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Either Vivian wasn’t feeling his power or her madness was allowing her to ignore even someone as strong as Donovan. Another point in the crazy column. Mad wolves sometimes lost touch with reality, and couldn’t sense the power or commands that normal Weres could.
Now it made sense that she was his third. Even if she didn’t have the power to hold the position in the pack, she could fake it with her ability to ignore commands. Power plays with a mad wolf were impossible to win. I’d bet that’s how she rose up the ranks.
Donovan sighed. “Let me get the flight sorted. I’ll be heading out as soon as I can.” He ended the call before Vivian could say anything else, then threw the phone on the bed and held his face in his hands. “Shite. This is a fucking mess.”
I wasn’t sure how to help. Losing a second was like losing an arm. The second took charge when the Alpha was away. They had to be steadfast, smart, and trustworthy. Otherwise, the second would challenge the Alpha and cause all sorts of problems. Finding a good one… It was like a million to one, and there weren’t a million werewolves.
With Donovan’s schedule as one of the Seven, he was going to need to find another amazing second or either give up the pack or the Council entirely. From what I knew about him, giving up the pack wasn’t a real option. He’d been the Irish pack’s Alpha for a very long time, and he wouldn’t want to let his pack go. That meant he might have to leave the Seven which no one had ever done before. Council members only left the Seven when they died.
So he had to do the impossible. Find a new second. Very, very quickly. With everything that I’d just learned about his pack…
He was right. This was a fucking mess.
Donovan rolled out of bed and grabbed his laptop before coming back. “I think I can have my plane ready in a few hours.”
He made a quick call, pacing the room as he talked, and giving me a chance to figure out what I was going to do. Because there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. This was it. This was what Cosette warned me about.
I should stay home. Donovan would be totally fine with that—he’d probably prefer it—but I couldn’t. It was dumb. I wasn’t ready to face a mess of this size. I wasn’t strong enough. But that didn’t matter. I was Donovan’s mate, and abandoning him when he needed me was not an option. Even if it meant facing my darkest hour. Whatever the hell that was.
He hung up the phone and turned to me. “All right. I’m heading out at six.
I checked the clock. That was in four hours. “Okay. I can be ready. I need to—”
“Absolutely not.”
“Yes. I am.”
“No, you’re not.” This time he threw some command behind his words. “I’ve got a dead second. A crazy Were. Cosette warning you…” He paused. “No. I’ll not allow it.”
“You won’t allow it?” Oh, boy. He was grieving and upset, so I tried not to get angry, but it took some doing. “I’m your mate. You don’t get to order me around.” I stepped to him. “I’m going with you.”
“I can’t guarantee your protection. If it’s fey… If it’s not…” He let out a breath. “My best friend should’ve had his own pack by now, but he stayed on as my second out of loyalty. Whatever took him down, it’s supernatural. It’d have to be. I can’t tell what’s going on yet, but I know it’s dangerous and I don’t want you anywhere near it.”
“I can help you, and you’re going to need me.”
He sat down on the bed. “I can’t think…”
I knelt in front of him. “That’s why you need me. I can do this. I can help.”
He let out a breath. “I’m going to regret this.”
I gave him what I hoped was a comforting smile. “Never.”
“All right.” He shook his head. “I’m going to talk to your father and get everything ready for our trip. I’ll be back here in three hours.”
“I’ll be ready.”
He pulled me up to him, giving me a hard kiss. “You better be.
If I lose you, no one is safe.”
I leaned back, looking into his glowing blue eyes. “Nothing’s going to happen to me. And I have a get out of jail free card. So, either way, I’m set.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Wasn’t meant to be.”
He left, glancing back at me just before he walked through the door. His shoulders were a bit hunched and the creases around his eyes seemed deeper. My mate had some serious problems in his pack, and we both knew it.
