Chapter 22
Gray
A day.
Just a single day and duty had come calling.
I sighed as I watched the road ahead of me, keenly aware of the fact that Nix wasn’t ready to go back.
Oh, he was trying to hide it, was putting on a brave face, but I felt his inner resistance upon heading back to the packhouse.
I could see the tightness finding its way back into his shoulders, could see the vigilance creeping back in.
His eyes scanned the forest, darting left to right, fingers dancing over his thigh.
His breathing had changed too. There was an almost laboured trait to it, a slight hitch as he stared out the windshield.
Turn around, my wolf urged, his senses even stronger than mine. One more day.
I wanted to give in. I wanted nothing more than to set my mate at ease. Feeling his turmoil in my chest, having his emotions course through my body was the best thing ever, yet incredibly hard to bear because I hadn’t realized just how uncomfortable the packhouse made him.
“Three more minutes,” I said. It sounded like a warning, and maybe it was.
“It’ll be fine,” Nix said, but the tension around his mouth told a different story.
At least we were arriving late in the evening, which meant almost no one would be up—except for the wolves living in the packhouse and my inner circle.
“Can you get Connie and Nick?” I asked.
“Sure.” Nix nodded, his words quieter now, voice thinner.
Did he know what he was doing? Did he realize he was making himself smaller? “Where is your meeting? In the war room?”
I snorted. “I prefer conference room.”
Nix shrugged. “It feels more like a war room. Last time I was there, we planned how to defeat Bear and his cronies. Tonight, we’re planning your duel with Otto.”
I had nothing to say, because he wasn’t wrong, so I just looked ahead, focusing on the road and the way our headlights illuminated the night while I ignored the faint stench of fear Nix exuded.
More things to talk about eventually.
Tonight, though, our focus had to be on the pups.
Rhett and Paul were waiting for us in front of the packhouse, wearing matching expressions of worry and fury.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your time away, but…” Paul’s words trailed off, and his eyes widened. “Holy… congratulations.” He smirked at me, then turned to Nix, who rounded my pickup, the hood of his black pullover pulled deep over his face.
He’s hiding, I thought, and my wolf growled in agreement. It was so obvious. How had I not seen it before?
Because you were never away from the packhouse. Not alone.
I’d thought his nervousness stemmed from being on the run for so long, an ingrained behaviour. I hadn’t known he was able to turn it off.
“Thank you, Paul,” I said, realizing I was completely focused on my mate.
I made an effort to look at him and squeezed his shoulder because I knew it’d ease his tension.
Shifters were tactile creatures, and a simple touch conveyed so much more than anything I said.
“And don’t be sorry. We want to be here. ”
“Yes. That. Where are the pups?” Nix said, eyes already scanning the packhouse. He blinked a couple of times and let out a snort. “Why did I even ask? They’re camped out in my room.”
Affection washed through me, and I cast a curious glance at my mate. His lips were tilted into a small smile, his eyes glowing. Damn. He really liked them if he was happy they were holed up in his room.
Paul nodded. “They’ve been asking about you. Where you are and why you didn’t return to the packhouse. They appeared worried.”
“Levi talked to them,” Rhett interjected, giving me a smile. “Apparently, they prefer mages over wolves. Or rather, they trust Nix more than us, and since Nix disappeared, they trusted Levi because Nix trusts him.”
Nix pulled a face. “I’m trying to get them to open up to the pack more.”
I turned to him and gave him a smile. “No one’s angry with you. I’m glad they found someone to trust, and they couldn’t have chosen someone better than you. Want to go upstairs and talk to them?”
Nix nodded, eyes darting across the packhouse before settling back on me. “Yeah. They’re awake. And they’re worried.”
They weren’t the only ones—Nix was projecting his emotions like crazy. I rubbed my chest and leaned in to give him a kiss. He sighed into my mouth, tension melting for a second only to snap back when we parted.
He gave me one last tentative smile, then disappeared into the packhouse.
Rhett waited another second for his footsteps to fade, then turned to me, the biggest grin on his face.
“You work fast, man!” He laughed, slapping my shoulder. “First kiss yesterday, mated today? Congrats. I’m happy for you. A little disappointed I didn’t get a text, but damn… I’m stoked for you.”
I wrapped my arms around Rhett, letting his well wishes wash over me, then playfully shoved him away.
“I can’t remember getting a text when you mated Levi.”
“Dude?” Rhett raised his brows. “I called you because I was freaking the fuck out about him randomly passing out.”
Oh right.
