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I sighed. “I know, but we’ll have to handle those issues as they come up. We can try to predict the problem areas to catch anything before it arises, but we won’t be able to predict everything.”
“What do you want to do about the wolves who defected?” Dom asked.
“If Bryn isn’t already aware of it, I think we should keep that quiet for now.”
He raised a brow. “She’s going to notice that she’s short a few wolves before long.”
“She’s got enough on her plate just learning how to run the pack. I’ll tell her soon, but I don’t want her to worry about that yet.”
The conversation was over as far as the others knew, but Dom entered my mind to say, “She deserves to know, Night. Keeping her in the dark is like keeping her from playing with a full deck of cards.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I’m worried that she’s going to be consumed with pack duties. Knowing her and the way the Kings treated her when she was human, I think she might try to prove to them that she’s worthy of her title—and she is. But I don’t want her to get in too deep and burn out.”
As the team continued to talk amongst themselves, I was the only one who noticed the way Dom rolled his eyes. That was a show of defiance that Dom rarely publicly indulged in. It was more disrespectful than I was used to from him.
“I can muddle my way through your reasoning, Alpha Night, but I think we both know what happens when you ignore the needs of the woman you love.”
That was a step too far. I whipped my head toward him, and I was ready to fucking put him in his place when a question interrupted me.
“Alpha, what do you need from us?” Jasper asked. “I mean, to make the merger as successful as possible.”
I forced myself to tamp down on the urge to snap at Dom and addressed the table. “We all need to do what we can to learn as much as possible about the Kings. The plan has always been to combine the packs to end the centuries-long feud between us, but it’s going to take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to make that a reality. While on the Kings’ territory, we should keep abreast of their needs and shortcomings, too, to make our merger as appealing to them as possible. I need your support, your patience, and your expertise on my side.” I shot a look at Dom as I said the last sentence, but he didn’t make eye contact with me.
My wolves sent nods of agreement around the table. “We’ll follow you anywhere, Alpha,” Kai said. “You’ve done more than enough to earn our loyalty.”
Their votes of confidence stilled some of the irritation roiling in my blood. I had no idea what the future of the Wargs would look like, but I was determined to make sure it was a bright and fruitful one. From the corner of my eye, I watched Dom peel away from the wall and leave the conference room.
Maybe I was right to be worried about this thing that was eating at him.
19
BRYN
While Night was away, I was left to prepare myself for both the Alpha ceremony and the binding ceremony. I couldn’t keep myself from wringing my hands every few seconds as I paced in the living room of the Alpha’s cabin.
I knew why I was unsettled—Night was gone, I was alone in this huge cabin, I was on the Kings pack lands, I had a meeting with the Elders in a few hours, and even though Night and I’d had sex in the bedroom and many of the other rooms in the house, the place still stank of Troy a little. It made me queasy every time I got an unexpected whiff of him, and it caused my thoughts to jumble together when I needed them to be linear.
I wished I had Night beside me again. Sure, he would distract me with those wonderful little kisses and the wicked things he could do with his fingers and tongue, but he also grounded me. Alone, I felt like I was being sucked up in a tornado. I hadn’t even been able to leave the cabin I was in such a state.
A knock on the door brought me up short.
For a moment, I worried that Troy had escaped from the cells and come to drug me and kidnap me all over again. But as I approached the door, the familiar scent of earth and lavender greeted me.
I threw open the door, exclaiming, “Mom!”
She grinned and pulled me in for a tight hug. Mom was just as I remembered—long, silky white hair, laughing brown eyes, and an embrace that was just as warm and comforting as it had always been—and I sighed into her shoulder.
“Hey, baby,” she said, rubbing my back. “I figured you would be in need of a distraction. Care to come with me to the garden?”
“Yes!” I couldn’t imagine a better place for me to be right now.
It was mid-morning as we walked to the community gardens, and my eyes widened at the sight of the weeds and shriveled growth. Mom, seeing my surprise, nodded sadly.
“Troy’s evil did a number on the land, Bryn,” she said. “All the blood he spilled, all the terrible things he did in the name of this pack…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “There is little he can do to make amends for this damage. I tried to do what I could, and I saved a lot of what we cultivated, but without my girl at my side, I couldn’t save all of it.”
I looked up at her. “Mom, I’m sure you did better than I could ever have done.”
She gave me a smile. “I’m not so sure, baby. I have a connection to the land that lets me sense the way it feels and the things it wants, but Bryn, you’ve always had an affinity for plants and growth. Even when you were just a toddler, you were tugging on my leg to tell me when a plant was thirsty or hungry. You were always a little prodigy.”
