Chapter Forty
Patch
We’re quickly shuffled out of the office once Kieran and Sam arrive. It’s not just them, of course. Nick is waiting outside the building, and Flynn, Dax, and Vince are with him.
Vince hugs Jamie immediately, worrying over his face just as much as the rest of us. Jamie bats his hands away. Dax wanders over to me, standing just at the edge of the group.
“Is he alive up there?” he asks.
“Unfortunately,” I growl and glance over at Em. I picked up the apprehension in his scent earlier. He handled himself so well in there. He took care of all of us. “I don’t want to leave.”
Dax blinks. “I didn’t think you did.”
“No, but I… I don’t know how to stay.”
“We’ll work it out,” he says. He’s being optimistic. Apparently, Alpha Axel and Alpha Deacon are both on their way, but they sent Flynn ahead to wait for me. With the rest of Alpha Kieran’s pack around, it’s not like I could vanish anywhere anyway.
Em is standing at the edge of the group too, though Jamie keeps glancing at him. And at me. He looks at both of us like he’s trying to work something out, though I don’t know that there’s anything left for him to solve.
Flynn sidles over to Jamie. Nick turns to ask Em something, and Flynn ducks in low, lips almost to Jamie’s ear. Vince stays close. He looks amused, even if I’m not sure he can hear what Flynn is saying.
Jamie frowns. He leans back. “Really?” he says, and then he smiles, and there’s a sly, clever edge to it, like he’s had confirmation of something he knew all along. “Yeah, okay.”
Flynn claps him on the shoulder—and I growl because the strength of the move has Jamie slightly leaning to one side—and then slips over to me.
“What did you tell him?” I ask.
“Nothing that interesting.”
“Flynn…”
Dax snorts. Flynn shakes his head. “You can’t think it was that interesting, Patch, or you’d have already had the idea.”
“I… What?”
A car pulls up at the kerb. All three of us wolves jolt when Alpha Axel and Alpha Deacon get out, along with Orion, one of Alpha Deacon’s betas.
“Still up there, are they?” Alpha Deacon asks no one in particular.
Nick looks at everyone standing there silently and grimaces in confusion. “Yes?”
“Good. Thank you.”
He makes his way up the stairs and into the building. Alpha Axel shoots me a dark look before he follows. I sigh and shake my head. “Fuck. I’m fucked.”
“Wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Orion says. He’s hanging back, which surprises me; I expected him to stick with Alpha Deacon.
“Nothing’s changed,” I reply.
He shrugs and settles in to stand alongside us, hands deep in his pockets. When I glance over, Jamie is nestled against Em’s side. He tilts his head in invitation, but I can’t bring myself to walk over there. Vince glances between us all and shakes his head.
About half an hour later, they all come out. Alpha Axel has the man who works for Gideon walking ahead of him, and Alpha Deacon has Gideon by the arm. They both look more subdued than they did even when we left.
Alpha Deacon gets the humans in the back of his car and Orion jumps into the driver’s seat. Then he turns to us. “Emerson, Patch. I expect you both in my office within the hour.”
“Yes, alpha,” I say.
“I’m coming, too,” Jamie says.
Alpha Deacon blinks but nods as though this display of subordination is all expected, actually. He looks at Alpha Kieran and Sam. “You two as well, then.”
“Yes, alpha,” Alpha Kieran replies. Sam nods.
Alpha Axel climbs into the back of the car, Alpha Deacon in the passenger seat, and they drive away.
“Well, you heard the man,” Sam says. He claps his hands. “Chop, chop.”
Alpha Kieran rolls his eyes. “I’ll order the taxi, shall I?”
“What do you think he wants?” Em asks. He seems nervous again. I don’t like that.
“The big reveal?” Sam replies, grinning. “Nah, for real, he probably wants to clarify what happened. No big deal.”
“Apart from the bit where he’s making them leave,” Jamie says.
Sam raises his eyebrows. Jamie shrugs.
“Well,” Sam says, “I think you’ve got that quite in hand. Haven’t you?”
