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I catch her stare and nod, standing straighter.
She’s right. Whatever emotional mess my head is right now, I have a duty. Nothing can get in the way of that.
And the four of us make our way through the throngs of shifters toward Jaxson.
Drago makes that task infinitely easier. His sheer size and appearance grants us an incredibly wide berth. The shifters literally part for him and we’re soon reunited with Jaxson, who meets us halfway.
“Hello, friends! I’m glad you’re here,” he says and takes everyone’s hand in his one at a time. He pauses when he gets to Claudia. “We don’t allow visitors to observe pack business, I’m afraid. You’ll have to leave, Claudia.”
Before she, or Jonah, or Drago can say anything for me, I step forward. “She’s here at my request. Considering my previous encounter with the wolves here, I wanted the most powerful witch in three states at my side. I’m sure you understand.”
Jaxson flinches, as if I’d personally offended him.
“What happened the other night is tragic, Willa, there’s no doubt about that. But those wolves are gone, excommunicated. We aren’t a threat to you, and I cannot allow a non-wolf to be present at this meeting. She needs to go.”
I take a breath and stand straighter, meeting Jaxson’s gaze fully. “If that’s the case, then the rest of us are leaving as well.”
He closes the distance between us, coming into my face. It’s not aggressive. It’s desperate. Jaxson needs to keep us here.
Drago lets out a long warning growl, but I put a hand up, and he stops instantly. “Willa, please,” Jaxson pleads, brow forming a deep V. “You know I need you here. And you know why it’s so important to me.”
“And you know why this is important to me. So I suggest you find a workaround.” I fold my arms, not to self-soothe, but to close myself off, showing I’m done speaking on the matter.
He shakes his head. “I-I’ll figure it out,” he says and heads back to the other alphas.
Jonah rubs my arm. “You were quite impressive just then,” he whispers to me. I keep watching Jaxson, scrutinizing his every movement for the moment he’s convinced the other alphas.
“It’s easy when it’s others’ lives on the line.” And it is. It’s far easier to be brave for omegas I’ve never met than to be brave for myself.
I pull my gaze away from Jaxson, searching the crowd once again for Rafe.
Still nothing.
Should I reach out? Just a quick, mind-to-mind, “Are you OK?”
I shove the idea away as soon as my heart gets the slightest bit fluttery.
I have to focus.
Jaxson meets my gaze and nods us over to him. The four of us move as a unit, in step with each other. He introduces each of the alphas to me, but I don’t hear them. I can’t. I’m too focused on staying upright and not crawling into a ball on the ground as each oneapologizesto me for the incident.
When it’s over, I try to swallow the hard lump of emotions lodged in my neck. “Thank you, Alphas,” I say without letting my voice break. “Now, when does this meeting begin?”
“As soon as your mate arrives,” Jaxson says, and for a split second I consider trying to convince them to start without Rafe. “Ah, there he is now.”
I spin around, looking in the same direction as Jaxson.
My heart melts at the sight of him, and the bones in my legs evaporate. Claudia and Drago keep me from hitting the ground, grabbing me by the arm and waist respectively, as I watch my mate cross the clearing.
I pick out his dark coffee scent over all the others, the maple trees, the other musky wolves, even the storm brewing on the wind.
It takes everything I have not to force my rubber legs into action and run to him.
He looks great. The same as he’d left this morning, with tousled sandy hair and a tight-fitting shirt.
He’s heading right for me.
What do I say? What do I do? I can’t make it look like I’ve missed him as much as I have. The other wolves might suspect something’s awry, and that’s not good for anyone.
