Page 128 of Locke

Idris wasn’t dead.

Bram explained it simply that since there was no body, a necromancer was still alive.

Of course he was, Idris was a damn cockroach.

Later, we were having a meeting to discuss further but right now I had another issue to deal with, and it was a bunch of naggy pack members that had the attention span of a goldfish.

I had no MC members strong enough to go through the ritual to become bonded to the pack and be given a link. Only the mated were sealed to the pack. Their souls were strong enoughto take the magic that Tajah had weaved, bonding the pack together with Emm and I.

The few that were strong enough were the prospects. They were freshly rejected, and they fought alongside us dealing with Idris and his followers.

“What the fuck do we do now?” I said, as Morpheus stood in the middle of the crowd.

The pews were a little worse for wear now. The roof was collapsing, holes let the moon shine in, and bats had taken up home in the attic. I guess, since we were staying here longer than any of us ever planned, the bear shifters might need to get in here and fix the place up.

I sighed. More money out of our pockets.

I dropped the gavel, rubbed my hands together and pressed my index fingers to my lips. “If you don’t sit the fuck down, I’ll give you something to do, Morpheus.”

The crowd shut up after that, the pews groaning under the pressure of the added weight.

My luna, who sat beside me, nudged my leg. She gazed up at me, shaking her head. Emm was a leader now, and she was trying to keep me grounded - ey word was trying. I usually hid behind a mask of indifference, or a smile that would ward people away from me, but now I was just irritated.

Q and A was not my forte and everyone had questions.

“We don’t know what we are going to do.” My claws lengthened, and I scratched the end of the pulpit. My pack watched on as I let the curls of the wood fall to the floor. “I’m meeting with Bram and Tajah, and they might have some insight into what we are dealing with.”

We hadn’t had a debriefing from the fight. I was too busy taking care of my mate, the pack rebuilding and healing. None of that was as important as dealing with theright now.

“Any other questions?” I raised an eyebrow, but the fidgeting in the pack’s seats was enough for me to know that they didn’t want to tick me off further.

I didn’t have a lot of answers, I just knew we were safe. Idris wouldn’t fucking step foot here again. He wouldn’t be as stupid as to lose his memory again, like he did the first time. We were a pack. The strong ones had mind-links. We had the fae here. If there was any fighting going on, we would have to go to them.

A small hand raised in the crowd, it waved high as it stretched. A smile came to my lips, and I nodded in its direction. “Yes, Luis, you got somethin’ to say?”

Luis stood up beside Surkash, and put a hand on the naga’s shoulder to steady himself. He stood up tall, not giving a damn that everyone in the room wasn’t human. He knew of everyone’s past, that most of them were broken, just like his new father was.

And that was why he latched onto all the men here.

And, he was one of the only humans, who may never be mated, who could know that shifters were real. Damn the Royal Council if they found out, because he had a whole pack that would fight for this kid. Rogue, rabid, mated, didn’t matter.

Luis pushed his shoulders back and saluted. Everyone chuckled while Emm’s fanged smile spread across her face.

“I was just wondering when everyone was going to hurry and find their mates, so they can do that link thing. It makes everyone stronger, too, so you can kick that Idris dude’s butt, right?”

The crowd murmured, shoving each other. Surkash adjusted his shirt and cleared his throat.

“Well, some men and women here haven’t met them yet, it takes time. And when they do, they’ll claim ‘em and make them theirs.” I smiled down at my mate, rubbing the mark on her shoulder.

“But Surkash keeps starin’ at one girl’s butt and won’t do nothin’ about it!” Luis yelled over the crowd.

The pack roared with laughter as Surkash covered Luis’ mouth and had him sit down. He whispered in Luis’ ear whose face lit up. “You’ll give me your old snake skins! Cool!”

Ahh, way to shut up a kid.

We adjourned the meeting. Luis joined Emm and I on the stage and I picked him up, to settle on my arm. He played with the patch on my cut, staring at the logo embroidered into the fabric.

“Why do you call your vest a cut?” Luis asked, when we went into the old bishop’s office.

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