Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(83)

Chewing on a piece of bacon, she lifted her brows. “So you and the rest of the pack are planning to attack? Not just kill him but battle with the clan?”

“We have to, baby. Once I kill Archer—and I will—they’ll appoint a new Alpha. That Alpha will need to do what Archer failed to do and find Daisy as a demonstration of how much stronger he is than Archer. This won’t end unless the entire clan is gone.”

Appetite plummeting, Madisyn lowered her cutlery. “I didn’t want it to come to this. I was really hoping it wouldn’t.”

Pushing aside his plate, Bracken brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “I know. It isn’t your fault that things are heading down this road. Archer could have tried mediation. Could have walked away. Could have been a true fucking Alpha and not taken members from other clans in a weird exertion of dominance. Instead, the son of a bitch sent his sows to go to work on you, turned up at the fucking shelter to take you, tried to have the bodies of my family exhumed, and then had a loner try to kidnap and deliver you to him.

“He’s got to pay for that, Madisyn. I told him that if he didn’t back off, I’d wipe out that clan so thoroughly it would be as if they’d never existed. He always knew what he was risking.”

“He’s also got to pay for those sows ramming their car into you.”

“That too, although I don’t think he ordered that.”

“I just hate that people will be hurt in the battle—some might even die. And for what? Because some asshole who doesn’t deserve to be an Alpha is dragging his allies into the mess, forcing us to drag our allies into the mess. It’s fucked up.”

Bracken patted his thigh. “Come here.” He watched as she pushed up from the table and crossed to him. Settling her on his lap, he kissed her. “Don’t take the weight of this on your shoulders, baby. The guilt isn’t yours.”

“I know. It’s bad enough that I’m taking the weight of the carjacking on my shoulders. Oh, no, wait, that’s you.”

His mouth curved. “Yeah, it’s the pot calling the kettle black when I say shit like that. But I’m still right.”

“I’ll shake off the needless guilt if you will.”

Holding her tight against him, he kissed her forehead. “I’ll give it my best shot.”

“Same here.”

Sliding a hand under her hair, he began to softly massage her nape. Not interested in spending their morning discussing Archer, he said, “On a much lighter note, my wolf liked sleeping next to you just as much as he likes sleeping next to your cat.”

She smiled, and her feline twitched her tail happily. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. He’s going to want to do both those things again.”

“I’m good with that. He’s very snuggly. And he doesn’t snore.”

Bracken’s brow furrowed. “Neither do I.”

“Much.”

“At least I don’t talk in my sleep. What was it you said the other night? Oh yeah. ‘Fuck you, Dumbledore. I want my wand back.’”

She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting a blush. “I do not dream about fictional characters, and I do not talk in my sleep.” Ha, such a lie.

“No? You sure? Because last week, you muttered, ‘Gollum, you best get your magic gophers out of my goddamn rockery.’”

“You make this shit up.”

“It’s true!” He chuckled. “Now tell me, because I’m curious to know: What do magic gophers do?”

She tossed him a haughty look. “Kiss my ass, Slater.”

“Already have, baby. I’ll be happy to do it again.”

They decided to have lunch at the main lodge with the pack, since it would give everyone a chance to ask after Madisyn and stop them from turning up at the lodge one by one. As they neared it, they spotted Kathy standing on the porch, clearly waiting for them.

“If you’re not ready for this talk,” Bracken whispered to Madisyn, “just say so. I’ll tell her to wait.” With all that had gone on, he’d actually forgotten about his agreement to speak with Kathy.

“Nah, let’s get it done,” said Madisyn.

“All right.” But Bracken was resolute that if Kathy said anything to upset Madisyn or again implied that she wasn’t what he needed, he’d end the conversation and wouldn’t give her a second chance to sort out this mess she’d made.

When they came to a stop in front of her, Kathy offered them a wobbly smile. “Hi. I’m glad to see that you’re okay, Madisyn. I heard what happened and . . .” She nervously rubbed her hands together. “Look, I know I’m the last person you both want to see, but I’d just . . . Can we talk? Please?”

Quite frankly shocked by the “please,” since Kathy wasn’t one to beg, Bracken blinked. “We’re listening.”

Kathy drew in a breath through her nose. “First, I apologize for . . .” She trailed off, looking awkward.

“Being a bitch?” Madisyn supplied helpfully.

Kathy winced. “Yes.” She opened her mouth to speak but then seemed to struggle.

“You were never much good at apologies,” said Bracken, though not unkindly.

Kathy gave a humorless, self-deprecating chuckle. “No, I wasn’t.” Gaze drifting to the trees, she sighed. “This is going to be hard for me to say, so excuse me if I stumble through it.” She settled on the porch swing, stiff and unsure. “When my mate died, I was much like you were after your family died, Bracken. Just . . . lost. So very, very lost.”