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His brows flew up. “Are you serious? Why tonight?”
I’d just decided it. The sooner I could eliminate him as a problem, the sooner I could deal with my own issues—primarily, figuring out how to get through this Contention.
“Because he won’t expect it so soon after visiting and because I’m over his bullshit.”
Garrett’s teeth flashed in a smile of dark anticipation, and he rubbed his hands together. “You know I’m in.”
“I’ll find my father and let him know. You get Cal and Jax. Meet me in my office to make a plan—then we’ll head out.”
“What are you thinking? Kill him?”
I shook my head. I wanted to show Kayden that I could handle conflicts without resorting to killing, even if I had every right. It would never make up for what happened to Nico, but it was a start.
“Let’s replace him with someone from the inner circle—start thinking about that too. We’ll leave a few soldiers in town to oversee the transition.”
Garrett nodded. “Sounds like a plan. If he tries anything, then he can be exiled. Or sentenced to death.”
I’d avoid it if possible, but Kayden’s pack needed to be out from under Branson’s control. They’d suffered enough. However, if that’s what it came to, I wouldn’t hesitate to act.
19
KAYDEN
It was the first day we hadn’t had classes or a competition since we’d arrived, and I needed the break more than ever.
Last night I hadn’t been able to sleep after Faye brought me to this temporary room on the north wing of the second floor. The image of Holden’s face as he’d stared in awe, his whispered words—fated mate—cycled on an endless loop, keeping me tossing and turning.
Even now, as the first gray light of dawn lighted my new room, my mind wouldn’t give in to my body’s fatigue. Finding my fated mate was the last thing I expected that could have happened. I wanted to deny it, to tell Holden he was crazy, imagining something that wasn’t there. But I couldn’t.
Because I knew it was true.
The moment those fateful words had left his lips, I’d felt the truth of them in my bones and soul.
It had been too much. I’d needed to get away, especially after his words cut deeper than I ever would have expected. I needed time and space to process what this meant.
Faye had begged me to tell her what was wrong after bringing me to this room, but how could I begin to express it in words? I didn’t even know how I felt about it. I certainly didn’t want anyone else to know until I’d figured that much out.
She’d left me alone, but only after I’d insisted I was fine, just emotionally drained from the day—understatement of the year.
I let out a deep sigh, my body heavy as I tossed off the blankets and sat up. As much as I needed to sleep, my mind wasn’t going to shut up long enough for me to get any.
“Time for a run,” I muttered, thumbing through the new rack of clothing Faye had delivered after she’d left me last night. I swallowed, thinking of all my other things that had likely burned up in the fire. None of them had been mine, but it brought home the gravity of what I’d been through.
I’d nearly died.
I hastily grabbed some sweats and a jacket. I’d be shifting anyway, so it didn’t matter what I wore. All that mattered was getting out of my head for a while.
Spending time in wolf form, running in the woods, and experiencing nature as one of its creatures had a calming effect on my body and mind. I couldn’t think of a time I’d needed that more.
Opening the door to the bedroom that was similar to my other room in size but styled in a more masculine theme of browns, greens, and rich wood, I peeked into the hallway. Even though I’d never been this way before last night, I’d gotten my bearings in the massive estate enough that I easily found my way downstairs and out a side door.
I breathed in the crisp morning air, the scent of dew on the grass and flowers, before making a beeline for the woods. I wasted no time shedding my sweats and dropping to the ground, letting my shift take over.
It was more painful than normal as my burns and cuts seared as if another fire were ripping through me. My body reformed, and as it did, healing energy surged forth, sealing wounds from the inside out. I wouldn’t be entirely perfect—my burns were likely to still be a bit pink and tender—but my recovery would be weeks ahead of what a human could expect.
I stretched into my wolf form, just to appreciate the calmness that settled over me. I breathed in, the scent of leaves, damp earth and traces of woodland creatures filling my nose. In the dim predawn light, I could make out the various trails that wove through the woods, paths run by North American pack wolves for centuries now.
With one more stretch, I settled into my new form, then took off into the woods. I bounded through the underbrush, darted between stands of trees, and leaped over fallen branches. The further I ran, the harder I pushed myself, the emptier my mind became until all there was, was my wolf, my human consciousness receding to the background.
