22

I rolled my eyes. Every office had that one staunch rule follower who made sure everyone had their toes on the line and all their “i’s” dotted. Shonda was ours.

“Yes, Shonda. I know. Thanks for reminding me. I’ll take care of it.”

“Good. Want me to let Jacobs know you’re leaving?”

David Jacobs was our pod manager, overseeing three ops teams that made up one Tranquility operatives pod.

I blew out a frustrated breath. “Holy shit, Shonda, I don’t need a fucking mother right now. It’ll be fine,” I snapped.

She jerked her head back and pursed her lips. “Well, damn. Fine, then. Be that way.”

She hunched back behind her cubicle just as Carter turned in his chair and raised his eyebrows in question. Waving him off, I strode out of the office. In the elevator, my thoughts once again turned to Kira.

My own experience with rejected mates wasn’t exactly like hers, but it did give me some insight into what she was going through. Looking back on my past, I realized I was happier now than I ever could have been before. All I could hope was that Kira came out of this stronger than when she went into it. I couldn’t deny that I was happy she’d been rejected. Living her whole life with that piece of shit would have been a few steps away from hell. He’d never cared for her, never really wanted her, and was a lazy, spoiled brat. Probably would have cheated on her left and right regardless of the pairing. Knowing that prick, he’d be down by the ocean trying to find a mermaid to give him a blowjob while they were on their honeymoon.

I headed a few blocks down to a sandwich shop and bought lunch. I’d barely eaten in two days, but my metabolism was too high to go without food, and I was ravenous. My worry about Kira had damn near destroyed my appetite. I devoured the hoagie and chips while formulating a plan. My plan sounded crazy on the surface, but it seemed the best way to help both Kira and Kolton.

Kira was now a pariah in her pack. All that prevented her from being cast out was that her father was the pack alpha. Even that might not matter if the pressure from the other high-ranking families in the pack pushed the issue.

Kolton had no desire to lead the pack. Taking over would be the end of his dreams, and my friend would mentally waste away if he was forced to stay in the Eastern Wilds and watch over the pack. His parents had to know that, but tradition dictated everything they did, and they wouldn’t hesitate to force him when the time came.

There was only one way to prevent them from both going through that. I’d ask them to leave the hierarchical pack system and join my own small pack. We weren’t large, but we didn’t have allegiance to anyone. For years, we’d been under the protection of the Eleventh Pack, but we didn’t need it. We could go anywhere and do whatever we wanted. Kolton and Kira would never be in a pack that had the kind of influence theirs had, but they’d be able to live their lives the way they wanted. It was highly uncommon for a shifter to leave their pack voluntarily, and they would lose respect, power, and influence within shifter society. But in return, they were free to do as they wished.

I crumpled the sandwich wrapper and chip bag into a ball as I thought it over. They’d have a hard time adjusting, like I’d had, but it had worked out fine for me. I was so sick and tired of seeing them walking around with the weight of the world on their shoulders. The worry they carried with them was more than I could stomach. Their father was loyal to the dozens of families who were members of the Eleventh Pack, but that didn’t need to be their worry. If they left, the pack would find a new alpha when the time came for their father to retire. It wasn’t unheard of. Every twenty or thirty years, leadership in one of the twelve packs transferred to a new family. There were plenty of alphas ready to take up the mantle. The Eleventh Pack would be fine.

By the time I left the sandwich shop, I’d come to a decision. I’d go talk to them. Right now. Kolton would be the easiest to convince. I’d wait to speak with him. Kira would be the toughest nut to crack. She was unflinchingly loyal to her pack. It would take a lot of explaining to get her to realize leaving was the best option. I was ready for a fight, but I was determined to make her see the truth. She’d basically lost everything she’d worked toward her entire life. It would be better to start over with a new pack. A clean slate. She’d have to see the appeal when I explained it to her. Then, once Kolton agreed, it would be simple. Our unofficial pack would head out and look for a new territory.

I practiced what I’d say to her as I headed to her house. Shifting to my wolf form, I sprinted through the countryside outside the city and imagined how things would go when I spoke to Kira. There were a hundred ways she could turn me down, and I needed to plan a rebuttal to all of those before she said them.

Twenty minutes later, I skidded to a stop outside Kira’s house, my paws sliding through the grass. My body morphed out of its wolf form. My clothes reappeared on my body as my limbs transformed. The fur receded, and my torso and head shifted back to human once more.

Staring in shock, I walked around Kira’s car. My eyes narrowed to slits at the damage. This was deep in her father’s land. The only people who could have done this were her own packmates. A muted growl rumbled through my teeth. This had to be enough for her. She had to see that this pack was done with her. Coming with me and my guys was her only option.

Stomping up the porch steps, I grabbed the knocker and pounded it on the heavy oak door. To my surprise, Kira’s friend Zoe answered the door.