Page 16

“How’d it go with the Whiterose Alpha?”

“Fine.” I pause. “Well, actually, not that fine. From what he told me, it sounds like the Blackburns are stirring up trouble again.”

Cal curses, his tone dripping with rage at the mere mention of the Blackburn pack. I don’t blame him. His father was left permanently disabled from an injury caused by the same fight that killed Alina’s parents. Uncle Dan can barely walk now and his shifts are always painful.

“They’re biting away at Whiterose territory again?” Cal guesses.

“Sounds like it. Samson’s been quiet for a few years, probably to lure them into a false sense of security.”

“So, what do they need? A Greenbriar patrol to support them?”

“Henry Whiterose has insisted that they can handle it on their own for now.”

Cal scoffs. “Seriously? Is he aware that the majority of his pack is geriatric?”

“My hands are tied. If he doesn’t want our help, then I can’t force it on him. For now, he wants to monitor the situation.”

“You heading back soon, then?”

I pause again, trying to formulate the best way to tell this next lie.

“I’m actually going to stick around in West Pond for a couple ofdays, I think,” I inform Cal. “I’m a welcome guest, so I’d like to take the opportunity to check out their borders for myself. I want to get eyes on the Blackburns if I can.”

“Rowan…” Cal sighs. He knows he can’t tell me what to do. He wouldn’t dare try. But I already know what he’s going to say when he begins his next sentence with, “At least—”

“Be careful. I know. I’m well aware of what Samson is capable of. I’ll cover my scent. I just want to make sure the Blackburns haven’t gotten too far into Whiterose territory without their knowledge.”

“I’ll meet you out there and help.”

“No,” I protest a little too harshly. “Stay with my father for now. I’ll let you know if I need help, but two Greenbriar scents will be too strong.”

He sighs again, and I know he wants to argue. Cal is too loyal, though. Too trusting. It’s what makes him such a good Beta. That, and the fact that he’s my cousin. We grew up together. He knew Alina as well as I did, and despite the prophecy, he’d probably be thrilled to learn that I have a son.

“Fine,” Cal says at last. “But keep me updated.”

“Of course. I’ll call tomorrow.”

“All right, man. Bye.”

I hang up, tossing my phone onto the passenger seat.

Really, I only told partial lies. I do want to stick around for another couple of days, and I do want to spend some time trying to sniff out how prevalent the Blackburn scent is on the borderlands. But it’s not just for the sake of my pack. It’s for Alina and my son’s protection, too.

If I find out that the Blackburns have slipped under the radar, I’m not taking no for an answer. I will not let my Mate and my heir fall into danger like that.

For now, I’m sticking around, whether Alina likes it or not.

With a long, heavy exhale, I twist the key in the ignition once again. But even as the engine rumbles to life, I keep it in park. Staring out of the windshield, taking in the rich greenery all around, I can’t help letting my thoughts drift back to Alina.

That night we shared…even though it soured in the end, there’s no part of me that regrets it. I don’t regret that I slept with Alina, and I definitely don’t regret that our actions resulted in the creation of a child. If anything, that knowledge makes that evening on the forest floor even more worth it.

I haven’t touched another woman since then. Ten years of celibacy, even while Kseniya and the other elders insisted that I try to find a respectable replacement for my lost, rejected Mate. I thought about it, of course. There are women in the Greenbriar pack who are beautiful and intelligent and nurturing, women who would make decent partners.

None of them is Alina, though. I want what I can’t have. Yet, it will ruin me if I do. It’ll ruin everything.

Like a child on the verge of a tantrum, I can’t stop myself from thinking…it isn’t fair.

Chapter 7