Werewolf Academy

XXI

"Blinded by love. That's what they say, right? Made a fool by kind words. An innocent act." My best friend of so many years hurls the flat stone he had meant to skip across the water. "Dammit!"

"Jack—"

"Don't even start. Don't tell me you wouldn't be tearing yourself apart if your mate turned on everyone. If you walked in on me holding him against a wall you wouldn't be acting the same as I am now."

I rest a hand between his shoulder blades, trying to to show him the pity I felt. The reaction would wound any wolf's pride. "Will you be joining us for dinner? We'd understand if you need to take a run instead."

"No. I won't be any help to the pack if I mope over what happened. We need to make a plan on how to bring it all down. We don't know if he's lost all pack intel."

Indeed we hadn't. After last night's attack on the pack and Alysandra's betrayal my mate had become much more protective. While he couldn't keep me from moving about freely, he insisted I have pack warriors at my side should I ever be outnumbered and incapable of fighting on my own. The attitude the situation had brought didn't leave room for the cocky remark I would normally be ready to give about my capabilities.

We  make our way back to the pack house, arms linked together. "Should I be worried about your mate, walking in with you on my arm?" he jokes. I roll my eyes, knowing my mate could never have distrust in Jack's relationship with me. Not when he treated me so openly like a sister. "I'm happy for you, you know? I'm not jealous, when I still see him holding you. If there is one person I've ever wanted to have a happy ending, it's you. My best friend. After having everything taken away, going through such evil...you deserve everything I know he will give you."

"Thank you," I say genuinely, "but if you're trying to get me to cry it's gonna take more than that to crack me."

We enter the pack house together and he lets go of me when we reach the dining room. I take my seat by my mate's side and he kisses my cheek. Despite Jack's comment outside, the action still made me feel slightly guilty, but looking over I only found him smiling as he sat beside Hannah. Beside Hannah instead of his mate. My own lips curl then before I turn back to my food.

"So, we were attacked because of our lack of defense on one of our boundaries. Almost no wolves were stationed there. I'm not risking—"

I put my hand over Brian's where it rested on the table. He falls silent immediately. "If there is one place that we should all be able to relax at it is the dinner table," I state. "I am just as anxious as any of you boys to find a solution and victory in this, but let's just take a few minutes to be peaceful. Everyone just eat and have pleasant discussion."

"There will be more pleasant experiences when this bastard is six feet—" Rachel kicks Jake under the table and he holds his tongue. "So, Everyone is wondering when we can expect a Brian Jr.," our Beta says smartly. He really was ready to get planning.

Jack's chair scraps sharply across the floor as he stand abruptly. "Jack, what's going on?" I ask slowly.

"Is she wearing silver shackles?"

My mate's face softens from its wary expression. "It's standard protocol. Any rogue or pack traitor wears them."

"You need to take them off. Pull her out of there." His eyes were becoming more wild by the second and I saw his wolf starting to surface.

"I'm sorry," Brian starts. "I know she is your mate. If Adalynn was down there in chains I would be ever worse about it, but—" He stops for a moment. "You already know all this. Pack Blackfang was run the same way. I don't need to state the obvious." He leans back in his chair. "What is it your aren't telling us, Jack?"

"Brian! If there were any secrets he wanted or needed to share then he would have already."

"That's what almost got you killed," he snapped back. "Who says he isn't part of it now? That he wasn't part of her little scheme and she said to walk away?"

"Five months," he interrupts.

"What?" I ask, turning away from my mate.

"She needs five months out of that cell."

My mate stiffens. "There is no way in hell I am going to let her—"

"I'm not trying to protect her," he tells us. "But that doesn't change the situation. So with all due respect, I am not letting my pup die down there."

Short chapter. Sorry.