes.
“The Volnoye?” Penelope asked. “Everyone knows the threat they pose.”
“I meant the Volkhov and the Nordan,” Dani said, pulse thudding harder. “Dominic isn’t going to start a war unless he has to. Arthur won’t, either.”
“Arthur won’t breathe without worrying about how it looks to his wolves,” one of the Juneau witches snorted.
Another ripple of laughter.
It hit her wrong.
Dani shifted her fingers on the mug. “He’s under pressure,” she said, keeping her tone even. “With the hybrids. With us being here. All of it.”
Penelope stared at her. “My word,” she said, “listen to you.”
“What?” Dani snapped.
“You, defending the big bad Alpha,” Penelope said, “I could weep. I really could.”
“Penny,” Lavinia murmured in warning.
Penelope ignored her. “I mean, come on, Dani. We all know what you’re about.” She sniffed imperiously. “Lavinia offers you up as a peace offering, and you get the chance to bat your lashes at thesexylocal Alpha, let him bite you so his pack stops frothing at the mouth every time they see a witch. It’s clever.” Her smile sharpened. “We didn’t realize you were actually going to catch feelings in the middle of it.”
“Wow,” Dani said. Her skin had turned oddly cold. “Thank you so much for the insight into my emotional life; it’s really valuable.”
“You can’t blame us for being surprised,” another witch, Tamsin, from Juneau, said. “You didn’t seem so comfortable a few days ago.”
“We’re mates,” Dani said. The words came out flat.
“And now you’re living in his house,” Penelope pointed out, “his bed.”
Heat flashed through Dani’s magic, quick and dangerous. The mug warmed in her hands.
“Enough,” Lavinia said softly. The room stilled. “We can discuss Dani’s choices without turning into teenagers.” Her gaze cut to Dani. “You don’t owe anyone an explanation. That includes us.”
Dani let out a breath. Still, the prickle under her skin didn’t ease.
“We’re not blind, Lavinia,” Penelope said. “We see the way the wolves look at us. Like we’re bombs. We see the way Dominic uses Layla, yet still refuses to acknowledge what she truly is. They’ll use us as long as we’re useful, then they’ll fall back on their hate. Same as ever.”
