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Malix hooks a thumb at Cormac and says, “It was working just fine, until your right-hand man here started eyeing up our girl and set off his inner beast.”
“Mal,” I say warningly. The last thing we need is him flippantly telling the entire pack what a threat Frost is. “He’s fine. He had a moment, but he’s fine now. It takes a lot out of him to fight off the shadows.”
I cut a glare across the pack, then shift my focus to Felicity, daring her with my eyes to say something she’ll regret. My entire body vibrates with tension as I wait to see if anyone is going to move. To attack us, or to attack Frost because he has too much shadow in him.
In the midst of our silent standoff, Frost opens his eyes. His pupils contract and focus on me with a kind of gentle concern, then he carefully sits up, moving slowly so as not to alarm anyone. He surveys our surroundings—the rocky terrain, the pack, and Felicity, whom he clearly recognizes.
His hand rests on my knee as he asks, “Everything all right?”
But Kian is the one who answers. “I don’t know,” he says deliberately, speaking to Felicity. “Is everything all right, alpha?”
Malix and Frost exchange loaded glances.
Jesus, what will happen if this turns into a fight? Is Frost even capable of fighting without turning into a shadow monster?
Seconds tick past, and nobody moves, but it’s obvious we’re ready to spring into action if we have to. Kian, Malix, myself—a ripple of understanding passes between the three of us like a wordless promise. If it comes down to it, we’ll defend Frost, even if the fact that we’re heavily outnumbered would mean certain death.
But then Felicity sighs. “Yes. Everything is all right. Nobody is in danger here yet.”
It’s as good an assurance as any. And probably the only one we’re going to get.
Most of the tension from the shifters around us eases up. I help Frost to his feet, and we join Kian and Malix, facing Felicity and the rest of her pack.
The alpha asks, “You came here because you thought I might be able to help you with his situation?”
I shake my head. “No. I mean, not entirely. We’re here because Quinton has crossed one too many lines. If there’s anybody who can help us fight him, we figured it would be you.”
Felicity throws her head back and laughs, but there’s hardly any amusement to the sound. “I’ve been fighting him for years. What makes you think I can help you?”
“It’s more a matter of whether we could help each other,” I point out. “Maybe separately, you can’t beat him, and separately, we can’t beat him. But together, we might be stronger.”
She makes a noise in her throat, pursing her lips for several seconds before she looks at Kian. “I remember a time when if Quinton told you to leap off a cliff because you might find the shadow realm at the bottom, you wouldn’t have paused to question his order. What changed?”
He doesn’t even hesitate as he answers. “Amora.”
I blink at him, surprised by how quickly he popped off with my name.
Felicity’s brows shoot up toward her hairline. “What, now?”
Kian angles his head toward me, although his expression remains cool and unemotional. “She changed things.”
Since it would take him forever to tell the full story with his short, clipped sentences, Malix takes over and gives a brief account of what happened back at Quinton’s pack lands. He steers clear of any mention of why I showed up there in the first place—smart, since revealing I once wanted to kill all three of them in the beginning probably isn’t the best way to forge alliances. But he touches on my imprisonment, the escape where they chose me— their mate—over their alpha, and then the showdown where Quinton and his shadows chased us and tried to kill us, and in the process, nearly killed Frost.
At the end of his tale, Felicity stares quietly at us. Despite her youthful appearance, she has a commanding, powerful aura. It’s hard to guess what she’s thinking, which makes her almost more frightening than Quinton, in a way. Quinton is a snake, reactionary but easier to read because of the way he projects his fury.
Felicity, on the other hand, is an enigma. I hope she’ll be an ally, but at this point, she could just as easily decide to be our enemy instead.
Just when I think I won’t be able to bear the loaded silence for a moment longer, she finally glances at Frost and says, “Let’s get you to the village. I might be able to help your situation, at the very least.”
“What about Quinton?” I ask.
“We’ll see how it goes.”
With that cryptic response, she takes the lead for the last leg of our walk through her pack’s lands.
As Felicity’s wolves close in around us, I exchange glances with my mates. It’s not an answer, but it’s a start, at least.
Hopefully, our decision to come here won’t end up biting us in the ass.
