“You are anything but useless.” He reached for her hand, but she kept it out of reach, not yet ready for his touch to distract her. “All right. Think about it like this. The president doesn’t go anywhere without the Secret Service. They immediately surround him if there’s a threat and they examine each situation before he’s allowed to go near it. Does that make the president useless?”
She smiled. “Some would argue that his uselessness has nothing to do with the Secret Service.”
Kyle chuckled. “Political frustrations aside, do you understand the parallel.”
Holding the sheet with one hand, she finger combed her hair with the other. “I’m not the president.”
“Your role is different, but to the Therian nation you are every bit as important as a president or prime minister. The clan leaders want you now because of your potential, and after your definition, you’ll be pursued for your power. I could pat your hand and tell you everything’s going to be fine, but you need to understand the reality of your situation.”
“I appreciate your honesty and I don’t want to be coddled. That’s been my point all along. I want to be able to protect myself.”
He leaned forward and caught her upper arms then dragged her into his lap. The sheet ended up tangled around her hips as she relaxed into the cradle of his strong arms. “Someday, not too long from now, you will be able to do all sorts of things you can’t do now, but that doesn’t mean I won’t want to protect you.” He paused for a long, lingering kiss. “Spend tomorrow with my mother and Carissa. They’re here to answer your questions and help you adjust. But tonight belongs to me, belongs to us. And I’m tired of talking.”
One of his hands covered her breast as his mouth took possession of her lips. Her troubled thoughts scattered and she raised her arms to circle his neck.
* * * * *
Nate slowly circled his son, shaking with fury and frustration. The Clubhouse was silent, every person in the place anxiously watching the drama unfold. A tiny part of him had hoped Bruce would surpass his expectations and quietly return with Ava in tow. Instead a cold-eyed tigress had dragged Bruce into the bar in restraints, forced him to his knees and informed Nate that he had twenty-four hours to punish Bruce for attempting to murder the new Omni Prime or the cats would interpret his inaction as an act of war.
His guards had been so stunned by her arrogance that none of them had thought to detain her. She’d stormed into a wolf sanctuary, snapped out her ultimatum and departed while everyone looked on in shocked fascination.
“What the fuck happened?” He dragged Bruce to his feet but left the handcuffs and shackles in place. Muffled speculation rippled through their audience. He hadn’t set up this ending, but it was perfect for what he had in mind. Bruce had failed his final exam and now he must pay, but there could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Bruce deserved what he was about to get. The pack could not think he perceived Bruce as a threat, just a failure.
“It was a setup.” Bruce glared at him, yanking against the cuffs until blood trickled from his wrists. “Half the council was there to protect her.”
“Why does that surprise you?” Nate faced his oldest son, hands clenched as anger churned within him. “Of course Kyle would have called in backup. You were supposed to sneak her out in the middle of the night or find a way to isolate her from the others.”
Bruce looked around, his gaze blazing with anger and rebellion. “Don’t you see what he’s doing? He set me up,” he called out to the room at large. “Your alpha is afraid of his own son!”
Nate backhanded him hard enough to knock him sideways. One of the guards stepped forward and steadied Bruce until he recovered from the blow. “I entrusted you with the most important assignment I’ve ever delegated to anyone.” Nate sneered. “Don’t attempt to mask your failure with ridiculous allegations.”
“Why were we not included in this decision?” one of the elders asked from the far corner of the room. The question was met with nods and scattered mumbles.
“I learned of Ava’s location and knew our window of opportunity was tiny.” He stepped back from his trembling son and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “There wasn’t time to gather the elders. I am alpha. I made the best decision possible under the circumstances. I sent the person I trusted most, our strongest hunter and a male whose dedication to this pack has never been questioned. I warned him that the situation required stealth and creativity. He assured me he was up to the task.”