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He froze as it hit him with full force. That was his mate. Mostyn and Isam were his mates.
Isam furrowed his brows. “You okay?”
Servas had to practically shake himself out of his stupor. “Yes, yes. Fine.” He swallowed, then extended his hand to Mostyn. “Hi, Mostyn. I’m Servas. It’s so nice to meet you in person.”
Mostyn’s face lit up with a friendly smile, those green eyes sparkling. “In person? That sounds like people have been talking about me.”
Servas shot Isam a look. “I don’t know about people, but Isam has…”
Mostyn’s smile changed into a grin. “Has he now? All good things, I hope?”
Servas forced himself to let go of his mate’s hand before things got awkward. “Absolutely.”
He sat in the spot between Mostyn and Isam, fighting to keep cool when all he wanted to do was scream with joy that he’d found his mates.
As soon as the meeting started, that nervous energy dissipated because the mood was heavy and somber.
“Thank you all for coming,” Palani said, looking like death warmed over.
Servas frowned. Palani looked…sick. Was he okay? Maybe the stress of the job was getting to him. Servas had heard some rumors about things slipping between the cracks lately, promises that hadn’t been kept, appointments Palani had missed, and small things the beta normally would’ve solved that had become big frustrations. Maybe Lidon needed to name a third-in-command, someone who could help carry some of the load.
Palani continued. Was it Servas’s imagination, or did the beta sound more timid than usual? He was missing that sassy spark. “As we announced yesterday, the goal of today’s meeting is twofold. First of all, we’d like an initial headcount of anyone contemplating leaving. If you’re not comfortable speaking up in this meeting, come find me or Lidon afterward for a private conversation. Can I get a show of hands of those who are willing to let us know at this point?”
Servas breathed out in relief when no one moved. He hadn’t expected anything else, but still.
Palani’s smile showed he shared that relief. “Well, unless all of you are going to accost us afterward, this is encouraging.”
Grayson spoke up. “We choose pack. We made that choice before when things looked dire, and there is no reason to change it. This is our home, our land. We’ll take a stand.”
Bray hummed in agreement. “I second that. We’re bound by our loyalty to the pack as much as by blood. This is our family. We’re not leaving.”
Murmurs of agreement traveled through the barn, and Servas had to speak up. “Alpha, we swore our loyalty and allegiance to the pack and to your son. We are not breaking that oath now.”
The look of gratitude Lidon shot him made him sit up a little straighter. “Thank you, cousin. I’m honored and humbled to have your trust and loyalty.”
As if Servas would’ve ever left. Jawon had died protecting the pack, and Servas wouldn’t let that sacrifice be for nothing. If not for Jawon himself, Servas owed that much to Uncle Leland and Aunt Sophie.
“We’re about to get to the fun part of the program,” Isam whispered to Mostyn.
Mostyn quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“They’re about to do some kind of shifting experiment.”
Mostyn’s mouth dropped open. “They’re gonna shift?”
Isam nodded. “You wanted to see it? Here’s your chance.”
Servas smiled at Mostyn’s enthusiasm. He knew the feeling. Even if he couldn’t shift himself, he still loved watching those who could. Lidon, especially, was magnificent as a wolf. Awe-inspiring.
“Right, the shifting thing,” Palani said, and Servas focused on him again. “Okay, we have a new theory we want to test. We’re not going to explain what it is because we want your reactions to be as unbiased as possible. Ruari, would you please come forward?”
Everyone else watched Ruari as he undressed at Palani’s request, then shifted in one fluid motion, but Servas’s eyes were trained on Palani. Pale, shaky Palani, who looked like he hadn’t slept in days and who kept tripping over his words.
Something was wrong with him. Very, very wrong.
7
One moment, Mostyn had been staring at a naked omega, wondering where on earth that guy got the guts to do this in front of everyone, and the next, he was looking at a wolf. A beautiful white wolf stood next to Palani, its head raised.
