Kari wished the floor would swallow her whole. She had made more social faux pas this afternoon than she had in the past decade. "My apologies, I did not mean to offend."
Adriel surprised her by nodding. "I understand exactly what you mean. I asked him that myself the day he arrived to act as my second in command. Can you guess what he said?" Kari shook her head. "He told me, 'it looks fun'." Adriel leaned back in his chair. "I believe he appreciated the distance he got from his family."
"But I thought you said his older brother was the shifter Elder here?" she asked.
Adriel nodded. "Yes, but he arrived after Declan."
Kari was nodding her understanding when a thought struck her. "Why is he not here? His younger brother almost died."
Magnus paled and stood. Without saying a word, he left the small conference room.
"Oh dear," Bethy murmured.
"Rex is going to be a bear to deal with. He is very protective of his brothers." Adriel stood. "I will warn our prickly healer. If you will excuse me..." He hurried from the room.
Bethy looked between her and Gavriel. "I'll make an announcement that, starting tomorrow, Declan will be conducting interviews with all the mated couples."
"Will he be healed by then?" Kari asked worriedly.
Bethy nodded. "Lions tend to heal faster than most shifters." She looked around. "Uncle will be back soon. Did you want to wait here?"
Kari nodded. "Yes, that is fine. After he returns, we will head back to the office. I want to go over past reports to see if I can find anything that may indicate issues between couples."
Stefan stood when Bethy and Gavriel did. "Can I tell Rachelle and Peter that the wolves have the support of Prince Magnus?"
Bethy rubbed her temples. "Stefan, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot that this affects one of your pack members. Yes, of course, tell them my uncle supports them one hundred percent. If any of your people discover mates, please advise them to alert us immediately so that we may avoid another scene like today."
Stefan nodded. "Of course. If I may make a suggestion?" He hesitated, as if his opinion wouldn't be welcome.
Gavriel looked kindly at the young wolf. "Please."
"If you want some of the women to open up, include Micah. I haven't been here long, but I see the way he treats them; they trust him."
Bethy smiled at the young wolf. "I'll have Adriel add his name to the assignment. That's a very good suggestion, Stefan. Please know that your input is vital. We're relying on you to let us know how things stand with your people."
Stefan blushed. "Thanks. I know I'm young, but sometimes that can help people see things more clearly."
Aiden stamped through the doorway. "Drones! Where in the hell did she get drones?" Aiden roared, waving a small device in his hand.
Bethy's eyes widened. "Oh Meryn."
Grinning, Kari stood. "Change of plans. I need to meet Meryn McKenzie."
Aiden set the drone down on the table. "I'll take you to her. Maybe you can keep her out of trouble."
Kari laughed. "No promises."
"Great, just great," he muttered.
As they left the conference room, they passed Magnus' office. She leaned down to Avery. "Come on, there is someone we have to meet."
Avery sprang from his chair excitedly. "Is it the crazy human?"
Vin and Keegan chuckled then gulped when Aiden turned to them with a sour expression. Vin gave a weak smile. "Sorry sir, but we saw the drone."
Aiden shook his head. "She means well."
Keegan coughed. "I'm sure she does. What did she have attached to it? Usually, they can hold a camera or weapon..." Keegan trailed off, taking in his commander's expression.