Jamie shrugs again. Alpha Kieran sighs and puts his phone back in his pocket.
“All right, show’s over. Let’s go deal with this.”
When we arrive at Alpha Deacon’s office, Gideon and his man are nowhere to be seen.
Alpha Axel is here, though, sitting next to Alpha Deacon’s desk, and so is Vasile, Alpha Deacon’s mate and former crai of all the clan vampires.
Alpha Kieran greets them all, then gestures for Em and me to take the two empty seats.
I look at Jamie. He’s the one who’s been through everything today. He’s been stuck in a room with that man for fucking hours, been hit, and they’ve not checked in with him, not sent him home—
“Sit down, Patch,” Jamie says when he catches me looking. He steps between the chairs. “Seriously. I’ve been sitting all day. I’ll be just here, okay?”
My wolf is pushing close to the surface now that it’s all over. The urge to shift is almost overwhelming. I know what’s about to happen. They know the truth of what’s happened—the real truth, the bits we didn’t even know about—and they’re going to send me and Em away.
“Ah,” Vasile says when we both sit. “Well, you did not explain that part of it.”
“Hush,” Alpha Deacon mutters, though he looks sheepish. “All right, let’s get into it. After speaking with your brother this evening, Emerson—”
“Em,” Jamie says. I think it’s a reflex. Sam bites his lip like he’s trying to hide a smirk.
“Em,” Alpha Deacon says. “Apologies. After speaking with him, it has become quite clear that this was all a desperate and incredibly poorly thought-out ploy to have you institutionalised.”
Em blinks. He and Jamie look just as stunned as I feel. “I’m sorry,” Em says, “what?”
Alpha Deacon shrugs. “We had quite the similar reaction. He seemed to believe that you were in the possession of a rather large sum of money and that by having you locked away, it would all revert to him. He confirmed that he—or someone on his behalf, at least—found a wolf, bribed them into being in a video, and then he sent you the email, offering you the job in the first place. He hoped that he could use the resulting video as evidence to have you taken away involuntarily.”
“Would’ve been better off framing him for a crime,” Sam mutters. Kieran elbows him in the side. “Ow!”
“Anyway, what he seemed to misunderstand was that the kind of money he was saying you had would, I imagine, make fifty thousand far less enticing.”
Vasile snorts. “He does not sound particularly… shrewd.”
“Yeah, he’s never been that clever,” Em replies. “What are you going to do with him?”
Alpha Deacon and Alpha Axel exchange a glance.
Alpha Axel looks furious, but Alpha Deacon merely shakes his head.
“The necromancer Ophelia knows… His contact was able to find evidence of Gideon’s mismanagement of funds after they finally traced the source of the email.
They’ve compiled everything. Felix seemed quite determined to post it all himself, but I thought it might be better if we spoke to you first.”
I bite back the question I want to ask. Why? Em clearly hasn’t had anything to do with his family for years. The company has nothing to do with him.
But Em sighs and nods. “Yeah, that… I’d rather it be sent to someone higher up, to be honest.”
Jamie makes a questioning sound, and Em shakes his head.
“It’s not about hiding what he did,” he says before anyone can interrupt.
“The company employs thousands of people. They don’t deserve to find out this way.
I can give you some names, though I don’t know who’ll still be around…
If they’re any good at business, they’ll have known better than to trust Gideon anyway. ”
“All right,” Alpha Deacon says. “Kieran, would you…?”
“Yeah, we’ll talk to Felix. Again.” He doesn’t pull a face, but I feel like it’s a close thing. Whoever Felix is, I kind of want to meet him.
Alpha Deacon shifts in his chair, and I move my attention back to him. “We are still going to do our best to track down the wolf who was recorded shifting in the video sent to you. According to Gideon, he was paid handsomely, and no one has seen the video outside of us. So at least there’s that.”
