“He is a traitor and should be held accountable.”
“He is protected by the governing laws of the Sanc.”
“I thought your society had no governance.”
“You are more than two and a half thousand miles from your pack, Child Alpha. You have no jurisdiction here.”
“He tried to kill my father!”
I twist my toe into the dusty floor of Mal’s tent. Jasper and Mal have been going at it like this for almost fifteen minutes now and neither seems willing to back down. Mal sits on a wicker chair, the kind with a high, rounded back, which makes it look like a tropical-themed throne. To her side Kairos sits on a large cushion, uninterested, literally dozing off during this wolfy squabble.
After last night’s surprise guest appearance, Jasper and I made our way back to our tent and I know he didn’t sleep from the way he was tossing and turning. Meaning I didn’t sleep either. I rub my eyes as I let them go at it, hoping they’ll wear each other out eventually.
“Rogue life is about redemption and forgiveness. George is committed to rehabilitating himself.”
“He’s a murderer and a traitor,” Jasper spits. “He should be locked up.”
“Just because you and your pack system do not believe in second chances—”
“We believe in second chances, just not for traitorous murderers.”
“One less alpha in the world doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to me,” Mal says, leveling her gaze.
Jasper’s mouth hangs open, his brow tight. “You support his crimes?”
“I do not support violence. But I am not about to be railroaded in my own sanctuary.”
“You’re a fool.”
“And you are out of line.” On this Mal rises from her wicker chair, Kairos stirs and lifts his head but remains placidly on his stomach. “You are a guest in this community. Invited to attend a sacred ritual, during which you incited violence and disturbed the peace. I have every reason to expel you from this land.”
“Then why don’t you?!” Jasper asks, his hands out wide.
Mal’s eyes flick to mine, so swiftly it’s hard to notice, but Jasper does. He turns to look at me, red-faced and incredulous.
I shake my head because I do not want to be dragged into this. And I definitely don’t want to try and convince Jasper that he shouldn’t care about the man who almost had his dad and me killed.
Mal takes a breath and settles back into her chair. She rests her head in her palm briefly, her exhaustion poking through for just a moment, then she glances at Kairos, who’s beady black eyes stare back at his mate. I wonder if they’re communicating without being heard, if they’re speaking across the mind-link. Finally, Mal straightens her back once more and turns her attention back to us.
“I should,” Mal says finally. “I should kick you out on your gilded ass. But for reasons I’m not willing to share, I think it best that Max stays until Yoki is able to help him commune with the lupine chorus.” Jasper glances at me once more and I shrug in return. “So until I’m informed that Max has a grasp of his powers, I’m obliged to let you stay.”
Jasper grunts.
“Believe me, if I didn’t know you two came as a package things would be different. You’ve long spent the currency which your mother afforded you here.”
“And Mr. Peng?” Jasper asks, his voice gruff.
“I have asked George to stay within the confines of his tent for the duration of your stay. He will give you space, I hope you can at least offer him the same in return. Now, I believe you have a school to finish building. But be warned, Child Alpha, one more incident like last night and you will understand the full might of this community.”
Jasper snarls one last time before spinning and exiting the tent. He doesn’t look back or wait to see if I’m following.
I shoot Mal an apologetic smile then turn to follow, but I stop when she speaks again.
“Max,” she says. “I meant what I said. If you can tap into the great consciousness, you could do amazing things for all of wolfkind.”
I turn back to find Mal watching me intently, and for a moment I have the distinct feeling she’s trying to tell me something without words, though what it is I haven’t got a clue. Kairos has laid his head on his front paws, but he’s watching me too.
“Do you understand?” Mal asks.
