Page 32 of Freed Wolfsbane

He gives me a smug grin as Bastian, Xander, and Saint take their seats. When I keep staring him down, his eyes turn amber. “Have something to say, baby girl?” I can hear his wolf infusing his voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the other wolves freeze at the challenge pouring off Malachi.

I open my mouth to tell him no because I don’t want to do this in a room full of shifters. However, I feel Dido’s presence in my mind before she seizes control of my body. “Do that again, and I’ll sever every tendon in your arms. You won’t be able to pick anything up for at least a week. Briar may be willing to tolerate your disrespect, but I am not. Do not test me again, because you will not like the outcome. Understand?” My voice comes out with a resonance like Malachi’s alpha orders. It also sounds a bit like Dido does in my mind.

Was that really necessary?I ask her because it seems like she could’ve done that in private, not in a crowded room where pretty much everyone is staring at me.

Dido dips her head in my mind.“It was. Allowing disrespect like that once ensures it will happen again, and not just from your mate. All the shifters watching need to know that their future luna is not to be trifled with. If your mate doesn’t understand why this was necessary, he is not the man I thought he was.”

Huh. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but she does make a good point.I guess you’re right.

“I know.”I can’t help the smile at how smug Dido sounds.

I focus back on Malachi. Instead of being upset like I expect, his smile widens as his eyes lose their amber tint. He looks proud as he holds my gaze. “I do, Dido. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t,” Dido tells him before she retreats and cedes control back to me.

My eyes widen at him just casually announcing to the whole room that Dido is chilling out in my mind. I didn’t realize we were telling anyone that, but not much I can do about it now.

Rhys clears his throat. I take that as my cue to face forward. While Dido was pissed at Malachi seating us on his lap, I don’t mind it too much. I was just peeved at his heavy-handedness.

When I turn around, I see every shifter in the room staring at me in complete and utter shock. Some of them are also wide-eyed gazing at me with awe, but most of them look on with disbelief. I feel my cheeks turn pink at being the center of attention, so I try to ignore them as I focus on Rhys.

He has his arms crossed and his hip leaned against the table. Whereas Rhys was kind and approachable in the study, he’s intense and in business mode now. “What can you tell us about the Knights’ operation?”

“Um… I’m not sure really.” I twist my hands in my lap, hating being the center of attention with a burning passion. Malachi feels my fidgeting and gently pries my hands apart. He takes each of my hands in one of his own and squeezes me reassuringly. Trying to absorb his strength, I blow out a breath and continue. “I know that the facility had five or six hundred shifters. Jordan Ryker, the head of the North American Knights, was in charge, and he was trying to find a way to expand the curse that keeps female wolves from shifting to all shifters.”

A brown-haired mage opens and closes his mouth in shock before he asks, “Wait, did you actually meet Ryker?TheRyker? No one has ever survived a confrontation with him.”

I guess Ryker is well known, at least to mages. I’d never heard of the dude before he kidnapped me. “Yep. Unfortunately, I saw him on the daily. He and his nephew did their best to kill me, though.”

I’m still kicking myself for not figuring out that Anson was a Knight earlier. He played his part damn well and was extremely convincing. I don’t think any of the other shifters knew he was a Knight, but I still feel like I should’ve known.

I guess it’s question time because a wolf with startlingly pale green eyes asks, “Did he figure it out? How to expand the curse?”

I clench my jaw as I reluctantly nod. “Yeah, he did,” I croak. Of all the questions he could’ve asked, of course the guy chose that one.

“How?” he growls as his eyes turn the yellow-gold of his wolf.

Malachi tenses under me and lets out a warning growl. I squeeze his hands, hoping he understands my wordless demand to let me handle this. Dido is right. I have to stand up for myself and command the respect of the pack.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of the prophecy. I hold the key to reversing the curse, but I also apparently hold the key to strengthening it. Unfortunately, I had to give Ryker what he needed to expand it.”

“Why would you do that?” the shifter shouts as he shoves to his feet. He slams his fists down on the table as he leans over to snarl at me. “Are you working with the Knights?”

“Sit down,” I growl, my voice infused with my wolf as I alpha order him. The shifter’s eyes go wide before he involuntarily drops into his chair. I stare him down until he looks away. “I am not and never have been working with the Knights. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t enjoy getting beaten within an inch of my life or almost dying. I gave him what he needed because it was the only way to save an innocent five-year-old shifter. I can undo whatever damage Ryker does, but I can’t bring a child back. Before you hurl accusations, learn all the facts first.”

When I’m done speaking, the shifter hangs his head and glances up at me through his lashes, his eyes shining with remorse. “I’m sorry, luna,” he whispers as he tilts his head to show me his throat. “It won’t happen again.”

I stare at him for a beat longer before I nod sharply. “See that it doesn’t. What’s your name?”

“James,” he tells me reluctantly. He’s looking at me like he’s unsure if I’m going to leap across the table and rip out his throat for his behavior. While I can’t let his blatant disrespect stand, I also don’t have any desire to hurt him. Fear alone isn’t the way to win respect. It has to be tempered with kindness, compassion, and working for the good of the average person.

“Do you have any other questions, James?” I ask, trying to make sure he knows that I’m not angry at him.

He eyes me uncertainly for a moment before cautiously asking, “How are you going to stop Ryker?”

A slightly unhinged giggle tries to slip out, but I force it down. I want to know the same thing, but, unfortunately, no answers have dropped out of the sky yet. Here’s hoping that will change before I have to confront Ryker again.

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out. I’ve managed to fuck up the Knights’ plans before, and it’ll be no different this time.” I project a confidence I don’t feel because I don’t really have any other option than pulling a solution out of my ass.

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