Killion waited several seconds but Lidano didn’t reply.
“Think about that, Colonel. You push us too far and we’ll never give her back.”
“You wouldn’t want to keep a hostage indefinitely.” Lidano’s voice sounded raw. “The trouble, the expense…. We must be able to come to some sort of agreement.”
“Aislinn’s no trouble,” Darius said.
“But a hostage—any hostage—is by definition a bother. We can work this out. I’m sure you want that as much as I do.”
This was the man who’d been stupid enough to dump Aislinn. Not that Darius was complaining—it would be far harder to get her to fall in love with him if she still loved Lidano. Still, he didn’t think much of a man who voluntarily gave up the most amazing woman in the world.
“Give me an hour,” Lidano said.
“Another hour?” Killion injected doubt into his voice.
“I need time to talk to the General. I can’t authorize anything without his say-so.”
That rang true. But that didn’t mean Darius liked it.
Even though he’d already spoken aloud, Darius hit the mute button to tell his brother what to do. “Give him his hour. And in the meantime we’ll take up positions around the intruders in our woods. In an hour we’ll be in an even better position to negotiate.”
Killion nodded once, then hit the mute button and followed out Darius’ orders. After he’d hung up, he sat back in his chair. “This feels like a stalemate.”
“Worse,” Cael said. “They still think they have a chance of getting the General’s daughter back. What happens when they realize Darius has no intention of giving her up?”
Jennalynn stood up. “Clear the room. I want to talk to my brothers.”
Some of the other wolves—the male ones--looked disgruntled to be ordered around by her, but they knew very well that even if she weren’t the sister of the Alpha, she had earned her right to be Darius’ fourth.
As the other wolves on the council filed out of the room, Cael hung back. He waited for the last wolf to close the door behind her before he said, “I’m third. I’m staying.”
Jennalynn gazed at him for a moment then waved her hand toward a chair. She didn’t wait for him to sit before she spoke. “You have to give her up, Darius.”
Darius leaned forward and growled before he even realized what he was doing.
Putting up a hand, she said, “Hear me out. It’s not just because the Humans Firsters will attack us if we don’t eventually hand her over. It’s for her own sake, too. She’s an outsider here. I’ve already heard the wolves whispering about her. They hate her. They want her gone. What kind of life do you think she’ll have here if you make her stay?”
“They’ll get over it,” Darius rumbled. He couldn’t stand the thought of giving her up. His people would learn to love her. Things might be tough for her in the meantime, but he’d smooth it over.
“Really?” She paced toward him. “They know she’s the reason the Humans Firsters are at our doorstep. If we don’t give her back and they attack, this will erupt into war. You know it will. After hundreds, maybe thousands of our warriors have died, do you really think the people will warm up to her? They’ll never forgive her. Worse, they’ll never forgive you. How can you lead if they don’t respect you? If they hate you?”
Darius stood, his chair screeching against the floor. She went too far. Worse, he knew there was some truth in what she said.
“I’m not just your fourth. I’m your sister.” Jennalynn rested her hands on the table and leaned toward him. “I want what’s best for you. Don’t you think I want you to find happiness with your mate? But this is bigger than one person. You know that. You don’t want to admit it, but you know it’s true.”
Was she right? Was he being stupid to think that he could make things work with Aislinn, with his people?
Even as he thought it, he felt a pressure in his chest like he’d never felt before. He couldn’t give Aislinn up. He couldn’t live without her.
Jennalynn must have seen something in his face, because she approached him and put her hand on his arm. “I know the thought of releasing her must be painful. That’s why you need to do what Killion suggested and see the Elders about breaking the mating. Ease your pain. Then do what’s right.”
“I’ll consider it.” His voice sounded choked and he felt a frisson of horror that his highest ranked wolves had seen his weakness.
“I’ll contact the Elders,” Killion said. “Set up a meeting.”
As Darius nodded his consent, his chest grew tight, his body heavy. His gaze dropped toward the floor and he swallowed hard. He’d never felt this way before, but he knew what it was. Despair.
***
Aislinn heard voices outside the door of her room. She hoped they were bringing some food. It had been over an hour since she’d asked for a sandwich and a bottle of water and had been told they’d bring it right over. Not that this was a restaurant or hotel or anything, but she was hungry.
She wished she could convince them to let her cook her own meals but she didn’t think she should even ask. They’d laugh at her. Hostages didn’t get kitchen privileges.
The door opened a crack and she could hear Heath’s voice. “...seems harmless enough but you never know.”
“I just don’t even know what she’s doing here,” a woman’s voice said.
“I heard she’s the one who tried to poison our people,” Heath said. “We should shoot her rather than giving her back.”
Aislinn’s whole body went numb, her face heating so much her eyes watered. As the door opened further, she paced toward the window, her back to the werewolves coming inside, so they wouldn’t see.
“Here you go, Your Highness,” Heath said.
Her stomach fluttered. She’d known they’d dislike her here, but she hadn’t really thought about what that meant. After a deep breath, she turned toward him.
