Page 130 of Contested Crown

“What about people like Larissa, Leon’s wife?” I challenged. “She left the house. She joined Morrison.”

“I would bet she tore herself away,” Rhys said. “Or when she joined Morrison, it severed the connection. Either way, all these mages are still connected to House Bartlett. They need to be cut free.”

“Can you do it?” Cade asked.

Rhys nodded but looked at Cade. “You’re going to need to help. I can’t do it alone, and if I could, I’d end up right on a cot next to them. I love a good swoon, butNiainformed me that she won’t catch me for the next one.”

“Do you need me here?” I asked.

“No.” Cade shook his head, but his expression was troubled.

“I need to go sort out the pack,” I said.

Evelyn and Coral might have made peace, but Theo had backed up until he was standing over his mage, growling ferociously when Heather approached. She snapped right back, and I strode across the room.

When she saw me, Heather took two steps back, crossing her arms over her chest. Her alpha was here, ready to fix the problem.

“Theo.” I looked down at him, then made a decision and crouched low.

His lips peeled back from his teeth, a low rumble of a snarl in the air. I could smell the fear rolling off him. His mage was in trouble, his best friend had sided with the people he saw as the enemy, and now he was on his own. He snapped at me, but before I had to react, Nia nudged him with her hip, throwing him off-balance.

He looked up at her in surprise. Whining, he let his head fall.

“Listen, Theo, you don’t have to be in our pack, that’s fine. Cade and Rhys are working on a way to help all the mages. But you also need to know that right now andalways, pack is safety. My pack is safe for you.” I waited until he met my eyes for a brief second before dropping his gaze. “You don’t need to decide now what you want, but you can’t threaten my people. Not when we’re here to help.”

Theo whined again and lay down on his stomach, his paw over his nose.

“Good.” I leaned forward and scratched at his neck. “Good.”

“So, we aren’t going after Declan?” Gabe asked.

There was enough of a challenge in his voice that I turned, letting my shoulders pull back and my gaze go narrow. Coral, still lost to her wolf, turned and growled at Gabe.

In his defense, he immediately backed off, raising both hands. “I’m just asking because we still don’t know where he is. I thought the whole point of coming here was to find out, and they obviously don’t know.”

“They know,” I said with certainty. “They’ve been following Leon, and Leon knows where Declan is.”

“Coral.” I turned my voice into a command. “Shift back.”

The bones cracking and flesh warping was loud, but then Coral was human again. Evelyn offered over her clothes. Coral took them, her hands trembling.

The flesh at the back of her neck was freshly healed, still pink and painful-looking. She needed comfort, pressure, something to bring her back into herself, but we didn’t have the time for it. I needed to prove right now to my new pack that this hadn’t been a waste of time.

After time, they’d trust me, but right now, they needed certainty. They needed to know that I wouldn’t falter.

Evelyn wrapped an arm around her shoulder as soon as she was dressed. I met her eyes, waiting to see the click of humanity, the person coming back as the wolf faded.

“Coral, Theo said you’ve been following Leon. Has he gone anywhere unusual? You followed him to all of Declan’s spots,” I said. She wouldn’t know that. She wouldn’t know what was one of Declan’s places, but it would help me to know where he’d been.

“There’s a building, one that was under renovation. He kept going back there.” Coral blinked, shaking her head. “It was protected by magic.”

Heather came close on her other side, and both she and Evelyn pressed close, giving Coral the pressure she needed, helping with the overstimulation that happened when someone shifted back into their human form.

“How do we know that’s where Declan is?” Gabe asked, which was reasonable, but Joel nudged him, muttering about questioning the alpha.

“It’s good to ask questions,” I said firmly. “I know how a lot of packs are. I know how the packs you grew up in are. But this isn’t like those packs. You understand?I’mnot like that. You know me. You all know me. Have I ever snapped at one of you for questioning me? Have I ever said that I wanted obedience over wolves who think for themselves?”

There was a crack, bones breaking, a gasp, and when Theo came out of his shift, some color had returned to his cheeks. He shivered, muscles jumping, goose bumps rising on his arms. I walked over to him, and he jumped back, shying away from me. It overbalanced him, and I reached out, steadying him.