“That sucks.”

“It does.”

“Even if it’s basically taking away free will.”

And because I knew how important free will was to her, I just told her, “Where mates are concerned, free will goes out of the window. Not because it’s a way of controlling another person, but because living without a mate, which some people have to do, is a fate worse than death.”

My words resonated, probably more than she’d like.

She dumped her burger on her plate, then reached for her glass. “I’m sorry about all the questions.”

“Don’t be. I’m here for you, Lara. In ways you’re not ready to accept,” I told her, my voice soothing. “But when you are, I’ll still be here, and there’ll still be no force.”

Her eyes turned wary. “Why do I believe you?”

“Because you’re supposed to. You were fated to believe me, fated to believe in me.”

She dipped her chin. “Sabina says we didn’t share a father.”

That she’d unlocked a door between us filled me with relief. She could have started the conversation just to change the subject, but I didn’t think so, and merely said, “If he was cruel, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I suppose.” She bit her lip. “I’ve had all these talents for years, Todd, and everyone always thought I was crazy because of them. Me included. But here I am, everyone listening to me, acting like I’m not nuts, and it’s when everything goes to hell.” Her gulp was nerves, pure and simple. Her gaze caught mine at long last, and she whispered, her voice so quiet I could barely hear it, never mind the people in the diner, “Why, when I look at you, when I look into you, do I see a fox? And not a wolf?”

My lips parted, because whatever I’d expected her to say, it wasn’t that.

And for the life of me, I had no idea how to answer, because the truth of my heritage wasn’t something she was supposed to learn until she was my mate.

Until we were bound.

Until I’d gifted her with the knowledge.

“Don’t lie to me,” she rasped. “I can see you want to.”

I shook my head. “No. Not at all. I don’t want to lie to you. I-I, well, you have to see I can’t answer that here.”

She nodded her understanding. “But you’ll tell me?”

“Of course I will,” I vowed, even though the truth might have her running for the hills, she deserved the truth. The full truth.

Mother help me.

Thirteen

Eli

“We can’t just keep him locked up in there all the time. Christ, prisoners get more freedom,” Austin rumbled.

“What are we supposed to do?” Ethan questioned. “I swear to you, he took over my mind somehow.”

“You realize that changes what Leon did, don’t you?” I replied, my voice pensive, soft with reflexive thought.

“Yes. It does. We thought he attacked Maribel because he was a dipshit,” Austin answered. “What if Seth made him do it? What if he triggered the attack?”

“I swear, I’ve never wanted to hurt someone as much as I wanted to hurt him, guys,” Ethan rasped, and I could hear the torment in his voice at that. Could hear the pain and anguish.

Sabina, who was sitting on his lap, evidently aware that he needed her the most right now, turned into him and nuzzled her face against his throat.

Watching her, watching Knight feed, I lifted my legs so that I could rest them on my desk, then plunked my hands on my belly as I contemplated what I was learning.

It had been a shit day. What with Ethan’s attack, my useless conference with the Mother, learning the Kinsdale Alpha had let hyenas into his territory and that Lara hadn’t known she’d been at the center of a hyena manhunt… things couldn’t be worse.

Then there was Sabina.

Lara had somehow managed to offend her, which meant she was quieter than usual, and at a time when I needed her at full working order because what we were discussing was unprecedented.

On top of that, she didn’t have to say a word for me to know she was missing Berry. Hell, I missed the she-wolf too. Before things had grown so complicated, she’d been a good companion, and I’d always known my woman was safe with her around.

Without the pups and Berry, things were different. I was used to the pups managing to knock all the furniture over and causing chaos wherever they were, Berry nipping at them and her low growls rumbling through the packhouse as she tried and failed to corral them…

It was boring without them, I realized. And my life was anything but boring. They just broke things up, I guessed. Lightened a shitty situation, and if ever we’d needed that, it was now.

Austin’s next question was a wrecking ball to my thoughts. “If he’s possessed, then we have to take into account that none of this is his fault. The spirit is the one making him act.” He shared a look with Sabina that I didn’t understand, but his words had me pointing out:

“That doesn’t take away the fact that he’s a danger to Maribel.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Ethan agreed. “I wish there was more information about possessions and spiritual invocations in the history books, but they’re rare.”

“Thank the Mother for that,” Sabina muttered.

Austin winced in agreement. “True dat.”

“Whoever it is, whatever spirit,” Ethan rumbled, “I’d never have thought I could feel that way. He’s powerful. Incredibly so. I can’t even imagine what will happen when Seth grows up. Maybe the spirit will get stronger too?”

“And Daniel has set himself up as his appointed guardian?” Sabina asked warily. “I’m not sure I like that.”

“He controlled him, with ease,” Ethan appeased, his hand smoothing over her back. The attempt at soothing didn’t work—she looked just as ruffled as before. “If I hadn’t seen it myself, I’d never have believed it.”

“Is it fair to Daniel to allow that to continue?” she questioned.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of that. I think it’s something he was told to do at his covenant.”

My shoulders stiffened. “You’re joking?”

“No. I’m not,” he replied. “Daniel admitted as much without admitting anything.”

“Well, that’s helpful,” Sabina muttered.

Austin snorted. “It’s as helpful as we can be. We never speak of what we learn from the covenant—we only share one detail—if we’re mated. That’s it. Because it’s a cause for celebration. A continuance of the pack. Other than that, we don’t say a word about what She tells us. I wouldn’t even tell you,” he admitted, which had her eyes opening wide with surprise.

“Nor me,” I agreed.

“Nor me,” Ethan said quietly.

“Kali Sara, it’s that bad?”

“Not bad, just sacred,” I corrected. “Austin’s right—we can’t treat him like a prisoner forever, neither can we trust him around Maribel. But if the baby is in danger, what can we do?”