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“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
Smack!The flat of her hand connected hard with the side of his face, but Bill was already turning to confront another threat.
“Loren, no!”
Quicker than he knew how, she had dismounted, already bolting from the paddock. The second his shout reached her, she faltered, staring down at her hands as if she had no idea why they were balled into fists.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Oblivious to the sight, Sonia was still shouting in his ear. “Do you have any idea what will happen to you? BILL, ANSWER ME!”
A shadow flickered in his peripheral vision.
“Sonia—” Desperately, he scanned his surroundings for a way out—and found one.
Micha had scrambled out onto the porch, and Bill jerked his head in Loren’s direction.
“Get her inside.”
The kid lurched into action, bounding across the yard to intercept Loren before she could reach the road. In the distance, the abandoned horse shrieked and darted into a corner.
Bill just hoped that the animal wouldn’t try to jump the fence, but he couldn’t worry about it now. With a heavy sigh, he turned to Sonia, who glared at him, tears streaking down her cheeks.
“Ignoring repeated direct calls? Do you know how worried I’ve been? How hard it’s been to talk Lukka out of sending an entire unit out to you?” she demanded, a hitch in her throat. “What happened? Why on earth would you attack an Eislander?”
Bill sighed. “It’s a long story, but we can start with the fact that while Ididkill—” He raised his hand as Sonia began to speak. “It wasn’t an Eislander, that’s for damn sure. I’m surprised Lukka sent you here to berate me for that. Considering that all this happened because he sent a minion to do his dirty work. What does he want now?”
“You got your wish,” Sonia said coldly. “Loren’s been accepted. I’m here to bring her back.”
Bill figured he should have been relieved. Thankful? As it was, he only felt apathy. The events of the past few days had cemented the cold truth that his old life was far behind him.
“About that… I changed my mind.”
Sonia blinked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you—”
“Loren’s not going anywhere.Yet,” he added through clenched teeth. “I owe a duty not just to her.”
Sonia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
He took a breath. It was one thing to decide on a plan in his head, another entirely to voice it out loud. The second the words left his mouth, there would be no going back. “I’m going to petition Lukka to release me from all pack ties. Then I’m done. I’ll head north, far beyond the territory. I’ll push into Canada, even. He’ll face no threat from me.”
Sonia hid her shock, if any, well. Her only response was another question, “And Loren?”
Here came the tricky part, far more complicated than forsaking his entire life on a whim. “I’ll break the bond and let her decide. After I teach her what she’ll need to know to survive on her own. If she chooses to go to Lukka of her own accord, then so be it. But I won’t force her.”
He didn’t even see the second slap coming.
“Have you lost your mind? Even I know that whatever is between you and Lukka goes beyond your standing as a rogue. He will never let you go. But you know that, don’t you?” Horror dawned over her features, and Bill felt a pang of guilt. “Don’t tell me… If he doesn’t agree to sever ties completely, then… The only course of action would be to challenge him. Are you insane?”
It sounded so grim when put like that. “I plan to make him an offer he can’t refuse,” Bill said, eyeing the ground at his feet. “Win or lose, he can remain Alpha, but I get my freedom—no matter the cost.”
“I know you can be stubborn, Bill, but I never thought of you as reckless! Do you even remember the terms that a challenge dictates? You need to face him first. Do you really think he’ll risk meeting with you one on one? I’m sure you realized what I did—he sent Kyle for a reason.”
“Nowyou admit that,” he grumbled. “As for your insinuation, I may have been gone for a while, but I remember our customs well enough, thank you.”
“Oh, do you? Then you won’t mind if I refresh your memory,” Sonia countered. “You meet him one on one. You issue the challenge—and he gets a full day to prepare. Let’s not forget the witness, either—”
“I haven’t,” Bill snapped. Admittedly, his knowledge of pack law had gotten a little rusty. There were so many damn variables involved in issuing a rightful challenge.
“Do you think Lukka will honor that?” Sonia asked. “And who will serve as your witness? You know he would never allow me to do so, even if I wanted to—”