Heath stood next to her table with a plate in one hand. A bottle of water sat on the table. The woman hadn’t come in–maybe she was too afraid of Aislinn to risk it.
“Thank you,” she said. Hopefully he’d leave. She just wanted him gone.
He put the plate on the table. “You shouldn’t be here.”
No kidding. “Open the door and I’ll leave.”
“Just because Darius forces you down our throats doesn’t mean we have to take it. Don’t think you’re going to get away with what you’ve done.”
Chapter 7
Aislinn took two steps toward Heath. “I didn’t do anything!”
“You tried to poison our soldiers.” His jaw tightened.
“No, I didn’t. Someone else put the poison in the food. I didn’t know.” Why was she even trying to convince him? He was bound and determined to see her as the enemy.
And wasn’t that just how her father looked at the wolves? What she really needed to do was move far away from all of this. Change her name, become someone else.
Right. Like that was going to happen.
“You need to convince Darius to let you go. If you don’t, we’ll make your life miserable. We’ll make sure—”
”What’s going on here?” Zack stepped inside the room, a scowl on his face.
“Just letting the little bitch know her place,” Heath said.
“Get out.” Zack pushed the door wider.
“It’s no problem—” Heath said.
“Get out!” This time, Zack finished up with a growl.
Heath jumped. “Fine! I’m going.” He stomped across the room and pushed past Zack to go out the door.
Zack watched him go then closed the door behind him. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s nothing.” Aislinn crossed her arms over her stomach.
He shoved both hands in his pockets. “It was like this for my mom when she first came here.”
Ivy? “She was a Humans Firster?”
Zack chuckled. “No. She’s black.”
“Black.” What did
he mean? There were black Humans Firsters. Aislinn’s legs felt a little weak so she headed across the room to the table and chair.
“You might have noticed.” His mouth twisted into a half-smile. “Things were different back when she first got here. Parts of the South were still segregated, and the North was no better, just a little less obvious. She was the first black person to come to the Holding. Not that there weren’t black werewolves before then, but everyone here was white. They didn’t know what to do with her. Some of them really resented her and did their best to make her want to leave.”
“I’m sorry.” She slid into the seat.
“Not your fault.” He sat down in the seat next to her. “Heck, she and Dad almost did leave. But then the Alpha at the time–Darius’s father–talked to them both and convinced them to stay. He said the people in the Holding would never get over their racism if they stayed in their little white bubble. And he was right. And now they all love her.”
“I take it your father isn’t black.”
“Dad’s Greek. So he isn’t black, but his coloring is dark.” He laughed again. “It’s okay. Everyone wonders why I’m so dark, even if they don’t feel like they can ask.” He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning toward her. “What I’m saying is, it’s going to be tough for you here, and it might be tough for a while. But you can stick it out like my mom did. And in the end, the people will see you for who you are, not who they think your ancestry makes you.”
Aislinn clasped her hands together. “If my father ends up killing a whole lot of wolves, the people here will find it hard to accept me.”
“Darius won’t let that happen. He’s negotiating with your father right now. But definitely, the wolves fear for their loved ones and the desire to protect them is fueling their attitude toward you. We just need to get past this threat and then things can start to change. It’ll be okay, I promise.”
Aislinn didn’t see how he could promise anything, but she appreciated the effort. She leaned forward and put her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
He stood, taking her hand as he did so, and clasping it. “No problem.” As he let her go, he motioned toward her plate. “Now eat. I’ll be on duty for the next few hours, so if you want to go anywhere just let me know.”
“Thanks,” she said again as he left.
Her hands were still shaking a little from her exchange with Heath, but Zack’s words had calmed her a lot. Still, despite what he’d said, she didn’t see how the wolves at the Holding could ever accept her. Her idealistic ideas about all of them getting along had been shown for what they were–foolishness. She had no choice but to leave. If Darius wouldn’t let her go, she’d have to find a way to escape.
***
Darius stood in the war room, gazing out one of the floor to ceiling windows at the woods in the distance–the same woods the Humans Firsters lurked within.
Even though Darius had agreed to the meeting with the Elders, he wasn’t sure he’d go. How could he even consider giving Aislinn up? Yet he couldn’t let his people be killed, either. Thing was, he felt pretty sure if he went down this path he’d end up with the worst of both...losing Aislinn while his people nevertheless died.
“This is for the best,” Killion said.
Jennalynn had left several minutes earlier, but Killion remained. He’d been quiet up until then.
“There’s something you’re not seeing.” Killion joined him at the window and stood beside him, looking toward the woods. “You need to go to the Elder because it’ll be good for you either way.”
“How so?” His voice sounded dry and weathered.
“If the Elder can break the mating, you can give Aislinn back and save your people.”
He didn’t want to hear this again. “I know that.”
“You haven’t thought about what it means. If he can break the mating, you’ll no longer feel this way. It won’t hurt to give her up.”
“I’ve thought about it.” More than he wanted to. “The thing is, I don’t want to not want her. I can’t imagine not wanting her. The idea is abhorrent, almost as bad as the idea of giving her up.”