“But you didn’t call me to tell me you were mated. You called me because you were afraid you’d accidentally hurt him.”
Rhett rolled his eyes. “I called you. It counts. A call actually trumps a text, so… anyway. Not important. You said you already got a plan?”
I did, and for what it was worth, my pack let me explain before they started objecting.
“No.” Rhett shook his head emphatically.
“Dude, you always said duels are barbaric and a relic from the past that should’ve been abolished centuries ago.
” He stared me down, holding eye contact for ages, his warm amber eyes boring into me, his worry on display.
His wolf wanted to submit to my wishes, but Rhett fought like hell to stand up to me.
“I’m not saying those fights aren’t barbaric. I’m saying that I don’t see any other way. Do you think I want to go fight someone in a glorified pissing competition to win the rights over another person? It’s deeply fucked up.”
Rhett shook his head again, a vein in his neck pulsing as he leaned in, eyeing everyone in the room. “You can’t be with him on this, right?”
Heath cringed. “To be honest, I kind of agree with Gray. I know packs like Connie’s. And I know Alphas like Otto.” He rubbed his shoulder where I knew a fierce slash of scars was located. His Alpha had nearly killed him in a cage fight.
Just because he could.
He’d arrived at our pack fighting off a nasty infection, the wounds inflamed, his muscles torn so badly Jasper had been doubtful Heath would ever gain back full range of motion in his arm.
But he had.
Mostly.
“What?” Rhett turned to him, and Heath pulled his lips back in a grimace.
“You can’t solve a conflict with diplomacy if one party only understands violence,” he explained, outwardly calm, but his eyes darted to me.
I nodded, letting him know he should go ahead.
“So, I understand why Gray challenging the other Alpha is the only option. However, I’m not sure about infiltrating the pack to get that mage out. ”
Next to me, Nix went rigid, head snapping to Heath, eyes spewing venom.
“Non-negotiable,” I said.
It was our only chance to get to the mage.
“Alpha…”
I shook my head, levelling Heath with a hard glare. “We’re not leaving him behind.”
Tension built between us until Heath averted his eyes, tilting his neck to the side. “Yes, Alpha.” His words sounded chopped, unwilling. “Can you at least listen to my objections?”
“What’s there to object?” Nix asked, voice quiet, yet he still pulled all the attention to himself as he leaned forward as far as he could, his torso almost lying on the desk as he stared at Heath.
Heath squirmed, eyes everywhere but on Nix.
“It’s too dangerous.”
Nix raised his brows. “Your Alpha fighting a death match against another Alpha is okay, but a small group of shifters and me infiltrating a pack to get a single person out is too dangerous?” Nix’s eyes glistened, the air around him charged with static.
“If it weren’t a mage we’re planning to rescue, but…
let’s say Nick here, who was being held as a fucking slave with an iron collar around his neck, would you still argue that it’s too dangerous?
Would it be too dangerous if the prisoner in question were human?
When exactly is the risk appropriate, and when is it too dangerous? ”
Heath squirmed, and my heart ached.
He was the only one in this room who hadn’t been linked to the barrier yet. The only one who hadn’t immediately signed up. I’d internally waved it off as a scheduling conflict, but… maybe I shouldn’t have. The way he avoided both Nix’s and my eyes now told me a lot.
That my mate was right, for one.
Secondly, I needed to be way more vigilant when it came to my pack and Nix. He was a part of us. Just like the human mates. Just like Angelo and Paul—neither of whom were wolves.
“It’s too risky because he’s a mage,” Heath finally said, eyes trained on the map of our territory. “Who’s to say he won’t fight us if we try to grab him? Mages are dangerous.”
Heath might as well have slapped Nix the way my mate flinched.
“Mages are dangerous?” he asked, eyes glowing with rage. “Mages? It wasn’t mages who hunted me for months. It wasn’t mages who abused Connie. It wasn’t mages who shot Nick. It isn’t a mage Gray needs to fight to keep Connie with us. It’s shifters.”
Angelo cleared his throat. He had one hand on Heath’s arm as if silently ordering him to stand down while his eyes were trained on Nix.
“I’m with you,” he told Nix, cracking a smile, albeit a sad one.
“I hate the plan. It’s reckless, dangerous, and more than a bit stupid.
But you’re right. If we were talking about an abused shifter, there wouldn’t be a discussion about whether to leave them behind, so there shouldn’t be one now.
There’s someone in desperate need of help, so we’re gonna help. It’s what this pack does.”
“Thank you,” Nix said with a nod.