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“And now you have to go and make me feel bad for rejecting her.” He shakes his head mournfully. “Not very nice of you to rub it in.”
There’s no question of where we’re going. Dad will be waiting for us in his study, which right now is right up there with his war room as one of the two places where he spends the majority of his time. When there’s a lot going on, he’s been known to sleep on the sofa in his study rather than waste time going up to his bedroom. He’ll take a few hours to sleep, then get back to work.
When we reach him, he isn’t alone. “You could have warned me,” I mutter to Forrest from the corner of my mouth upon finding the entire council waiting for us.
“I didn’t tell your brother the council would be here,” our father calls out from across the room. Judging from the blank surprise on my brother’s face, that’s the truth. “We have a problem.”
I’ll play dumb for now, pretending Forrest hasn’t clued me in. “What’s going on?”
Dad’s eyes narrow as he lowers his brow. “Really? You know very well. Like the two of you haven’t shared a brain your entire lives.”
But to bring the entire council into it, so they can gaze at me with concern and more than a small amount of disapproval? This has gone from a minor irritation to a concern. “I still don’t see what the problem is.” I look around the room but find no answers on the familiar, somber faces turned my way.
Thorne clears his throat, glancing at Dad as if asking for permission to speak up. “Your marked mate is causing more trouble than she’s worth.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and my wolf growls in my head. Even now, knowing there’s not going to be a future for us, the impulse to protect her is still there, and it’s strong. “Who says?”
“I say,” Dad grunts. “Her father is ready to wage war over you kidnapping her.”
I don’t know how he expected me to react. When I nod slowly, almost shrugging in silent acceptance, he bares his teeth. “That’s all you have to say? Nothing?”
“I’m not sure what you want me to say.” Again, I look around, searching for answers. It hasn’t been so long since he thought the whole thing was hilarious, me kidnapping my wolf and bringing her here. There are certain things I can’t throw in his face in front of the council, though, so I keep that part to myself while seething silently.
This can all be solved quickly, easily, and I draw a breath, opening my mouth, prepared to announce my plan to send her home.
Just before the words leave my lips, before they roll off my tongue and condemn me, I see the problem with that. If I send her back, it’s the same as admitting I made a mistake. That I did the wrong thing. That she isn’t mine.
And if I do that, it makes the entire pack look bad. Hence my father’s rage. I have to wonder how he’d be acting if the council wasn’t here, if it was only the two of us. He’s barely controlling his wolf as it is.
“It isn’t bad enough we’re at war with those damned witches?” he bellows. “No, now your wandering dick is set to cause a war within the packs, as well.”
And to think, I did all of this to avoid war. Forrest is clearly avoiding my gaze, which only makes my indignation flare hotter than ever. Now would be the perfect time to step in and set things straight. He can’t do that, and I know it, no matter how convenient it would be in the moment. Vindicating myself isn’t worth making everyone in this room an accessory in what we’ve both done.
“So?” Dad throws his hands into the air. “Tell me how you plan on fixing this. Make it fast and make it good.”
“There’s no way to fix this,” Thorne grumbles, while several of the others mutter their agreement. “We may as well kiss goodbye any chance of working alongside the Star Moon Pack when it comes time for the next battle.”
“Let’s not go that far,” I implore, stepping into the center of the room. The look of understanding that washes over the faces of everyone around me speaks to Lili’s scent practically rolling off my skin. There’s no need to guess at what I was doing before this meeting began. “We can solve this.”
“Exactly how?” Dad demands.
“Is she, or isn’t she your mate?” Thorne growls.
“She is.”
“So she’s marked you?”
It takes all my control not to show my discomfort. There’s pressure in my chest, like my wolf is fighting to burst free. Not a good idea—that would give away my guilt in a heartbeat. “Not exactly.”
