Dean stood over her, panting. They’d not bitten each other. Small mercy, that was, but still locked within her core. And he was riding a high he’d never felt before. “We need to build a plan. What I was told about changing you back to a wolf shifter was wrong. It’s not possible. A doctor at the Black River Hospital, he’s actually the head of the facility. Dr. Graves, he’s sent over information on what we need to do to make sure we don’t die after we mate. It’s a simple blood test, and he’s willing to do it. But this tells me we can’t play around or ignore it anymore. The pull I could resist before, but now. This time it took me by surprise by how much stronger it was.” “Dean, it’s so much more than just us. We can’t just jump into this lightly. What were the guards you placed talking about? They said you spoke to the Moon Goddess, and she said we’re to mate? Are you losing it now mentally? No one’s been able to contact her with the Dream Realm destroyed.” Ki
“How do you plan to go about this? With the Council of Elders and the pack itself? Elder Evans has pretty much made me look like a monster to everyone. I’m not sure how to change that. Don’t even tell me you’ll talk about this fever dream you had. No one is going to believe you. Why would the Moon Goddess contact you when the oracles and seers can’t?” Dean finally got comfortable beside his mate on the small bed. He was more than happy to suffer the small space for a little while. He rode the high of not only having finally received the proof he needed to know that Kiera belonged with him, and she couldn’t deny it. When he knotted within his mate, that was the final telltale clue of a fated pairing. “That’s the thing. She sounded distracted, like she was trying to keep track of something or someone. Like she was talking to me, but she knew she wasn’t supposed to. It’s more of an impression I got. Do you remember any images or stories of her wearing one of those old-f
Dean left Kiera’s room and avoided looking at either of the enforcers stationed there. It didn’t help that one of them sniffed the air as he passed them. Ugh, they knew very well what happened in there. At least, they had the decency to not comment on it. He was sure between registering Kiera as his mate at the Healing Centre and the gossip those two were sure to spread. It wouldn’t be long before someone else would be up in arms about their mating. Downstairs, he left the healing centre to return to the packhouse. He needed to arrange a meeting with the Council of Elders, then he needs to speak with his pack, and ensure they knew this was part and parcel of the future. They needed to know that Lycans were considered a form of wolf shifter. A bigger, stronger version of wolf. Sure, they had a third form, one that would I still fear in anyone that would oppose them. That meant alphas like himself needed to care for the Lycan they could get into their packs so that the
Why was he being a coward? He’d known this she-wolf as long as he’d known Kiera. That was why he didn’t want this confrontation. They’d broken up the moment Cal realized there was nothing and would be nothing between them. When he thought about it, that was right around the time someone broke the spell during a rather odd business meeting with a rather creepy druid. His brain finally put two and two together. Dean could only blame his stupidity on there being so much going on that it was too much for him to see the forest for the trees. “Lucy, I’m working. You know how I hate you interrupting me while I’m dealing with sensitive pack business. What do you want you to can’t talk to Jerome about?” “Where’s Oliver?” She wouldn’t call Oli by his nickname because she enjoyed teasing him with the name he hated. “Travelling on business for the pack and myself. Out with it, what do you want?” “I came to see if I can help ease your baser needs.” She
Dean stood at the railing looking down as he watched Lucy run from the study and he made eye contact with Jerome. “Make sure the enforcers on guard here know to escort her out of the packhouse. I don’t want her cropping up in a place where she no longer belongs.” “Yes, Alpha. I was just in the process. What is going on? It’s like everyone has gone crazy.” Jerome muttered this more than expected an answer. Something was bothering Dean since Lucy opened her mouth. She’d always been a female who found talking and acting dirty a turn on, but he’d stopped feeling it. Right when? That business trip, the one that went belly up and was a complete failure. He’d gone to talk to a druid who wanted to bring a horticultural business to the area. The druid was very strange when they met for drinks. He’d insisted on Dean going to him and they had drinks in the hotel bar. Something was wrong with that, and he should have known about it. He muttered all sorts of str
Dean sat there and all but ignore the protests and threats he received from several of the Elders. Once they’d run out of righteous anger and quieted down, then he continued. “I have received nothing but hate, excuses, and insults in the last few months from the Council of Elders. Then add in the threats and demands that I do specific things that go against my sense and sensibilities. Several messages I’ve received reach far out of your place within the pack and on this council. It’s becoming dangerous for people. I also have noticed that none have asked about one of your long-standing members. Elder Evans is sadly not in good shape. He’s survived surgery, but that’s only temporary. Someone has been providing him with Lycan blood that he’s been injecting into himself. That blood he’s been using hasn’t turned him into a Lycan, instead has damaged most of the organs within his body beyond repair. That includes his brain, all because the Lycan blood was not compatible w
Dean stalked from the building and headed toward the packhouse when he heard a woman’s voice calling from behind him. He knew it was Elder Rutledge calling him, and he turned to watch her catch up with him. “Thank you. I couldn’t say anything to you, but you figured out enough on your own to do the right thing. I’ll make sure that they do everything you have demanded. How is Kiera? No one asked about Elder Evans, but no one asked about her either.” This made him feel better. She was the one elder he felt he could trust. “She’s almost healed enough to come back and then we’ll plan our mating ceremony after that. Right now I need to get onto tracking down a specific disreputable druid.” “A disreputable druid? I have an old friend who might have a son that can help with that. He’s an investigator and as long as you don’t ask too many questions, he gets results.” Dean looked seriously at the elder for a moment. “Do you think he can get results
After that, Dean went to retrieve Kiera from the healing centre. He didn’t like her being there for this long. It didn’t matter that she needed to heal; he didn’t trust that one healer. That’s when he wondered. He speculated whether the healer was related to the druid they were looking for. The healer’s words were so lacking in empathy. Dean feared two polar opposite things, and so he put the guards there while he was gone. That healer either worked with the black market rogue druid, and Kiera wasn’t safe there. Or Dean was seeing conspiracies everywhere that didn’t exist. Could anyone fault him since everything appeared so complicated currently if he was seeing false conspiracies? His father, the wolf, was an enigma. No one would speak about him. Dean had to admit that he’d not tried now that he had a name to find out more about him. That’s when he thought of his uncle’s old files. He kept notes on the pack’s members, all on paper. His unc