(MIRA)
"Why?" Finn said hoarsely.
"You’re not ready now. I can see that. Maybe one day you will be." Maeve turned back to Shiloh. "Do I need an escort back to your house? I believe there is a breakfast we’re both expected to attend?"
"Go ahead. I need a word with Mira."
As Maeve walked away, it was all I could do not to scream. Maeve was Finn’s mother. There was no other way to interpret that conversation.
What the actual fuck?
Not only had Maeve chosen not to raise Finn as her own, but she’d used him as so sort of pawn between her and his father. Had Finn’s father even betrayed their pack or had Maeve just wanted a reason to punish him?
I had so many questions, but from the way Finn was weaving back on his feet, I knew this was not the ti to ask them. "I think we can all agree that what we just heard does not leave this circle," I said quietly.
Finn cleared his voice. "Thank you."
I looked at Shiloh. "Having said that, I think it’s possible we can do so investigating and see what we can find out?"
"That won’t be necessary. If I want to learn more, I can do it on my own. This changes nothing. I pledged myself to you, Shiloh, and I have no intentions of betraying you for your pack."
"Good to know. What the hell are you doing outside the infirmary?"
He weaved back and forth a little bit. "Kai said I didn’t need to be there anymore," he said defiantly.
"Kai said Finn could go ho. To his own bed. We were taking him there," I said clearly.
"Alia, take Finn and make sure he gets in bed. Mira won’t need a bodyguard. She’ll be with for the day."
I was? But Shiloh was going to be in etings with the alphas all day?
My stomach turned. That ant I was going to be in etings with the alphas all day.
Asher, who could never et my eye. Irving who stared at all the ti. And now Maeve, who had all but admitted a huge dark secret in my presence.
"Joy," I managed. Alia and Finn headed back to Alia’s car, and I faced Shiloh. "There was nothing in the body or on it. All Kai could say for sure was that a wolf killed her."
"Are you all right?"
"Oh, you an all the alphas coming out of the woodwork to accuse my father of killing their siblings? Swell." When Shiloh looked down at , I wrinkled my nose. It wasn’t fair.
Neither Kainor Maeve had pointed a finger at . Just, rightfully, at my father.
Still, it was another connection from to an alpha on this mountain. "You think Asher has so weird and fucked up connection to that he’s not saying?"
"I’m your mate. Do you consider that a weird and fucked up connection?" "Definitely."
With a low rumble, Shiloh wrapped his hands around my waist and pushed up against a tree.
By the ti his mouth descended on mine, his hands were pulling up until I was cradled between his thighs. Bark bit into my back, but I didn’t give a damn.
His kiss chased away the ill feelings rising up inside . When his teeth grazed down my neck, I moaned, but he froze before he could kiss again.
A second later, I slled the wolf approaching us.
"Angelica," he growled, but he didn’t take his eyes off . Instead, he gently lowered back to my feet and kissed the top of my head before he turned around. "Is there sothing that you needed to report?"
"Sorry for interrupting. I was going to report to Forrest, but then I slled you." Angelica bowed her head in respect, and when she looked again, her gaze slid to . She couldn’t hide the sneer.
Shiloh didn’t miss it. "Are you challenging my mate?" He said softly. "No, of course not," Angelica stuttered. "My apologies."
"Report?"
"I’m worried about Rhiannon. I know you sent her on a mission, but I haven’t been able to reach her through text or email. We’ve been planning a surprise party for my mother. It’s next week."
I schooled my features and resisted the urge to hide behind Shiloh. To his credit, Shiloh didn’t even tense. "I’m sorry, Angelica. I wasn’t aware of that. Rhiannon is on an assignnt that doesn’t let her contact anyone. It was a last-minute assignnt, and I didn’t give her a chance to reach out to anyone. I only told her family so they wouldn’t worry."
"So she’s reached out to you to check in?" Angelica asked. "I wanted to ask Irene to check in on her, but I know she’s busy with the other witches."
"She’s given us no reason to believe that anything has happened. Do you have reason to suspect differently?"
"Um. No. I guess not. Kelly is also gone."
No way that just happened to co out of her mouth next. Angelica knew that Rhiannon and Kelly were mates.
That also made her a suspect.
"Kelly is gone," Shiloh said flatly. "I don’t want any wolves in my territory who aren’t pledged to while the other alphas are here."
"He is? Oh. I could have sworn I..." suddenly, Angelica paled. "Never mind."
"You could have sworn what? Have you seen Kelly here after Asher arrived?"
"I’m tired. I think my days are just mixing together. I thought I saw Rhiannon and Kelly together just the other day, but I must be seeing things."
"Together?" I stepped forward. "Were they friends?"
If she wanted to sneer at again, she refrained. "Yeah. They were friends when we were younger, before Kelly asked to leave."
"If you have reason to believe that Kelly didn’t leave when told, you co to imdiately, Angelica," Shiloh said in a low voice. "Do you understand?"
Eyes wide, she nodded.
"Good, and as for Rhiannon, I’m sure she’s fine, but you’ll have to continue your party planning without her."
When she left, Shiloh turned back to and lowered his forehead to mine. If he wanted to pick back where we left off, the mood had passed.
"Are you ever going to tell them the truth?" I whispered.
"I haven’t decided. Co on. We’re due for breakfast with the other alphas, and then I want you in the etings with . At least, as long as you can stand it."
That was the last thing I wanted to do. "I actually thought I might try to find Zara..."
"No."
"And talk to Irene..."
"No, Mira. You’re my mate, and it’s important that you join these etings."
There was a mont where I could have sworn I heard a note of finality in his voice. "Are you ordering to join you in these etings? You told that I didn’t have to do anything I wasn’t comfortable doing."
"I’m asking you to be my mate, Mira. To show your support."
"So you want to play the dutiful mate to all the alphas even though you said I could leave once we figured out who’s killing witches?" Furious, I took a step back. "You’re going to make sit in the room all day with the man who used to tornt ?"
"He’s not tornting you anymore, Mira. When are you going to trust that I can protect you?"
"Maybe when you stop forcing to do things that I don’t want to do!"
"If I didn’t push you to do things, you’d spend all your ti at that goddamn restaurant hiding from the world," he growled.
Furious, I brushed passed him and muttered what I really thought of him under my breath.
"Mira, where the hell are you going?" He demanded. "The house is the in the other direction."
"Then I suggest you turn around and get walking," I said over my shoulder. "I’ve got better things to do than play doting mate with you."
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