Chapter 58

Lucian

We found another hotel to stay in for the night, and again we ended up sharing one room. This time, though, Zara managed to find a room with two beds so sadly Kieran and I would not have an excuse to hold her while we slept.

I placed my share of the purchases on one of the beds. I don’t know why Kieran wanted to bring them into the hotel rather than just leaving them in the car, but as usual I humored my brother.

“You should try on some outfits,” Kieran said to Zara as he dropped his load of clothing next to mine.

“Why?” Zara asked, echoing my confusion. “I tried everything on at the mall.”

“No, you tried on the individual items,” Kieran corrected. “I mean, let’s make some outfits. Put things together, see how they all work.”

Zara looked at me, and I shrugged. I had no more idea what Kieran was talking about than she did. “There’s probably no harm in it,” I said.

Zara sighed, but agreed at Keiran’s pleading look. Kieran handed her a blouse, a loose, flowy skirt, and motioned her into the bathroom out of concern for her unusual level of modesty. I noticed that the humans went into little rooms to change and try on clothing at the mall, so it must be a trait she inherited from her mother. It seemed inconvenient to spend so much energy hiding your body.

Zara returned a few moments later. I had to admit that the clothing looked nice on her. But then, she was an attractive she-wolf, so anything would look good.

Kieran handed her a small box.

“What’s this?” Zara asked.

“Accessories! An outfit isn’t complete without proper accessorization,” Kieran declared.

Zara took the box, probably wondering when he’d bought it. I knew he had ducked out while she was trying on the mass of training gear he selected. I didn’t know what he’d gotten, though.

“Were you raised by wild fashion magazines, by any chance?” Zara muttered, opening the box.

She froze and her smile dropped from her face.

“No,” she said.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning over. There was a piece of jewelry in the box, a necklace.

“I am not wearing a collar for you!” Zara snarled, throwing the offending box at Kieran.

“It’s not a collar,” he protested.

“Looks like one to me,” Zara said.

Kieran held the necklace out. It was a wide band of black ribbon with a green stone which I thought would set off her eyes nicely. It was nothing like the dog collar Kieran had made her wear previously, although it would fit her throat the same way.

“The jewelry store clerk called it a choker necklace,” Kieran said. “I thought the jewel matched your eyes. And it’s a human thing, so I thought you’d like it.”

“A choker fits like a collar,” Zara said. “If you like it so much, you wear it.”

I expected Kieran to argue back, to call her ungrateful. After all, he’d just seen something pretty and thought she’d be charmed. Any other she-wolf would be speechless with gratitude.

Instead, he held it up to his neck. “It won’t fit,” he said. “But I’ll buy one and wear it for you, if you’ll try this one on, just one time.”

“You’ll wear a collar. If I try on that necklace,” Zara said, voice flat.

“Yes. I’ll let you pick it out. The most ridiculous one you can find. Pink and glittery, or neon green with spikes. Anything you want,” Kieran promised.

Zara looked at the necklace in his outstretched hand, and glanced at me. I shrugged. I didn’t get his fixation, either.

Zara took the necklace and put it on. I could see her point; it did sit just like the collar. But where that had been a harsh strip of black leather, this was soft ribbon. And the jewel did reflect her eyes beautifully.

“Perfect,” Kieran said.

“We should get some sleep,” I said. “We have a long drive tomorrow.”

“Right,” Zara agreed.

She put the necklace back in its box, and hesitated before putting it with the other bags.

Kieran and I took the bed by the door, and let Zara have the other one. She and Kieran fell asleep almost immediately, but I lingered awake, staring at the strange ceiling and thinking about ridiculous things.

Watching Zara and Kieran at the mall woke uncomfortable feelings. Zara seemed so comfortable among the humans. Even though she’d been raised among our kind, she still somehow seemed to fit with the humans. She was comfortable in ways Kieran and I could never be. What if she was right, that she belonged here? How could I convince her to stay?

Kieran and I needed to find our fated mate, and soon. Zara could not continue to soothe our wolves forever. Already it placed a dangerous strain on her body. And beyond that, she was unhappy with the pack. How long before she found a way to escape?

I looked over at the sleeping woman, and made a silent promise. I would find a Luna for our pack, one who could control my wolf where I had failed. And then I would see Zara free and happy among the humans. It shouldn’t be hard to set her up with a good, quiet life.

The next morning, we enjoyed our “free continental breakfast.” I still didn’t know what made the food “continental.” Zara didn’t know, either. Another mystery of the human world, I suppose.

The drive through the human territories to the barrier was uneventful, thankfully. As far as I could tell our presence on the human side of the veil had gone unremarked.

At the barrier, the beta Gregor waited to meet us.

“Thought I’d escort you fine folks back through our territory,” he explained. “Oh, and here.” He went to the back of his truck and returned with a crate. “A gift from my Alpha. Some of the trade goods from the humans.”

“What’s this about?” Kieran asked.

Gregor shrugged. “You two are a power around here. My Alpha wants you to know he hopes for an alliance; that he doesn’t hold with… some other Alphas and their plans.”

Well that was interesting. I hadn’t ever sought out alliances with other packs. But at the same time, this pack’s territory was small, and probably not worth the risks of a Challenge to take it. The trade agreements with the humans would be with the Alpha, so we’d have to reestablish them if we did take the territory, and we’d lose Gregor’s contacts as well because we’d either have to execute or banish him.

But if we left the pack as it was, with their Alpha in place, well, they could be useful to us. We could trade with the human lands through them, for instance.

I would discuss the notion of alliance with Kieran. He was more politically savvy. He’d be able to tell me if it was worth the risk to consider alliance over conquest for some smaller packs.

I thanked Gregor for the gift, and accepted his offer of escort. Regardless of what we decided, I had no intention of Challenging anyone that day. I simply wanted to return to my pack. I was curious how the former Rogue had done while she was in charge.