20

Grief struck my heart like a lightning bolt splitting a tree trunk. I swept my hand over my sternum three times, one for every panicked

surprise that made me want to bolt from the room. It wasn’t a terrible room. Nothing was wrong with this room at all. Once the loose-leaf tea had been prepared, I took the pot and cups to the table.

Truly, there was nothing remotely awful about the rustic aesthetic. The cabin was beautifully built with columns guarding the front door that were carved with runes and animal faces. Sun-bleached wood fresh from being trimmed hosted portraits of pack members, artwork done by the mixed-age school children, and jars holding various protection items like amulets, bones, and rocks.

A kitchenette sat behind me next to a wood-burning stove, and a few modern furnishings made up the space in front of the fireplace. There was a table, a bookshelf with games, radios for communicating with either one of the packs, and a set of security cameras installed by Jermaine that could be accessed by each alpha.

It doubled as a safehouse bunker for the alphas as well, though I found that a useless addition, considering I would fight to the death right next to my pack members. Nothing would have prevented such a thing in the past. I didn’t see that ever changing.

However much my pack—and by extension, Blake’s pack—wanted to protect me, I wanted to protect them. No threat to our safety could force my hand to do otherwise. It was a commitment I took to heart, one that

would make me wither away if I were to violate or pervert that dedication.

The feeling amplified when the door latch clicked, and the security system chimed to indicate Blake’s arrival. He stepped into the room, filling it quickly with his compassion and care, his energy warbling like a hovercraft. Everywhere he went, he attracted people—shifters and humans

—who seemed to benefit from his touch, his presence. I hoped one day to embody such leadership.

Blake smiled warmly and extended his hand. “Troy, it’s always a pleasure to see you. I’m glad you made yourself at home.”

He was talking about the pot of tea on the table with the thrifted cups that Jada had so generously provided. Receiving gifts from Blake’s

pack member made me feel like she valued me as well as her mate. It was an extension I appreciated deeply.

I nodded in kind and gestured for Blake to take a seat. Words weren’t quite ready to appear from my wolf today. That was always

something I would honor with my animal form. What my mother had taught me remained true regardless of her absence. It wounded me to remember

she was gone.

“The tea smells lovely,” Blake commented, and then began pouring our cups despite my silent insistence that I should be the one doing it. “I

should start by saying that your cousin has been getting into arguments with our schoolteacher, Miss Elwyn.”

I deflated with a sigh.

Indeed, no words were needed yet. The alpha would tell me everything I needed to know without me having to ask. That was the

wonderful part of us sharing a friendship. We understood each other to a certain extent without requiring words.

The teacups clinked as Blake added sugar cubes and stirred them in. “I recall you saying that he lost a child when your pack was raided. My deepest condolences, Troy. I can’t begin to imagine the horror.”

I accepted the teacup with a grateful nod and stared into the liquid, studying how some of the loose-leaf stuff came loose, tiny blobs of black mingling with the rich forest green. Blake moved slowly and gracefully

while setting up our small plates with goodies. Once again, Jada had outdone herself by preparing snacks. She must have sent them with the generous alpha when he was on his way here.

I made a mental note to send a basket as thanks. “I appreciate you watching out for him, Blake. I’m sorry his behavior is so—”

Blake chuckled. “You should have met me before I became alpha.” That made me smile. “Ah, I see we understand each other.”

“My father wasn’t a perfect man. My mother less so. I’m just…” He looked up at the ceiling, gaze fluttering as if trying to catch sight of an

elusive butterfly. “I’m a culmination of them.”

“But you’re not a spitting image. I can tell that much.” He grinned. “That’s true. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I sipped my tea. A lively warmth swelled in my belly after I

swallowed the delicious concoction, and then my muscles eased. Somebody was working magic on these herbs. And if not, at the very least, someone

was speaking kindly to them while they were growing.

I wondered who.

“How are you doing?” Blake inquired, and I could tell by his tone that he meant the question. “Are you finding everything you need?”

I angled the teacup toward me to peer deeper into the liquid.

Sometimes leaves could tell us more about ourselves than anyone else. Depending on the shape, I could discover things about my mood that I couldn’t by speaking.

