Page 32 of Hidden Nature

Colt turned to Elias, who was standing there observing, looking relaxed, but I knew he would be ready the second he was needed. I could feel his trust and loyalty to Colt, but I could also tell he felt Colt was being irrational.

“Colt,” I said, drawing his attention back to me. “This doesn’t need to happen now. I want you to be sure when I bring you into the nos. Being as we are now changes nothing and I still expect you to figure out your emotions when it comes to Rath and sharing me with the others. While I understand my leaving rattled you, there is no excuse for treating Rath the way you have.”

Reaching out, I took his hand and let him pull me to his chest, where he wrapped me up in his arms and kissed my forehead. “I’ll work on it. It won’t be a problem anymore.”

Nodding, I just let myself enjoy the warmth of his body seeping into mine. “That’s all I ask. Now there is another issue we need to deal with, but we’ll need Lane and Zander.”

“Let’s get you warm and comfortable while we talk,” Elias encouraged. “I’ll make you some hot cocoa.”

“You guys do realize that while it’s chilly out, I’m perfectly fine, right? Just like you guys, I run hotter than the average human. Not to mention, I’m not even a human,” I pointed out. “From what I understand, elves are strong and made to exist in nature in all its elements.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to my wolf. He’s losing his mind,” Cole muttered as he led me back up the steps into the house. “He’s a controlling, possessive bastard.”

Smirking, I glanced up at him. “Just your wolf?”

Colt looked affronted. “I’m not controlling. That’s Zander’s department.”

“What am I being accused of?” Zander asked, exiting the library with a few books in his hands. “Only fair to tell me so I can defend myself in case it’s all bullshit.”

“You’re a possessive, controlling asshole when it comes to Finley,” Elias volunteered.

Zander paused, then grinned. “Now that’s the God’s honest truth. I won’t deny it. I was only willing to give Rath five more minutes before I went out there to get her. It’s too cold to be out there lying on the ground with hardly any clothes on.”

“You guys make it sound like I’m wearing shorts and a tank top,” I grumbled. “I have a sweater and leggings, hardly inappropriate for this weather.”

“Hate to break it to you, but no matter what you say, little dove, you’re not going to change my mind,” Zander pointed out, stepping into my space to brush his fingers along my cheek. “Do you feel that… she’s frozen to the bone. I’ll get a blanket.”

“Fine, then we need to talk. Where are Mason and Noah?” I asked as they directed me to the couch.

“They went to go check on Peggy,” Lane answered, joining us and handing me a steaming mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows.

I gaped at him. “How did you know?”

“Elias told me. This whole mental connection thing is going to come in handy,” Lane explained.

Seeing how excited he was, had me doubting this was the right move. I didn’t count on it being another way they could smother me with their love and overprotective nature.

“We’ll come back to that subject,” I muttered. “Will the twins be coming back soon or do they have other work to deal with?”

Lane cocked his head as he watched me for a moment. “You don’t want to have this conversation without everyone, do you?”

Curling up in the overstuffed cloth armchair, I shook my head. “No, it’s better if we all go over matters at once.” Lane pulled out his phone, but I motioned for him to wait. “I’d like to go see Peggy. There might be more she knows and just doesn’t realize it. She’s been working with the Senate for years and none of you knew. Safe to say she can keep her mouth shut.”

“Little dove, I’m pretty sure I got everything out of her. She broke once she understood what she did put everyone else in danger,” Zander argued.

“While I believe you got out of her what she thinks is important for us to know, the knowledge that could tilt this in our favor seem quite mundane and useless,” I explained, knowing from other occasions where I’d had to torture someone for information they didn’t know they had.

The three alphas seemed to be speaking to each other silently even though I knew they couldn’t, yet after a moment, they all came to an agreement. “We will take you to see Peggy. After that, we will meet at the pack house and talk. We need to agree on sentencing for her anyways,” Colt said before pinning me with a look. “No matter what she tells us, she needs to be held accountable for her actions. It could have gotten us all killed.”

My brows shot up at his accusatory tone like I was the one who was going to be the problem. “I agree, but why do I get the feeling you didn’t think I would?”

“The last time we had an issue with one of our wolves, you wanted us to wait so you could help him. In the end, he tried to hurt you, and Elias killed him,” Colt pointed out. “Peggy has done something far worse, giving up our pack’s emergency measures, and it might very well lead to her death. I just need to know you aren’t going to let your omega’s need to soothe the pack cause a bigger problem.”

“I can see why you would think something might come up, but I assure you this is completely different. Craig was using the situation to get you to kill him. He’d done nothing that deserved that punishment so far. Ultimately, he made his choice and got what he wanted,” I reasoned. “The matter with Peggy is one where she went out of her way to cause trouble with the pack, sharing secrets she’d sworn never to give up. So no, I will not stand in your way or cause any issues.”

Elias stood and handed me a pair of shoes. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get this over with.”

eighteen