“Sorry, I was distracted by your beauty,” I say.
Rose looks flustered but also happy. “What did you want to say?”
“Dr. Francis asked me to meet him and Betty, our second elder, later after breakfast.”
She nods. “So that’s why he linked you. I was expecting him to want to talk to us. I am sure he is aware of certain things not adding up, like Leonard was.”
“Do you want to be honest with him?” Martin asks.
“I feel like we should,” Rose admits. “About both Forest and me. But I don’t like adding more and more people to the circle who know. Leonard was an exception because he was an old friend of my father, and he always stayed away from Jordan. He knew certain things when he approached us last night. In his case, it was safer to include him than to build even more lies. The elders, however…” Her voice trails off.
“I get that,” Martin agrees. “But I also think Dr. Francis is a risk worth taking. Having him in our corner…”
“…gives us all the power,” I agree.
“So far, he hasn’t disappointed us,” Rose admits. “And he was a great help today by stepping in. He was also a great help with Lissa.”
“I don’t think he will share our secret with anyone,” Forest says.
“What to do when someone from your old pack blabs?” Martin asks.
“That’s the least of my concerns.” Rose shrugs. “Jordan decided on the narrative first. He will not want anyone to think I was his true fated mate. It will have him killed if everyone finds out that he illegally broke the bond. Even if his pack starts saying otherwise, he will pretend it’s not true.”
“And you think everyone will believe him?” I ask.
“No, but I also think others won’t be sure what to believe. And the truth of me being his chosen mate is the much easier one to swallow. A lot of high-ranking people made deals with Jordan. For them, it’s simply more comfortable to tell themselves that there was no way I was his true mate. Just look at it from their perspective.”
“People are gullible, especially when they want to believe something,” Martin agrees.
“Well then, the ship has sailed and let’s keep it that way,” I joke.
Rose smiles, leaning her head against my shoulder. The fact she does that so naturally makes my stomach do joyful backflips. She is such a strong and dignified person, yet she allows herself to be vulnerable with me.
“Do you want me to accompany you?” Martin asks.
I shake my head. “Go and get some sleep,” I tell him.
“I did get some sleep last night,” he argues.
I raise my brows. “Yeah, more than two hours?”
Martin looks flustered. “Am I really that easy to look through?”
“No,” Rose reassures him. “But we know you well enough by now.”
“Alright, alright,” he sighs. “But you two didn’t get much sleep either, I bet.”
Rose and I avoid looking at each other, not to give anything of our nightly activities away. He doesn’t need to know how true his statement is. “We are okay,” I finally say. “We’ll talk to the elders and then have a short rest.”
Dr. Francis and Betty await us when we arrive at Betty’s place. It is a bit secluded, giving us more anonymity and privacy.
The moment she spots us, she gets to her feet, walks over to Rose and hugs her. “We haven’t met each other officially yet,” she says, drawing back a little and taking Rose’s hands. “I am Betty,” she says. “And I, for one, am truly happy that fate brought you to our pack.”
“Me too, in case that wasn’t obvious from our first meeting on,” Dr. Francis adds. “Come, sit down.”
Betty has prepared tea and cake. I should not be hungry after breakfast, but I have a sweet tooth. It’s like I have a whole separate stomach for sweets.
“You’ve changed a lot,” Dr. Francis says all of a sudden. “Forest. I knew you had it in you, but I wasn’t sure if you would be able to step up.”
