River:
The faint crackle of the blue fla seed louder the mont I lifted the phone to my ear.
The witches did not hide their displeasure well.
It was subtle - a tightening of shoulders, a narrowing of eyes - but it was there. In their world, conversation was ritual. And interruptions were insult.
I did not care.
Nothing outranked my mate.
I accepted the call as I rose from my chair without breaking the call and walked several paces away, toward the edge of the pavilion where ivy shadows stretched thick across the stone.
"Eva-"
"Are you still in the eting with the witches?"
She didn’t even let finish.
I paused.
My gaze lifted slowly to the circle of won around the firepit. Though they did not possess the heightened hearing of wolves, every single one of them was watching with keen, calculating interest.
They were listening with their eyes and asuring with their instincts.
I took several steps away from the group, and only then did I answer.
"Yes," I said quietly. "I’m still here."
There was a small exhale on the other end. It wasn’t relief exactly, but confirmation.
"How is it going?" she asked imdiately. "Have they said anything? Did they admit involvent in the chamber? Or agree to help with the soul deaths?"
Her tone was controlled.
But I knew her.
There was urgency threaded beneath it.
I glanced back once more at the witches. They had not resud speaking. Morwen’s sharp gray eyes followed my movents, unreadable.
It wasn’t ideal to discuss this here. Not in front of them.
But Evaline wasn’t just anyone asking idle questions.
If she was pressing now... knowing full well I was in the middle of negotiations... then she had a reason.
And I trusted her instincts more than I trusted most councils.
"They denied everything," I said evenly. "Knowledge of the chamber. Knowledge of recent spellwork. Even knowledge of the soul deaths beyond old records."
There was a brief pause on her end.
"And visiting Silver Moon?" she pressed.
"They refused," I replied. "They have withdrawn from outside affairs. They don’t want involvent."
The silence that followed was heavier this ti.
When she spoke again, her voice had shifted.
"River... I might have found sothing."
My spine straightened instinctively. "What kind of sothing?" I asked quietly.
"I can’t explain it properly over the phone," she said quickly. "But I’m sure it’s more than enough to work out this eting with the witches."
My pulse slowed - not with fear, but with focus.
"What did you find?" I asked.
"I said I can’t explain it on the phone," she insisted, and I could practically see the way her brows would be furrowed right now. "There’s too much to explain. A lot of history and questions. But it’s enough to convince them."
Convince them.
My gaze slid back to the pavilion.
The witches were whispering now, low murmurs curling around the fire like smoke.
"You want to co here," I said, already knowing the answer.
"Yes."
There was no hesitation.
"Let co to the eting. If I tell them what I found directly... they might reconsider their choice of staying out of this."
There was no uncertainty in her tone. Just quiet conviction.
I studied the witches one last ti before answering.
If they sensed even a fragnt of weakness or disorganization in my side, they would close ranks completely.
But this wasn’t weakness.
This was reinforcent.
"You can co," I said decisively. "I’ll have Kieran drive you."
"Okay," she replied, her voice softer now. "I’ll leave imdiately."
Then the line went silent.
For a second, I remained standing there with my phone still in hand, considering what it ant that Evaline had found sothing significant enough to interrupt this eting.
Then I turned and walked back to the firepit.
The whispers ceased as I reclaid my seat.
Morwen tilted her head slightly.
"Everything well?" she asked.
"My mate is coming," I said evenly.
That did it.
The shift in the air was imdiate.
Sharp.
Unmistakable.
Several of the younger witches straightened abruptly, and Tamsin’s eyes flashed openly with disapproval.
Morwen’s expression hardened by a fraction.
"You bring another outsider into our boundary?" one of them demanded. "We allowed you and your beta as a courtesy. That is already more than we grant most."
Jasper remained still behind , though I felt the subtle tightening of his posture.
"We do not host gatherings," another added coolly. "Especially not for wolves."
I folded my hands loosely before .
"I understand your rules," I said calmly.
"Do you?" Tamsin shot back. "Because it seems you ignore them rather easily."
A flicker of irritation brushed my patience.
I had been respectful.
asured.
Careful.
But I would not be dictated to where my mate was concerned.
"She is not coming for ceremony," I said. "She has information relevant to the matter we are discussing."
"And if she does not?" Tamsin challenged imdiately.
There it was.
The line drawn.
For the first ti since arriving, I let a fraction of my control slip.
Not recklessly.
Not violently.
Just enough.
My alpha aura expanded outward like a slow, rolling storm front. It wasn’t aggressive, but it was undeniable.
The temperature around the pavilion seed to drop as the pressure settled into the space between us.
The fire flickered higher in response.
Several witches inhaled sharply.
Even Morwen’s spine went rigid.
I t Tamsin’s gaze evenly.
"You know exactly who I am," I said quietly.
It wasn’t a threat, but a reminder of exactly whom they were facing - the Rogue Alpha King, one of the strongest wolves alive, a businessman whose influence stretched far beyond pack territories into human systems and structures most supernatural beings preferred not to tangle with.
"I have shown respect," I continued. "Do not mistake that for weakness."
Silence thickened around us.
Then, deliberately, I reined my aura back in.
The pressure eased.
Slowly.
"I would not bring her if it were unnecessary," I added, my tone steady once more. "She believes she has sothing that may change your position."
"And if she is wrong?" Tamsin pressed again, though her voice had lost so of its earlier sharpness.
"Then I take full responsibility," I replied without hesitation.
A murmur passed through the circle.
"What does that an?" one of the older witches asked carefully.
"It ans," I said, "that if her visit proves futile, if her information does not warrant your involvent, I will not press this matter further."
That drew Morwen’s full attention. "You would withdraw your request entirely?" she asked.
"If it is baseless," I said. "Yes."
It was a calculated risk.
But not a reckless one.
I trusted Evaline.
More than that... I trusted her instincts.
She would not ask to step into a den of witches without cause.
"And you are so certain it will not be baseless?" Morwen asked quietly.
A small smile touched the corner of my mouth.
"Yes," I said simply. "I am."
The witches exchanged looks... silent communication flowing between them in ways even I could not decipher fully.
Finally, Morwen lifted her hand, and the murmurs ceased.
"She may co," the elder said at last.
Tamsin stiffened. "Elder-"
"She may co," Morwen repeated firmly. "Under ward."
Of course.
"Under ward," I agreed without argunt.
Morwen’s gaze locked onto mine once more.
"If she carries deception into our circle," she said softly, "we will know."
"I would expect nothing less," I replied.
The blue fla in the firepit settled into a steadier burn.
The decision had been made.
Now all that remained was to see what exactly my mate had uncovered.
And why she sounded so certain that it would shift the balance of this entire conversation.
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