Chapter 122
Heather
We snuggled together on Brent’s couch to wait for the news. I started working on a tub of Häagen-Dazs pralines and cream and tried to focus on the TV—currently a mom was yelling at her toddler as she teased the shit out of the little girl’s hair. Poor kid. Brent cuddled me to his side and absently rubbed my shoulder.
I’d been pacing his cabin for the first hour, but it started driving him batty; thus, the ice cream and reality TV therapy.
Then the knock came, and all other thoughts vanished from my head.
"Come in," Brent said.
I sat up and put the nearly empty container on the coffee table.
Mr. Langdon stepped through the door. "A decision has been reached. It’s time for you to come back outside."
I reached for Brent’s hand and he squeezed it. It’s going to be fine, he said through the bond. You’ll see.
The walk back to the bonfire felt like a funeral march. No one said a word. Forest sounds that were usually so peaceful and relaxing suddenly felt suffocating. My breathing was heavy, and it wasn’t because I was walking fast.
A thick silence greeted us as Brent and I stepped into the circle. Everyone sat completely motionless.
Maybe it was because I was so used to my visions and being flooded with too much information, but all that silence and quiet made me antsy. The calm before a storm.
I hated it.
Brent jumped back onto the stone and then reached to pull me up. Last thing I needed to do was look like a klutz in front of everyone. They were already here to judge me.
Mr. Langdon stepped forward. "I want to start off by saying that the original calls for the Tribunal—Heather’s loss of control when confronted by Callista and Brent’s breaking of our laws—have been totally dismissed."
Thank God the pack wasn’t made of total morons. If I got in trouble for that after everything Callista had done, I really would’ve lost it.
"We’ve had a heated debate and are almost evenly divided on what we should do regarding Luciana’s claim," Mr. Langdon continued. "The complication that the witches brought forth—their wanting you back and willing to go to war over it—has been divisive among pack members."
I nodded. How could it not be? I didn’t like the idea of the pack having to fight for me either.
"However, most agreed that you two should be together. We understand that Brent lost control only because he met his mate.
No one is faulting him for that, but we can’t let a war start because of it."
That wasn’t something I wanted either. But what did that mean? I clenched Brent’s hand tighter.
Sebastian stepped up. "We’ve come to a decision to appease the witches. For a period of one lunar cycle, you, Heather Jones, will live on coven lands. You will have no contact with Brent—"
"No." Brent’s voice was so harsh I jumped. "I reject this. I will leave this pack. Go lone wolf—"
Gasps rang out. I wasn’t sure what being a "lone wolf" meant, but from the reactions, it was obviously a terrible idea.
"Brent. You will wait to speak until I’ve finished."
"No."
I squeezed Brent’s hand. Calm down. We have to know what we’re up against.
Brent stared down at me, his eyes two glowing orbs of yellow. It wasn’t him talking anymore. It was the wolf.
"No one takes my mate from me."
I don’t know how I knew, but right then—it was like my life flashed before my eyes. If I didn’t get Brent to calm down and agree to this, he’d destroy this pack. They were nearly evenly divided. Among the ones that had mates, the desire to keep us together had to overshadow the desire to keep the witches satisfied.
The pack would fight. Fear leading some. Love, honor, and tradition leading the rest.
The witches would come. It would be war, and the pack would be too weak to defend itself.
Visions of blood and death flickered behind my eyelids, but they moved too fast for me to pick out the specifics. All I knew was that we were about to head down a terrible path. Really, really bad.
I let out the breath I’d been holding.
While I’d been out of it, Brent had started yelling. Others were shouting back.
"We’re asking for a bit of leeway with you."
Donovan’s clear blue gaze met mine. "I know it’s a lot to ask—"
"No! Would you ever let someone separate you from Serena? Let them take her away?" Brent stood up and leaned over Donovan. "She won’t be going anywhere." His face contorted as he slowly began to shift. His jaw popped and expanded. Fingers lengthened into claws. It was a grotesque sight, and it hurt to look at him.
The bond revealed the full spectrum of Brent’s emotions. His gut-shaking terror. Anger enough to boil the waters of Antarctica. And a healthy dose of I-don’t-give-a-fuck. He wanted what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to let anyone tell him different.
