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Edwardo’s eyes darted around, his usual composure slipping into unease. I frowned as I looked around us as well. It was out of the norm for Edwardo to seem so uncomfortable about me asking a simple question.
“It’s pack business, Madie,” he finally said. “That’s all I’m going to say about it. You are a visitor. And though we see you as family, you are not a member of this pack.”
I crossed my arms, frustration building. “But while I’m here, I patrol your borders, face your threats. Don’t I deserve to know what I’m up against?”
“You know plenty enough for that job. You know what you need to know. Nothing more.”
My irritation was impossible to hide. “Considering how those two reacted to the burn victim, I don’t think I do. I’ve never seen Alpha Orion look that scared.”
Edwardo rolled his eyes. “He wasn’t scared.”
“He looked scared to me. I know what a scared alpha looks like. I was there when my alpha nearly lost his mate forever. Now Alpha Orion didn’t look quite that scared, but there was a level of fear in his eyes when he and Brady exchanged glances.”
“He wasn’t scared. Just concerned. Big difference.”
“But—”
The creak of the alpha’s office door cut me off and drew our attention away from our argument. Brady left the room and seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He didn’t even react to my stare as he disappeared into his mother’s office a few feet down the hall and out of my sight. When I looked back at Edwardo, I saw his eyes glaze over before giving a nod.
Edwardo looked at me, his gaze sharpening, “We have a new patrol briefing to give. Come on.”
As we walked, I probed further, “What kind of new patrol?” I followed my mentor to the warrior meeting room.
He hesitated, then spoke in a measured tone, “We will be increasing patrols along the borders and around The Feral Tide. Once a week, we will need a witch to join the patrols and scan for any signs of magic being used.” He waved over to a few of the ranking warriors.
“Does this have something to do with the golden wolf with the burned face?” I asked, hoping to get some kind of answer that made sense. After all, it had to do with patrols, and patrols were a part of my training.
Edwardo’s eyes flicker, a silent warning. “Madie, focus on your duties. That’s all you need to concern yourself with.”
But his evasive answers only fueled my determination to uncover the truth. “I’m not just a bystander, Edwardo. I’m part of this, whether you like it or not. And if there’s a threat out there, I need to know what I’m facing.”
He met my gaze, his expression unreadable. After a long moment, he spoke, each word deliberate. “Sometimes, knowing less keeps you safer. But trust that I’ll tell you what you need to know, when you need to know it.”
His dismissive tone made me frown, but I chose to keep my thoughts to myself as we joined the rest of the warriors in the room. Roberto was sitting near the front of the table where Edwardo and I headed and smiled at us. He had only just arrived from his trip to the Academy a week earlier but hadn’t taken over the academy yet, so he joined us on patrols as the pack’s delta.
“Thank you all for joining us on short notice,” Edwardo began. “As you all know, reports of the burned face rogue have been made. Many of you being the ones who have made those reports. With that said, Alpha Orion has ordered an increase in the patrols. We are to include the Feral Tide in that increased patrol, given the burned one’s history with the place.”
I tilted my head and watched as everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Heat blossomed in my face as it dawned on me that I was the only one here who did not know what the deal was with this burned rogue.
My eyes narrowed as I looked back at Edwardo, but he kept his beta face on and continued to address his men.
“Witches are to escort us once a week on patrol to scan the borders for any sign of magic being used. This will be the job of the Crete Coven’s highest-ranking witches because of the history of this rogue’s alliances.”
“What alliances?” I asked.
Everyone’s gaze turned to me, then back to Edwardo, a hush falling over the room as they all seemed to hold their breath. As Roberto’s eyes glazed over, followed by Edwardo’s, a silent understanding passed between them through their mindlink, discussing things they believed I was better off unaware of.
“That is need to know information,” Edwardo finally stated as his eyes cleared.
As I glanced around the room, frustration washed over me, and I clenched my teeth to stifle a growl. “So, I’m the only one who doesn’t need to know this? I’m out on patrol, alongside all of you. I’m risking my life for your pack’s sake. The least you all can do is provide me with every detail and piece of information. Dealing with powerful opponents is not something new to me.” My gaze lingered pointedly on Edwardo, a silent message passing between us. “You know exactly what I mean.”
The incident in San Diego was common knowledge between my pack and the Rigel pack. My alpha and luna rallied us to fight against the strongest vampire this world had witnessed in centuries. One who came from a world where vampires ruled the night, forced shifters and werewolves to serve them.
We ran into that fight as a united pack under Alpha Nyte’s command. As beta, I stayed close to my luna as best as I could in the fray of battle. Vampires had been strengthened by the ancient being and his dark witch as we all fought against their threat to our kind, and we only managed to make it through it all because we worked together. We were all informed of what we were walking into that night, and we all came out even stronger from it all.
So now, to be kept ignorant of something that so clearly was an important factor, I couldn’t help but feel vulnerable.
“Maybe you should tell her,” Roberto said aloud to his brother.
