Page 175 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

AUDREY

I woke to feather-soft kisses along my jaw and disappointment whispering through my mate bond with Knox.

“I have to go,” he said as I cracked open one eye and fell into the bottomless depths of his gaze.

“The room—” I started, about to say I understood he had to go outside. Except I couldn’t feel the churning unease that Knox always felt when he’d reached his limit for staying indoors.

“Patrol duty,” he huffed. “I think I could stay here with you for another couple of hours.”

Which was amazing. Sure, the dinner had gone until after sunset and we’d cuddled under the stars after making love before returning to my suite, so we hadn’t been here all night. But Knox’s time inside should have been up by now.

“It’s you,” he said, his voice gruff as he nuzzled the sensitive spot behind my ear. “You settle my soul.”

Peace and relief washed through the bond. He’d been struggling with his claustrophobia for years and while I hadn’t cured it — and doubted I ever would — I’d helped to ease some of the pressure. He had more choice now about how he could live his life, and that made me happy.

“You have to get up, too.”

“Right, eavesdropping on alliance stuff,” I groaned, wishing I could have another hour— hell, even thirty minutes to stay in bed with my mate, while praying I’d have some free time to talk to Whil.

Because I had to talk to Whil about the grimalkins and smoke soon. I didn’t want to neglect my problems and have them make everything worse.

Knox looked at me expectantly, waiting for… something.

“You don’t have to show me the way. I need to shower first, so I’ll just go to the kitchen,” I said, dragging myself into an upright position and feeling not nearly as sore as I expected after sex with Bishop and Knox and surviving a fight with three grimalkins. “Eloise or Kira can tell me where to go.”

“No,” he huffed. “You don’t go anywhere alone.”

“The grimalkins didn’t get anywhere close to the Residence,” I protested. “I’ll be fine.”

But worry poured through our bond and didn’t ease up at my words.

“Someone tried to kill you and they’re still out there.” A growl rumbled in his chest and he hugged me tight. “We’re short watchmen and hunters. I have to patrol. But you’re not safe without me or Bishop.”

A shiver rolled down my spine at the memory of that person attacking and poisoning Bishop. With everything going on, Bishop and Cyrus couldn’t spare the time to search for the assailant.

Whoever it was had caught me and Bishop alone, at night, on a dimly lit street. Surely, he wouldn’t attack in broad daylight while I was in the Residence.

Except I knew anything was possible and anyone who I didn’t know could be the assassin. I could only hope they were going to be more cautious now that Bishop had lived and could identify him by his scent.

And Bishop knowing the assailant’s scent didn’t rule out everyone in the pack. The Stonehaven pack was large and it would be impossible for the alphas to have memorized everyone’s scent.

“Okay,” I agreed. “Give me five minutes to shower.”

Knox huffed his agreement, and I hurried out of bed, powered through a shower, and changed into a cream-colored dress — one of many that had appeared in my wardrobe between dinner last night and this morning.

This dress was simpler than the previous two I’d worn, without any embroidery, but it still had the higher-than-regular back and thinner-than-regular neck strap to show off my mating marks.

I braided my hair to keep it out of the way and to hopefully look more serious and confident — as if I actually belonged in the alliance’s meeting. Then Knox shifted into his wolf and we left my suite through the French doors and walked around the back of the castle to the herb garden and the kitchen door.

All the delegates are taking breakfast in the ballroom, Knox said in my head. But Bishop said you’d rather eat in the kitchen.

I gave Knox a grateful smile, knowing he could feel my relief through the bond. I knew I had to spend the next however-many days in the spotlight, having everyone watching me even if I didn’t say a word, and I hadn’t been looking forward to it.

Just thinking about all those people staring at me, wondering why I was Bishop’s and Knox’s mate or why I was even in the room made my insides twist.

I’d spent my life trying to be as small and unnoticed as possible and now I had to take up space. An alpha’s mate didn’t shrink from scrutiny. She faced it head on. Or at least that’s what I felt an alpha’s mate did. I could be soft and not draw attention to myself, but I couldn’t be small anymore.

I didn’t want to be small.

But I also knew it was going to take time and practice — not to mention be emotionally draining — to go against everything I’d been taught.

I needed to be kind and patient with myself just like I was with the children.

Love and worry crept through my bond with Knox while Bishop’s connection held a hint of concern.

I sent my love back to them.

I could do this.

And I wasn’t alone.

Knox left me in the kitchen’s doorway, bounding out of the garden and heading toward the front of the castle, and I turned to head inside through the open kitchen door.

But Velora stepped through the hall entrance into the kitchen, and I jerked back, pressing my back against the rough, stone wall beside the doorway.

Worry and shame fought for control inside me. I shouldn’t have been afraid of Velora. I wanted to stand my ground. But I also didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass Cyrus and Bishop in front of the alliance delegates.

And not because it wasn’t my place or I was afraid they’d get mad, but because a responsible person didn’t air their private business in front of political guests.

I wasn’t sure what relationship my guys had with the other leaders, but I refused to be the reason other countries and kingdoms and any other foreign whatever looked down on our pack.

