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The door lock buzzed as someone entered the code. Cael was first through, followed by the alphas who all looked like they’d just rolled out of bed and grabbed the first clothes they found: Caesar, Joss, Atticus, Alistair, and Marcus. Jupiter grabbed the door before it closed and walked in, shutting it behind him.
The alphas stared down at Rhomi.
“She saw?” Caesar asked quietly.
Mercer nodded. “I turned on the light as the female finished shifting, so Rhomi saw enough that she panicked and passed out.”
“We’ll deal with it later. Right now, we need to figure out what to do with the female.”
“Hey, I have a name,” she called.
“She’s a little pissed,” Mercer said. “She asked me to let her out or get her clothes and I just walked out with Rhomi. I honestly am still in shock.”
Marcus nodded. “I didn’t even know jackal shifters were a thing, but I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. You stay here with Rhomi, and we’ll handle things in the next room.”
Jupiter stayed with Mercer as the alphas filed into the room, where Cael was speaking to the female.
“I don’t have to tell you what this means,” Jupiter said quietly, his gaze moving between him and Rhomi.
Mercer scrubbed a hand through his hair, frustration riding him. “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I know she cares deeply for me, maybe even fully loves me, and I’d hoped to be able to get her to see the truth soon. She was already questioning some things she’d seen from my lion, so it was just a matter of time before I could tell her about it.” He waved a hand toward the room where a she-jackal had screwed him six ways from Sunday. “This fucks up the timeline.”
“And means we have to evaluate Rhomi. She’ll be confined to the apartment until further notice.”
Jupiter gave Mercer a long look.
“I know,” he said.
“Doc Paula’s on the way to evaluate the jackal. I can have her meet you at the apartment to check on Rhomi if you’d like.”
“I think she’ll be fine when she wakes up. I just don’t know what to say.”
“Tell her the truth,” Jupiter said. “You really have no choice now. It’s not like you can gaslight her and tell her she was dreaming or something. Honesty first, we’ll figure the rest out later.”
Mercer nodded and Jupiter walked away, leaving him and his still-passed-out sweetheart alone in the alcove.
He picked her up again and carried her from the building. He tried to imagine what it would be like to be human and have no clue that shifters were real, and then suddenly face that truth. It would be like finding out Santa was real or the tooth fairy. It must have been terrifying to see an animal turn human.
Clearly it was for her, since her brain shorted out and she fell unconscious.
“You okay?” a male called. “I heard we had an issue in the aviary.”
Mercer slowed his gait as Jasper, one of the wolves who was part of the security team, joined him.
“I’m good, but Rhomi passed out.”
“She saw it, right? I heard from Javan on patrol that she witnessed it. Must’ve freaked her the hell out.”
“Yeah. This was not how I wanted her to find out.”
“It’ll be okay, you’re soulmates. Even when they’re human, they seem to understand the connection.”
Jasper grabbed Mercer’s apartment door and opened it for him. “I’ll be outside.”
Mercer looked at him in surprise. “Why?”
“You know why, man,” he said. “Jupiter called for someone to stand guard outside your place, or Rhomi’s if you were taking her there instead. It’s just a precaution.”
He wanted to protest that he wouldn’t let her run away, but he knew it was protocol. It hadn’t happened often, but a few times a human soulmate had to be kept close to ensure they didn’t spill the truth to any other humans.
