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“I thought we were going to play a game,” he said, not changing the subject but focusing it.
She blinked then sat back on his lap. “You confuse me so much.”
“I know,” he said honestly. “That’s why we’re going to play the game. Now, where do you want to start?”
She shook her head. “You start.”
He nodded then cupped her face. “Okay. I can do that. What is it, Brie, that you want to do within the Pack?”
Her eyes widened, and he heard her pulse pick up.
“Tell me, little wolf.”
“I…I want to stand by your side and ease your burden,” she said quickly.
He smiled then and watched the way she relaxed when he did so. He needed to smile more often if it relaxed her. “I know, Brie. You said as much during our mating ceremony. But what is it you want todo?”
She frowned then narrowed her eyes. “I want to come with you to meetings and talk with the wolves when you do. If I can help you make decisions or help the Pack members, maybe they can see me as a person, rather than a submissive wolf too weak to breathe on her own.”
He growled at that, and she leaned forward to kiss his nose. It was such a playful movement that he froze.
“I also want to speak with the other submissives and make sure they’re being treated okay.”
“We don’t torture them like my father used to,” he blurted out and could have cut out his tongue. He hadn’t meant to let that last part slip out. What his father and his followers had done was barbaric. Brie didn’t need to know the pain his blood had caused. Yet, sheneededto know everything eventually. She couldn’t fight an enemy without knowing the path they’d walked. It would be too dangerous for his mate.
“Hetorturedthem?” she asked, her face losing all color.
He gripped her hips, forcing her to stay on his lap. If she left him then, he had a feeling she would never come back.
“I…I can’t talk about what he did right now,” he said, his voice breaking. “Soon I will tell you everything that happened under my father’s rule and how I became Alpha, but I…I don’t think I can speak of it right now.” He didn’t want her to hate him for what he’d had to do. He’d pushed her away because he’d been afraid his Pack would reject her, yet now that he had her, he didn’t want to lose her.
She cupped his face, tears filling her eyes. “That’s why it’s so important for me to speak to the submissives and even the maternals right now. If you’re afraid to speak of it, what must they be feeling? I don’t know what went on before my time, but I will need to know eventually, Gideon. Too many secrets only hurt those involved. I don’t like being kept in the dark. And now with Leo out there, I really need to know.”
He knew she was right, but he couldn’t tell her everything. Not yet. He wanted her to knowhimbefore she knew of his past. Once she knew what he’d done to protect his Pack, she might never trust him again.
That was something he didn’t know if he could survive.
“I will tell you everything. Soon.” He met her gaze and pleaded with his eyes.
“I’ll wait a bit longer, Gideon. Only because I want to know everything fromyou, not from anyone else.”
He let out a breath. “Thank you. As for you speaking with the submissives and maternals, I think that’s a great idea.”
She smiled then, and he wanted her to do that forever. Her whole face lit up, and she looked…happy. He didn’t know if he could ever make her truly happy since she’d mated with him knowing that things wouldn’t be easy, but he could at least try.
“Really?”
“Really. I could use some help in that area, honestly.”
“You’rereallydominant, Gideon.”
He lifted his hips and grinned. “I know that, little wolf.”
She rolled her eyes, even as her breath hitched. “I wasn’t talking aboutthat. I meant that some wolves might need to talk to someone not so dominant if they have issues. That’s what your mate is for. Well, your mate and your Beta and your family. We might not be a democracy, but you have others around you for a reason.” She cupped his face and kissed him. He froze, not wanting to break the moment. When she pulled away, she smiled again. “Let me help you.”
“Okay,” he whispered, and she relaxed into him. She could have had no idea how hard it was to even say that one word. He didn’t ask for help. He took it from his family if he needed it, but he’d rather do it all on his own. There was less of a chance for others to be hurt. The fact that he was about to give Brie responsibilities that should be his, scared him, but he knew if she didn’t do what she could, things would end up worse. The Pack needed to see her in a role of power, and Brie herself needed something to do so she wouldn’t feel useless.
There was no way he’d ever think of her as useless, but getting Brie to see beyond the barriers of others’ opinions was another matter altogether.
