Nope, but go ahead and have fun. I was excited that they’d gotten this far. Both guys had grown aggravated the past few days when they’d gotten so close to shifting and it hadn’t happened. Bond with your wolf, but make sure he doesn’t take too much control. He needed to be able to shift back to human.
Got it. He walked over and rubbed his body against my legs. But you know what this means?
I’ll bite. I ran my hand through his soft dark fur, feeling more connected to him than ever.
Exactly. He chuckled, and his tongue rolled out of his mouth. We’re one step closer to biting each other.
I hadn’t meant it like that, but the fact that claiming each other was one of his first thoughts made me fall a little more in love. The past few days had been amazing, and even though we were under threat and facing uncertainty, this was the happiest I’d ever been. It was mainly due to him and the amazing group of people surrounding us.
Roxy ran out from the trees in her wolf form and lowered herself to the ground, playing. She was ready to run and blow off some steam. We’d been cooped up in the house more than normal, trying to keep a low profile.
The three of them took off in a flash, leaving Egan and me behind to scope out the area.
“Let’s go outside the vampire’s perimeter to ensure they don’t come sniffing around.” Egan walked toward Titan’s pack lands as Roxy and the guys kept to the woods near the house.
A few miles from the pack territory line, Titan’s and his wolves’ scents hit my nose.
Great, they were already out and about. We’d tried getting an early start to the day so we wouldn’t risk running into too many of them.
I patted Egan’s arm, but he’d already picked up on them too. He motioned back to the woods, asking if we should retreat.
The strong answer would be no, that we should move forward and face the pack, but I wasn’t ready for that. I hadn’t sorted out my feelings about my supposed living mother. Maybe Dad had known and that was why he’d treated me the way he had. Maybe it was better to have an adult pretend-daughter than start all over with another female heir.
I nodded, indicating we should leave, but it was too late.
“I was wondering how long it’d take before we ran into each other.” Titan stepped from some trees alone.
My wolf nose knew at least ten wolves were hiding behind him. “You’ve breached your boundary line.” Technically, this was still the vampires’ side.
“Did you forget that Cassius and I are friendly?” Titan arched an eyebrow as he glanced from me to Egan. “I’m surprised you’re with the dragon and not your mate.”
“We’re friends,” Egan responded simply. “Are you too insecure to let your mate hang out with other males?”
It would have been boring without him here with me, that was for sure.
“You better watch it,” Titan spoke through clenched teeth. “You may be a dragon, but I am an alpha and should be given some respect.”
“Yet, here you are, obviously looking for us.” I didn’t like it. Now that Winter wasn’t here, he’d try to force me to go back with them. Hey, guys. Where are you?
We’re about two miles from the house, Roxy answered immediately. Where are y’all? Is it time to shift back?
No, not yet. I hated to ruin their fun, but they’d be pissed if I didn’t alert them to this meeting.
Donovan picked up on my anxiety. Did you run into that pack?
Yeah. I refused to lie to him even if I wanted them to continue enjoying themselves. But I’ll let you know if we need backup. As of now, he’s just grumbling.
Nope. Donovan’s determination rang clear. We’re on our way.
There was no point in arguing. They would show up here anyway.
“I wanted a chance to talk to you without Winter around.” Titan cracked his knuckles. “You really hurt her by running away without giving her a chance to tell you the whole story.”
“So what is this?” Egan gestured behind the alpha. “Are you here to force our hands? If you wanted to talk, it’s a little suspect bringing backup.”
“Don’t worry.” Titan lifted his hands in surrender. “They aren’t here for that.”
“Then why are they?” I wouldn’t blindly trust anyone. As soon as we let our guard down, something could happen. “That’s some heavy manpower for just talking.”
“You never know if something could come off as a threat.” The alpha crossed his arms, making it clear that he didn’t like being questioned. “Some would say taking precautions is smart.”
“As riveting as this conversation is, I’m not interested.” He was here to play a dominance game, and my wolf didn’t give a shit. Maybe that made me weak, but I didn’t care. “If you want something, just say it. Otherwise, we have more important things to do.” Like figuring out why the fae had attacked. We still didn’t have any leads.
“You’re an alpha,” Titan said with disgust. “You might want to learn the rules about being one.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, Tyler is my father …” I stopped myself because, apparently, that could be disputed. “Or, at least, he raised me. If I’ve learned anything from him, it’s how to leverage your own hand and not show your cards. It’s about strategy, manipulation, and bullying. If that’s what a good alpha stands for, I’m not interested. I’d rather be a weak one.”
Titan dropped his arms. “If that doesn’t prove you’re her daughter, I’m not sure what else would.”
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure if he was complimenting or insulting me. Egan stepped closer to me, ready to come to my defense.
“You’re headstrong and determined to lead differently than the norm.” He laughed humorlessly. “Winter’s strong like you, but it doesn’t matter. I was just hoping you’d talk to her. She’s been torn up.”
“Oh, well. Her being upset trumps everything.” My entire life had been about other people. For just a few days, I’d needed to focus on myself. “It doesn’t matter how I’m feeling. For all I know, she’s lying.”
“You’re a wolf.” Titan’s neck tensed. “You would know if she was lying. Hell, the dragon knows she isn’t.”
“But the fae ran away awfully fast when you showed up,” Egan interjected, proving he had my back. “What if you two are working together?”
“Are you serious?” Titan clenched his hands into fists. “We’re the last pack the fae would ever want to work with—if they work with anyone. Do you not realize how elitist that race is?”
“It’s not like you’d tell us if you were.” Did he think we were stupid? “And why would they be so against working with you as opposed to another pack?” That had been an odd thing to say.
“Maybe if you talked to your mother, you’d understand.” Titan took a hasty step toward me. “Please, just give her a chance. It would mean the world to her.”
Egan moved in front of me, blocking me from Titan’s view. “I get you’re concerned about your mate, but both parties need to be ready for the discussion. And if Sadie isn’t, you need to back the fuck off.”
“Look, she’s asked us to protect you.” Titan pointed at the wolves behind him. “That’s why they’re here. If she didn’t care, why would she have us guarding you?”
“She thinks the fae will return?” Even though I’d phrased it like a question, it wasn’t. I agreed. I knew they would be back.
Of course, that was when it would happen.
My head grew dizzy, and I was all too familiar with what it meant. I stumbled, and Egan spun around, catching me before I could hit the ground.
“Sadie?” he asked with concern. “Are they…?”
I shook my head, answering the question he hadn’t finished. The last two times I’d felt like this had been around fae, which meant they were near.
A loud howl sounded close by.
Roxy connected with me, her voice almost breaking. We need your and Egan’s help.
Are they with you? I scanned the area, looking for a threat.
Axel linked with me. They have Donovan.
“They’re here.” I wobbled on my feet, barely able to balance.
“The fae?” Titan asked, but I was already running toward my mate.
Chapter Ten