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Surely a lack of friendly neighbors wouldn’t be enough to create the amount of tension surrounding Michael.
He turned to stare at me, his dark eyes a stormy sea of anxiety and emotion.
Then he twisted back to look at the road. “My magic is for crap. My father could be on his way to kill us all, and...”
“And what?”
“Nothing.” He muttered, and walked away to find Monique.
I groaned and thrust my fingers through my hair. Michael was miserable and Monique wasn’t much better off. Maybe it was time to leave for a while? Take them away until things had settled down.
I had to talk to Xander. Alone.
I walked Michael and Monique back to the cottage and promised to be back for dinner. When I found my best friend he was in discussions with his dad, the two of them having a beer on the porch.
“Hey Kyle!” Xander called out, standing up from his seat. “Want to join us?”
I stopped on the path, a few feet from the porch, a heavy weight in my gut. “Thanks, but we need to talk.”
Max stood up, nodded his head at me, and walked inside. He was a man of few words, but perfect.
“What’s up, Kyle?” Xander asked, his eyebrows lowering in a mirror image of my worry.
I sighed, not even sure how to start the conversation to convey what I really wanted to say. So rather than beat around the bush, I just dove into it. “Michael and Monique are really unhappy living here. Michael wants to leave and Monique spends her days hiding in the cottage because the pack are tormenting her.”
Xander jumped to his feet. “They’re what?”
“They told her, to her face, that she’s not welcome here. And every time she steps out the door they glare and growl and carry on. It’s fucking bullshit, Xander. You have to do something about it.”
Xander groaned, “What else can I do? I’ve convinced the council that we’re fated mates and that they need to give Monique a chance.”
He said that like what he’d done was enough. Anger boiled inside of me. Why wasn’t he taking this seriously?
“You shouldn’t have to convince them of anything!” I yelled at him. “Our bond is fucking obvious. For fucks sake, Xander! What the hell are we even doing here?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, his nostrils flaring. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said.” It was my turn to glare at him this time. “We promised Monique love, and devotion. Fun and freedom. Instead, we’ve run home with our tails between our legs and brought two magical beings into a den of vipers.”
Xander growled softly at me. “You need to back off, Kyle. I’m doing my best.”
I scoffed. “You’re not even close to it. You’re too busy kissing ass to see what’s in front of you.”
Xander lifted his chin but didn’t say anything, which was his way of being obstinate, and in this case, stupid.
My hands tightened into fists. “If Monique and Michael want to leave, I’m going with them. I’m not sticking around here with a dying pack who can’t see what’s in front of them.”
“And what’s that?”
“A fucking future!” I yelled at him. “Monique is the answer to the curse! Every man in this pack has a fated mate out there, somewhere, but thanks to the council, they can’t leave to go in search of them.”
Xander grabbed the railing on the porch and squeezed hard, his knuckles showing white. “Don’t you think I know that?” He demanded. “I know that Monique is our future, and our mating is the evidence we need to survive as a pack.”
“Then why aren’t you doing more?”
“I’m trying!” Xander hissed at me. “But the council is...”
“Fuck the council.” I said, walking away. “And fuck you.” I couldn’t believe that Xander didn’t care about our mate the way I did.
