Page 16 of Bullied Wolf Mate

“The only way to stop her is to put her in the ground,” Declan growled. He turned to me, folding his arms. “And the best way to do that is with Lorelei.”

I tried to study his expression to discern if he suspected something. His face remained inscrutable.

“She’s still making her decision,” I said. “She’s also resting. Being in that cell did a number on her. She needs her strength before she starts doing anything.”

Declan’s gaze lingered on me for another moment before turning back.

“Have we found any other options that don’t involve her?” Jameson asked. “Just in case she decides she doesn’t want to help?”

“We’re still looking into it,” Jackson said. “I’m chasing down a few sources. But as far as I can tell, Inara is powerful enough and has enough firepower behind her through her followers that going head-first against her would at best turn us all into frogs and at worst vaporize us all, depending on her mood.”

“Even with the amulets?” I asked.

Rand and Jameson shook their heads in unison, but it was Jameson who spoke. “The amulets help, but they aren’t a catch-all. They’re designed for specific things, which means the right spell can get around it.”

“So you’re saying we still don’t know much of anything,” I said.

Declan gave me a slightly exasperated look. “We have systems in place that should alert us when she starts showing herself. But the fact that she’s this quiet doesn’t sit right with me. I think she’s planning something. I don’t think it will be long until she finds out where we are.”

“But we can only do so much with the information we’ve got,” Jackson said.

“Right,” Jameson agreed. “Seems like we’re still in a holding pattern while we wait and see what happens next. In the meantime, we should up security measures and continue doing some research into potential ways to get into The Trove. I’m sure there are others who have tried, so there have to be records.”

“Brilliant,” grunted Chris. “Waiting and research, my favorite type of plan.”

“Can’t help it sometimes,” Declan said, shrugging. “But I think that’s our play for the time being. Once we figure outInara’s next move, or figure out how to get into The Trove, that’s really all we can do.”

We spoke for a few more minutes, but it seemed we had reached a holding pattern, with nothing new coming to light and circling around the same topics over and over again. As the meeting came to an end, Declan came up to me, something unreadable in his eyes.

“Mark,” he said. “I want a word.”

Unease crawled up my spine, but I kept my expression neutral. Nodding, I followed him into one of the many empty rooms.

“What is it?” I asked when we were alone, though I already knew.

Declan closed the door behind him. He came to stand in front of me, folding his arms. “I know you aren’t letting Lorelei talk to me,” he growled. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Declan stared me down. Like Jameson, he didn’t need to force his authority down anyone’s throat. You could see it in the way he stood, the hard, unyielding look in his eyes.

“I haven’t seen or heard from her since we rescued her,” he said. “I’d expected her to get in touch with me by now.”

I shrugged. “That’s a pretty bold assumption.”

His jaw clenched as his eyes flashed with his wolf. Still, he didn’t lash out or show any bravado, just annoyance.

“You were the last one to see her,” he said. “Where’d you take her?”

“Somewhere safe,” I said. “I told you I’d look after her and she would get in touch when she was ready.”

“It’s been a week. Last I spoke to her, she seemed pretty keen on helping. The only person who had a problem with her helping was you. I have a hard time believing that she’s had to mull over it for a week.”

My mind raced. Declan wasn’t an idiot. He was perceptive and could smell something was off. The smart thing would be, to be honest, to tell him she was ready to help, which she had made perfectly clear to me over the last few days.

Deep down, I knew what I was doing to Lorelei could be considered controlling. That had always been a thing I’d struggled with. Truly, all of this should be her choice to make. It was her life, after all, and I hadn’t been a part of it for years. I knew all of this. But Lorelei putting herself in danger was something I couldn’t let her do, either. Sometimes, being controlling to keep someone safe was what you had to do.

So, I kept on with the lie.

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