Page 8 of Forbidden Moon
Isaac shrugged. “Treadway blamed us for being on his land and so we caused the attacks.”
Maya’s jaw shut with a click. She could never talk with Garrett about this. He hadn’t been home in four years, knew nothing about this. But what would happen when he went home?
“And that damned Shane Colvin, smirking right by Treadway’s side.”
“Shane? I thought Linc was his Beta,” Lyla asked, both the Alpha and Luna finally sitting on the couch.
Duncan nodded. “He is. But Shane came with Treadway to give evidence of our crimes. What bullshit. Those Colvins are so far up Treadway’s ass. There isn’t a Colvin that hasn’t gone bad anywhere in that family tree. Thank the Goddess that they don’t reproduce often.”
Maya swallowed. Not an auspicious start to her relationship with Garrett. Thank the Goddess that she kept her relationship a secret.
Duncan fixed a look on all of them. “We leave tomorrow. I meet with Simon in the morning, then we leave. I can’t be gone from Benedict for too long, not with his control still on edge.”
Well, that answered one question for Maya. She had one night to figure out her next steps with Garrett and maybe break her pack at the same time.
* * *
Garrett knocked on the door of the suite, tension riding him hard. A voice commanded, “Enter.”
His balls just about climbed back inside of himself at the voice. He had faced down vampires in bloodlust, feral rogue shifters, and witches performing dark magic. Yet the sound of his father’s voice threw him back into childhood, with fear and threats looming over his shoulder.
He opened the door and entered. “Father.”
His father was seated on the charcoal gray couch, sorting through some papers on the coffee table in front of him. A tumbler of whiskey sat half-filled on a coaster next to him, one ice cube partially melted already. His father never looked up when he walked in and no one else emerged from any of the rooms or appeared to be in the pack suite.
Each pack had their own set of rooms at Council Headquarters to ensure their own space was the same whenever they came to town. Mostly the alpha or beta used it, but occasionally other members of the pack were allowed to use the rooms when they acted on behalf of the pack with the Council. Garrett had only been in these rooms once before—when he was assigned to the Council as an enforcer. His uncle, the Beta of the Saranac pack, had laid out his expectations and duties, while his father leaned against the wall, expression impassive even as Garrett was directed to find intel on other packs and filter it back to his uncle, a direct violation of the neutrality of the Council Enforcers. His uncle didn’t care. Neutrality was for pussies and losers. Saranac needed the edge in any upcoming negotiations, though what those could have been eluded Garrett.
He’d checked in occasionally after that day, mostly when his uncle or father found him somewhere, usually unexpectedly or maybe somewhere on Council grounds, though he had rarely been back here. He hadn’t much to share though his uncle hoarded information like a dragon hoarded treasure. Garrett was grateful that Council Enforcers were never sent to their former packs to mediate conflict, but he had heard that some enforcers sent to Saranac encountered resistance and even attacks. A disturbing trend, if true.
He stood in front of his father in the familiar military parade rest, as he’d been taught when just a boy. After a solid minute, his father set the papers down and looked up, picking up his glass to take a sip. Garrett couldn’t read his expression.
“So, you survived your four years. Not all enforcers do. It’s a tough job but you’re a Colvin, a Saranac wolf, and we raised you tough.”
There may have been a faint note of pride in his voice, but Garrett had never heard it before, so he wasn’t sure. And he sure as hell wasn’t taking any chances right now. He knew better than most that his father could switch moods on a dime. Another thing the Colvins had in common.
“Thank you, Father.”
His father grunted. “You could have brought back more intel but I suppose it was difficult, with Caleb North as your partner. Everyone knows he has no future beyond the Council, so he’ll follow the rules more strident than most.”
Garrett didn’t have a response, so he didn’t make one. Though he thought Caleb was one of the finest males he’d ever known. Honorable, a tough fighter, and a formidable strategist. The fact that he was packless should not have been held against him, yet it was.
“Anyway, one month to go. Have you found a mate yet? That was one of the tasks our Beta asked you to do. Find a female to bring fresh blood to the pack. Have you failed in that, too?”
Garrett’s stomach clenched as his father paused, his head cocking to the side. Then he set the glass aside and stood, walking around the table to stand next to Garrett. He leaned in and took a sniff.
“It’s faint but there. A female, someone I think I know. Have you claimed her yet?”
Garrett swallowed hard. He wasn’t ready to share about Maya yet. They had only spent a few days together, but the mating bond was growing stronger. He already felt her absence keenly and could pinpoint her location in the Council building. He swore he could scent her anywhere, and it was taking an extreme amount of restraint not to hunt her down and drag her off to his quarters and claim her.
“No, we’re not sure of the bond. In fact, I don’t sense one. It’s probably just a fling.”
His father narrowed his gaze and took a step back. “A fling? Well, you can fuck whomever you want, but you need to settle down with a mate. We’ll find you a suitable one when you return. It’s time you do your duty and start on the next generation of Colvins. Our pack needs strong leadership and right now, there is only you and Brandon to carry the next generation.”
“Our Alpha has not sired anymore children?” Garrett hesitated to speak on the subject because it was a sensitive topic back home and his father could react poorly.
But this time his father only shrugged and settled back onto the couch with his drink. “His only heir remains the female who is too young, too weak to be anything of use beyond a marriage token. No, one of our line could be the next Alpha. You could be the next alpha if you play your cards right. But you need the right female, a couple of pups, and to toughen up a little. I hope the Council took care of the last one.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I handled some difficult challenges for the Council.”