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Loren scrambled to put on her boots and grab her borrowed windbreaker from the hook by the door. When she finally trudged toward the paddock, Micha and Bill stood facing each other. While tense, their posture wasn’t hostile. Instead, they looked as though they were preparing for something.
Once she reached them, Bill acknowledged her with a curt nod. “It’s time I let you both in on the risks you’ve unwittingly taken by staying here. What happened with the Eislanders was only the start. They’ll come again, most likely with more reinforcements—”
“We can take them,” Micha insisted with a confidence Bill didn’t seem to match.
“We can’t,” he conceded. “Not alone. With that in mind, I’ve decided… My situation here is no longer tenable. If any of us are to have a shot at survival, regardless of what happens with the Eislanders, we can’t remain here. If you’re willing, I can teach you everything I know. After that… I’ve concluded it’s time for me to leave the area. For good.”
Leave? Loren didn’t understand the word choice.
Micha did, though. His eyes widened. “You mean, you’re going to challenge your status? Seriously?”
Bill nodded. “By creating a made lycan I’ve broken one cardinal rule too many. There won’t be a choice. I either leave or surrender to punishment.”
“Wow.” Micha bowed his head as if overwhelmed by the severity of that possibility. “And then what?”
Bill shrugged. “I go north. Somewhere far from here, at least. Either way, if you attach yourself to me, you’ll be signing up for the same fate.”
“Wait?” Micha shook his head as if unsure he heard correctly. “You mean you won’t challenge for Alpha status?”
“No. I only want the ability to cut all ties for good.”
Cut ties. Whatever they were referring to, it sounded important. Desperation grappled with her long-honed need to remain silent. In the end, one impulse won out. “What does that mean?”
Loren flinched as both men turned to her.
“It means he’s going to fight Lukka,” Micha blurted in a rush. “That’s a big deal! Huge! I mean, if he wins, he could take over. Become Alpha. But if he loses, it’ll probably mean—”
“The point is,” McGoven said over him, “you should know the danger you’re in should you stay. If you don’t agree with those choices, you are free to leave.”
Micha squared his shoulders and appeared to dig his heels into the muddy earth. “I know you didn’t kill anyone who didn’t deserve it,” he said in a tone an octave deeper than his usual cheerful chirp. “And if you fight for your freedom, then I will too. I don’t think Lukka was ever a good fit for me anyway.”
Bill winced. Obviously, he didn’t expect this reaction. “You’ll walk away from the security of Black Mountain for what? To follow a rogue you don’t even know?”
“Not only that,” Micha countered. “If what you say is the truth, then they used me. They used me to put a female in danger. Do you think I would stick around people like that?”
Bill frowned, but a new understanding flickered across those pensive gray eyes. “Fine. As for you…” He inclined his head in her direction, and Loren held her breath. “You have a choice in this, too,” he said. “You can choose to go with the pack if you want. Leave with Sonia. Otherwise… You need to understand the danger you’ll be in. If the Eislanders come again, I will protect you, but it is more important than ever that you grow into your lycan instincts. Learn to shift. Learn to fight. It’s a monumental ask. You may have to push the limits of what you can handle. I can’t deny that it will be hard. Dangerous. If you want to leave, I won’t blame you.”
And he did want her to leave. She could see the silent plea written clearly across his gaze.Please go.
Anger prickled inside of her, hot and irrational. Holding his stare, she lifted her chin and said, “I want to stay.”
He visibly flinched, but disguised any disappointment behind a stern frown. “I won’t go easy on you.”
It was a warning. One that made her heart lurch at the sincerity. At the same time, something in her twitched as if eager to take him on. Prove her worth.
Fight.
Suddenly, Bill cocked his head as if picking up a far-off noise. Not even a second later, a pink car zoomed down the main road and parked in front of the house. As Naomi climbed out, dressed in a T-shirt and loose-fitting pink pants, McGoven nodded in approval.
“Now we can begin,” he said.
Already, Naomi was advancing toward them, and Loren felt a flicker of what could have been jealousy flare in her chest. From the knowing glance McGoven sent her way, it was apparent he had communicated his intentions to her beforehand. Last night, even?
But then he’d avoided the house—and Loren altogether. She tried not to seethe over that fact as he moved to the center of their makeshift ring.
He took his time, inspecting each figure assembled before him with varying degrees of concern. He seemed reluctant while observing Micha and Naomi, but Loren noted that he seemed the most worried when he finally turned his gaze on her.
“Micha, you take Naomi to the northern boundary and help her practice shifting into her lycan form.”
