11

His parents, however, were adamant that he needed to finish his education in the Eastern Wilds and stay close to home. They wanted him ready and willing to take over as pack alpha. I thought that was dumb. Kolton and Kira had no autonomy to do as they liked. Their parents were treating them like little kids.

Kolton slapped his book closed and rubbed his eyes. “Okay, I need a break. I’m going to go cross-eyed if I study anymore. Want a snack or something?”

I stood and stretched. “Yeah. Then I need to check on some stuff with some of my guys. I’ve been here for days. I should make sure they’re good.”

I was a lone wolf, but over the years, I’d grouped up with a small group of guys. We were all the same—guys who’d lost their packs in some way and were now on their own. I was the de facto leader of the group, but Kolton’s parents had taken us in a long time ago. Back in the day, that had been a minor scandal, but we’d done our best to prove we were worth it. Most shifters looked down on lone wolves with disdain, which was one of the reasons I didn’t make my opinions overtly known to anyone but Kolton. We would never be official Eleventh Pack members, and that was fine with us, but the support of a pack kept us safer than we’d be on our own.

I followed Kolton down the hallway to the living room but came up short when I saw Kira sitting on the edge of the couch. Zoe was painting swirling symbols on her face. Kira looked so serene and calm that I couldn’t help but see how beautiful she was.

Another flush of anger burst in me. I’d been here for days, slept on the couch in Kolton’s room every night, waiting for Kira to wake up, to be okay, and Jayson hadn’t stopped by once. The guy couldn’t even be bothered to check on this beautiful woman who was supposed to be his fated mate. I gritted my teeth but kept my face impassive as Zoe caught sight of us.

“Hey, guys,” Zoe said. “How does the lovely bride look?”

Kira opened her eyes, and irritation flashed across her face when she saw me. Before I could answer Zoe, Kira said, “Save it. I don’t need to hear your opinion, Wyatt. It means less than nothing.”

Taking a calming breath, I said, “I’m glad I hold a place of such high esteem. It’s too bad your soon-to-be mate doesn’t care enough to stop by. He apparently isn’t concerned about your appearance, either.” I shrugged nonchalantly. “From the looks of it, he doesn’t give a damn if you’re alive.”

Kolton snorted a laugh, but Kira glared daggers at me. “Shouldn’t you be out there checking on your little band of misfits?” She arched a curved eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be working today? Or did the Tranquility Council kick you out of the operatives?”

I crossed my arms and looked at the ceiling, pretending to make some very careful calculations before looking at her again. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. The operative schedules got all mixed up when one of our agents allowed herself to get drugged and nearly killed. If only one of the operatives had shown up and told everyone to abort the mission. Man, things would have turned out way better if they’d all listened to that guy’s gut instinct.”

Zoe’s cheeks puffed up. “Okay, maybe we should talk about something a little less–”

“What exactly are you getting at Wyatt?” Kira demanded.

I gave her a mock look of surprise and confusion. “Who? Me? I’m just saying you’re a magnet for trouble, and I constantly have to swoop in and save your ass.”

Kolton whistled through his teeth, knowing I’d stepped on a hornet’s nest. Everyone was well aware of her background. Kira was a fierce operative, with tons of awards and accolades to prove it, but her fearlessness had put her in dire predicaments more than once before—enough that even she had to know it was a problem. She tended to get very defensive about it. The irritation on her face was quickly skyrocketing to full-blown rage.

“Okay, guys, I still need to do her nails,” Zoe said, stepping in before an explosion of curses and shouting started. “We’re about to watch last season’s rerun of The Reject Project. You can stay, but then there needs to be a truce. Got it?”

Kolton made a derogatory noise with his tongue. “That’s like watching cock fighting. The whole show is barbaric. Zoe, how do you not get sick watching it?”

I was with Kolton on that. The show was too much. I’d actively refrained from watching it my whole life because it was not my cup of tea, but it seemed Kolton and I were in the minority.

Zoe folded her hands in her lap and gave Kolton a sickly-sweet look. “Well, Mister Wolfboy, the show has been on for thirty years, which means I’m obviously not the only one who likes it.”

“You’re saying that because it’s been on since before we were born, it’s moral?” Kolton asked with an incredulous look.

Zoe laughed. “Who said it was moral? You could argue p**n is immoral, but millions of humans and creatures watch that.”

Kolton pointed at her. “So you admit that the show is like torture p**n or something?”

“No. I know I used big words, so I can see how you got confused. I was comparing moralities. What I’m saying is that the whole world is mesmerized by it, not only wolf shifters. The Reject Project is the highest-rated show in every demographic. If you’ve got something that even fallen angels want to watch, you know it’s good.”

“But–”