I moved closer, about to step into view of the open doorway, when a gentle hand touched my shoulder, startling me so I spun around.
Odhran stood right behind me, his brows lowered and a look of concentration on his face as he stared at the doorway.
“Lass,” he rumbled out, low. “It’s no’ safe for ye tae be here.”
I looked over my shoulder just as the male within the room stopped pacing. He heard us, knew we were there. The air chilled, became thick and tense and suffocating with aggression.
Odhran had my hand in his a second later and pulled me forward, making sure to keep my body in front of his.
I waited until we were a good distance down the hall before I asked, “Who was that?” Odhran glanced at me once, his hand tightening around mine. But we kept moving.
“That’s Lennox, one of the triplets of Banner and Luna.” He paused and lifted his free hand to run it over his mouth. “He was with us when we infiltrated and raided the Assembly facility in Vermont. He was wounded, and it was shortly after that, when he started to heal, that his…” I could see his eyes flash blue. “His wolf is gone.”
I didn’t understand what he meant. “His wolf is gone? I don’t understand.”
“You know how a Lycan male houses an inner beast?”
I nodded. “I know, so I don’t understand how his wolf could just be… gone.”
“No one is sure what happened, but assuming it’s from the trauma, his wolf has retreated far into the recesses of Lennox and hasn’t emerged. As you can imagine, it’s uncomfortable and frightening, and Lennox has grown angry and destructive because of it.”
“Will his wolf eventually come back?” I understood how Lennox felt, to an extent. To have something so integral and a part of your entire life just ripped away…
“I donna know, lass. I hope so. It’s a verra terrifying idea of no’ having my inner animal. It’s almost as painful as no’ having ye.”
I squeezed his hand in return but otherwise stayed silent and let him lead me down the stairs to the front doors where Banner, Luna, and Adryan and his mate stood. I could hear the other guests still in the ballroom.
Once we reached the landing, Luna stopped speaking with Banner and glanced my way, a smile on her face. Adryan had an arm wrapped around Kayla, his voice low as he spoke with Banner. I wasn’t focused on their conversation, but I did pick up that they were talking about the Assembly.
Once we were close enough to everyone, Odhran wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me snugly against the side of his body.
“I think it’s time for us to leave. It’s been an eventful day.”
Maybe a feminist would have scoffed that a male was speaking for them, but Odhran knew me well enough to understand that I was overwhelmed. I was ready to go home.
So I was thankful he took the initiative for tonight.
Banner gestured Odhran over, and when he was talking with the king and Adryan, I thanked Luna again for her hospitality.
She waved it off and smiled before saying, “You’re welcome here anytime. All the time. I love having a houseful of people. It fills in the empty spaces of loneliness.”
I loved that analogy and told her so. She glanced at Banner, and then up the stairs, where I could hear that rhythmic sound again. She sighed, and I knew it came from Lennox’s room. Clearly one of her sons was going through a difficult time and was so very lost.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured softly, and when she looked back at me, I could see in her eyes she was fully aware of what I was talking about. Her smile was sad and she nodded.
“He’s going through a tough time. I brought in one of the Lycan counselors, hoping to help Lennox, but…” She shrugged. “He doesn’t want to see or speak with anyone. He’s angry all the time, and his wolf…” She sighed. “I can understand why.” She held her hands out in an act of supplication.
Although I wasn’t a mother myself, I could see in her eyes she felt her child’s pain as if it were her own.
But her mention of a counselor did perk my interest, and I could see on her face she was desperate to change the subject and steer away from Lennox. “Someone was speaking with him?”
“Yes, we have a counselor in the community—only one, unfortunately. She’s come over and tried to talk to him, help him work through his anger and frustration, but he’s stubborn, just like his father.” There was a ghost of a smile on her face and she glanced at her mate. “I wish we had more options, but of course we can’t bring in anyone from the human world. It’s just not safe or realistic. They wouldn’t know the inner workings of our kind, of the Otherworld.”
I thought about speaking with someone about what had happened to me. But although it seemed like a strange concept, a little frightening to be so open and honest with a stranger, baring yourself in the most raw way that you became even more vulnerable, I wondered if it would help me in some way?
And I was pretty sure she saw that curiosity on my face, because a moment later she walked toward the small decorative table in the foyer, bent over to scribble something down on a pad, and then she was back, holding the slip of paper out to me.
I glanced down at the name and number she’d written and felt something shift in my chest. It felt like… hope.