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Ren, who stood behind the couch, said, “There’s some family drama going on here that doesn’t involve the pack.”
Acksel nodded. “Right. Let’s get back on track. Explain how you were taken, Mia, and what happened.”
Mia swallowed audibly and then rolled her shoulders and straightened her spine. She launched into the story of her meeting with Dario at the bar, which set off the series of events that led to Lucian and his father destroying the nest and Lucian being kicked out of the hunters.
No one said anything when he and Mia were finished speaking about their ordeal. Brynn was softly crying, as was Donna, and Malachi looked stricken. Acksel kissed Brynn on the temple and called his wolves to follow him outside, leaving Lucian and Mia alone with her parents and Brynn.
“I’m sorry that Mia was hurt because of me,” Lucian said, speaking directly to her parents. “There are a lot of things about my past I would change, so I could’ve learned how to be one with my beast and be the kind of mate to Mia that you would be proud of.”
John stood and came to them, hugging Mia and shaking Lucian’s hand. “You did the best you could with the information you had. I can’t imagine your grandparents’ thought process to hobble you that way, but they must’ve wanted you to be safe and thought it was the only way. Regardless, I would never try to separate truemates. Welcome to the family.”
Lucian was humbled by John’s sincerity. Donna joined them, hugging Mia again. “Do you think you’re pregnant, honey?”
“I don’t know. When it’s been enough time I can take a pregnancy test, then we’ll know.”
Brynn rubbed at her wet cheeks and smiled. “My bestie’s got her mate, and you guys have an amazing story to tell. I never knew that berserkers were real. I thought they were just crazy warrior humans who yelled a lot as they killed people in battle.”
Lucian snorted. “That’s the human version. My people –realberserkers – are descendants of gods. It’s why we can partially change form and have enhanced senses.”
“And your kids?” Donna asked.
“According to what my dad told me, only boys become berserkers. I would suspect that means that girls would take after their mother, so in our case they’d be wolves.”
He liked the idea of having a child, or a few of them, with Mia. It was one more thing they hadn’t had a chance to really discuss. He also wanted to marry her, and change his last name back to his father’s. Lucian and Mia Rhodes had a nice ring to it.
* * *
Mia knew the moment that Acksel and the pack members came back into the house that she wasn’t going to like what they said, and they didn’t disappoint.
“I won’t be offering you honorary membership in the pack,” Acksel said. “Unless you can prove to us that you’re not a danger to others.”
“How can he prove that?” Mia asked. “He’s not dangerous to anyone unless they try to hurt me.”
“You don’t know that,” Acksel said. “He’s hidden his nature for years with magical chains. There’s no telling what it will do now that it’s free, and it’s only been less than two days. You can tell me until you’re blue in the face that he’s no danger, but I refuse to expose the pack to an unknown.”
“What does that mean?” Brynn demanded.
Acksel growled and held out his hand to his mate. She stared at it for a long moment and then reluctantly took it and allowed herself to be pulled against his side. Mia didn’t want her bestie to get in trouble for standing up for her and Lucian.
“What that means,” Acksel said, “is that I can’t forbid you from living in Wilde Creek, but I can forbid you from entering pack lands and taking part in any pack dealings. Mia, you’re welcome to stay in the pack or you can leave and I won’t mark you. But regardless, your punishment for disobeying a direct order from a protector is to not be allowed to shift on next the full moon, and your mate will not be allowed to join the pack. Therefore, he’s not welcome in pack territory, period.”
Mia sagged against Lucian and struggled not to cry. She didn’t want to fall into a weeping ball right then, with so many witnesses.
“Acksel, please,” Brynn said, her voice quiet but laced with strength. “Please don’t do this.”
“He’s an unknown,” Ren said. “We can’t allow him to run amok in the pack when there are young to be considered. What if he felt that Mia was being threatened, and killed a pack member?”
Sam nodded. “There are too many variables, too many innocents at stake.”
The elders nodded, but remained silent.
She looked at her brother, but he just shook his head. She didn’t know if he’d sided with the pack or with them, but either way the alpha’s word was law, and he’d spoken.
They filed out silently, even Brynn, who waved and smiled sadly as her eyes glittered with tears.
Mia turned into Lucian and cried, his strong arms holding her as her world crumbled. This was not how she’d expected her life to go forward with her mate. Either she stayed with the pack and spent full moons without him, or she left the only home she’d ever had. Neither option was good.
Lucian led her to the couch, and she sat down, dropping her head into her hands. Her mother sat next to her, an arm around her shoulder, promising in softly sweet words that everything would be okay. Mia wasn’t sure how that could be true, but she sure hoped it was.