A lot was going on right now, and adding a cat fight between the alpha mate and one of the pack’s betas wouldn’t help anything.

And that was what it would end up being.

Even if Velora reminded me of where she thought my place was and criticized me, it wasn’t to protect the pack. She wanted Bishop, and I’d taken him, and after the look she’d given me when Bishop had pointed out our mating mark, I wasn’t sure anyone could make her see reason.

Which was just another problem on top of all the others Bishop and Cyrus had to deal with.

I let my gaze slide over the herb garden as I listened to Velora order breakfast from Kira. She wasn’t mean to the cook’s assistant but there was still a clear edge of superiority in her tone.

It made the wildness inside me bubble up. How dare she treat Kira as though she was less than her?

Except if I stormed in to protect Kira?—

Movement on the far side of the herb garden caught my attention and everything within me froze.

One of the merchants, the short, stocky one strolled past the garden farther from the Residence. That, in and of itself, wasn’t an issue. Bishop had mentioned that there was going to be a leaders’ only meeting in the morning. No aides or merchants, only translators. It was the tightness and wariness in the merchant’s body language that bothered me.

He was trying to look natural, but the trying was giving him away with movement that looked rehearsed and repetitive. A glance at a flowering bush, a pause at a tree then another glance and another pause.

Maybe he was just uncomfortable being at the Residence with all the political leaders. I certainly was. Or maybe he was worried about selling the weapons.

But my wildness rejected those explanations. He was up to something and I wanted to know what.

I glanced back in the kitchen to see Velora’s back to me while she supervised Kira’s cooking, so I crept out of sight of the open kitchen door and after the merchant.

The stocky man in his silky embroidered robe slunk along the hedgerow of another garden then another, going deeper and deeper into the Residence’s grounds until he was almost at the towering rock wall at the back.

Three other merchants, dressed in similar clothing waited for him… which was weird. Bishop had said there were only three merchants. That, and I recognized the guy I’d followed and the other two from the town tour, but not the big, muscular man with the dark glare.

“I thought I said ten minutes after their meeting started,” the muscular merchant I didn’t recognize said.

“The idiot, Jundar, cornered me in the hall,” the guy I’d followed replied. “He’s interested in making a deal even if the rest of the ridiculous alliance isn’t.”

“Good,” one of the two tall and lanky merchants said. He wore a deep crimson robe with black embroidery, which made his pale skin and short white-blond hair stand out in stark contrast.

“What about the others?” the muscular merchant asked, his voice dropping, making him harder to hear.

I crept closer and knelt beside a large bush, straining to hear their conversation.

“On the fence,” the other lean guy said. He wore an olive-green robe with gold embroidery that partially camouflaged him against the rock and trees. “Even Gower. We knew the gryphons, wolves, and Dedearc were going to be a tough sell, but Gower surprised me.”

“He’s too dependent on the wolves even though the mutts aren’t as strong as the gryphons and our grimalkins put the gryphon’s heir in the hospital,” Muscles said, a vicious, satisfied gleam in his eyes.

My heart stuttered.

Holy shit!

I clamped my hands over my mouth to muffle my gasp. Surely, I’d heard that wrong. Their grimalkins? They were responsible for the attack?

Were they also responsible for the previous attack? The one that had killed those children?

“I think they need another push,” the stocky one said gleefully. “If we prove that these wolves can’t even protect their town, Gower will realize he has to buy our weapons.”

“They’ll get suspicious if another pack attacks so soon,” Green Robe said.

“No,” Muscles barked. “Emrys is right. They’re going to want to talk about all of this for days. Cyrus and Folmar are too cautious and Jundar too eager. They’ll butt heads, get all worked up, and then we’ll release another pack to seal the deal.”

“I’ve already moved our other pack to the pens in Anakar,” Red Robe said. “But after that, we’ll have to wait four more months for the next litter to be ready.”

“That’s fine,” Muscles replied. “One more push and they’ll be falling all over themselves to buy our weapons. Start sowing discord. Let Jundar think Gower and Cyrus don’t trust him and whisper around Cyrus’s betas that Jundar and Pimryl are thinking of buying in secret, that they want to take over the alliance.”

The other three nodded and hurried back toward the Residence while Muscles stood there, his lips twisted in a wicked grin.

I hugged myself tighter, squeezing into the smallest, stillest ball possible, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he, even with his human hearing, could hear it.

Stay calm, I told myself. Keep your emotions to yourself. Because the last thing I needed was for Bishop or Knox to come storming back here.

If I could stay hidden, I could tell Bishop and Cyrus what I’d overheard and we’d have the advantage. But that only worked if Muscles didn’t know that I’d overheard him.

I just needed to wait until Muscles left.

He chuckled and the wind shifted, carrying the dark reek of the grimalkins along with a whisp of black smoke. I glanced through the bushes as he turned to follow the path around the outside edge of the Residence’s grounds, catching a red glimmer in his eyes and another curl of smoke.

Shivers rushed down my spine, my wildness wanting to rise up and defend me, but knowing staying hidden was my best option.

Something was wrong with that man. He was dangerous, more dangerous than just the lightning weapons he and his fellow merchants were selling.