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“There are young pups at risk,” Nazanin spoke up. “They are the next generation and weren’t the ones that wronged us over a decade ago.”
“And how do we know these pups aren’t being used as an excuse for Colin to weasel his way back into town?” Adult countered, his grey beard long enough to be braided. “We can’t trust Colin.”
“And we don’t,” I said and drew everyone’s attention to me. I wasn’t in the mental space to deal with an argument. “Trusting Colin is off the table, but I won’t be the alpha that handed pups over to anti-supers to be killed or worse. It’s one thing to welcome the Bluemoon Pack and find out that Colin still hasn’t learned his lesson compared to not welcoming them when he has. The death of those children will be on our hands, Odulf, because we turned them away. I’d banished Colin and his older members, not these innocent pups.”
Odulf’s lips pulled into a thin line, but he said nothing further.
I’d known pups would come along after I banished the Bluemoon Pack, but I’d expected Colin to find his people a new territory. Instead, they were being dragged from place to place all this time.
Having a territory meant being considered a genuine pack by law, which came with benefits and protection.
“I’ll meet with him,” I said after some time. “I’ll hear what he has to say and tell him my terms that all his pack members will have to follow to be welcomed back into the town. I have no intention of welcoming them blindly.”
Conner, who was yet to speak, stood up. “We trust your judgment, Alpha Kaleem, but we’ll never welcome anyone from that pack in our hearts.”
Conner had no idea how much hearing those words were like a vampire’s fangs sinking into my heart. One of the many things Diana and I had feared was that she might not be welcomed by my pack.
Back then, I’d reassured her that my people were kind and any mate of mine wouldn’t be turned away. The bond between us was broken, but now, even if we were to rekindle our mate bond by marking each other, I feared my pack wouldn’t accept her.
“Agreed,” I practically growled and avoided looking at Killian.
I wanted her to be safe, but could I handle living in this town with her again? Could I handle seeing her with other potential mates? The thought alone made me want to rip everything in this damn room to shreds.
But I’d given her up, and likewise, she chose her pack, and I couldn’t let our past affect my decision. I couldn’t afford to be biased.
“You won’t be going alone to meet him?” Nazanin asked, and Killian shook his head.
“Of course not,” he told her. “I’ll be going with him, and we’ll decide on the location for the meeting, right, brother?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
There was nothing more to say after that, and everyone left until only Killian and him remained. When he sat down across from me and sighed, I pinned him with a glare.
“Don’t, brother,” I growled, and he held his hands up.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he mumbled, which I knew was a lie. He wasn’t capable of not voicing his opinions, but right now, I just couldn’t handle that. “But, how is she?”
I took a breath. “Not okay,” I replied. “And she hates me.”
I started removing my shirt, my wolf clawing at my insides to be freed. I left without saying a word and was halfway through my shift before making it out of the house.
I needed to run, to be free and feel the earth beneath my paws, or I’d lose it.
Black fur burst forth from beneath my skin, and my bones broke and rearranged until I was charging through the forest, weaving through the trees, and even when it started snowing, the white droplets contrasting to my midnight black fur, I kept running, wishing I could run to the only woman I’d ever loved and the only woman I ever will.
