“Well, for a start, it wasn’t my choice,” I answer. “And I know how important it is. That’s why I asked for professional help.”
“When we told you to marry, we gave you a list of acceptable females,” Jones says. “We expected you to court them until a match was made. Setting off down the Pass to bring back a—I mean, a—”
Jones stumbles over his words, eventually giving up and staring at the floor. I keep my steady gaze on him, then look over at Derrik, who immediately turns his face away. When my gaze reaches Loretta, she glares right at me, her wolf shimmering in her eyes.
She might know about my orders and that I did not carry them out… and that Lexa should have died by my hand.
I refuse to look away, and Loretta doesn’t back down. We glare at each other as the tension in the room rises until Cade clears his throat.
“What about heirs?” he asks, settling himself more comfortably on the floor. “Isn’t that a major part of this?”
I tear my eyes away from Loretta to look at my friend. He grins at me like he just came in for the big rescue, but I don’t feel rescued.
“Yes, thank you, Cade,” I mutter. “Thanks so much for bringing that up.”
“Offspring are of the highest importance,” Loretta huffs. “If she cannot produce within a reasonable time frame, you will have to put her aside.”
“We have quite a bit of time before considering that,” I answer, trying to keep my voice even but getting exasperated. “I have every reason to believe Lexa is fertile.”
Why did I just say that?
“Fertile, maybe,” Loretta says, taking a sip of tea. “But willing? I mean, we know she isn’t worthy. But willing is pretty important, too.”
I glare at Loretta again. She glares right back, a nasty smirk on her face.
This is it. Right here, right now. I’m calling her out to battle for insult against the alpha. I can’t let her get away with this—
“There’s still time,” Derrik cuts in, getting up and putting himself between Loretta and me. “You can change your mind. Admit you made a mistake, banish Lexa, and take one of the females we suggested. My daughter Elaine is perfectly suited to you. And she is most certainly willing, my alpha.”
I look away, sighing as I pinch the bridge of my nose. I don’t know if Derrik intentionally stepped up to save Loretta, or if he just decided his point was so important that he had to make it immediately.
“Thank you,” I say firmly. “But I won’t be putting Lexa aside. As I mentioned, I went to a professional for help, and I trust her judgment. She is very good at this kind of thing, and her matches always work out for the individuals—and packs—involved.”
“It is true,” Loretta admits, her voice low. “I have heard good things about this Iris Porter.”
A little smile sneaks onto my face as I realize Loretta must have done some digging, hoping to undo my contract.
How does it feel to be wrong, you old bitch?
“Is the match working out for you?” Jones asks, his tone overly casual. “Are you… getting along?”
I look up at him sharply, and his grin is a terrible expression, full of malice.
He knows!
But how much does he know?
“There was so much confusion the day she left town,” Jones goes on, sounding sincerely regretful. “All that business with her poor mother, and you… where were you, Kit?”
I meet his eyes, but I can’t find anything to say. They’ve got me, and they know it.
What do they know? And what will they tell Lexa?
“I’m done with this discussion,” I state, standing up. “It’s the first day of my marriage, and I have important matters to attend to. We’ll follow this up another time.”
I see the elders ready to protest, but I just turn my back on the entire room and stride out. I hear Mabel’s voice and know she’ll distract the elders with an inflammatory topic, giving me time to get clear.
I have to find Lexa! What the fuck am I going to do here? I don’t know who knows what, and I can’t trust anyone.
