No, Bellwether hadn’t kissed me because of perfume. His actions had been part of a larger ploy that I suspected involved Orion as well as me by the smug scent now rolling off the older man.
“Elspeth hasn’t given me an answer,” Bellwether continued. “I don’t intend to leave until she does.”
I kept my reply simple, in large part because whenever I opened my mouth the scent of peaches invaded my mouth like a questing tongue. “No.”
“You heard her,” Orion growled. “Now get out.”
The desert was blazing hot and it wasn’t that much cooler inside. Still, I was glad of the warmth of Orion’s arm banding across my shoulders, pulling my back up close to his front. Perhaps I’d taken a chill. That was the only explanation I could give for the shivers that started in my torso and expanded out to seize my entire body.
“I’ll give you an opportunity to rethink that response,” Bellwether countered, ignoring the alpha command that wasn’t strong enough to affect another pack leader. His eyes were the same color they’d been previously, but now they felt entirely lupine. Lupine like the innate weapons I always had available and should have used moments ago.
Why, when I was pinned, hadn’t I shifted and bit out Bellwether’s tongue?
Because I hadn’t trained for that. Because I’d been in my human head, where lupine instincts weren’t second nature. Because I’d put myself back into the role of Council enforcer, and that made me forget that Gabi’s rules no longer applied to me.
“Three PM,” Bellwether continued, “we’ll meet again at the edge of the outpack. I’ve invited the other area alphas and they’ll expect you to make a choice—accept your punishment or accept my offer to mate.”
He’d blocked me in quite admirably, but Orion’s breath on the back of my neck was enough to settle the hairs there. My shivers subsided and I forgave myself for freezing, for falling back into old habits. Self-recriminations faded as I focused on the fact that I had, indeed, accomplished my original goal.
Because now I knew what Chief Bellwether was up to: carrot and stick. I’d used the same technique so many times in my role as enforcer and Chief Bellwether had likely noted that fact. He must have paid attention when I stole Blade away from his clan, had seen who I was beneath the damsel-in-distress disguise. He’d let me capture the alpha who stood in his way even though he likely could have prevented the takedown.
Now, he intended to use that knowledge of my character combined with the fact I’d trespassed on his territory to force a matebrand and boost his own aspirations. We had only a couple of hours to find a way out of the trap he’d so ably laid for us.
Might as well get rid of our uninvited guest so we could start preparing. “I’ll be there,” I bit out.
Time was of the essence and there were several moving pieces that had to be slotted into place before the three o’clock deadline. But I couldn’t quite make myself let go of Orion. So we held hands as he ordered non-fighters to sneak out of the canyon and take the long way to the underground bunker he’d set up in case the canyon was compromised, the one where he and I had once spent a night.
Well, first he asked Donovan for confirmation: “The bunker’s still in the outpack?”
“All of the land beyond our eastern border remains unclaimed territory,” his half-brother answered. “The bunker is safe, but we haven’t pressed further into the desert to see how far the changes advanced.”
Unspoken was the other issue—Maya’s absence, the question of whether we’d have all of our ducks in a row before Gabi showed up if we stayed busy dealing with Bellwether in the interim. Donovan was Maya’s mate and he could have vented his worries on me, but instead he remained perfectly cordial.
Still, I couldn’t forget the part I’d played in letting the pack’s healer be captured. I needed to ensure Celeste and Finnegan would be present at the handoff as promised. Tracking down Finnegan was dicey, but my sister I should be able to manage.
To that end, I waved Hailey over as she passed through the gym. “I need to speak with Celeste.”
There was a flicker of hesitation before Hailey’s brows drew together. “I didn’t realize you wanted me to keep tabs on her. She left the canyon a couple of hours ago and I wasn’t sure I had permission to follow…”
A few days ago, back in Vega’s territory, Hailey wouldn’t have needed explicit instructions. So it was strange to see her act like a guest uncertain of her status. Strange yet totally understandable since she was an ambassador living in a pack not her own.
“You’re right,” I reassured the younger woman, “I didn’t ask you to do that. It’s all fine.”
At the same time, I reluctantly slipped my fingers out of Orion’s so I could dig out my phone and call my sister. When voicemail picked up, I didn’t leave a message. Instead, I texted her.
“Where are you?”
“Taking a walk,” came her immediate answer.
“You need to be here this afternoon to meet with Gabi.”
The thumbs up she sent back wasn’t precisely reassuring. Especially when we still didn’t know where Finnegan was.
But Orion’s pack mates were hunting for the missing person. They’d also stepped up security after Chief Bellwether slipped past their guard and into the canyon, so I had to assume Celeste would be safe anywhere within human walking distance. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to accept that I couldn’t manage everything, that being a wolf meant depending upon the combined actions of the entire clan rather than trying to do it all myself.
I put away my phone, the gym coming back into focus. And as it did, I was surprised to realize the space had emptied in the moments I’d been conversing with my sister. Orion and I were the only ones inside now, like yet unlike when he and I had ended up sparring in this same space weeks ago, me as a Council agent and him as an alpha accused of blood magic.
“I’d like us to be on the same page about this afternoon,” Orion rumbled once he saw he had my attention.
“I’d like that too.” Reluctantly, I put a little additional air between us so I could face Orion rather than standing shoulder to shoulder beside him. Because I wanted to be able to see his expression clearly as I told him: “I’m ready to re-form our mate bond.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected his response to be, but it wasn’t this. His eyes closed. His inhale was long and shuddering as he shook his head.
“Not a good idea.”
“If we have an active matebrand, Bellwether will back down,” I countered, ignoring the pang that struck when my chosen mate rejected me. “He’ll have no chance of using me to gain additional outpack power and he’ll know I can use that same power against him. He’ll find a way to save face, then he’ll go home.”
Orion’s head continued to shake so I kept talking. “I’m not just saying this because the matebrand would be helpful. When Bellwether asked me to partner with him”—a growl from Orion almost disrupted the flow of my words but I didn’t pause—“I knew I was ready to make that leap. Not with him, obviously. With you.”
Now, finally, Orion’s eyes opened. There were tiny hints of starlight kindling in the darkness and his tone was gentle as he told me, “I should have gotten there faster. Your experience was traumatic. This isn’t the time to make a life-altering decision.”
I’d come to my decision before Chief Bellwether forced an unwanted kiss upon me. But there was no way to prove that to Orion. And I’d hurt him by forming our first matebrand under false pretenses. When we mated again, it wouldn’t be in a way that left either of us wondering about motivations.
So—“Okay,” I agreed before offering the alternative I’d held in my back pocket in case Orion refused my initial offer. “If you won’t be my mate, then be my alpha. I’m formally requesting permission to join your pack.”
Chapter 21
I thought that one would be an easy affirmative. Chief Bellwether had threatened me with death, but such an extreme punishment was only on the table for a lone wolf. As a member of Orion’s pack, I’d be protected the same way I would have been protected by Vega.
