“Alright. But at least let me talk to Lukka again. Obviously, she’s one ofusif…if she’s mated to you. He has no choice but to take responsibility. She needs apack.She needs to be around her own kind. Even he will have to understand that.”
Mated.The word seemed to convey several meanings at once. Bound, tied, linked. Connected.
Chained.
“Talk to the bastard,” the man didn’t seem to care either way. “Let him take her off my hands—I don’t want this.”
“Then whyget involved?” the woman asked. “Why mate her at all? I hate to play the devil’s advocate, Bill.”
“Who’s playing? You are an advisor to Lukka, after all—”
“I’m not here to fight; I’m here to help,” the woman insisted. “And, playing devil’s advocate, one might think that you didn’t have to get involved at all. She’s lived as a human. Human laws could dictate her future now.”
“So she can attack an inmate next? Rip out someone’s throat while in shackles? I thought your precious Alpha valued discretion above all.”
“It could have been better for her in the long run. Better than being plunged into a dynamic she doesn’t understand.”
A gruff laugh boomed like thunder. “Forget human laws. Why not try her by ours? Committing patricide should be enough to make her the next fucking Alpha. It worked for Lukka—”
“Bill, please!” The woman sounded pained. “You know I can’t hear you speak ill of him. Besides, I’m not blaming you. You had no choice. I believe that. I just want to make sure you can defend this against the barrage of criticism we both know is coming. So… Can you?”
There was a long silence, and Loren imagined them both straining to compile a logical response. It took minutes before the man cleared his throat.
“Sonia, I couldn’t leave her like that,” he began haltingly. “She triedtodrownherself in the fucking stream. You should have seen her. Smelled her. She was covered in blood, terrified. Only God knows how long he’s been terrorizing her before this. She had no one. You know how it feels to be cut off. Alone. I warned that asshole Connors what could happen if he didn’t take her to the damn pack—”
Thatasshole Connors.Some nameless girl wasn’t the subject of this debate, buther.Which meant the man dominating this conversation could only be…
“What’s going to happen to her, Bill?” The woman seemed to hesitate. “The police, will they—”
“I’ve handled it,” McGoven snapped. “They think the bastard got what was coming to him. He had more gambling debts than we could keep track of. He even put his fucking house up for collateral. It was only a matter of time before one of his enemies came to collect. As for the girl, Loren will stay with me until… Until I decide what to do next.”
“It’s funny, Bill,” the woman remarked after another brief silence. “You always swore that you wouldn’t take another mate—”
“She isn’t my mate,” he countered coldly. “She is my problem until I figure out a better solution.”
“I mean in general,” the woman said. Her voice was softer. Wistful. “For so many years, you seemed set on your hermit ways, shunning everyone who tried to prove you wrong—”
“Who would want me?” he argued just as softly. “You might have a short memory, Sonia, but everyone elsedoesn’t. Offering me pity isn’t the same damn thing as accepting a murderer with open arms.”
“You always swore that you were done with pack life,” the woman continued as if he’d never spoken. “Only now, it’s as if it just fell into your lap, regardless of whether you wanted it or not. Some might say you did this purposefully, though. With a mate, you could form your own pack. Challenge Lukka directly—”
“That isn’t funny,” the man growled. “I called you here because you’re the only one in that place I trust. So do your duty as my friend and as an emissary. Call Lukka. Convince him to come. The sooner he can take her off my hands, the better—”
“Bill,” the woman scolded, still utilizing that gentle tone. “No pun intended, but she’s not just some puppy you can pawn off.”
“Don’t be cute. This isn’t funny, and you know better than anyone that she’ll be better off without me—”
“Look, I’m honored that you still trust me after everything we’ve been through,” the woman insisted. “But I don’t have the influence you seem to think I do. What could I possibly say?”
“You wanted to play devil’s advocate? Well, here’s the truth—I don’t want her here longer than necessary. Despite whattheymight think, I don’t want a fucking mate, and I’m asking Lukka to do the job he wanted so damn badly and fix this.”
“I understand,” the woman replied. “But that poor girl...”
Wasn’t that the irony of it all? Loren thought drowsily. Every person who so-called“rescued”her, never wanted her in the first place.
* * *
It was morning.