While exploring the loose-leaf that floated about, my thumb roamed the handle. “Just fine, I believe. Wendell is happy to have the silence and

solitude. Isaiah wanders freely between the lands. Elias seems happy to do the same.” My smile fell. “Well, I know he’s been upset about his boy lately. I can tell.”

Blake nodded. “I get that.” He frowned sympathetically. “He’s your cousin. So, you lost family in the process too.”

“Why does the alpha of the Beaufort Creek pack wish to keep my

company today?” I asked, changing the topic to keep the grief at bay. It was not yet apparent whether that would work. “Is he bored of his flock?”

His chuckle reminded me of the easier things in life. “I could never.” His laugh deepened. “Though I do grow tired some days. Hearing names all hours of the night exhausts me.”

“I could venture to guess.”

And I had to guess, considering I wasn’t at all familiar with his way of running his pack. He chose mate pairings, yet was proud of his resistance to tradition. I wasn’t quite sure what he meant. If arranged marriages

weren’t traditional, then what was for Blake Hayden?

“I was surprised this morning to hear your name,” he admitted. And before I could protest, he continued, “I’m not saying you should do this, but

—”

“You highly encourage it.”

Ah, there was that silence again, a mixture of feelings clouding over the scent of freshly brewed tea. The very molecules in the air seemed to

stiffen at the energy bubbling between us like boiling water. It wasn’t animosity or strife, nor had it anything to do with hatred.

Something else. Something stranger. Were we bonding?

I hung my head. “I hate to burst your bubble, but I don’t believe I’m meant to mate, Blake.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“I assure you in this case that it’s true.”

He rested his elbows on the table. “They all say that as well.” “Blake.”

“That’s my name. Don’t wear it out.”

What kind of alpha even used such a phrase? As annoying as it

should have been, my patience remained intact, forcing me to smile fondly instead of scowling. Comments like that would have produced a reaction from someone like, say, Elias, who could be utterly insufferable at the best of times.

Then again, cousins were apt to be like that, weren’t they?

I took a deep breath and leaned back in my chair. “Dare I ask who it

is?”

her.”

“I think you’ll prove to be a fine match, if you choose to accept “I have a choice?”

Blake’s amusement ballooned through the room without him

making a single sound. “I used to think it wasn’t useful.” He shrugged. “My mother kept putting shit in my head about it. I didn’t want to believe that having a mate could protect me, but it works, Troy.”

“And you want me to give it a shot.” “You’ve read my mind.”

Laughter erupted over the table, sending whatever doubts I kept

close to my heart about my leadership qualities right out into the fields. Let them be buried in the dirt with everything else. Not to grow as a seed

would, but to be put to rest like a coffin in a cemetery.

I should learn to bury my doubts. Or else I should live with the skeletons they create.

“How about dinner?” Blake offered.

I chuckled. “Are you trying to sweeten the deal?” “You never know what could happen.”

While that was a true statement, I wasn’t about to agree with him just yet.

I stroked my chin. “Tell me about her.”

“Skye is twenty-four. She’s in college, taking evening classes for her vet degree.”

“A vet degree? At twenty-four?”

He nodded proudly. “She advanced rapidly through her online

courses. And because she has extensive experience on the ranch, she’s been graciously offered higher courses to complete her degree faster.”

“Isn’t she the new field manager?” “She’s been a busy bee.”

I hummed out of curiosity, though I had to wonder how a woman like Skye was handling the responsibilities of a field manager balanced with on-campus classes at night. When did she sleep? Was she an owl?

“She’s not a woman of great renown, is she?” I asked, and not even to be obtuse or anything like that. Mostly because I was interested in what the alpha would say about her. “Hasn’t she plenty of suitors her age?”

“She needs someone with more experience. A lot more experience,” Blake replied. “I think you two have a lot more in common than you think.”

But what would I have in common with a woman fifteen years younger than me? She had hardly lived. Surely there were other people who were more qualified to be her mate than me. Besides, my tastes were hyper

specific. Blake had only known me since I was rescued months ago. How could he tell she was right for me?

Just as he began to speak, I waved my hands. “Fine. A trial dinner will work. When are you thinking?”

His gaping smile made my stomach flip. “How about right now?”