Page 34 of Bite Me Alpha Cole

“I think they will,” Cole murmurs. “Obviously, they have worries and questions, but that Jeanie girl seems to have a knack for being clear, honest, and straight with people. I think they’ll appreciate that.”

I nod, agreeing, and the Prince and I stand for a long time at the entrance, observing the group, thinking our own thoughts even though I’m pretty sure now that our hopes for these people are aligned.

“Are they going to be okay, Cole?” My question is very quiet.

He looks to me but doesn’t respond yet, sensing that I’m not done.

“All of them,” I whisper. “Jade and Ivy but…the Children of Solace. All of the people in it. Are they going to be okay?”

“I don’t think so, Nadia.”

I turn my head to meet his gaze, kind of surprised. Honestly, I was seeking and expecting a bit of comfort there.

But Cole shakes his head. “The Children of Solace is…brutal.”

I raise my brows, wanting to know more.

“They’re incredibly secretive but…your dad has learned a lot of information about them in the past few months. He hasn’t shared any of it with you?”

I shake my head, exhaling a frustrated sigh. “Dad takes levels of security way too seriously.”

Cole smirks. “Perhaps just seriously enough.”

“Well, come on,” I say, nudging Cole with my elbow. “Spill. I’m in charge, right?”

“Yes, Nadia,” he replies, his voice a bit teasing like he’s a little kid answering his teacher. I grin, unable to help it. But my smile fades as his words continue. “The Children of Solace is a group that does not shy away from physical or emotional punishment and control. They’ve inculcated a great deal of fear and worship in their population, largely through deprivation, starvation, and a lack of access to the outside world. Apparently, this leader is viewed as…a god of some sort.”

He frowns, shaking his head, frustrated. My stomach sinks.

“They are not opposed, at all, to punishing their people for our military intervention, saying that it was their lack of faith thatbrought us down upon them. Then they’ll hurt them and blame us for it. It’s psychotic and cruel, but it keeps powerfirmlyin Slaken’s hands.Exclusivelyin his hands.”

“Is that why you’re trying to take him out first?”

Cole nods and looks out into the forest, his eyes vague. “Yes. But it’s…more complicated than that. Slaken is a figurehead, but there’s no fixed succession – we don’t know if he has heirs or just…a chain of command who would take over if he were gone. So, if we take him out, the next damned zealot is likely to step up into his place.”

I smile a little, watching Cole murmur his worried thoughts aloud, realizing that he’s working through his anxieties on this point instead of just explaining the situation to me.

And I kind of…like that.

But a small, sudden flash of light near Jeanie’s fire makes both of us stand straight. I blink in surprise, my mind registering the unnatural blue light but not quite sure what it was until I see a figure shift in the darkness, half hidden behind the trees, re-angling to get a better shot.

“Oh, absolutelynot,” I snap, storming off into the night towards Jeanie’s fire.

“Nadia!” Cole calls after me, following behind.

“What is wrong with you?” I growl, storming towards Rose, who crouches low in the bushes, taking pictures of Ivy and Jade around the fire. I glance at the pair, relieved that they haven’t yet noticed Rose, even though Jeanie gives me a worried glance over her patients’ heads before turning back to them.

Rose gasps, turning to stare up at me, completely shocked.

“You! With me! Now!” I whisper-hiss, pointing to her, and then to me, and then decidedlyawayfrom the therapists’ tents.

Rose gapes at me and starts to protest until Cole comes to my side, his face stern. Then she sighs and stands, putting her handsup and letting the camera hang around her neck. The three of us move quickly across camp.

“You know, it’s really hard to get candid imagery when –“

“No pictures!” I hiss, spinning and lunging for her camera once we’re out of earshot – though with wolf hearing, who knows. “Not of my patients! Not when they’re already freaked out!”

“Getawayfrom me!” Rose snarls, smacking my hand away and baring her teeth, her fangs starting to extend

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