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I glanced up at her and shrugged. "We all have our moments. The stress of everything that's going on got to him."
"Right, stress," she said unconvincingly. "You might need one of these." She poured a glass of wine and placed it on the table close to me.
"It's a bit early," I said.
"Devlin didn't think so." Gwendolyn picked up her glass. "Besides, it's late enough somewhere. Go on, I won't tell."
Seeing the Alpha lying on the carpet, mouth half open, clothes crumpled like he slept in them was disconcerting. He was supposed to be our leader. Passing out before lunchtime was not a good look. He could at least have waited until afternoon.
I picked up the wine and took a swig. It rushed down my throat and into my belly, where it sat warm and comforting. I drank another gulp, then put the glass down.
"That took the edge off," I said. I managed to smile at Gwendolyn before I realised she hadn't taken her eyes off me.
I blinked. "What?" Blinked again, heavier this time.
"I'm sorry," she said.
In the back of my mind, I registered that she hadn't taken a sip of her wine. I also registered that Devlin was asleep, not dead. At least for now. That gave me some comfort. I might wake up from this, whatever this was.
"Why?" I asked. Hades, it was an effort to keep my eyes open.
"Because you still think Devlin is fit to be Alpha," she said, her tone bitter.
I struggled to stay sitting up, my back to the chair. "Who says I think that?"
"You do, with everything you do," she snapped. "He should have been removed years ago."
"That's not for you to decide," I said. She was getting blurry.
"No, but no one else had the balls." She looked down into her glass. Her expression was thoughtful, but resigned.
"So now you're going to kill us?" I asked.
"Oh no, I'm not going to kill you," she replied. "I still need you."
Thank Hades for that. Maybe.
"Need me for what?" I forced my eyes to stay open. "To depose the Alpha? You could have asked."
"Would you have agreed to it?" She placed a palm on her thigh and leaned forward. "Would you have helped me?"
I managed to half shrug one shoulder. "I don't know. I guess we never will, since you didn't give me the chance." Of course I wouldn't. Any hint of trouble and I would have dealt with it. And told the Alpha later.
"You're a liar," Gwendolyn snarled. "You would suck his cock if he told you to."
I responded to that with a choking laugh. "Not a chance, but I would have hired an Intimate to do it.
"Were the tigers working for you?" I asked. "And the bears? Why?" She seemed ready to share, so I might as well try.
"Not for me," she said, her chin raised. "Withme."
Shit. "I see. Are you going to be Alpha next?"
She looked surprised. Evidently she hadn't considered that. She was quick enough to dismiss the idea with a shake of her head.
"Not me, no."
"Slade?" I asked. I cursed myself for sending Bain and Viva to him. Where was Kerina? She should be back by now.
