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I squeezed Aiden’s hand and then released it and stepped forward. I felt rather than saw the flash of concern, but he made no attempt to stop me.
“I would like to say something before your decision is made,” I said.
A murmur ran around the room, then Larkin—who again seemed to be leading the discussion—said, “Please, feel free.”
“When I walked into your wellspring, I walked into another world. One not only filled with power but also all the ghosts of the Fenna who had walked this earth eons ago.”
My gaze swept the partitioned areas in front of me. There was no hostility that I could see, but there was disbelief. Few of those in this room knew anything about magic or the supernatural world, simply because few wolves were capable of sensing such things.
“Those ghosts,” I continued, “accepted our daughter into the fold, making her the champion and protector of your wellspring. But they cannot teach her all that she needs to be taught. I can teach her magic, but I cannot teach her the ways of the pack—”
“This is presuming she survives until birth. Many half-breeds do not,” a woman I didn’t recognize said.
“That’s a reasonable fear withanybirth, not just half-breeds, especially in the first trimester. But she will. I’ve not only seen it, but the Fenna have confirmed it.”
Another murmur ran around the room, this time filled with disbelief. But then, they had for centuries been told half-breeds rarely survived. It would take far more than the word of one witch to shake that belief.
“Aiden is her father,” a woman to the right of Larkin said. “He’s more than capable of helping her control the inner wolf.”
“Yes, but to be a lone wolf is to suffer. If there is no pack, there is no community. There’s no sense of belonging, no warm earth to feel between your toes, and no chorus to join when the moon blooms full. The Fenna died out because they forgot these things. Because they valued the security of the spring over the security and well-being of those chosen to serve. My daughter needs to be here, close to both the wellspring and the pack. She has been accepted, but she cannot serve and protect either if no connection is formed.”
A soft murmur ran around the room. People shifted, sharing glances, but it was hard to gauge the mood. Which was frustrating when it was supposedly one of my talents.
“Very well,” Larkin said. “Please step outside while we discuss the matter. Karleen, you are also to exit.”
Her surprise was spear sharp. I resisted the urge to look around at her and somehow restrained my smirk. The doors closed behind the three of us. Karleen didn’t say anything. She simply strode across the clearing, presumably to talk to some of the people gathered there.
“Whatever happens,” Aiden said softly, “know that I don’t care where we live as long as I’m with you. But if being here is so important to our daughter, then I will make it happen, no matter how long it takes.”
I smiled, rose on to my toes, and kissed him, long and slow. “I do love you, you know. Madly, deeply, irrevocably.”
“And I you, even if your fearless disregard for your own safety is likely to send me into an early grave.”
I laughed. He wrapped a hand around my neck and drew me close again. Awareness of everything else fled, because there was nothing more important than this man and this kiss at this moment in time.
The doors finally opened, and we were ushered inside. I gripped Aiden’s hand tightly, tension rolling through me. I couldn’t read the expressions of most, but my gaze met Ciara’s and she nodded, a small movement that nevertheless had hope leaping.
Larkin rose. “A decision has been made, though it was not unanimous.”
No surprise there. Karleen might not have been present, but her faction would have had their say in her place.
“And what is that decision?” Aiden asked evenly. His tension was as fierce as mine, but there was little sign of it in his expression or stance.
The alpha was in full control.
“That you and Elizabeth may stay and bring up your children within the reservation.”
My heart leapt, but Larkin wasn’t finished yet.
“However,” he continued. “She cannot represent the wider pack at council and will not take lead in decisions made within the pack. Karleen—”
“Karleen,” I cut in, probably unwisely, but fuck it, “has already proven unreliable in many aspects of late. Her actions have endangered this reservation multiple times. I do not dispute my unsuitability when it comes to pack decisions, but surely as the wife-to-be of a pack alpha, I have the right to at least choose who shall represent me.”
Larkin raised an eyebrow, his amusement evident. “What say the pack? Yea or nay?”
“Why the fuck are we even voting on this?” Karleen growled. “Iamthe senior female alpha of our line. She cannot take that position, so it remains mine.”
“It remained yours for as long as your son remained single. That is no longer the case.” Larkin’s voice hardened. “Sit down, Karleen. Now.”
