“They’re mine too. Or at least they feel that way. Like I know them, even though I don’t.”
“That’s pack. They are yours. We all belong to each other.” He kissed the end of her nose. “But when I got the call, all I could think about was you. Getting to you. We were trapped outside. Humans everywhere. I’ve never seen them so organized in their attacks on us.”
“I knew you would come, and then when I saw you, Cyrus, all I could feel was relief. You were there. You were okay. We were all going to be okay. But it wasn’t.” The catch in her voice tore at his heart. “Kyra was dead. Lake couldn’t save her, I guess. I don’t remember.”
“My sister’s abilities were not on track. Alcohol does that to us. I should have forbidden it, I knew what was going on, but I didn’t think it was a problem. We were safe. I really believed that. I’m such a fool.”
“No.” She placed her hands on his chest. “You’re not. Something is happening, escalating. I don’t know what it is. But me, Lilliana, my parents, these crazy psychos coming after us, it’s all related. You couldn’t have known this would happen. You can’t predict the future any more than I can.”
If only he could believe her words. But she forgave him for too much. He’d wanted the young females happier. Lake was so dissatisfied with her life. Ruth always seemed pissed. He could go through the list. Letting them go blow off some steam had seemed a good option. So he’d pretended not to know, hadn’t interfered more than making sure Jensen went every time, and now a worst-case scenario, the kind that haunted his dreams, had happened
He’d gotten weak. It couldn’t happen again.
“Cyrus, look at me.”
He raised his eyes.
“This isn’t on you. You’re in charge, but as with any person in a position of power, sometimes bad things happen, and sometimes things we can’t possibly control take place. Cars crash. Boats sink. People disappear. Crazy, knife-wielding werewolf haters come into bars…”
He nuzzled into her neck and closed his eyes. Being pressed up against her had lowered his heart rate. “I have to perform Kyra’s goodbye ceremony tomorrow. We try to not let more than one night pass between death and the speaking of the words. We’ll go to Montana afterward.”
“What happens at the funeral?” She closed her eyes, and he could feel the exhaustion pouring out of her scent. The vanilla odor he loved so much had ebbed to a dull scent.
“I give her back to the moon.” And he felt like a complete fraud doing it, considering he thought the whole thing bullshit.
“That’s nice. I like the idea of you doing that. There’s no one better suited for it than you.”
In that way, Betsy had completely misunderstood him. But, then again, he’d let her, having told her the whole Lily and the three werewolves fairy tale as if it were something he bought into. There was no reason to change undo her belief. Like the rest of the pack, she could think he believed if it kept them all feeling better. Travis believed. Alexei probably did too. Lucian had.
There was something wrong with him that he couldn’t believe himself.
“Come on.” He picked her up in his arms. His mate needed to rest, and he had to figure out how to burn off the energy that wouldn’t leave him before the moon ceremony.
Cyrus placed her gently on the bed, and she opened her lids to stare up at him. She extended her arms. “Come on.”
“I don’t think I can lie down yet. I promise to try not to conk out on my desk, but I can’t lie down and rest.”
She shook her head. “Who said anything about resting?”
Her words sank in, and his cock took note, jerking in his pants. “You can’t possibly have the energy.”
“Not for what we did last night, no. But a quick, sweet coupling with you? That I can do. Anytime. And I want you now. I need you. Please. Make me feel alive. Make this day go away. Let me do the same for you.”
He walked to the bed and then pushed her down beneath him as he kissed her lips. She tasted sweet, tempting, and completely alive. Betsy kissed him back with total abandon, a soft moan releasing from her throat.
Cyrus stroked down her body, starting with her neck and moving downward. She squirmed beneath him. She’d said she wanted quick, but he didn’t want to be ridiculous about it. Every time he looked at her, he got hard. It would be no problem to push inside of her and drive away the day in her willing arms. But, first, Betsy had to come.
They fumbled and tugged at each other’s clothes. Eventually they were all discarded. He stared down at her. She was so small beneath him, so delicate, and yet he knew now that she was also made of steel. Betsy possessed a shifting power not one in a million wolves could do. Untrained, and still not having gone through her first full moon, she had killed a woman who threatened them. His mate was…breathtaking. And beautiful.