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Kota released an empty chuckle. “You’re fucking kidding, right?”
“Nothing will be okay again until we have Lorn back.” I finished folding one of her dresses, lifting it to my nose to breathe in her lingering scent before placing it in the bag. “Dason better be keeping our mate safe, or I’ll have to find a way to kick his alpha ass.”
“I’ll help.” Kota moved away, tapping the doorframe on his way back to his room to finish packing.
Focusing on the task at hand, I triple checked myself and snatched the pillow Lorn liked from the bed, tucking it under my arm. Grabbing the suitcase, I left the room, carried it down the stairs, and plopped it on the table.
“Something’s wrong. Can’t you feel it?” I growled, tired of waiting and sounding more like Dason than myself.
At my tone, Chayton’s knife cut through the sandwich he was making more forcefully than he’d intended. That he didn’t reprimand me or try to calm my temper spoke volumes for how he was handling everything.
“I think we’re all feeling it,” Jolon called out as he headed down the hallway from the direction of Dason’s office. In his hands were Dase’s laptop, the map, the scrying glass that used to belong to Lorn’s father, a set of keys for the house and local bookshop—owned by Dason’s grandmother—and the communication stone from Rook, the fae prince. He set everything on the kitchen table next to the suitcase while sending a wave of calm through our new pack bond.
I bristled but tried to control my reaction. Didn’t matter. Jolon caught it anyway. Of course he did. There was no hiding anything from myalpha.
The downstairs floorplan was open, and I started pacing along the invisible line that separated the kitchen from the living room, hoping to expel some nervous energy.
“Nothing will be okay until I have Lorn back in my arms.” I stalked across the floor, pivoted on my heel, and did it again.
I reminded myself, for the millionth time, that this was what was best for Lorn. We’d all agreed, but I hadn’t expected the new bond to be so hard to acclimate to. Still, it was worth it if it helped keep us safe and got us back to our mate. Anything was worth faring for her.
I’d take on the shadow realm itself.
Jolon’s agreement slid easily through our pack bond, a reassurance I hadn’t asked for. Jolon was a good guy and a great alpha, but after years of being part of Dason’s pack, it felt wrong to be connected to someone new.
“I know you’re not happy about the bond, Axel, but it will get easier. It was the best way to keep ourselves united during the fight.” Jolon shoved a hand through his wavy, dark, silver-tipped hair, tugging hard at the strands. “Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to communicate with each other. It’s safer for everyone this way.”
“I know,” I conceded with a sigh. He was right, but it only served to take the edge off the betrayal I felt I committed toward my true alpha. I’d always been loyal, and this felt like a punch to the gut.
The house was quiet for a moment. The only sounds were the ticking clock, the steady noise from Chayton’s food prep, and the soft thuds of my feet against the hardwood.
Chayton finally chimed in, his knife pausing above the sandwich he was preparing to half. “Dason would have made the same decision if the situation had been reversed. Jolon held the pack together, coordinated our counterattack, and kept us safe.” The blade sliced through the bread. “He won’t be thrilled, but he’ll understand. Any of us would do anything, give up anything, for Lorn and our pack.” His voice strained over her name, and I knew he was just as ripped apart by losing Lorn and her connection.
He’d actually been mated to her, his bite a beautiful scar on her neck.
Losing the mate bond had shattered me in a new and incomprehensible way. The deep yearning in the center of my heart where Lorn’s connection used to be left me feeling bereft. I used to think my darkest days were behind me, but nothing compared to this loss.
And it had to be even more intense for Chayton.
More quickly than I’d even realized, Lorn had become the center of our universe, and we’d been the center of hers.
Lorn would have been heartbroken if any of us had been hurt in the brawl,Syler added from outside.Our packs were complicated to begin with. Yes, this compounds it, but no more than losing our bonds with Lorn or the shitstorm we just lived through.
He was right. The new pack bond had been our only option at the time. I shoved down the guilt eating away at the edges of my heart.
It was worth it, I told myself. It kept us together.We’re stronger as a pack, and soon we’ll have Dason and Lorn back… if he ever calls us.What was taking him so long?
Syler’s footsteps echoed on the porch steps, and the squeak of the screen door announced his presence. I moved to unlock the inside door and let him in. He slipped past me while I relocked the latches, walking over to the window. He pulled the curtain aside and peered into the night.
“How many?” Kota jogged down the stairs, duffle bags in hand.
Twenty that I can see, but it’s dark. I’m sure there are more.Syler’s bear spirit was close to the surface, the angry rumble suffusing the thoughts he directed our way.
All of us were on edge, unsure who was friend and who was foe. When our connections to Lorn had been destroyed, my first thought was the shadow touched bastard working against us had gotten to her during the chaos. Nate River’s deception could have been a cover for our faceless enemy to make his move against Lorn, but instead, the perpetrator had been Mara, a betrayal I couldn’t even comprehend. But now wasn’t the time to process. Our enemy could very well be waiting outside our windows, biding his time until Lorn returned. I wanted to get the fuck out of here and find a safe place to bunker down and make a plan.
Kota tossed me one of the bags, and I stopped pacing long enough to snatch it midair. He’d packed both of our belongings so I could focus on Lorn’s things. Magicking necessities was a part of life, but it also expended energy and power, and some things were simply better to have on hand if possible.
I set the duffle next to Lorn’s suitcase, and the zipper purred as I yanked it open and gave the contents a cursory glance. Whatever Kota had thrown in was fine. I didn’t need much. My magick flared in a burst of orange, and I stored it away.
