Page 83 of Binding His Fated Mates

“I’ve been monitoring him,” Topher said quietly. “Robert, I mean. He’s doing as well as can be expected. He was ill for several days, but he seems to be recovering. And his memories are returning.” He paused, his expression becoming momentarily troubled, before smoothing back out. “I had to remove his memory of the Mara attacking him. But I believe he will be fine, long-term.”

“We appreciate that,” Harris assured him.

Topher met Harris’s gaze and smiled, nodding. Unlike the rest of the pack, Harris had formed a close friendship with a vampire before he became a wolf and understood firsthand that they were just people, like the rest of us. Some of them were good, some not so much, and most were somewhere in the middle.

“Jensen will make a full recovery as well,” Harris added. He traded another look with Reed that seemed to convey volumes.

It was Reed who continued. “Harris and I have made the decision to reveal the true nature of the pack and the town to Jensen.”

Surprise jolted through me and I looked first at Hunter, then at Lee, and saw my alarm reflected on their faces as well. We weren’t alone, either. Shocked murmurs went around the room.

Reed held up a hand, and the pack immediately fell silent.

“It was a difficult decision,” he said slowly, his expression unusually troubled. “Naturally, Topher offered to help us contain the situation.” He paused, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “The secrecy of the pack is paramount, of course. However, it is time that the deputy becomes aware of what we do here. This is for his continued safety, for ours, and for the town at large.”

Harris put in, “We believe he’ll help us ensure the pack’s long-term stability and security. He’s a member of law enforcement, and in the past several months alone, he could have helped us prevent harm to the residents of Crescent Springs—had he known what we really do here.”

“How is he handling this news?” Emma asked, frowning at Harris and Reed. “What is the risk to the pack?”

“He’ll need time,” Harris admitted. “It’s a lot to take in, but he’s handling it as well as anyone can.”

Reed added, “He’s agreed to allow us the opportunity to fully explain ourselves.”

Emma pursed her lips, frowning at them. It was clear that she didn’t agree with their assessment. “And in the event that he cannot come to terms with the truth, can we expect that you will handle it?”

Harris’s gaze slid to Topher, his eyebrows raised in question, and the vampire nodded grimly back at him.

“Yes,” Reed said with a sigh. “We’ll handle it, if it comes to that.”

Emma visibly relaxed. As did most of the rest of the pack.

I wasn’t sure I blamed them. Jensen seemed like an okay guy—though I didn’t know much about him—but the idea of our secret exposed to a member of law enforcement was… troubling.

“Now, is there any other pack business that needs to be addressed before we end the meeting?” Reed asked.

That was a new thing, ever since Harris had arrived. Between Harris’s tactical and investigative know-how and Reed’s willingness to be an alpha who actively solicited input from the rest of the pack, we were way better off than before. The pack was almost as strong as we’d been before half of us had left in disgust after Jeremy had forced us to act like the very monsters we were supposed to be fighting. He’d had his reasons, but still.

Everyone looked around the room at each other, and no one spoke.

Hunter gave me a meaningful look that I understood as: we need to tell them what’s going on.

Lee gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Well, I guess that’s it,” Reed said. “Good meeting, everyone.”

“Wait,” I said, taking a deep breath and standing. My heart pounded in my chest. “Um. I have something.”

A heartbeat later, Hunter and Lee both stood up with me, the three of us creating a unified front.

Reed’s brows knitted together. “What is it? Is everything okay?”

“My family is here,” I said, deciding that the best thing I could do would be to jump into it directly. “They want me to come home with them.”

“Which isn’t happening,” Hunter said flatly.

“Absolutely not,” Lee agreed.

“Do you want to go with them?” Reed asked, his head tilting to the side slightly as he studied me. I understood, suddenly, that he was probably wondering if I was asking him for permission to leave.