And wolves… have claws.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
LORCAN
Two days.
Fourteen hours.
And twenty-seven minutes.
That was how long Kyra had been missing. How long a maniac Alpha had had her in his possession.
I paced her nest, a screen following me as I walked.
Kieran and Quinnlynn were engaged in their second day of meetings with all of the Alpha Princes. They spent most of the first day asking questions about sector security, all under the guise that Kieran had experienced a breach to his territory.
He hadn’t been lying.
He just hadn’t told them what part of his territory had been compromised.
After several hours of discussion, Quinnlynn had cleared her throat, her decision clearly made. Kieran had left the choice up to her, saying he would respect her wishes on how to proceed no matter what she decided.
There were enough mated Alphas in Blood Sector for Kieran to reallocate a few to the Sanctuary for protection. But he’d pointed out that the pool of candidates would be wider if they invited the Alpha Princes to send in their own candidates.
In the late morning hours, Quinnlynn informed them all that the security issue Kieran had mentioned wasn’t in relation to Blood Sector but in relation to the Sanctuary. Then she’d explained what her family magic had protected for almost a millennium.
That topic had been the final discussion point before dispersing for an afternoon of rest.
Now that the Alpha Princes had been given a chance to process the information, they were all seated around a conference table in Blood Sector, debating on how to proceed.
“At least now we understand why you were drilling us about our sector security all night,” Alpha Cael had said as yesterday’s meeting adjourned. “Good to know we’ve earned your approval.”
“It wasn’t about my approval. I needed to know if you could be of any use to our situation,” Kieran had replied flatly. “And my mate had to decide whether or not she could trust you all with her family’s centuries-old secret.”
While I hadn’t been there in person, I could tell that decision hadn’t been easy on Quinnlynn. She’d presented the information in a calm, concise manner, but her dark eyes had held a hint of concern.
The Sanctuary had been hers to protect, and she seemed to be struggling with sharing that responsibility. Kieran would help her, though. It wasn’t about her being unable to do it on her own; it was about her not having to be the sole guardian.
Her mother had had her father.
Now she had Kieran.
Me.
Cillian.
And a roomful of Alpha Princes.
“Tell us what you need,” Prince Lykos said, getting straight to the point of today’s meeting. His shock of white hair and silver eyes matched his sector’s name—Glacier Sector.“You have our full support.”
Prince Cael and Prince Tadhg nodded in agreement.
The other three Alpha Princes at the table simply stared at Quinnlynn, expectant. They weren’t nodding, but the fact that they were giving her their undivided attention told me exactly what I needed to know—they were deferring to the Omega Queen to make decisions for the Sanctuary. Which was precisely as it should be.
Kieran also gave her his undivided focus, his chin inclining just a bit in encouragement.Tell them what you need,he seemed to be saying.
I already knew what she intended to say, as the three of us, along with Cillian, had discussed it last night.
