Page 64 of Claimed

“You wound up here because you were supposed to,” I tell her, taking a sip. “That’s something pretty dang clear from the way the council alpha matings are going so far. Everything so far seems to be happening for very specific reasons. Erica might have some idea how the rest of the pairings will go, since her coven has been involved in some of the pairings, but she isn’t allowed to talk about anything she does know.”

Stacy looks confused, so I give her the abbreviated version of the matings of Tyson, Mason, and Riley so far. Though she knows the basics from Grey, I get more into detail from the perspective of the girls.

By the time I’m through all those stories, we’re on our third drink.

“So…” I say, “There are some bitches, but not many in the pack. Most everyone will give you a chance to fit in. It’ll be up to you if you take that chance or not. I hope you do. We’re a close-knit community. We love to have fun together.”

She doesn’t look convinced.

Grey messages me to ask if everything is okay. I tell him it’s all good.

“Grey,” I tell her, putting the phone down. “Making sure all is well. You have questions about the pack? About anything to dowith my brother or our family? I’m happy to fill in some blanks for you.”

She shakes her head. “If your brother wants me to know things I’m sure he’ll tell me them.”

“You seem like you’ve got a lot on your mind,” I say. “Is it because of your cousin that was …” I dash my index finger across my throat and pop my tongue out to the side.

She blinks hard.

Oh, whoops.

I face-palm. “That was insensitive. I’m so sorry. These drinks creep up on you.”

“It’s okay. That’s definitely been something I’ve had on my mind, yeah. Also… everything. I don’t know how all this is going to go. What’ll happen. What my brother will do. How many lives might be lost. I’m also not convinced that Greyson won’t suddenly decide this isn’t worth it.”

“Grey won’t reject you! He’s super-happy about mating with you.”

She shrugs slowly, looking contemplative.

“What has you thinking that?” I ask.

“There’re a lot of problems attached to mating me though, aren’t there?” She’s slurring a little, obviously a lightweight like me. “Me trying to harm alphas with that herbal blend, my brother trying to cause problems. He’ll probably try to get the witch again so he can get his hands on more potions or… if he finds out she can write spells like you explained, even worse. He’ll probably try to harm the alphas again. Who knows what he’ll do to the girls back home? And you said Greyson’s father rejected his mother so-”

“Whoa whoa whoa, there’s a lot to unpack here. First, a severing is rare. My father apparently had a very good reason for severing his relationship with Grey’s bio mom. And that doesn’t mean it’s hereditary.”

Shit.I shouldn’t have told her about that when I told her about Riley and Erica. I should’ve let Greyson do it.

“No, but what if your pack votes to kick me out?”

I shake my head. “Nobody gets between an alpha and his mate.”

“They just voted to have Riley and the witch locked in Tyson’s house for a week, though.”

“But that was different.”

She raises her eyebrows at me.

“Believe me, Stacy. That’s different. They could tell because of their bond that Riley needed this. He was refusing to be around her and it was causing problems with his connection to the pack, his connection to himself, even. The council? They don’t get involved in most cases unless they need to. As for you and Grey? You got paired with someone who can look past the hassles. My brother is a problem solver. Things happen for a reason. You came here for those reasons. He identified you as his mate because that’s how it’s meant to go. You have problems and he's a problem solver. He’ll help you. You really like him so far, don’t you? I mean, you should, he’s not just a super-alpha with power and status. He’s also handsome and kind. You reallydolike him, right?”

“I do. I really do,” she answers sort of dreamily.

I absolutely adore the look on her face right now. I believe her.

“That’s what matters. That there’s chemistry and that you’re honest and true with my brother. No matter how you wound up here, you’re here now and this is where you’re meant to be.That’s good enough for me and it’ll be good enough for the vast majority of the pack. There are always a few skeptics or bitches but the good folks in the pack outnumber the not-so-good ones.”

“I heard someone outside last night… he said he’d reject me if he was Grey.”

“Don’t pay attention to the negative talk. Pay attention to how you feel with my brother. How he makes you feel. How he seems to be feeling.”

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