At least I’d gotten my shoes and card back. The salesman had rung up Cosette’s shoes, too. I’d hang on to them until I saw her next, even if I had no idea when that would be. I had a feeling she’d be in even more trouble than I was after this one.
As we wound our way home through the mountains, the weight of the gift Cosette had given me got heavier. She’d taken a huge risk by meeting me in public. I’d forgotten that while we shopped. Trying on shoes and hanging out felt so normal, but the more I thought about it, the more unsettled I was.
Her warning about Donovan’s pack was way too vague. I wish she’d told me more. Especially about how the Lunar coin worked.
And now Donovan was probably extra pissed that I’d been on the news again with Cosette. Who apparently was a princess? Would’ve been nice if she’d mentioned that. Maybe I wouldn’t have invited her to the mall in the first place. My father had been right. I should’ve just kept my nose down.
Although if I’d done that, I wouldn’t have gotten Cosette’s warning or my get out of jail free card.
But if there really was something going on with the Irish pack, then why was Donovan so clueless about it?
I wanted to hit something. Why were the fey so frustratingly vague? Even Cosette—who was supposed to be my friend—had left me with a million new questions.
One thought that kept going through my mind. If what Cosette said was true and there was trouble within the Irish pack, then Donovan and I needed to move up the date of our Full Moon Ceremony. I might not be the strongest wolf, but I knew pack politics. My father had started lecturing me about them as soon as I was old enough to understand because traveling from emergency to emergency meant that we had to be able to fit in with all the different packs. We had to make nice with whoever was hosting us. Through the years, I’d seen excellently
run packs and others that were the definition of a hot mess.
If the Alpha of the Irish pack didn’t have a clue his wolves were having unrest… Donovan was going to need my help. If I could get him to take it.
“Well, that trip to the mall was loads of fun,” Micah said as Max parked the car in front of the main house. “Remind me never to go outside again.”
“Can you not complain for one second?” I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache starting to blossom. Micah had had a lot to say while we were in the Nordstrom’s office.
I took the steps up to the front door two at a time. Shower and bed were all I could think about. This disaster of a day was about to end, and that was probably for the best. Exhaustion pulled at my limbs, making them feel leaden. I probably needed to eat, but that could wait.
I was a few steps from my bedroom when the scent registered. Motherfucking shit. How could I be so stupid?
If I hadn’t been in such a hurry, I’d have picked up on it sooner. Now it was too late to hide.
What the hell was Donovan doing in my room? He was supposed to be in Toronto.
More importantly, why was the scent of his anger filling the hall? I was missing something, but I couldn’t place it…
The sour undertone of fear in his scent slayed me. I stood frozen, not sure what to do, but every second, the smell grew stronger, until I was bathing in it. I swallowed down my nerves. I’d never made Donovan mad before, but I was pretty sure we were about to have our first fight.
I’d messed up asking Cosette to meet me in a public place. I’d undermined the very problem he’d been trying to fix, and that was a real betrayal, so he had the right to be upset. But other than apologizing, I wasn’t sure how to fix it. What was done was done.
For a split-second, I thought about sneaking back out of the house, but he’d already heard me in the hall for sure. There was no way he hadn’t.
“You might as well come in.” Donovan’s voice had a little too much roughness, which meant he was so pissed that his wolf was peeking out. That didn’t happen with Donovan. The more powerful the Alpha, the more control they usually had.
I stepped into my room, softly closing the door behind me. “Hey. I’m sorry. I had no idea that a shopping trip could get so out of hand. Not even in my wildest imagination…” I sighed, taking a few steps toward him, but he wasn’t even looking at me. Donovan lay on his back on my bed. His eyes were closed, and his hands were peacefully folded on his chest. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought he was sleeping. I shoved my hands into my back pockets as I stepped deeper into the room, stopping at the edge of my fuzzy, rainbow-print carpet.
“I really am sorry.” There wasn’t anything else I could say. I just had to wait for him to accept my apology.
Donovan opened his eyes, and they told me everything I needed to know. They were glowing electric blue. His face was more angular than usual, and I was pretty sure that wasn’t just stubble on his face, but actual fur.
Okay. So his wolf was really close to the surface. When an Alpha lost control, it was bad for everyone. But Donovan wasn’t just an Alpha. He was one of the Seven. The Council of Alphas that ruled all the packs.
I stared at the ground, trying not to set off a reaction by meeting his gaze for too long. “Did you have a good flight?” It was a lame question, but I’d already apologized, and he was giving me nothing. I just needed to calm him down until he got control again.
Donovan’s low, rumbling growl rolled through me. The power in it was enough to knock me back a step.
That was enough. He needed to get control. “I went shopping. Cosette is my friend. I’m allowed to hang out with her.”
“Not when I’m trying to make nice with the fey. Not when you both end up on the news again. Which is why things are a mess in the first place!”
I knew it was bad, but there was no time turner I could use to undo the whole mess. If there were, I’d totally use it. “I swear I—” More of his power slammed into me.