Chapter 5 Olivia #2
Offended might have been a better word, and I latched on to that.
I should be offended. He’d insulted me to my face and had rolled right in here without an apology or acknowledgment of what was going on between us.
Somehow, being pissed at him made it easier to tamp down the inappropriate urges I was feeling toward a near stranger.
But was it reasonable to be pissed at a man who’d just been through as much as he had? For an alpha wolf to be in a wheelchair, surrounded by other alphas… That would rankle any of them. Yet here he was, trying to keep his chin up and a brave face on.
He’d been through hell, and if I couldn’t give him grace in this moment, the least I could give him was time. We hadn’t even had a real conversation. Didn’t we owe each other at least that much, a chance to get on the same page before lashing out at each other?
We absolutely did.
The realization settled both me and my wolf enough that I could focus on the planning going on around me.
“Phoenixes are nearly polar opposites of goblins. They’ve always been few in number, and at this moment, I don’t know of any currently alive. We’re going to have to reach out to other packs, and perhaps the other species we visit to see if any are willing to share the location of a living phoenix.”
“So we’re starting with the centaurs, then?” Leigh asked. You could tell from her posture she was anxious, the hand resting on her belly tense, even though she’d asked the question lightly.
Kane nodded. “That was my conclusion as well. The question remains, who is willing and able to go?”
Ah. That again. I looked sadly at Fiona. She’d been through so much since she joined our pack, but she was one of the few females who was actually able to go out safely with her mate.
Brielle couldn’t leave the enclave, Shay was already going to get the fae piece, Leigh’s pregnancy was now in the second half, and travel would get more and more difficult the further along she was, and I couldn’t leave the pack without being attacked.
It was a shitty situation, there were no two ways about it.
No one seemed surprised when Reed cleared his throat. “Fiona and I are willing to go for the good of the pack. But based on our interactions with both King Cysernaphus and the vampires, we feel it’s best if we have at least two additional pack mates to back us up.”
“I wish it could be me,” Brielle said, sadness seeming to clog her throat for a moment before she got it under control. “But we can definitely find someone to go with you. Perhaps—”
“I volunteer,” Samuel offered, pushing off the wall he leaned against to stand up straight. “I’m already here, and I’m nearly healed from the run-in with the Hungarians. No sense sending me home just to bring another guy back.”
Reed acknowledged him with a nod. I couldn’t help it when my eyes slid off Samuel and down to my scowling mate in the wheelchair next to him. He was magnetic, drawing me in even when he wanted nothing to do with me.
“Are you all just going to pretend I’m not here? I can go. I’ll be healed in another day or two, and I can be the fourth. There’s no reason to send a pregnant female’s mate on a dangerous mission when you’ve got two unattached men available right here.”
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look away. Damn him, and his unattached self. Apparently, I was the only one thinking I owed him a conversation before making any rash decisions.
There was a long, uncomfortable pause before Dirge cleared his throat.
“You’re not unattached anymore, Lucien. And while you’ve been away, we’ve uncovered some unfortunate consequences of the omega seal.
Any unbonded female with the seal on her palm will be hunted by all unbonded males outside her alpha-omega pair’s pack.
So until you and Olivia bond, she’s vulnerable and requires extra protection. ”
His words were like sandpaper over my skin, even though he said them with painstaking kindness.
I’d never felt more like a burden than I did at that exact moment, as every eye in the room swiveled toward either me or Lucien, as if waiting for him to respond or for me to burst into flames from embarrassment.
The latter felt like a distinct possibility. I refused to cry about it, so bring on the flames.
After yet more silence, I finally stole a glance toward Lucien, his jaw tight, teeth ground together in apparent fury as a muscle ticked above his temple.
Just great. He wants even less to do with me now, the helpless infant he can’t wait to be rid of.
“I’m sure we can work that out. You said extra protection. That doesn’t have to be me, does it?”
Dirge’s jaw actually dropped. Lucien’s callous response carved away at my heart like a chain saw decimating a block of butter. “Well, no—she’s safe with anyone under Kane’s direct pack link, but surely—”
“It’s settled, then. I can still go.”
I could feel eyes burning into me, waiting for my response, but there was only one thought on my mind. One neon-glowing, obvious solution.
If I was such a problem, I’d just excuse myself from the whole mess. He didn’t want me? Well, he wasn’t the first. And I certainly wasn’t going to sit around and be pathetic and needy where I wasn’t wanted.
I lifted my chin, ignoring every person in the room except one.
“That’s okay,” I said, pleased to hear how steady I sounded despite the pain pulsing through my veins like a second heartbeat. “I’m actually going back to Alaska as soon as the jet’s ready. I’ll be safe with the pack there, right, Kane?”