Page 10 of Fated Exile

I swallow thickly. All that blood. Lance, Roarke, and Kieran have joined the warriors in the kitchen, and none of them seem to have had any trouble shaking it out of their minds, but when I close my eyes I see red splashed across my eyelids.

"It wasn't my favorite moment," I admit. Swallowing, I add to my to-do list aloud, "We'll have to send someone in to clean up everything and—and take care of the remains."

"I'm sure Roarke and Niall can figure that out." He squeezes my hand. "You have your aunt to worry about."

"My aunt."

The word feels strange in my mouth. My father was an only child; it's hard to imagine him with a sibling, someone towering and strong like him. He was born late in my grandparents' lives, and by the time I came around they were elderly, making him a little like their miracle baby. Between that and the estrangement his mate Laura had with her immediate family—they never approved of her leaving her own pack to be with him—I've never really known what it's like to have people I'm related to all around me.

Biting my lower lip, I admit to Finn, "I don't know what I'll do if I lose her. We barely got any time together. Do you think... is it possible she'll survive?"

"The doctors seemed hopeful. Whatever spell she cast, it kept her strength going. And Roarke is apparently good at dressing wounds." He draws me close, tugging me against his chest, and I lean on his warm body without any self-consciousness about the small audience all around us. "I think she'll come through it. I hope she does."

"Because she can tell us what we're up against."

"Because you deserve someone who loves you, Lilah." He drops a kiss against the top of my head, and my eyes slip closed, as I imagine for a moment that we have all the time in the world to justbe. "Your dad never gave you answers or closure, and he certainly didn't give you the love and support you needed growing up. I know Cat has been there for you, but you deserve a biological connection. Maybe this woman will be different."

"I hope so."

Because I don't want to turn into a melted puddle of sap in front of everyone, I draw back from Finn's embrace before it can go on too long. Just in time, too—Cat has my drink, and she's pulled an empty chair out of the long dining room table for me. John, Niall, and the warriors are waiting there for me and the guys to join. Taking the glass from Cat, I start to sit down among them, only to remember what I was thinking about when I walked through the door.

"Where's Bastian?" Niall exchanges a long glance with John, and I frown at them both. "Tell me. I need to check on him, to see if I can figure out why his eyes turned red in the middle of the fight and he turned on us."

John frowns. "Isn't it obvious? He's a traitor. Some kind of vamp-loving werewolf."

I scowl at him. "I think you gave up your right to your opinion on our pack and its members." He has the good sense to look embarrassed. Looking over at Niall, I tell him point-blank, "I want to know where Bastian is. Before we plan our next steps and figure out how to lift this curse, I need to see that he's safe, and decide what to do with him."

After a long moment, Niall nods, his expression thoughtful. "We can always get the update on what happened from others who were there, though I'd like to hear your point of view at some point, as the only witch in the pack. Bastian is upstairs, in your father's study."

I head for the stairs, but his voice waylays me. "Before you go—just know that he's the one who asked to be hog tied like that. I thought it was excessive, but the boy doesn't seem to trust himself anymore. You should decide what's done with him next. I trust your judgment, Delilah."

Studying Niall, I take note of the softness of his voice, how tired he sounds, and the words he used:the only witch in the pack.He's considering me one of them again, even though we haven't yet made Roarke alpha, and I'm still technically an exile-in-limbo. Despite everything, his acceptance means a lot to me, especially combined with the gentle way he defers to my opinion.

I know some people think that forgiveness is weak. They believe that holding onto a grudge and lashing out at those who hurt you is the only way to move on from pain. But I've looked into Niall's eyes, and I know the regret he feels for everything that happened to me. So much of it was orchestrated by my father, motivated by fear and shame. That doesn't excuse Niall, but it makes it harder to hate him.

I may not have looked into his mind as I did Kieran's, but I feel I've gotten to know him better since returning to Jupiter. He's suffered for the part he played in what was done to me—and he's shown me, in his own patient, quiet way, that he can be a different man, one who treats me well.

As someone who wants to be a leader, it's my duty to treat him well in return, to forgive him for the past and move on. His nod of deference to me, in front of a visiting alpha who almost took over our pack, is meaningful considering the position of authority he holds.

"Thank you," I tell him, putting sincerity into my voice, and feeling the eyes of the warriors and the Stone Pack on me. "I promise that whatever happened to him, whether it was compulsion, magic, or something else, I'll get to the bottom of it. And I won't free him until I'm sure that the pack is safe from the danger."

"Of course. I'd expect nothing less."

As I sweep the last of my drink into my mouth and head up the stairs, one last moment grabs my eyes before I turn away. Arching a brow in Niall's direction, Cat picks up his empty glass—and he raps his knuckles on it, which makes her laugh, just before she sashays over to the bar cart to make him another drink. The lingering glances between them make one thing clear: Cat is up to her typical ways, which means I've got to watch out.

She'll eat him alive, werewolf heart and all, if she has her way.

Stepping to the closed office door, my mind turns to what's beyond it. I hear footsteps at the bottom of the stairs. Glancing over my shoulder, I spot Lance on the landing, looking up at me with raised brows.

He asks, "Do you want backup?"

"No." I consider why for a long moment, then admit, "I think I'm the only one he trusts enough to tell the truth to. Whatever's going on with him, whether it was involuntary or not, I want to find out before... before I decide what to do with him."

"And you don't think he'll come clean with a near-stranger around." Lance's expression clears, and he nods sharply. "I'll wait down here, though, if you don't mind. Just in case. Shout if you need me."

"I will," I vow.

Then I grab onto the office doorknob, turn it, and step through the threshold, not knowing exactly what I'll find on the other side.

---