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“Liam,” I whispered, struggling to find any other words in that moment.
He understood though, giving a solemn nod and releasing his hold on my face. His eyes darted behind me, his brow furrowing, and I tracked his gaze, letting out a huff of relief as Noah walked back into the clearing with Zeke by his side.
“I think we all need to talk,” Liam said, standing before helping me to my feet.
I gave him a weak smile of acknowledgement that was more of a grimace than anything else, and he shot me a smirk.
“We can just fuck it out if you’d rather?”
I tugged my hand out of his and used it to smack him in the chest, rolling my eyes even as a genuine smile pulled at my lips. “Shut up.”
He laughed and something like hope sparked in my chest that things really could go back to the way they should be. We’d had to fight to even find peace between us at the start of all this, and I hated that things felt so strained again now. Before I’d been stranded in the human realm, our relationship had finally developed into something more than either of us had anticipated. We’d been in a good place; we’d found trust, respect and balance. More than that, I’d loved him. I still did. Every grumpy, stubborn, asshole inch of him.
“Alpha!”
Liam spun at the call, breaking the moment between us as Dillon and Raul approached. Their faces were grave, their postures defeated after the events and losses of the previous day. Not to mention the betrayal we were all dealing with.
“What do you want us to do?” Dillon asked simply, looking to Liam for direction. “Are we leaving?”
Liam nodded, clapping him on the shoulder. “Yes, we are. Get everyone up and ready to leave. We’ll eat as we walk today and stop to set up a proper camp for the night. If we push it, we can reach home by tomorrow evening. We moved too slowly on the way here.”
Dillon nodded, his spine straightening with purpose now that he had instructions. He hovered though, seeming reluctant to ask the question he was clearly thinking.
Liam noticed too and squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. “Ask, Dillon.”
Dillon’s eyes dropped to Liam’s feet and his voice came out as almost a whisper. “What about the bodies?”
Liam tensed and I lay a hand on his back in comfort and support as grief echoed down our bond. He seemed to relax a little at my touch, and his answer came out clear and strong.
“They’re coming home with us; I’m not leaving them. We’ll need to make stretchers to share the load.”
“I can do that,” I interjected softly, and Liam shot me a grateful smile.
At his Alpha’s nod, the beta shifter walked away to share his orders. Raul, however, stayed close, looking almost haggard as his gaze stayed fixed on the ground.
“Alpha…” he rasped, struggling to find the words he needed.
Liam waited him out though, standing patiently with his posture relaxed. Pride shot through me as, once again, he proved himself to be the leader the pack needed. No matter what, and before everything else, he was there for his people. I could already feel the pack bonds repairing themselves now that the magic had stopped attacking the very fibre of them and the pack placed their full trust in him again.
“What I did…” Raul said, clenching his fists determinedly and forcing himself to meet Liam’s eyes. “I was out of line. A part of me couldn’t understand why I challenged you. I had no right to question you.”
Liam sighed. “You always have a right to question me, my friend. But I also think it’s pretty clear that no one has been in their right mind lately. Don’t beat yourself up.”
Raul grimaced. “You have been. In your right mind, I mean. You weren’t under her spell at all.”
I couldn’t help but intervene, hating the shame and regret in Raul’s face. “It’s the mate bond. Anyone with a full bond wouldn’t have been affected. Those spells worked by manipulating your thoughts and loyalty, making you impressionable to her wishes, and anyone with that bond will only be truly loyal to their mate.”
Raul blinked at me and slowly nodded as he absorbed that information. Liam wrapped an arm around his shoulders, squeezing a little.
“It’s not your fault. Any of you,” he said firmly. “I’ll speak to everyone when I can, but spread the truth as we travel. I won’t have anyone shouldering blame for any of this.”
He spoke quietly to Raul for a few more minutes, and I turned away to give them some privacy. My gaze immediately caught on Zeke, who was standing with Noah a few feet away and had clearly heard our conversation. He stared at me for a long second, the guilt and torment in his eyes obvious, before turning away without a word. Noah cursed softly under his breath as we watched him walk away, acid churning up my throat as rejection and anxiety swept through me.
Turning, I ignored Noah’s soft call as I walked away too, heading over to the very edge of the clearing where Donn and Mina’s bodies had been laid and covered with thin blankets. Pushing down the grief and regret that threatened to rear up at the sight of them, I raised a hand and focused on my magic, commanding roots from the earth and weaving them into two solid stretchers with thick, padded handles. We had at least two days of travel ahead, and I didn’t want anyone in pain. Physically anyway.
“Nicely done,” a voice murmured, making me nearly leap out of my skin in surprise.
“Fuck,” I cursed, pressing a hand to my chest as my heart threatened to escape it. “Spencer, don’t creep up on people!”
