Page 258 of Alpha Mates

What did you do?

I broke a promise,he says, and guilt rattles through me.

I force a breath. “It’s Max.” Julian and Katerina both look to me. “He said it’s because of him.”

“I’m guessingMaxis your wolf?” she asks. When I nod, she hums and taps at her chin. “I can pull him out, but it’d be by force. And if he fights it, that’s gonna end badly for you.” Her gaze cuts to Julian.

His brows twitch with annoyance and panic spikes in our bond.

“And you know all of this, how? What makes you the expert?”

Katerina shrugs, picking a piece of lint from her shoulder. “Never said I was.”

“I don’t like the idea of forcing him to talk,” he says to me. “Alex is a hard-headed guy. It would—”

“Wolf,” Katerina says, interrupting him.

Julian turns, fixing her with a glare. “What?”

“He’s a hard-headedwolf,” she corrects, looking between us with slight awkwardness. “He’s a wolf, not a guy.”

When we just stare at her, she continues. “Look, I don’t know what happened that made your wolf bolt, but he’s a wolf. W. O. L. F. Wolf. Meaning he feels things much deeper than any of us. It’s how they’re wired—pack-driven, bonded, all that soul-connection crap. If he felt betrayed, it cut deeper than it could ever do you or me. So, yea, he’s a wolf. And you can’t approach this as if he were anything else.”

A beat of silence passes.

“I really hate witches,” Julian mumbles.

Katerina beams like it’s a compliment.

“He’s not coming out any other way,” I say, refocusing his attention. “I think … I think we should do this while we still can. Max can talk to him. Maybe convince him to stay or … I don’t know Jewels, but it’s better than nothing.”

Julian rubs at the back of his neck. “I don’t want to betray him like this.”

“Me neither, but we have to do something before he’s gone.”

Katerina raises a brow. “So, you guys are just going to ignore everything I just said about how he already feels betrayed? Cool. Cool, cool, cool.” A flick of her wrist, and a small flame sprouts above her open palm.

Julian exhales, resigned. “Fine. Will this hurt?”

“Like a bitch,” she says cheerfully. “But who said I’m doing this for free?”

We both still.

“You said—”

“That taking a peek wasn’t hard,” she continues, stepping back. “But pulling a wolf spirit out? That’s a whole other ballgame. I’ll need something for that.”

“Something like what?” I ask through clenched teeth.

Back to tapping her chin, she looks between us. “A favour.”

Julian doesn’t hesitate. “No.”

“You haven’t even heard what yet,” Katerina whines like a child. “It’s nothing bad. I don’t even need one right now. But let’s say that when the time comes and I need a favour, I’ll come to cash in.”

“No,” he repeats, already stepping back towards the tear.

She throws up her hands. “We’d have terms, of course! Nothing against your moral code. Nothing that gets you in trouble with the Supernatural Board or your special Mutt Council.”