Mated in Mist (Talon Pack #3)(13)

“That’s not what happened. They were trying to kill us.” Leah kept shaking her head, her hands in her lap.

On the screen, Roland used his magic to create a wave that smashed the humans into the rocks. Careful editing had made it look like Roland was the one starting the encounter, rather than the other way around. The screen changed to show Leah on the ground, her hand out as she used magic, as well. Though he couldn’t tell exactly what kind of spell she was doing, the effect of the editing was the same. It looked as if she and Roland were causing harm to humans with no cause.

It wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all.

Ryder threw caution to the wind and put his arm around Leah’s shoulders. She immediately sank into his hold. “We know that. The media twists what it doesn’t understand. And sometimes it deliberately twists what it does.”

The anchor continued her news story. “We also have unconfirmed reports that the witches are in talks with the wolves. As you know, the wolves were forced to come out into the public eye in a shocking way. Since then, there have been numerous reports of violence on both sides. The public is scared, and Washington has issued statements, but no action has been taken on the wolf problem. No word yet how the witch problem will factor into this matter.”

Gideon growled loudly, then turned off the screen as the news switched to the weather broadcast.

“What have we done?” Leah whispered, her gaze on her clasped hands. “The Coven will want my head for this.” She murmured something so low that even his wolf ears didn’t catch it. He’d have asked her what she said, but he wanted to wait until they were alone.

And because he’d been an idiot and said she could stay with him, they would be alone. Often. He, apparently, had a need for pain and tension, because having her stay with him and his wolf without being able to do anything about it would be akin to torture.

“We’ll figure it out,” Brie said softly from the other sofa. She sat next to her mate with Walker on her other side. Both men had subtle looks of doubt on their faces, and Ryder hoped Leah couldn’t read that.

Gideon ran a hand over his face. “We need to meet with the Coven.”

Brandon cleared his throat, a frown on his face. “We have a meeting in four days. It’s our first one with the Redwood and Talon group.”

“I should be there,” Gideon added.

Ryder shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t. Remember, they’re the ones that summoned you. We can’t let you show up as Alpha and make them think that is an acceptable way to act toward wolves. While we’re on the verge of war and change with the humans, we can’t forget that we’re in a political dance with the Coven, as well.”

Gideon let out a breath. “I hate that. But that’s why we have an Heir,” he said with a snort. “You’ll be my voice?”

Ryder met his brother’s, his Alpha’s, gaze. “Always.” Always the Alpha’s voice. Never his own. That was his duty as Heir.

You’re nothing. You’ll f*ck it up like everything. The witches will war. The humans will revolt. You’ll drown in the blood of your people like the bastard pup you are.

Again, he ignored the voice. He had to if he wanted to survive.

But do you want to survive? Wouldn’t it be easier if you let it all go? They don’t need you. They never did.

Leah put her hand on his knee and he looked down into her dark blue eyes. “Ryder?”

He took a deep breath and tried to look normal. It was how he’d made it this long. It was how he would now.

“We’ll meet with the Coven and try to come up with a plan,” Ryder said finally. “The witches are in the public eye now, and as you can see, they’re lumping them together with us. We don’t know what Washington’s plan is, but we heard what the Senator said in his broadcast, remember? He told the humans to stand together on the other side of the invisible line we hadn’t wanted to form. He made it us against them. We need to keep informed. None of us want bloodshed, and to try and prevent that, we’ll need to ensure that we’re communicating with the others.”

Gideon nodded and ran a hand through his beard before tangling his fingers with Brie’s. “Parker is out with the other Packs around the country. We’re staying in communication with them, but it’s hard to keep everyone’s priorities in line with so much history.”

Parker was a Redwood wolf who had been born a Talon wolf and was now on a journey to each Pack around the country. It might have been easier to meet along digital lines with each Alpha, but centuries of tradition had to be accounted for. The Brentwoods themselves were each over a century old and had a certain way of doing things. He and his family may have acclimated to the changing of the times far easier than most, but not all wolves had. Eventually, each Alpha would have to meet to come up with a joint plan, as every wolf was part of this, not just the Talons and Redwoods. Though because of where the Unveiling had occurred, it was the Talons and Redwoods that were in the public eye. The other Packs were still in hiding, for now, but Ryder knew that wouldn’t be for long. There was only so much magic and warding available before those looking for the supernatural in earnest found it.

“We’re not going to figure it all out sitting in Walker’s living room,” Brie said softly. “It’s not as easy as making a plan on our own and trying to stick to it. We don’t know what the humans have planned, and we don’t know what the witches truly want.” She met Leah’s gaze. “We’ll try to find out, though. You said you weren’t theirs; so you can be ours for as long as you need to be.”