“I don’t understand. Breaking the mating will mean you get everything you want.”
Darius shifted his shoulders toward his brother. “No, it means you and everyone at the Holding gets what they want. I’m telling you what I want–I want Aislinn. I don’t want to break the mating. And I don’t believe that doing it will save our people.”
“You think the Humans Firsters will attack anyway.”
“I know they will. They’ve just been waiting for a good excuse and I’ve handed them one. Who would’ve thought our peace talks could go so badly?”
Killion didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. Killion, Cael and Jennalynn had all warned Darius against the peace negotiations. He’d listened, but ultimately ignored them, believing he could make it happen.
He’d been wrong.
Now they were all warning him against keeping Aislinn. Maybe this time he needed to listen to them. At least for a little while. “I’ll speak to the Elders. But it must be private. No one will know I’m talking with them and no one will know what they say. You understand?” It had to be that way. The worst outcome for him would be if they did have a way to break the mating and he wasn’t able to go through with it. If his people knew that, they’d abandon him.
“Set it up,” Darius said. “I’ll go. But do it now, before I change my mind.”
Killion clapped him on the back as he hurried toward the door.
Darius hoped he hadn’t just made a huge mistake.
***
As the evening wore on, Aislinn had to admit to herself that Darius wasn’t coming. At seven or eight, she’d been able to convince herself he still might stop by. By eleven o’clock, she couldn’t avoid the truth. He wasn’t coming. And even though he hadn’t promised he would, and even though she told herself she didn’t want to see him, she felt like he’d stood her up.
She’d made good use of the time alone, gazing into the fire that Zack had had made for her and dreaming up and discarding one escape plan after another. Problem was, she didn’t have enough information. Stuck in this room, she didn’t know the layout of the castle, she didn’t know how many guards there were or where, she didn’t know how to disguise herself so she’d be unobtrusive.
She also wondered if an escape plan would even help. If she wanted to avoid war, would it be better to let them finish the negotiations and hand her over themselves? Probably, except that Darius didn’t want to give her up. She’d planned to press him on all of that this evening to try to find out more, but he hadn’t shown.
And what did that mean?
And so she found herself at half past eleven gazing out the window into darkness. This wasn’t so different from her own home...not enough lights at night to keep the stars away. The waxing moon hung over the woods like a lighthouse. She’d always heard the werewolves turned into ravening beasts on the full moon. How many nights before that happened?
She’d never felt more alone.
***
The next morning, Darius walked with Killion from the castle proper to one of the outbuildings, the Chronicler’s Library. It was there that the so-called Elders lived and worked, and there that Darius would find out his fate.
He didn’t want to go.
More than anything, he wanted to turn around and run to Aislinn’s room. He’d fought with himself all night, wanting to go to her and knowing he couldn’t. If he’d gone, he would have claimed her and if he’d claimed her, any chance at breaking the mating would be gone. Problem was, part of him wanted it gone.
The sun shone overhead, but the light seemed pale and stripped of any warmth. When they entered the Library, the light barely made it past the windows into the rooms.
The entryway of the Library quickly opened into a huge room with high ceilings, filled with books. In addition to the normal contents of a library, this room held all the collec
ted writings of the werewolves. He’d spent much time here as a child, learning his people’s history, particularly from before the Collision. But today, he and Killion passed through that room to a hallway in the back lined with small rooms that could be used for meetings. They entered the first of those rooms to find the Elder who had been assigned to speak to them.
“Warner,” Darius said, reaching his hand out to the older man. Warner had been a friend of their father’s the entire time Darius and Killion were growing up.
Once the three men had greeted each other, they closed the door and sat down at the small wooden table in the middle of the room. “How can I help you?” Warner said.
“You’ve no doubt heard about everything going on,” Darius said. “Me finding my mate, the General at our doorstep…” Warner was nodding vigorously, so Darius continued. “I want to know if there’s any way to break the mating.”
Warner sat back in his chair, almost as though retreating from the idea. “You don’t want your mate?”
Darius clenched his jaw. Of course he wanted her. “She’s the General’s daughter. If we give her back, we might be able to avert a war.”
Warner gazed at him. “You’re willing to give up your mate for us.”
Darius closed his eyes a moment, pushing back the urge to growl. When he finally had himself in control, he opened them again. “Yes.”
After a moment, Warner said, “You honor us with such a sacrifice.”
Killion jerked a little, and Darius wondered for the first time if his unmated sister and brother had any idea what they were asking him to do. Warner, on the other hand, had been mated for decades. Darius wanted that too.
“Are you sure you want this?” Warner said. “It will be like cutting your heart from your chest.”
Killion jerked again. “If you could just break the mating, then he won’t feel that way.”
“Is that what you think?” Warner took a breath. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. But I’ve known wolves who lost their mates one way or another. Every one of them went mad.” He stood. “I’ll talk to the other Elders, see if there’s some magic in the old tomes. Can you wait or do you want to return?”
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