“He had to scout it ahead.”
“He had to scout it more than once.” Derek meets my eyes. “Whoever this is has been on your land before tonight. Probably more than twice.”
I press my palms flat to the counter. My claws are right under the skin, and they’ll come through if I let them.
“If Vanessa is moving on Ethan, that’s a problem.”
“I don’t know.” My frustration leaks through. “And I don’t care. If she gets him across the territory line into Crimson Rock, the legal mess becomes a pack mess. Two packs at each other’s throats over a four-year-old. The Council will weigh in, and these days, weighing in means telling us we can’t go to war over a custody matter, which is Council code for the mother gets the boy and the alpha gets a slap on the wrist.”
Derek’s jaw works. “So deal with Vanessa.”
I look away. “It would be easy. If she can make a mistake on our turf, Coach can deal with her, but I can’t go after her just yet.”
“Mm.” He drums his fingers once on the counter. “Good point. So about Miranda…”
“Don’t.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“You’re about to.”
He flashes me that crooked half-smile he used to wear in college, the one Gabriel always swore could get him out of anything. He tips his chin toward the stairs.
“She’s not just a fake fiancée, is she?”
My silence is its own answer.
Derek laughs, low and pleased. “I’ve never seen you look at any woman the way you look at her. Not even Vanessa. You watched the boy chase her around the yard tonight like a man watching his whole future.”
I exhale. “She’s my fated mate.”
His face changes. The amusement smooths out into something I can’t read for a beat, then he claps me on the back hard enough to rattle my teeth, the grin breaking back across his face.
“Brother. That’s huge.” His hand stays on my shoulder a second longer than I expect. “Tell me you’ve petitioned the Council.”
“I haven’t.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because I don’t intend to.”
He sits back, eyebrows climbing. “Are you planning to keep her by your side without the mark?”
“I’m planning to do whatever it takes to keep her alive.”
“Grayson.”
“I don’t trust them, Derek.” My voice has gone low. “I’ve never trusted them. You know what they did to Gabriel.”
He goes very still on the stool, then tips his head toward me slowly. “Does Coach know about her?”
“He figured it out at the arena. After what Vanessa pulled.”
Derek runs a hand through his hair. “Coach is a stickler for the rules. He won’t let you skate around the petition. He’ll make you go through the channels whether you want to or not.”
“He’s already told me as much.”
“And?”
