Chapter 22

I felt feverish, my body swaying. I couldn’t be sure if it was from the shock of seeing Adrian, the exhaustion of having been at the venue preparing all day, the upset of watching Maya become an official member of the pack, or the pregnancy symptoms.

Whatever it is, I needed to sit down before I fall. In front of everyone.

Adrian’s smile stopped in its tracks as he studied my face. It must be pale. Maybe covered in a sheen of sweat, too.

His eyebrows lowered and mouth twisted in concern. He reached a tentative hand out, then pulled it back. He looked around the room, seeming to notice the hush of silence and the number of people watching us. Watching me.

They must all have felt it: the charged intensity between Hunter and Maya.

And they must all have turned to me to see how I was going to take it.

Not well, as it turned out.

Adrian seemed to make a decision. He gestured with his arm, inviting me to walk along with him.

“I have matters to discuss with you about the pack,” he said confi dently. “Can we go somewhere more private?”

I sighed with relief and fell immediately into step beside him.

He led us toward the edge of the forest.

I remembered him being considerate. I was grateful that he’d read the situation correctly that I needed to be out of the center of attention. In my fraught state, I could almost cry with the relief of someone noticing what I needed and helping me get it.

I reminded myself to hold it together.

There was an iron bench under a few of the tall trees. Close enough to the pool area to be lit by the twinkling lights, but far enough away that we won’t in plain view. I’m sure some speculating eyes have followed us over here, but I don’t care.

Besides, as Chief Delta it’s reasonable that he would have matters to discuss with me.

The air felt cool, and my lungs gratefully expanded with the deep breaths of air I took eagerly.

“Thanks, I—” I started.

He held up his hand to stop me.

“Don’t mention it. None of my business, anyway.”

I’m not sure what to say. I struggle to think of something, though, because I don’t want to have to go back to the party. For a reason I can’t completely understand, his company is a relief.

“So, how are things going for you?” I asked. I felt a bit silly at the small talk, but couldn’t think of anything better.

“Busy,” he replied seriously. “I’ve been spending a lot of time working on inter-pack relations lately, and have been traveling for that. But it’s hard to ensure my pack’s stability when I’m away so much, and then I’m working on a succession plan, what with—”

He cut himself off, looking sheepish.

“I shouldn’t have mentioned that,” he continued.

“Succession,” I asked, interested. “But where are you—?”

I stopped as I realized what he was saying. Finally, after all this time, it must be time for the Alpha King to step aside.

And for Adrian to take his place.

“Is the King—?” I asked, too curious to stop myself.

Alpha Kings tended to serve from their promotion until death or some compelling reason to step down.

“Sick,” Adrian said quietly. “Terminally. This is between us, of course. Only a few people know. And it’s not official, but he’s planning to name me his successor. And so I’ve been trying to make sure there’s a plan in place for my pack, but my Beta isn’t as good a candidate as my Captain of the Guard, so—”

He trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed, but also pleased. I was glad too. Both pleased for him to finally be getting what he’d always been working toward, and at the fact that he wanted to confide in me.

I smiled and issued my congratulations and confidence that he’d do the job well.

I felt more relaxed than I had all evening. It had always been awkward between us, and that was still there, but my overwhelming feeling was calm.

And come to think of it, I wasn’t feeling any nausea or achiness or headaches. Somehow my pregnancy symptoms were being kept in check.

A few moments of comfortable silence passed before he spoke again.

“How are things going with the pack?”

I froze, the relaxed dynamic of a moment earlier evaporating.

What could I say in response? There was no way I could explain everything that had been going on with Hunter and Maya—I certainly couldn’t tell him about the pregnancy. His head tilted to the side. I needed to say something before I made him suspicious.

“Oh, well I’ve been doing an audit of the Gamma team’s operations. We’ve had two rogue attacks that I think better defense could have prevented, so I’ve been making some tactical changes to their guard processes. The really worrying part is that I haven’t been able to figure out how the rogues knew where the targets would be.” I took a deep breath, refraining from mentioning Maya as the primary target. “And the travel decisions were only made about ten minutes before the attacks, in the Delta office. So there’s a traitor in our midst.”

I paused, waiting for his reaction. I was surprised that he didn’t look at all shocked.

“I’ve been hearing similar stories from the other packs. There have been two attacks on mine as well. Both at times when a few members were driving on an isolated road, and both in manners that seem more organized than we’d usually expect of rogues. That’s actually why I’m here tonight,” he continued. “As part of my investigation.”

I heard a rustle in the nearby grass. My headache returned as I looked up to find Hunter and Maya walking toward us.

The expression on her face was eager, interested. His eyes were hooded, suspicious.

“We should move to the next stage of the event,” Hunter said coldly as they came to stand in front of our bench. He ignored Adrian entirely.

The next stage of the event was a cocktail hour, which was already in progress. I’d planned it perfectly. Nothing needed our attention. Which Hunter should know.

Was he really confused, needing my help, or was it an excuse to come check up on me since I was sitting with Adrian?

Maya’s eyes were still bright with interest. She was looking at Adrian.

“I’m Maya,” she said shyly, extending her hand. He shook it, but barely looked up at her. His eyes were focused on his cousin.

Maya wilted. I could see her fidget in discomfort. She’d seemed intimidated most of the evening, gaining confidence during the ceremony, but losing it again. She must be able to tell that Adrian was important, and must feel even more out-of-place now that he was completely ignoring her.

In spite of myself, I felt for her. I certainly knew how it felt to be rejected by Adrian.

I was distracted by a crackle of tension in the air.

Adrian and Hunter were staring daggers at each other.