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The lead wolf glanced at the others. “And we hope you stay.” Several nods followed. “Maeve is a good woman, one of the best you’ll ever find. She needs a strong wolf at her side.”
Maeve was surprised by this declaration. As they wished Braden well, each one turned to her in stride and inclined his head then left the room.
When the doors were closed behind them, she asked Braden straight out. “What did you mean they’d pledged themselves to me?”
He returned to his seat and she took up hers opposite him once more. “They’re bonded to you. I knew it the moment they walked in.”
“You mean because of my alpha-mate potential.”
“Partly. You saved each of them. It’s a matter of loyalty and gratitude. I feel it as well. Apart from the fact you could bond with me as my mate, I will always feel a degree of connection to you not found in the usual Five Bridges relationships. What you’ve done is profound.
“You created a shifter refuge for them, but you’ve also built an army, though I’m sure you have no idea that’s the case. By the way, they came here not to show me deference, but to attack me if they felt you were in any way threatened.”
She leaned back in her chair, stunned. Several images flashed through her mind, things she’d set aside as unimportant. Whenever she appeared unexpectedly, the wolves, if seated, would stand. When standing, they’d incline their heads to her more slowly than a mere nod. It was deference.
“I don’t believe it. Or rather, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. It’s as plain as anything right now.”
He didn’t respond except with a slight curve of his lips, then returned to the business of feeding his large, shifter body. He sat hunched over, the way she worked her spells.
She stared at her salad, but didn’t pick up her fork.
She’d simply assumed the shifters were behaving in ways peculiar to wolf culture. Given her nature, she never stopped to ask what was what. She was always too preoccupied. As long as everyone in her facility behaved themselves, she didn’t ask questions.
Yet the knowledge she had such pointed support from the wolves in her refuge, gave her a tremendous sense of peace. Tears started to her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He was always quick to assess her, even with his fork speared with a huge chunk of steak. “The wolves would never hurt you. Just the opposite.”
“I know. That’s what’s got to me. I’ve felt so alone in this journey. What you’ve told me, about this bond, it’s given me hope. So, thank you.
I honestly wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.”
“You didn’t think their deference unusual?”
“Why would I? Your world in Savage is new to me. How would I ever know what the protocols were? I’d say over half my rescues are female, but I’ve never had a female shifter at the Landing. So, no, I thought the male wolves were being polite as in grateful to me that they were alive.
“And it really didn’t surprise me that they wanted to stay. But I thought it was more about wanting to remain behind the Landing’s security spell than out of a sense of loyalty to me. Besides, Savage is a violent place. Maybe I thought they each wanted quieter lies.”
He finished his meal and pushed back his chair to stretch out his long legs. They were still alone in the dining hall. He chuckled and shook his head. “Violence comes with our wolf nature. You need to know that.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me as long as my wolves behave themselves and abide by my rules.”
He smiled, something she didn’t understand. “Why are you grinning?”
He turned a hand palm up. “You say you didn’t know about the bond then you said, and I quote, ‘my wolves.’
She rolled her eyes. “Figure of speech.”
“Whatever. You’re so much more than you seem or that you’re willing to understand.”
His words made her grow very still. She lifted her left hand and stared at it as she recalled their encounter with Gammet in the park. “You may be right. But if I’m blind to who I am, it’s because I still don’t want to be in Five Bridges. Intellectually, I know I can’t be anywhere else, but I’m still railing against it, at least in my spirit.”
“It takes time and you’ve had a more-than-typical rough beginning. It’s a shock for everyone having to adjust to an alter life. But most of us don’t find ourselves abducted by the dark queen of the witches then end up killing people to escape.”
But there was something worse, always worse. She added quietly, “And they don’t have the same queen kill their human husbands, either. I hope we find her, Braden.” She lifted her hand again. “I hope maybe together we can put Veyda on a pyre, only give her a slow burn that lasts a century to pay for all the people she’s tortured and killed.”
“I like the way you think. Ready to get back to work?”
“Yes, I am.”
