Chapter 18
Ravik
If I had thought hearing Gracie moan from the other room was a test of my patience, it was absolutely nothing compared to feeling her mate bond solidify with someone who wasn’t me. I stood at the window of the guest suite, dressed for dinner, and barely contained the urge to go to her.
It hadn’t been a painful sensation, but an intense one. It felt like something between the four of us had been rewired, and there was a buzzing under my skin, courtesy of my wolf who was howling at the idea of someone marking Gracie before us. Putting a permanent mark on our mate.
I knew I couldn’t afford to think that way. I wasn’t angry at Thornar; my mindset simply required an adjustment, and I was trying my fucking best to steady myself. My teeth practically ached with the need to mark Gracie so deeply it would never be questioned. Not just with a mating mark, either.
Next time, I wouldn’t hold back. I wouldn’t be able to.
The door to the living area opened as Basir walked back in, seeming shaken as he offered me a wild-eyed look. He had left because of her perfect moans, and I was sure the sensation of the bond snapping into place hadn’t done anything for his delicate control.
“She’s going to think you’re angry at her if you leave again,” I warned him.
“I know,” he hissed, sitting down and running a hand through his hair. He stayed silent after that.
Minutes later, Thornar walked out, adjusting his suit jacket and offering me a momentary glance that said absolutely everything.
Gracie was okay. Good. That was all that mattered to me.
Except when he offered a cheery smile to both of us and went to grab his shoes from across the room, I could feel Basir bristle. I sighed inwardly. I could already tell exactly where this was going.
Basir would take extreme issue with Thornar’s lack of control. I didn’t see it that way, but compared to Basir’s level of mastery over himself, I suppose it was accurate. And I had known him long enough to know that he wouldn’t let it go.
“Why the hell would you put her through the power expenditure of making the bond permanent?”
There it was.
Thornar tensed as he finished lacing up his boots.
He stood and turned around as Basir pushed. “Seriously, Thornar, the healer said she’s running on empty.”
I knew what the bastard was going to say before he did.
“And now she’s not empty. See, I’m—fuck.” Thornar groaned as Basir appeared across the room, slamming him into the wall with a shoulder and a hit to the stomach…before disappearing again.
I sighed as Thornar flashed a dangerous smile and shook himself out. This was unfortunately far from over. We may have been brothers, but when you had three alphas in constant proximity to one another, shit boiled over.
“Don’t be too worried, buddy—she feels much better now,” Thornar jabbed before his face slipped into a more serious expression. “But if you come at me again tonight, you won’t be.”
Basir let out a low rumble as he paced across the room. I offered Thornar a look but he ignored me as Basir turned sharply toward him.
“Did she even get a chance to take her fucking tonic yet? Or was she too distracted?”
“I actually stopped her from taking it to make sure it wasn’t poisonous. Had to test it.”
Basir narrowed his eyes. “And how did you do that?”
Thornar offered him a mock confused look. “Obviously I drank it.”
“Thornar,” I grunted, knowing Basir was going to lose his fucking mind.
Thornar’s voice lost all humor as he continued. “Gracie is perfectly fine. The tonic wasn’t poisonous. We’re all good. I knew exactly what I was doing, Basir.”
I believed that, but his tone was absolutely layered. I had no idea if he and Gracie had slept together—it was entirely possible they had—but it didn’t matter, because the bond was made and there was nothing more permanent than that.
Before Basir could explode, Gracie walked out. Although floated may have been a more apt description.
Her hair was damp, curling around her delicate shoulders, and she was dressed in a soft blue cocktail dress that wrapped around her. She offered all of us a shy look, her cheeks pink, as she slid on her shoes.
“Everything okay?” she asked, noticing the tension.
“Perfect, little flame,” Thornar promised. “Basir is just worried you’re too tired for dinner.”
Which was both bullshit and accurate.
Moving across the room, she went to Basir and slipped her hand onto his chest before looking up at him. “I feel great. It’s been a very long day, but I have a good feeling about this dinner.”
Basir looked her over, nodding once and dropping a kiss to her lips. Then he was leading her toward the door. I stood and shot Thornar a look, but he just shrugged as we flanked them.
“He’s not actually mad,” I told him.
“I know.” Thornar sighed. “But the bastard needs to chill out.”
