189

189
Silence followed.

Because that was the part I didn’t want to think about too long.

Frost Fang wasn’t forgiving. Not with outsiders. Not with anything that looked like instability.

Still, I held my ground.

“Lucien rebuilt this pack from chaos,” I said. “He can handle this.”

Rowan shook his head. “That’s not a strategy. That’s denial.”

His eyes hardened slightly. “And you’re compromised.”

That was enough.

My wolf reacted instantly, pushing forward at the insult. I forced it down.

No fight. Not here.

Instead, I stepped closer, letting my dominance press into the space between us.

“Go to Moonblood,” I said quietly. “Talk to Lucien. Then come back and tell me I’m wrong.”

A long beat passed.

Neither of us backed down first.

Then Rowan did.

Not in submission but in frustration. He turned sharply and left, footsteps heavy enough to shake the hallway.

Good. Let him think.

Outside, he was already in wolf form, huge, black, waiting in the truck bed like a shadow that refused to settle.

That was when Selena came.

She ran straight toward me without hesitation, emotion pouring through the bond before she even reached me unease, worry, something softer underneath.

I didn’t think so.

I caught her mid-step and lifted her into my arms.

She wrapped around me instantly.

And I kissed her.

No restraint. No distance. Just release.

When I finally pulled back, she looked lighter like the tension in her had shifted, even if just slightly.

For a moment, the expression on her face pulled me straight back to the promise I had made to Lucien earlier on the phone.

“That one was mine,” I said evenly. “And this one… is from Lucien.”

Still holding her steady with one arm, I tipped her chin up with my fingers and looked into her eyes. A teasing smile touched her lips just before I leaned in.

At first, the kiss was gentle. Be careful. Then it deepened, turning hungrier, rougher like I imagined Lucien would have kissed her after finally finding her again. In my mind, he wouldn’t have held back. Not with Cassius and Rowan there. He would have claimed her completely, right in front of them. And strangely enough, that thought made it easier for me to step away from it all later, once they had their time together.

When I finally pulled back, Selena didn’t move away. Instead, she brushed her lips lightly along my jaw and studied me.

“You’re jealous,” she murmured.

I let out a tired breath. The mate bond made hiding anything from her pointless. Maybe I should ask Rose if there was some way to dull it… because if this bond already felt this strong now, what would it be like when all of us were tied to her?

“Do you want me to talk to Lucien?” she asked, watching me closely.

“You really should,” I answered with a short laugh, waving it off.

“That’s not what I meant,” she said, her tone sharpening slightly, eyes locked on mine.

Even with her wolf surfacing, there was no instinct in her to submit. And yet she wasn’t an Alpha either. She stood somewhere outside the rules I knew demanding equality in a way that didn’t fit any pack structure I understood. The Odinswolves clearly played by different laws.

When I stayed silent, she straightened and kissed me again, softer this time. “You’ll talk to me while we’re apart?”

“Of course,” I replied. “I won’t be gone long. I just need to handle things here first.”

Being outside meant I had to keep my voice low. Too many ears could be listening, and I couldn’t risk mentioning my father’s schemes out in the open.

“Besides,” I added, “staying back gives me time to move my accounts and check on the people I hired to track your sister. I might even meet the Bloody Dawn pack before I leave.”

“You’ve got Cassius’s number?” she asked.

I nodded.

“I still think you should come with us,” she said quietly.

“Sometime soon,” I promised. Then I smirked faintly. “Go focus on Lucien for now. Because when I show up… I won’t be sharing your attention easily.”

Her smile came out soft but a little sad. I pushed my emotions through the bond, careful to hide the mess underneath.

Now that she knew how I felt about Lucien, the last thing I wanted was for her to look at me with pity whenever she was with him. She deserved to love all of us freely, without my jealousy poisoning it.

“What if my heat starts while you’re gone?” she asked suddenly.

“It won’t,” I said quickly, forcing confidence into my voice.

I’d never heard of back-to-back heats outside of mating season. If her body was following Odinswolf rules instead, then nothing was certain anymore. Still… if it matched her last cycle, we had more than a week.

“I won’t miss it,” I said firmly.

She studied me for a moment, then slowly slid down from my hold. I could feel how much stronger she’d already become in just a few days, though she still had a long way to go before she fully recovered.

“Goodbye… for now,” she whispered.

“Your other mates will take care of you,” I replied.

Cassius stepped in then, giving my shoulder a firm clap.

“Don’t fail her,” he murmured near my ear before stepping back. “See you in Frost Fang.”

I nodded once.

Soon after, he and Selena climbed into the truck. The road from Elder Forest to Moonblood ran mostly through neutral highways, so the journey itself wasn’t the danger.

We hadn’t told anyone they were leaving today. No warnings. No leaks. Still, Cassius planned to take a longer, less predictable route out of Elder Forest territory just in case Bloodfang eyes were watching. It would add hours to the trip, but it was safer than being followed.

The truck slowly rolled away from the estate, shrinking into the distance.

In the back, the black wolf lifted his head one last time, staring back at me until the road curved and swallowed them from sight.

Even though he was already too far to hear, I still spoke the promise into the empty air.

“I’ll finish what you started, Rowan.”