My stomach clenches. This is it. All wrapped up, and no mention of the fact that things might be okay out there. Sure, maybe I need to stay inside for a while, but if there’s the slightest chance…
Alpha Deacon looks up at Vasile, then at Alpha Axel, who shakes his head. His expression is grave when he turns back to us again, and my heart sinks. Em slumps in his seat.
Between us, Jamie stands suddenly rigid.
“Unfortunately,” Alpha Deacon says, “this does nothing to undo what occurred a few nights ago. I have to think on behalf of all wolves, not just myself, and not just the people in this room. Em, the decision still stands, although we are happy to allow a grace period for you to put your affairs in order and to ensure that you will be safe where you’re going. Patch—”
“They’re my mates,” Jamie blurts out.
Alpha Deacon blinks.
Alpha Axel merely shrugs. “That makes no difference.”
“Yes, it does,” Jamie says, and I think I see the moment when the day finally catches up to him. “Yes, it does. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“You little—”
“You don’t!” Jamie says. “I-I’m human, and I’ve been in this city my entire life. You can’t send me anywhere. And you can’t separate me from my mates. You know you can’t.”
Alpha Axel growls low in his throat. I fidget in my seat, but Jamie’s hand clamps down on my shoulder with unerring accuracy and unexpected strength. He doesn’t look away from Alpha Axel. Em stares up at him, mouth half-open.
“That’s all well and good,” Alpha Deacon says gently, “but I still have to think of the safety of all our wolves. Alpha Axel no longer wants Patch in his pack.”
I flinch. I know it, of course, but it hurts all the same. When I dare to glance over at Alpha Kieran and Sam, neither of them is looking at me. Alpha Kieran is watching Alpha Deacon, his brow furrowed, and Sam looks delighted by what Jamie is doing.
“So, so that—” Jamie falters and looks at me and I look back helplessly. Poor Em must have no idea what’s going on, and we still need to see if he even wants to stay, but I don’t want to leave them.
“He could register as a lone wolf if you all moved to neutral territory,” Alpha Deacon says.
I shake my head. I can’t do that. I need a pack. Jamie’s face falls and he loosens his grip on my shoulder.
“Well, I—”
“Pretty sure we’ve got some room,” Sam pipes up, and all gazes swivel to him.
Alpha Kieran glares. “I’ll kill you,” he whispers, and Sam’s grin only widens as his alpha sighs. “We’ll take them. You. If you all want.”
“Yes,” Jamie says. He looks at Em.
“Yes? I think?”
I swallow. It’s hardly a decision at all, is it? Still, I can’t pretend my wolf isn’t prancing a little, excited to get what, I realise now, he’s been pushing for, for months.
“Yes.”
“Alpha Deacon!” Alpha Axel gets to his feet. “The safety of all wolves does not mean inviting them into another of our packs! We can’t trust them to remain here.”
Alpha Kieran watches Alpha Axel but says nothing. Behind Alpha Deacon, Vasile smirks. Alpha Deacon shakes his head.
“The conditions that govern Kieran’s pack are different, as you well know.
Now, unless you are willing to open your pack to several refugee fae, I am not certain that your opinion holds that much weight.
” He looks at Alpha Kieran and Sam. “That being said, I will not tolerate behaviour like this again. Their missteps—whether accidental or not—are your responsibility. Both of you.”
Alpha Kieran nods. He bares his throat. “Yes, alpha.”
“Yes, Alpha Deacon,” Sam says. He looks as though he wishes to say something else to Axel, but Kieran subtly stands on his foot and he presses his lips together.
“Right. Your acceptance in Alpha Kieran’s pack is conditional upon you all fully understanding what you are getting into,” Alpha Deacon says to the three of us. “Again, you may take some time. Discuss it. But if you are not in his pack, you two will be leaving this city. Understood?”
Em and I nod. “Yes, alpha,” I say.
“Thank you, Alpha Deacon,” Jamie says.
Alpha Deacon hums. He eyes Jamie speculatively. “You know far more about wolves than I expected.”
Jamie shrugs. “Sometimes you just have to read the fine print.”