Rue was so horrified that even her notoriously obtuse mother noticed.
“Oh, don’t worry, infant. All reports seem to suggest Lord Woolsey wasn’t a very nice man even before he caught the Alpha’s curse. Frankly, neither was your grandfather. You’ll have to ask Professor Lyall if you want the details. Lord Woolsey was before my time. Although, I do know that he turned bad enough to almost cause a civil uprising. An insane Alpha is no small thing and can have wide-ranging political implications. Which I do keep reminding your father but he insists—”
“Enough, woman. Enough.” Paw raised his free hand to the heavens as though petitioning for interference.
“He doesn’t want you involved.”
Rue nodded, understanding her father’s feelings likely more than her mother did. Paw was embarrassed. He wanted to be her strong, solid comfort. She was his daughter and she wasn’t allowed to see him weak.
She couldn’t stop herself from asking in a small voice, “Are you going to die, Paw?”
“Och, sweetheart, no. Well, not immediately.” Paw leaned forward across the tea table to put his hand over hers, where they were clasped together, white-knuckled in her lap. Her fingers ached, which meant she must have been clutching them together for a while, unnoticed.
Lady Maccon said, “Is that what you thought? Oh dear. I knew I should have told you sooner.”
“Don’t they all die, though?” Rue clarified, barely above a whisper. “Aren’t they all killed, the cursed Alphas?”
“Well, yes, under ordinary circumstances. Sometimes by their Betas. Sometimes by a new Alpha challenging for the safety of all. Werewolves who go mad are put down by their own kind, for everyone’s sake,” Lady Maccon explained helpfully.
“Alexia!” snapped her husband at Rue’s miserable expression. “Do shut up!”
He shifted over to Rue, gathering her into a one-armed hug. Still holding his wife’s hand, he could touch Rue without any fear, for his daughter couldn’t steal wolf while her mother kept him mortal.
Lady Maccon realised she was making things worse. “Don’t worry, infant, we have a plan.”
“Taking Paw to Egypt?”
“How on earth did you know?”
Rue looked at her in exasperation. When will Mother stop seeing me as a child? “I had Percy look into the matter. It’s the most efficient and elegant solution. Which is your style. How do you plan to get Paw out of London alive?”
“Well, I had thought—”
“Alexia, enough. Little one, your mother has a big mouth. But we have figured it all out. We even have the Alpha transition in place. I wanted to wait for Kingair to return. I don’t like to leave my pack with an inexperienced Alpha and no Beta. But they are still in India and I seem to have run out of time. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Your mother has been a godsend. No Alpha could have held on as long as I did without a preternatural spouse. She’ll not mind my saying, we are both wearing a little thin.”
“Too true,” said Lady Maccon with feeling. “I thought you were impossible when we only saw each other a few times a night. This” – she raised their joined hands – “is torture!”
Rue frowned, remembering something Quesnel had said. She’d been annoyed with him so it hadn’t struck her at the time. “I thought you were staying with your parents. Don’t you have to right now?” She’d thought he’d meant for propriety’s sake, but had he meant because of Paw’s illness? Because she could certainly help her parents in this particular arena.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, you two.” She allowed her annoyance to show. “You should have told me from the start and this could have been avoided.”
They blinked at her, confused.
“Just use me instead!”
“Oh!” said Lady Maccon. “What a fabulous idea.”
Paw frowned. “If you’re sure? You won’t be able to accomplish much of an evening.”
“I enjoy being a wolf.”
Which was really all it took.
Lady Maccon, with an expression of profound relief, let go of her husband’s hand.
Rue felt the snap back of the tether as it hit her own flesh like a physical wave of tingling. Then she was shifting and changing. And there she was, brindled wolf wearing her father’s power in her skin and the remnants of a rather nice tea-gown. It didn’t feel unusual; whatever it was that made Paw Alpha and insane didn’t transmit to her. She felt like her normal wolf self. No different from the night before when she’d filched from Hemming. She wasn’t surprised. While Rue’s wolf form looked like a smaller version of her father’s, she wasn’t actually him. She never felt Alpha, either. No Anubis form, no urge to dominate, although as a female werewolf she should automatically be Alpha. It wasn’t worth puzzling over, for even with her limited wolf eyes, Rue could see the profound relief on both her parents’ faces. That was what mattered.