AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You never answered my question,” I said.
“What?” He turned back to face me.
“Did you do this? Was it fun for you? Did you get a kick out of lying to me as Anson? As X?”
He slowly closed his eyes. “Does it matter what I say? You won’t believe me anyway.”
I stared at him. “You’re right.”
“But at some point, you’re going to have to listen. Let me explain.”
“Explain? Just go. There are still enough packs loyal to Wild Lake. I don’t need your protection or your patrols. In fact, when I put the word out, I’ll tell them all to kill you on sight.”
“And I know you’re not that stupid. Think about it, Tem. Your father knows which packs are loyal to him, too. And yet, where are they? Why didn’t they meet us when we crossed into Wild Lake lands?”
“He’s right,” Pat said. I’d been so focused on Anson, I hadn’t heard her come downstairs.
“What?” I said.
“He’s right,” she repeated. “Tem, I told you. It’s all of them. Every Alpha in Wild Lake. Every shifter has come down with whatever this is. Thank God the human mates aren’t afflicted and we still have enough friends of the packs helping to take care of those who are. But we’re spread thin. And nobody’s been in or out of Wild Lake since your father fell ill. It’s what he wanted.”
“Because he knows,” Anson said. “Even the foreign packs you think are loyal. They won’t see it as a move against Tucker McGraw. They’ll see it as a move to protect Wild Lake itself. If Tucker and the others aren’t strong enough to defend this place, someone else has to.”
I felt sick. I knew he was right. But the thought that I would have to rely on Anson for anything…
“I’ve kept my core promise to you,” he said. “Any Alpha out there knows Wild Lake falls to you if something happens to your father. They’ll respect it, but they’ll go to war to claim you. I’m not going to let that happen unless you want it.”
“Tem,” Pat said. “Whatever’s gone on between you two, X has been loyal to that. If Tucker were in his right mind, I think he’d tell you the same thing. Right now, we’re in a keeping-our-enemies-closest type situation.”
“I’m not your enemy,” Anson said.
“Pat,” I said. “You have no idea what this man has done. If my father did, believe me, he’d kill him.”
“He can’t kill a fly,” Anson said. He was so tall, standing there next to Pat. Healthy. Powerful. I resented him for it. Because I knew he was right. I couldn’t fight off rival packs alone. And I couldn’t find help for my family and leave Wild Lake unprotected. But in about three weeks, the full moon would come again and I would be in heat. If Anson was still here, I wasn’t sure I’d be strong enough to resist him. For now, it was a chance I’d have to take.
“Fine,” I said. “Wait here.”
The moment the idea came to me, I knew it was the only compromise. I brushed past Pat and Anson and headed down the basement steps.
The box against the cellar wall had been there unopened for more than thirty years as far as I knew. Every wolf in Wild Lake had sworn never to open it unless we had no choice. Even in the thick of the war, we’d kept it locked.
Now, I smashed the old padlock and reached inside. The power of the thing thrummed in my palm. Burned me. Its heavy gold clasp glowed.
I closed the chest and slowly walked upstairs. Pat and Anson stood exactly where I’d left them. Pat’s eyes went big as she saw what I was holding. Anson though. He let out a primal growl, baring his fangs. Then he met my eyes and dropped his shoulders in acceptance, if not pure submission.
“I may not be able to fight for you if you put that thing on me,” he said.
“And you won’t be able to fight against me either,” I said. “I’ll take my chances.”
Anson made a chuffing noise, but didn’t stop me. He sank down into the nearest chair and let me approach. Pat looked horrified, but didn’t move to stop me.
With Anson’s silver wolf eyes flashing, I snapped the Dragonsteel collar around his neck.
“There,” I said. “He can hunt the immediate woods and patrol the perimeter, Pat. Now, we need to send for Dr. Olivet.”
Pat sighed. “I knew you’d say that. She still has concerns, but she’s already on her way.”
Chapter Four
