Page 28 of Moon Destiny
I nodded. “Dylan.”
A little gasp escaped her. “What happened?”
I felt some amount of discomfort discussing Dylan’s situation. His story was a painful one, and it wasn’t fodder for gossip. But it wasn’t a secret, either, and I sensed I could trust Brooke. “You remember the alpha of the mageborn?”
“Carrick Hart,” she said, once again displaying her journalistic skills.
“His pack borders the Appalachian Pack, which Dylan’s father ruled. Carrick attacked, wiping out Dylan’s entire family and most of his packmates.”
She put a hand over her mouth. “God. Why?”
“Dylan’s fated mate is a mageborn female, and Dylan believes Carrick wants her for himself.”
Brooke looked sick. “You’re telling me a man murdered his neighbors because he thinks he has a right to a woman? Does the woman have a say in this?”
“She rejected Dylan. He doesn’t speak of it often, except to say Carrick pressured her to do it. I made Dylan my beta because I believe he’s a good male. I also have no doubt whatsoever that he’s capable of reclaiming his pack when he’s ready.”
“And you think he’ll try to reconnect with this female?”
“Yes. The mate bond is extremely powerful. If a pair is truly fated, they’ll always struggle to remain apart. After a while, denial is…unsustainable.”
Silence stretched as it became clear I wasn’t really talking about Dylan anymore. I cast about in my head for some way to break the tension without being obvious about it.
Brooke looked at her plate, a hint of pink in her cheeks. “I’m glad you helped Dylan.”
She’d handed me an out, and I took it like the coward I was. “I had selfish reasons. He’s an excellent beta. I’m not sure I could have weathered the past two years without him.”
“You mean the rogues pushing the Council to go public?”
“Yes.” Old bitterness welled. “Rourke made trouble for years and the alphas didn’t take him seriously. No one thought he would risk the wrath of the fae and the vampires, let alone the sorcerers, by pushing to expose the supernatural world. But the vampires are embroiled in their own politics and the fae usually can’t be bothered to worry about what happens outside their own alternate reality.” I huffed. “The Council let Rourke get away with his bullshit for so long they didn’t wake up to the threat he posed until he started killing his fellow wolves. To be honest, some of the alphas on the Council are still sleepwalking us all toward disaster.”
She frowned. “Why does Rourke want you to go public so badly?”
I considered saying it was us instead of you. She was a wolf now, which meant she’d inherited the crisis Rourke and his rogues had thrust on all of us.
Instead, I rubbed a hand over my mouth. “That’s a good question and not one I’m sure he’s ever answered. He was an alpha’s son but got passed over for leadership when his father was killed. I believe that slight has stuck with him. But personally, I think he tapped into this sentiment that werewolves and immortals in general are superior to humans. We’re certainly more powerful. To some wolves, that’s reason enough to rule over anyone less powerful. It’s as simple as that.”
“But humans outnumber werewolves.”
I smiled grimly. She’d grasped the inherent danger of the rogues’ position, which was more than I could say for half the alphas on the Council. “That’s right. They’ve always had the numbers, and they never hesitate to persecute the things they fear. Just ask the sorcerers.”
“Are they helping you fight back? If the rogues are successful, they’ll blow everyone’s cover.”
“That’s the exact argument I made to the Council the last time we convened. The alphas should have been pressuring Delano Rayne to align with us from the beginning. I don’t trust him any farther than I can throw him, but he cares about money and power. And the rogues threaten both of those things.”
She worried at her lower lip, unconsciously making my blood heat. After a moment, she flashed me a look of sympathy. “You’ve got a lot on your plate.”
My first instinct was to wave it off. But…she was right. “That yoga job is sounding better and better.”
She grinned, and then we were both laughing. The server chose that moment to appear with the check, and she stopped beside the table with a bemused look on her face.
“Was everything okay?” she asked, glancing at our plates like maybe the food was behind our laughter.
I accepted the check and smiled at Brooke. “It was great.”
* * *
Tanner greeted us at the door. He was freshly dressed and showered, but his hazel eyes were strained and his big frame appeared almost gaunt.