I smirked. “I mean, you did drink potential poison.”
He chuckled. “Except his concern wasn’t about that. Although you’re right—I know he does worry about us.” Basir probably worried about everyone far too much for his own good.
“We do need to be careful, specifically with shit like this. Especially after what Starr said about her reserves.” I paused while keeping my voice low. “She also isn’t on any kind of birth control. That tonic is the first medication she’s had access to in years.”
Thornar went quiet for a beat. When he spoke again, any humor was gone. “I know.”
“Do you have a problem with that?” I asked.
He looked at me sideways. “Do you?”
I didn’t answer. But that was answer enough for Thornar, who nodded in understanding.
“I just want to focus on her resting and feeling good,” Thornar said quietly. “Anything else that comes, we can handle.”
And we would. I wasn’t afraid to admit that I wanted everything with Gracie, but I also understood that she needed to take the lead when it came to decisions like that. She was the one who had gone without freedom for a decade. That mattered.
“Basir—buddy—I want to talk to you!” Thornar suddenly called out as he strode forward and threw his arm around Basir.
I watched my Enforcer shake his head before smiling, Thornar’s gesture having mended the trouble between them. Gracie waited for me to catch up, and I pulled her into my side while looking her over.
“Shouldn’t they be more nervous going into this meeting right now? I’m a little nervous,” Gracie admitted as I hummed in understanding.
“I think Thornar is a bit too distracted for that,” I said, my voice neutral as my gaze dropped to her bare throat. A bite mark that would eventually turn gold sat at the curve of her neck, and my wolf nearly let loose a deep growl at the sight of it.
Though I’d managed to keep my emotions outwardly contained, Gracie must have felt it through the bond because she stumbled slightly in surprise. I caught her against me, keeping her close as we continued to walk.
“Ravik?” She searched my face with concern.
“Just trying to keep my wolf in check,” I said evenly.
“What do you mean? Is your wolf upset about the mate bond?”
It was so damn refreshing how unintentionally straightforward Gracie was. There were things she still hesitated with, but for the most part she said exactly what she was thinking, especially as she grew more comfortable around us.
“A little,” I said. “But my reaction is probably more concerning.”
“Your reaction?”
“Of course. I’m imagining exactly where I want to place my own bite.”
Gracie inhaled sharply, her eyes lighting up with interest, but before she could say a word we turned down the hall toward a set of wide open double doors. I didn’t feel bad about letting her sit on my statement. In fact, I was entirely satisfied with the color it put in her cheeks.
Unfortunately, I had exactly three seconds between that and the doors of our destination to put those thoughts somewhere they couldn’t distract me.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from Lacey Harrison. Unlike Alpha Haiden, I had never taken her particularly seriously—not because of her territory or her rule but because of her tendency to take offense in the inconsequential.
What I hadn’t accounted for was the tone of the room when we walked in. She was taking this meeting very seriously—seriously enough to be petty about it—placing a familiar face on the opposite side of the table. A power move dressed as hospitality.
Singuun sat across from our place settings, Zia beside him, and gave me a shit-eating grin the moment our eyes met. Ridiculous. I ignored my brother.
“Alpha Lacey Harrison.” I greeted her as she rose from the head of the table, smoothing her elegant robes before motioning to the four place settings.
“Ravik, Gracie, Thornar, Basir—I’m glad you could join us.” Her voice was cool and measured as she waited for us to sit before taking her own seat. “I heard you had a rather eventful day after the healer.”
Gracie spoke up, seeming more at ease here than she had been with Haiden. “Yes—Starr was incredibly helpful. But we ran into someone we didn’t expect to.”
“Oh? Who?” Lacey asked point blank as kitchen staff began to fill the warmly lit room. I was relieved she didn’t press for medical details, but Thornar made an amused sound beside me, piecing something together I hadn’t yet.
Gracie offered him a “go ahead” look, and he leaned forward with a surprised expression. “It was a bit crazy, to be honest, Lacey. We were heading to the apothecary to pick up medicine when it happened.”
Lacey was fully listening now. The story had her attention.
“Remember, Gracie hasn’t been outside of Cold Moon Pack territory in a decade,” Thornar added as Gracie nodded in agreement. “So to run into someone she thought was lost to her…”
“In my territory?” Lacey clasped her hands, eyes wide. “You have to tell me who it was.”
