Mated in Mist (Talon Pack #3)(33)

She wouldn’t put it past him to try, though.

At that sobering thought, she’d had enough. “I was only protecting myself and my brother,” she put in and cursed herself. She hated being the center of attention, and now it seemed she’d never get out of it.

“Enough,” Ryder growled. “This is getting us nowhere. We need to iron out the details of not only our treaty, but the public face of what is to come. The humans are after us. Not all of them, of course, but many in power. And don’t forget, the witches you see burning are not being killed by those in power, but by those who feel they don’t have enough. Do you not understand that? The ones that feel as though they are being subjugated and oppressed with each new Unveiling are the ones lashing out first. They don’t have to think of the consequences because they feel they are right. They are killing wolves and witches because they feel as though they are doing a service by taking out so-called lesser beings.”

“And it’s not just them,” Leah added, encouraged by Ryder’s words. He didn’t often speak to others, but when he did, it was because he had something to say. “The Coven and other smaller covens around the area are safe for now because they are in hiding as much as possible. Packs around the U.S. are still in hiding unless they’ve been forced into the public eye like the Redwoods and Talons. We’re far greater in number than the humans know, and that is creating fear on both sides. If we don’t stand together, we will fall apart.”

The room grew quiet after her and Ryder’s speeches before they began to once again try to formulate a plan. She knew the Alphas of the Packs had their own plans and were purposely not present at these meetings. She also knew the Coven had probably had meetings, as well. However, something good had to come of this. It had to.

Only she wasn’t sure it could happen if she were in the room for much longer. While the Talons had asked her to be there so they had a witch on their side, she wasn’t the only witch they knew. Hannah and Gina were also there in the back of the room, listening to everything unfold. She let out a sigh, and Ryder looked down at her. He took her hand and leaned toward her.

“What’s wrong?”

She blinked up at him and did her best to not lean forward and kiss him. Not only would it be stupid to do that in front of his family and Pack as they weren’t on the path to mating, but doing so in front of the Coven would only heighten the tension in the room. If they thought she was only there because she’d slept with one of the Talon Pack members, she’d be called a whore just as they’d called her mother one.

Her mother might not have known Luis was married at the time, but it hadn’t mattered when Darynda and the other witches cast their blame of the whole situation on her mother’s shoulders rather than Luis’s.

Just thinking about the past made her angry. She needed to think of the future—at least the welfare of the Pack and any innocent witches. Her own future was far murkier, and she would prefer not to think about that at all.

“I need some air,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.” As quietly as she could, she pushed her chair back and made her way from the table. The witches glared at her, and the wolves looked worried, but she shook her head and pointed to the door. Odd that it was those unlike her in genetics, the wolves, who had her back while those who should have opened their arms to her pushed her away.

She made her way to the door, but Hannah and Gina followed her. She smiled at them, wishing she knew them better. They were both witches who lived within wolf dens. There were more than just these two, but they were the ones she knew a bit more because of their hierarchy within the Redwood Pack.

As soon as she stepped outside, she inhaled the fresh scent of the outdoors and immediately felt a little better. Not at peace, but at least not constantly on edge. Bram from the Redwoods, and Ryder’s cousin, Max stood guard outside. They both looked at her expectantly, and she shook her head.

“I’m fine. Everything is going…well, not good, but at least they aren’t throwing things. I just needed air.”

Max smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. Bram nodded silently then went back to keeping an eye on the perimeter.

“You doing okay?” Hannah asked when she came to Leah’s side. “I know that was a lot in there, and I’m surprised you didn’t smack a few of them. As it was, I had to keep my magic in check.”

“I’m fine,” Leah said. “I mean, I’m not going to be invited to any family reunions anytime soon, but the glares and accusations are better than outright offensive magic directed my way.”

“That sucks, hon,” Gina said softly. “I grew up within the Redwoods and never had to deal with a coven. My mother, my birth mother that is, mated into the Pack and left her small coven behind. Apparently, there wasn’t any love lost there. My younger brother Mark and I learned what we could from her magic-wise before she died. And my adoptive mother did her best to help, as well, though she grew up in the human world without knowing about our secrets at all.”

Leah knew Gina had been adopted by Kade and Melanie, the Alphas of the Redwoods years ago and had eventually mated a Talon wolf named Quinn. Since Gina was now the Enforcer of the Redwoods, Quinn had left the Talons to be with her. He’d also taken his son from a previous mating with him.

Leah had been with the Talons for long enough that she sort of understood the Pack dynamics, but she wasn’t sure she would ever get it all straight.