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“Darian took one.”
My jaw tightens. “How many fucking times yesterday was one of you a second away from dying?”
Silence settles over my office.
Joshua finally leans back in his chair. “A few.”
“A few?”
“Rylan, we were fighting thirty rogues between the three of us.”
“I know exactly what I sent you into. Ten Pack Warriors were facing fifty rogues. I sent you, Michael and Darian because I thought there would be casualties if I didn’t get my strongest wolves over there.” I push away from the desk and stand. Sitting still suddenly isn’t working for me. “You won. Thirteen wolves held off fifty rogues, and every damn one of you came home. I’m proud of that. But I’m sitting here listening to you tell me Darian would’ve lost his throat if you hadn’t reached him, Michael would’ve been attacked from behind if Darian hadn’t seen it, and you had Darian pulling wolves off you.”
“That’s what we’re supposed to do. Protect each other.”
“And I want you better at it.”
Joshua’s mouth closes.
“We increase training.” I walk around the side of my desk. “Not because you failed. You didn’t. But yesterday showed us openings, and I want every fucking one of them closed. I don’t want the next rogue getting close enough that whether you come home depends on Darian reaching you one second faster.”
Joshua watches me for another moment before nodding. “I’ll talk to Michael.”
“Good. More outnumbered drills. More group combat. Find every mistake we made yesterday and use it.”
“You know I’m including you in that.”
“Good.”
A small smile pulls at his mouth. “Thought you might say that.”
Jasmin closes one of the folders in front of her. “Can we move on from discussing all the ways my mate nearly died now?”
“I did not nearly die.”
She turns her head and looks at him.
Joshua sighs. “Moving on.”
Selena laughs softly and reaches for the tablet on my desk. “The bait worked.”
She slides the tablet toward me, and I press play. The safe room fills the screen. Wolves move in and out of view while voices overlap in the background until one becomes clear enough that my finger stills against the edge of the tablet.
“Maybe Ronan would’ve been the better Alpha.”
Another wolf answers him, and the conversation continues. The words change, but the message doesn’t. My changes are happening too quickly. Silver Moon was safer before. Ronan understood the old ways. Maybe Ronan should have been Alpha. Then Selena’s voice comes through clearly.
“You can repeat that to the Lycan Councilmen who attended my Alpha ceremony.”
The Elder immediately starts backtracking.
Selena’s voice comes again. “You can tell that to the Alpha when he returns.”
I pause the recording and look at my mate. “You recorded all of this?”
“Arlene did.”
“Arlene?”