“My brother,” Gracie answered. “I thought I’d lost him ten years ago. But he’s been living here. He has an entire family here.”
Lacey made a surprised sound and sat back. “So he married one of our own. When did he arrive? What’s his name?”
“He actually married a girl from their home village,” I said. “They were on the run for years and eventually settled here.”
“Where they felt safe,” Basir said.
Pride filled Lacey’s expression. “Well. I would never have expected that.” She took a long sip of her wine as the food was placed on the table and we began to eat.
This was a perfect example of why I didn’t hold Lacey in the highest esteem. She traded in gossip, even in the most serious of situations. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just simply wasn’t how I operated.
“What’s his name?” she asked.
“Owen Holloway,” Gracie answered. Lacey’s face softened, and she began nodding.
“Nori and Owen, yes. He’s a carpenter, your brother. Made this very table.” My gaze moved over the craftwork with curiosity. The dark wood had a carved design on the skirt, and it was covered in a coating meant to preserve it. I would have to make note of that for his job placement in Ironsun.
“I just feel horrible for their little boy—did they tell you he’s sick?” she asked plainly, no softening around it.
I felt the sadness move through my bond with Gracie before I spoke. “Yes. We determined it’s because he was born with Alpha power and has no way to channel it. We’ve offered them a place in Ironsun territory where he’d have access to resources for that.”
“You did that?” Lacey offered me a questioning look. “You don’t even know them, even if they are your mate’s family. And from the sound of it, Gracie barely knows them herself.”
“They’re still family.” Gracie’s voice was filled with a cemented strength that I could see was interesting to Lacey.
“We can get to know them.” Thornar shrugged. “Besides, we’re trying to hoard all the powerful shifters in our territory.”
Lacey sat back in her chair, deadpan. I nearly sighed. But unfortunately for my sanity and fortunately for his ego, Thornar’s charm worked and she broke into a smile followed by a genuine laugh.
The moment cracked the stiffness open, and from there the evening flowed considerably smoother. Casual conversation filled the table, my brother and Zia quiet but still good company, and it wasn’t until the plates were being cleared that the tone shifted.
“So.” Lacey offered us a shrewd look. “You need my help fighting a war against Ivan Rivers.”
I almost bristled at her tone, but Gracie stepped in. “Yes, we are here to ask for help.”
My jaw tightened. I sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to phrase it that way to another Alpha, but Lacey’s ego seemed satisfied as she nodded in thought.
“Zia”—she looked over at the woman—“already explained to me the threat he poses, and frankly, I don’t need much of an excuse to move against him. The way he handles himself is disgraceful.”
One word for it.
“More so,” Lacey interjected with a surprising smile, “I like all of you, I’ve decided. You’re welcome.”
Thornar chuckled as Gracie breathed out a sigh of relief. I offered a conciliatory nod, hoping she wouldn’t notice Basir’s lack of response. Politics were not his strong suit.
Lacey straightened, folding her hands in front of her. “With that being said, I have one demand that must be met in order to have full access to my units.”
This would be interesting.
“We’re all ears,” Thornar said. My gaze met Siguun’s from across the table, and his serious expression almost broke. I turned my attention back to Lacey, refusing to show that I found this posturing somewhat amusing.
“My troops must have preferred placement over Kaliyah’s Scarlet Sloth territory.” Lacey’s chin tilted up as if we would argue. “Better spots in camp, choice in when we deploy, and all of that.”
“I think we can figure that out.” Thornar glanced at Gracie. “Do you think that’s fair?”
Gracie looked at the three of us before smiling at Lacey. “Yes. We agree.”
We didn’t need to tell her Alpha Kaliyah hadn’t decided to help us yet.
One more ally secured. Sixteen days remaining. We still had territories to cover, a war to build, and a connection to The Eight that none of us fully understood yet. No matter the moment or atmosphere, I couldn’t forget everything to come.
Lacey let out a satisfied sigh and sat back. “Perfect. Now that that’s decided, we can have dessert. I wanted to make sure you deserved it.”
Gracie let out a giggle that softened the room, and I felt a smile tugging at my lips. Lacey was a piece of work, but this atmosphere made Gracie happy. And that was more than enough for me to stop and enjoy it.