With Everything I Am(190)

“Then don’t let it stand, Cal,” she returned swiftly. “You’re right. He did wrong and caused harm in the process. But I will point out, you were in a mood when you met him on the steps of Canis and that mood was not the mood to sit down like men with honor I, at least, know you are, and talk things out. I know I’m your mate and protecting me is serious business for you wolves but I don’t want you to be upset when I say that it really is me who gets to forgive or not forgive that he hurt me and I forgive him, Cal.” She paused a moment before she told him quietly. “It was an accident. He surrendered immediately after he saw he harmed me. He knew he did wrong and felt badly about it so perhaps you can think of another punishment that’s less…” she paused and finished, “final.”

Callum felt his temper rise further. “Are you suggesting, little one, that I was partly at fault for what happened?”

“I’m not suggesting anything,” she retorted. “I’m saying that maybe then and now there’s another way to go about things and perhaps, before you do something that cannot be undone, you may want to reflect on both.”

Callum drew in a long breath to calm his anger before he replied firmly and with finality, “This is the wolves’ custom, Sonia.”

She fell silent and Callum drove, still angry and part of this had to do with the fact that Sonia riled him up prior to one of the few loathsome duties he had as king of the werewolves. By now, she should know better but apparently she did not.

Every moment of every day he was aware that his time with her was short and just as aware that she didn’t know it. He very much wanted to explain yet again that in times like these, he needed her support, not a confrontation. However, it was highly likely (he hoped) that in her short life, she wouldn’t need to endure another time like this so he decided to let it, and the inevitable argument it would cause, go.

He drove up the winding, ill-kept road, through the wood and turned right, driving through the thick trees. He heard another swift intake of breath when the trees suddenly cleared and there it was.

The Lodge, a huge, circular building with a large, paved car park around it and beyond it on either side, two four story parking structures. It was made of reddish, gold-brown Canis stone, had ten of his royal pennants flying from its crenelated roof and it looked like a human’s sporting arena, albeit small but, with the stone and crenellations, more imposing. The inside held stands, also like a human’s stadium, in a circle facing down to the pitch. Although small by human standards, it could hold ten thousand wolves.

That day, considering the vehicles parked around, he reckoned it would be half full, something else that grated on Callum’s frayed nerves.

This was expected, considering the hills were full to celebrate The Royal Mating and therefore he’d planned for it, his Guard being there to keep order as well as several detachments of soldiers.

It wasn’t that Callum expected anyone to disagree with his judgment. It was that wolves could be vengeful and, thus, bloodthirsty. They loved Sonia. They expected the verdict he was about to give, he had little doubt they would rejoice in it and, with wolves, that could easily get out of hand. Further, Sonia might find this at best, distasteful, at worst, repugnant.

Callum, on the other hand, did not rejoice in giving the order to bring about the end of lives. It was a weight on his soul that only Sonia had the ability to alleviate but, again, he held the bitter knowledge that his mate would not always be there to provide this succor to him.

With this heavy on his mind, he drove around the curving entrance that led to the doors closest to where the royal dais would be set inside as Sonia noted, “This place is amazing.”

“The Lodge, little one,” he muttered distractedly, putting the SUV in park and switching off the ignition, still muttering. “Games are played here. Official business is conducted here. As you know, our Mating will be here tomorrow. And, last, trials are held here.”

“Cal,” she called.

“Mm?” he murmured, his hand on the door handle, his mind on what was imminent.

“My handsome wolf, please look at me,” she requested softly, her endearment slid through him like silk, he twisted his body and his eyes moved to hers.

Then his gut clenched at the gentle expression on her face, an expression filled with love and understanding.

She leaned forward and placed her hand against the side of his head, running her thumb along his eyebrow, down his cheekbone and over his lower lip as her pretty green eyes watched.

All right, so maybe she did support him just, as ever, in her way.

Her gaze moved to his.