Page 66 of The Witch’s Daughter

They’d made that apparent last night. She hadn’t even bothered to come out here herself to pick up her things. I’d growled at the witches gathering her stuff, demanding to know if she was okay, but they’d only given me looks of pity.

Everyone had seen my deepest shame. The pathetic Alpha who’d been rejected by his mate.

Unconsciously, I touched my chest, feeling the weak bond that was always there letting me know Tisiphone was safe. I’d learned to numb it as a pup for both our sakes, but I still checked on it from time to time.

And it wasn’t the first time I wondered if there was a way to tear it out of my heart. To rid myself of the ever-present ache that tainted—or fueled—everything I did in life.

I was so damn tired of it.

“Alpha?” the voice called again.

“I’m coming.” I unzipped the tent.

The early morning gray of the pre-dawn cast a foggy glow on the field. I looked to the sky, trying to track the moon. Halley’s Comet was blurred by the clouds. It must’ve been four or five in the morning. Everyone in the surrounding tents was still asleep.

I shivered as I stood to my full height, coming face to face with Gentry.

I hated the sympathy in my old friend’s eyes as he looked me over. “Are you doing all right?”

“Is that why you woke me up?” My voice sounded rough. “To talk about my feelings?”

Gentry lowered his face. “We always knew you two were supposed to be together. Fate doesn’t make mistakes.”

“I’m going back to bed.” I growled.

“It’s not that.” He sighed, turning towards the eastern border. “The twins told me to grab you. Alpha Kera has arrived.”

*

Kera was the last wolf shifter I wanted to see right now. I knew we’d been waiting on her arrival, but that was before what happened yesterday.

Besides her being much older than me—like most of the Alphas in our region except for Aiden of Fenrir—and therefore treating me like a pup in many of our meetings despite her reliance on Cadejo exports, the Cerberus clan was a tight-knit bunch. They were protective of each other, to a fault.

I didn’t want to admit what had transpired between Tisiphone and me earlier. By the look on her face as I stepped over the Ossory border into Anubis territory, she already knew.

Those damn twins.

“Do you want to explain how letting your temper get the best of you helped to fulfill the promise of taking care of my niece?” Kera’s question was a lashing whip.

I straightened my spine. The Alpha in me refused to cower. “It didn’t.”

Kera lowered her voice to a dangerous whisper, “If anything happens to her, I will personally hold you responsible.”

I’d hold myself responsible, so I didn’t argue, but something about her tone rubbed me the wrong way. “Tisiphone is strong. She can handle herself.”

“You better hope so. For your sake.” Kera turned and started marching away, expecting me to follow her, as anger and worry tinged her scent.

It dawned on me that she didn’t truly believe Trish could take care of herself. Frowning, I kept pace with Kera.

Tisiphone is tough, but she shouldn’t have to take care of herself, my beast growled.

I know that. Does Kera?

The chaos ahead swallowed us up before I could voice my concerns. Shifters from both Cerberus and Anubis, along with the erratic Alpha Jareth, who tolerated me better than my predecessor but still eyed me—and everyone besides Kera—suspiciously, were setting up a command center in a tent just outside Ossory borders.

I slowed to a stop, thinking this was exactly how it looked. “There’s no way this setup doesn’t signal aggression to the Ossory pack.”

Kera barely slowed as she glanced at me over her shoulder. “Then it’s a good thing the messenger I sent ahead already got word that you wanted a meeting with the Ossory Alpha to discuss our intentions. We meet with Liam after sunrise.”