Deidre We only have a half hour til we land when Mark approaches my seat. “Conference room. Now.” “I’ve already listened to my husband’s song and dance twice today. I’m not–” “It’s not about that.” I glance up at him, annoyed. “Then what is it?” His eyebrows crease. “Conference room.” By the time I’m out of my seat, Mistra and Jason are already seated. Perrin is the only one apart from the pilot not here. “Sit,” Jason says. I place my hands on my hips. “What?” “We’ve spoken to Janas,” Jason says in a measured tone. “Sit.” I don’t. “We’ve been in the air for more than two hours. You can’t possibly think he’s screwed things up already? I mean, hell, I’m not his biggest fan but–” “Sit. Down.” Jason’s tone leaves no room for disobedience this time, and I sink into the nearest chair. I check my watch. It’s 9:00 p.m. local. The guard would have been out for a few hours. Janas was likely at the guard post, monitoring patrol movements like he always does. “Well?” I ask pointedly.
Kira“Hello, Kira. I’m Sirius. And I can assure you, the pleasure is all mine.”His words are almost formal, tinged with an accent that I can’t quite place. But there’s a quiet intensity about him that’s instantly clear. He is authoritative and commanding, as if expecting his words to be believed and taken seriously. “Well, Sirius,” I say lightly, gesturing at his wheelchair. “What brings you in?”“Are you a healer?” he asks, his light eyebrows rising in surprise.I bark out a laugh. “If I were, I wouldn’t be in here.” I gesture at my own chair, but still completely captivated by his eyes. They suit him, as if the golden yellow of his hair and eyebrows are just a natural extension of the rest of him. I blink instinctively, aware that mine don’t match the inherent genetics that seem to make his meld together naturally. He’s incredibly pale, however, as if he never goes outdoors.“I suppose that’s true,” he replies, eyes dropping only for a fraction to take in my leg brace. They widen
Perrin “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” I say, gripping Ethan by the forearm and pulling him in to clap him on the back. “Are you sure you want to talk about eyes here?” Ethan mutters into my ear as he hugs me back. He draws away, his own golden eyes reserved. “Good call,” I mutter, taking a step away from him. “You look different.” My eyes sweep over the colors of his dark suit. Gone is the dark green of Aperture. He wears only Chiyad colors now. I can’t say that it doesn’t suit him, but I’m not really prepared for it, either. “Wish I could say the same for you,” he says quietly, stepping to my side. “Have you lost weight?” “No, but I see that you’ve found some.” He has. The muscles swell alarmingly under his suit, more so than they ever have before. “Recovery looks good on you. I’m sure Justin agrees.” He nods uncomfortably, adjusting his posture. His recovery from his attack, including the one from his mate, left his arm gravely injured. He was out of training for weeks,
Deidre I sigh, deflating into a chair in the grand hotel suite. I eye the grandeur of it; the gaudy nineteenth century decor, oversized paneling, and the new moldings painted gold as if trying to convince us that it’s been here for hundreds of years. “That wasn’t too bad.” I take a sip from the large glass of bourbon in my hand, the only real old stuff in this room. “And this stuff isn’t cheap. Apparently Nael isn’t trying to make a total ass out of himself.” “Bad? No,” Jason says, ignoring the comment about the alcohol. “You almost broke his hand,” Mark observes. “I did,” Jason smiles smugly. “Well, not entirely. I felt his ring-finger crack.” “Men,” Mistra mutters. I smile in silent agreement so only she can see. “Shall we call Janas?” Mark asks. “Yes,” Jason groans, settling into a chair beside me. “Let’s see how much progress he’s made. And Mark; don’t bother unpacking your bags. You’re going back tomorrow, remember?” Jesamine “How are you feeling?” “The same I was two h
Deidre“Thank you, Naineeve. Your discretion will not go unnoticed.”I hung up, dialing Jennivah immediately. Mistra, Jason, and Mark all sit around, their hearing keenly aware of the previous conversation and awaiting the next.“What’s our next move?” Mark asks.I pinch the bridge of my nose, then find the empty glass next to me on the side table. To my distinct surprise, Jason rises and fills it, the decanter full of amber liquid tinkling lightly as he replaces the stopper. He doesn’t make eye contact, but he knows I’m in my element. That I’m the only one that can control this situation right now.“He stays overnight. That’s good. Naineeve is assigned to him in case he returns. He will need lodging. Mark, ensure that he gets a courtesy place at the pack house. Indicate that as a fellow scholar that it’s my expectation to meet with him upon my return to Texas.”Mark raises his eyebrows. “In two weeks?” “Yes. He will have no choice but to respect my wishes. I am Luna, after all. And
KiraI set the phone down on the bedside table, pulling my blankets over me at the chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of my room.What the hell?But I couldn’t help but smirk. My gut instinct about the visiting wolf hadn’t been totally off. Something hadn’t been right about Sirius. Not wrong, per se… but definitely not normal. Were all European wolves that way? And how Mark had discovered our pack had a visitor less than twelve hours after they’d left? I didn’t know. Some type of Beta secret perhaps. He’d tell me in time. I was beginning to realize just how much I had to learn.I frowned, knowing Royhill would likely come pick me up in the morning. I stared at the clock. It was way past my bedtime. Not that I cared. I scratched at the stupid fake brace on my leg.On the positive side, apparently hiding away in the Luna’s office was going to be exactly what I was up to, the joke made earlier to Jesamine in jest or not. And sooner than I had anticipated; Naineeve was her
Perrin“Holy shit.”Mark softly whistles behind me, unnerved at the site of it as we drive in. The Chiyad training facilities is enormous. No. gigantic. Whichever one is bigger.“This is where Ethan’s been training,” I say unnecessarily, awed at the outside of it. I wondered if Ethan could escape being the favorite for the Beta championship by just having access to state-of-the-art facilities. Mark doesn’t answer, but drives to a series of parking spots on the side of the building. “I know Ethan’s been working hard,” I go on as we get out of the car. “And Justin had only mentioned they were working on getting their facility renovation underway. Is this the before or after? They couldn’t have done all of this in just a few months.”Mark’s neck cranes to look up the side of the building. “I don’t know.”We walk into the large side entrance, automatic doors whooshing in around us with crisp, air-conditioned coolness. I blink twice as a discreet whirring sounds, a scanning of our bodies
BenMy alarm goes off, and I don’t even want to reach for my phone.It’d be great to stop the two-day hangover that plagues me. But something else entirely when I’ll look at my screen and realize Kira hasn’t called me back. Or texted.Not like she would.I roll over, swatting blindly at my bedside table until my phone drops onto the floor, vibrating and jittering across the cheap carpet like some strange bug.I test my eyes, flickering them open against my ceiling.Well. At least my hangover is gone today. I exhale. I’d rather have the pain of that hangover instead of the anger I feel at myself. Not just anger.Shame. Annoyance.And the worst part? The self-pity.I’ve drowned in the feelings of the last few days, addicted to the self-sabotage of not eating, not consuming anything and not trusting myself. I’ve been sober for years. And doing this now? Giving into temptation? I want to blame my thesis. My stupid failed research. I want to just burn all of it to Hell and back. But gnawi