He’d always told me he was more dominant than any other wolf. None of those gathered here could really make him do anything. And that was the problem. If someone didn’t convince him that this was the right thing to do, no one could make Brent follow along. He couldn’t be ordered.
He only obeyed orders out of respect for his elders.
But threatening me had taken away all that respect.
I was the only one who could fix this.
"You will obey us." Donovan shouted, power backed words, his eyes glowing bright blue.
As soon as Donovan said it, I felt Brent’s anger swell. He was never going to obey that order.
Brent leaped off the rock, hitting Donovan with the full force of his alpha energy. The power rolled into the gathered crowed. Donovan hit the ground, and Brent pinned him. But only for a second. Donovan rolled and sprang up, throwing Brent into a tree. Branches crashed down.
I had to do something. I had to stop this before he tried to rip out Donovan’s throat.
"Stop! Brent!" He wasn’t listening to me. I tried to get to him through the bond, but he was too much wolf, and not enough of his human mind was left to see reason.
My gaze slipped to Mr. Langdon. He was the only one not watching the fight. Instead, he stared steadily at me. Waiting for me to say something. To do something.
A sudden chill came over me and I hugged myself. "I’ll do it. I agree to the terms."
"No!" The roar startled me.
Brent had paused long enough for Donovan to get the upper hand. He pinned Brent to the ground on his stomach, but Brent’s gaze was on me. "Why?"
The pain in his voice made my heart ache. "There isn’t another choice. Fighting Donovan won’t change that."
He was too distracted to notice Dr. Gonzales moving behind them. She darted in, using her Were reflexes to stab the needle into Brent’s arm and depress the stopper.
Brent tried to thrash, but Donovan held him firm.
My heart pounded as I stood there and let them sedate my mate. I felt like the worst person ever. Not worthy of Brent and his trust and love. Not when I’d just quit so easily. I watched as Brent’s eyes slid closed within seconds and my knees weakened so much that I couldn’t stand anymore.
Oh God. What have I done?
"Everyone. Leave. Now," Mr. Langdon said.
It didn’t take long for the pack to file out, but Mr. Langdon, Donovan, Serena, Sebastian, Muraco, and Dr. Gonzales stayed behind. I sat frozen, watching Brent breathe from across the fire.
"Way to freak out, Brent. What am I going to do now?" I muttered as I settled on the ground next to him, putting his head in my lap. His features slowly sank back to human as I held him.
"After our talk with him this afternoon, we thought he might react this way." Mr. Langdon squatted next to me. "It was always your decision to make, not his."
I rolled my eyes. "You’re not dumb or naive enough to believe that, right? He’s my mate. We’re a team," I said, echoing all the times Brent had said as much to me.
I knew what I wanted and I knew what I should do, but those two things were totally divergent. Like everything else in life, I knew it was going to end in a compromise, so I had to figure out what I was willing to give up and what I wasn’t.
"Did Luciana agree with the decision? Did it satisfy her?"
"We haven’t asked yet, but if she wants more than one lunar cycle, the pack won’t stand for it. I can’t imagine her not agreeing."
But there was still a chance. Hope for me to cling to. "I’m going to leave it up to you to negotiate, Donovan." I’d helped him out with la Aquelarre, and I was calling in that debt.
"I’ll do whatever it is you ask. I owe you more than I could ever repay."
I nodded. I’d usually deny that, but not now. I needed his help too badly. "I want to be back before the next full moon. I’ll give the witches until then, max. No extensions for any reason. I’ll burn the witches’ compound to the ground before I miss the next ceremony."
"Are you sure that’s what you want?"
I scoffed and bit my lip, trying to stop the tremble. "No." My voice was thick. "What I want is to be left the hell alone, but apparently I don’t always get what I want." I ran my fingers through Brent’s hair.
"He’s going to be so pissed at me when he wakes up."
"Indeed."
Mr. Langdon put his hand on my shoulder. "I’ve taken care of him since his parents died. Don’t worry. I won’t let him lose control while you’re gone."
"It’s not for forever. Just a few weeks." I brushed away a tear that slipped free.
"Let’s get Brent back to his cabin." Mr. Langdon hauled Brent over his shoulder and started back through the woods. The rest of us followed behind him in silence.