61. Aiden
61
Aiden
Time slows as we walk back from the Soleus packlands and into neutral territory.
The expanse of land that separates our two zones has never been claimed and has remained that way for as long as both sides have existed. Here, there are no politics—no swaying of sides. I can’t step over the invisible line drawn in literal sand and claim my mate like my heart and my wolf are screaming at me to.
What Nyx said is vastly concerning—not answering me on whether or not she’s still pregnant can only mean that something happened. Why else would he feel the need to not give me a straight answer?
“What are we going to do?” Delilah whispers to me.
I hadn’t felt her shift while I was leading my pack through the arid brush, too distracted by my racing thoughts and not wanting to fill my packmates’ heads with the chatter. Frankly, I didn’t want any of it to slip to them anyway, as things often do when we’re mindlinked together.
With no plans on how to proceed now, I’m at a loss. While I never believed the King of the South would be welcoming us into his packlands with open arms, I certainly hadn’t expected his hospitality to be so lacking.
Sure, the rumors about his callous personality are certainly true, but to not even bother to offer accommodations to a fellow alpha king is…odd.
“Aiden,” Delilah whispers again, a little more loudly.
“What,” I mutter back.
“Did you hear me? What are we going to do about Raine? You can’t just bring some random guy to present as her mate.”
“Yes, I realize that.” I’m sure my annoyance is showing in my tone, but at this point, I don’t really give a damn.
Revealing myself to be Raine’s mate will backfire no matter how I spin it.
Either Nyx will exploit that for his own gain and use her as blackmail against me, or he’ll sully my name for abandoning my (hopefully still pregnant) mate and spread that like wildfire, sowing the seeds of distrust amongst my own.
Not to mention that in all of this, Raine will suffer the most by being caught in the middle.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“You can’t seriously be giving up that easily,” she chastises me.
“I’m not.” There’s a subtle growl in my voice that’s telling her to back off . But of course, if Delilah is anything, it’s pushy.
“Okay, so then what’s the plan?”
I don’t know, I want to scream.
That isn’t good enough , is the voice that answers me, which sounds a hell of a lot like my father’s.
I’m faltering at this crossroads—crumbling under the weight of my own indecision that is likely going to end with me losing Raine. Putting her through any of this isn’t fair, but neither is leaving her in the South where I’m more than sure she’s being treated poorly.
If she really has lost the baby, then that means Nyx is already using her as a breeder.
My stomach sinks at the thought while my wolf howls in anger at another male touching our mate.
If he’s done anything to her, I’m going to tear him limb from limb.
A hand grabs at my arm, nails digging into my skin hard enough that they’ll most likely leave impressions behind.
My head snaps down to look at Delilah, her face scrunched in frustration. “You’re not giving me much to work with, here.”
I shake my head forcefully. “Not here.”
That shuts her up long enough to get us as far away from the Soleus packlands as we can. There isn’t much out here in the way of abandoned cabins or old hunter’s sheds like we have back home, forcing us to retreat to the nearest human town.
I’ve never been a fan of surrounding myself with the other species that lives among us. Their noisy and bustling lives always have so much going on that they soon become overwhelming for shifters like us.
We’re used to our close-knit communities and the solitude of living far out in the country, without having to answer to any kind of authority that thinks of us as some backwoods cult.
Rumors like those are ones I never mind floating around, especially when it keeps those who don’t need to be wandering into our territory away from us.
With what little money I brought with us, I get us all two small rooms at a motel with outside entrances on the ground floor. As soon as the keys are passed across the counter at me, Delilah swipes one of them and tosses it to one of my enforcers behind us.
“You guys don’t mind all sharing, right?”
My brows rise at the suggestion, the other key clutched in my hand. If she actually thinks we’re going to be sharing a room together—
“Alright, great! Thanks!” Delilah grabs onto my arm and yanks me through the lobby, not bothering to wait for anyone’s opinion on our sleeping arrangements.
I growl out her name, attempting to yank my arm out of her hold. Unfortunately, she’s a lot stronger than she looks.
She finds our room quickly and snatches the key out of my hand to unlock the door, shoving me inside and swinging it shut behind us all in one fluid motion.
“We’re not doing this,” I say, reaching for the key.
She’s quick to dodge me, slipping right under my arm and dashing to the other side of the room with the key held up in her hand. “We’re staying up tonight and figuring out a plan, Aiden. I’m not going to sit around waiting for you to think of something when my best friend is literally less than ten miles from us.”
Despite her annoying approach, the desperation in her eyes is what stops me from forcing her out of the room. Sighing, I plant myself on one of the double beds and lift my leg up to tuck under the other one.
“The problem with Calloway’s request is that it’s impossible to fulfill without it backfiring on us. If I give myself up, he’s likely to use it against me and Raine. If I don’t, then he won’t release her.”
Delilah frowns, lowering her arm back down to her side. “You think she’d lie for us if we bring someone random to claim as her mate?”
Shrugging, I say, “Perhaps. But wouldn’t it be obvious when they aren’t? I’m sure he’ll smell the lie on her from a mile away.”
“True…” She sighs and sits down on the bed across from mine, turning to face me. “I can try to sneak in there and talk to her.”
That has me shaking my head immediately. “It’s too dangerous. You saw the force he brought with him to meet with us.”
“I can stick to the shadows,” she argues.
“There’s hardly anywhere you can hide, Delilah. This isn’t like the forests we grew up in. Out here there’s just desert and open space. You’ll be caught immediately. I’m not risking it.”
“But—”
“No,” I say firmly. “We’ll figure something else out.”
She lifts herself up from the side of the bed and moves across the way to pace. As badly as I feel in telling her no, she can’t go trying to solve this herself. Just as I can’t.
“I’ll send one of my enforcers back to Pollis to grab Constance. She’ll help us come up with something.”
“That’s going to take too long,” Delilah complains.
“It’s the best chance we have at getting Nyx to renegotiate. Constance is my advisor; she’s more well-versed in these types of political matters. She’ll be able to request an audience with the Soleus elders.”
“Why can’t you?” she shoots back.
“If I do, it’ll look like I’m stepping on the South’s toes. Coming in full force like that is only going to make the situation worse. With an advisor stepping in to negotiate, it’s more diplomatic.”
My eyes track her while she continues to pace, her head shaking in disapproval.
“It’s all we can do for now, Delilah. I want to keep Raine safe.”
“Yeah, you and me both,” she mutters.
I sigh again, lifting myself up from the bed. “I’m going to shower. You’re welcome to order something from the diner across the way. I have a bit of money left over, so get what you want.”
She doesn’t answer me as I pass by her to head into the bathroom. Once the door is closed behind me, I lean against it and hang my head.
What a fucking mess.