Viktor took her hand and tugged gently, urging her off of the counter. When she stood in front of him, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked them back into the living room. “I remember you telling me how bad their fights could get, but I didn’t know it was like that. That sounds like a heavy burden, Cam.”
She shrugged. “It was what it was. I love— loved them both.”
Guiding her to sit beside him on the couch, Viktor set his plate on his thigh and shook his head. “Loyal to the core.”
Camille shifted uncomfortably. She wished that people would stop saying that. “I just did what I had to do. And, honestly, I don’t feel very loyal right now.”
She felt his sharp gaze on her face. “What? Why?”
Staring at the driftwood coffee table, scored with jagged claw marks, she answered, “I promised my mother on her deathbed that I would join with another family and get out of Solbourne reach. Instead I’m here.” She swallowed the acidic taste of guilt. “I swore I’d do it, but today I…”
“You fulfilled your promise.”
Camille’s eyes swung upward, confusion tightening her features. “What? No, I didn’t.”
Viktor cupped her cheek. “Sweetheart, you did. All your mom wanted was for you to get out, right? Well, you did it.” His hand slid down to cup her throat. The skin of his palm radiated with the same heat that came from his bite. “I got myself on the list, too, so she wouldn’t even be able to complain about it not being a legit union. If you want, I’ll even sign whatever bullshit paperwork Teddy can cook up. I don’t care. It all means the same thing.”
Camille’s throat tightened to the point where speaking became impossible. Was he right? She didn’t think her mother would have ever forgiven Viktor for rejecting her all those years ago — grudges were, after all, her specialty — but he was correct that Camille had fulfilled her mother’s request.
She had negotiated a union with someone outside of the Solbourne sphere, who was actively looking for a territory beyond their reach, and would never again be in danger of losing her mind due to the pull.
Holy shit. I did it.
Seeing the astonished look on her face, Viktor let out a bark of warm laughter. “Sweetheart, whether or not your mom would have approved of me, you did exactly what she asked. I don’t want to see that guilty look on your face ever again, okay?”
“Right,” she answered, dazed.
Later, when they were curled up in bed, Viktor’s arms tight around her middle, Camille stared into the darkness and listened to the sound of coyotes yipping in the distance. She knew from research that they had an incredibly complex system of communication, and that not all of those barks and yowls were shifters. Some of them were regular, wild coyotes — friends of the pack who helped patrol the territory and play with the cubs.
She listened hard, trying to learn the cadence, and felt a heavy warmth spread over her. Pack, the magic now coursing through her veins said. Pack is home. Pack is safety. Pack is my responsibility.
“Vik,” she whispered, knowing he was still awake.
“Hm?”
“What’s going to happen to the pack? What are we going to do about the territory?”
Worry pressed close. This was her family now. Every tiny cub, every elder, every smiling adult who welcomed her with open arms belonged to her. Had her mating to Viktor irreparably damaged their chances at a better future?
Viktor’s palm flattened against her bare stomach and drew her closer still. He nuzzled the back of her head when he answered, “We’re calling the Alliance tomorrow morning. We can’t do anything until we know where they stand. And as far as the territory goes, there is no use in worrying about it until we have the all-clear to move.” His fingers flexed, digging into the soft skin of her belly. “I meant what I said, Cam. Making plans with another pack prematurely can be deadly. I won’t make a move until everything is secure.”
She threaded her fingers through his and closed her eyes. Leaning into the warmth she could feel resonating through their primal bond, she tried to let go of the insistent terror that clung to her like a second skin. “Let’s say it all works out. Do you have a pack in mind to take over Merced?”
She could feel his smile. “They’d have to be able to buy us out, and the land needs to go to good people who will take care of it, who need it — but yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.”
Camille gave his hand a squeeze. “Are you going to share?”
Chuckle rumbling out of his chest, he replied, “Have you ever met Angelique Batacan?”
Chapter Thirty-One
Ideally, Viktor would have preferred to have this meeting alone. Unfortunately, Andreas didn’t give him that choice.
They were gathered in Theodore’s office. It was a large room walled with bookshelves and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Bay, but it still felt crowded. Theodore was there, of course, as was Valen, Kaz, and Laurence, Captain of the Sovereign’s Guard. Margot was perched on the edge of the live edge desk, her expression somber. Benny and another senior packmate, a lean wolf shifter named Diana, had accompanied him to the Tower as well.
And of course, Camille was with him.
Somewhere far below them all, in the bowels of the Tower, the cougar shifter had just confessed to trying to kill Viktor on his alpha’s orders.
They were all silent as the feed screen played his taped confession. Torture hadn’t been necessary — or even prudent, really. The cougar shifter looked like he was hanging on by a thread as he laid out his assignment to the Patrol officer sitting across from him.
“…and said that it was necessary. I don’t know. I don’t— he just kept saying that if we didn’t, they’d come in and take our territory. I fought in the war, man. I know what elves can do.” His words tripped out over bruised lips, almost too fast to be understood. “I got cubs now. What was I supposed to do? My alpha said he was a threat and told me to take care of it. What would you do? Do you have cubs? I couldn’t let him— my alpha would have—”
The Patrol officer held up a gloved hand, stalling the desperate, almost incoherent confession. Pushing a paper cup of water across the stainless steel table with one finger, he asked, “Did your alpha threaten your cubs, Mr. Carter?”
The cougar shifter took the cup in one trembling, bloodied hand. Water sloshed. “I— Not outright, no. No. He just— You don’t know him. He’d toss us out in a heartbeat. I’ve seen it before. And after Juan—” He sucked in a ragged breath and, apparently realizing that he was trending toward disloyalty, rushed to add, “He said elves were going to take our territory. I wasn’t sure, but then I saw him with that— with that elf on the beach and I knew he was right. I had to defend the pack. Don’t you get that? I had to—”
Theodore stopped the video. The image paused just as the shifter was leaning forward over the table, as if he could beseech the cool officer to understand why he tried to murder another alpha on foreign territory.
Viktor swung his grim gaze over to his friend. He felt Camille’s fingers tighten around his hand, offering wordless support. “Send it to Lee.”