Chapter 16

Maya huddled under a blanket and cupped a warm mug of coffee in the conference room. Caleb, Charles, and Duncan were arrayed in the room, along with Isaac, listening to her statement. When she was done, silence reigned for several long moments.

She looked up at the very serious expressions. "Saranac was behind this. Linc Colvin was there. You have the bodies of Brandon and Shane Colvin. What more do you need? Sloane and the pups will testify to it. And how about the guards you captured?"

"The guards were gone by the time we got there. Garrett said they were rogues, so they crawled back under whatever rock they came from. The pups were too traumatized and Sloane's testimony will be considered flawed due to the trauma."

Anger burned in Maya, hot and bright. "What about my testimony? And Garrett's? Are we too traumatized to be believed?"

She knew her tone bordered on insubordination, but she didn't give a fuck. The Council was acting like it didn't matter. "Pups were killed. Do you know how many pups were kidnapped and how many didn't come home? Do you even give a fuck about that?"

"Maya, enough," Charles ordered.

"Actually, she's right," Duncan said quietly. "You don't seem to care about what actually happened. You're more interested in sweeping it under the rug and I'd like to know why."

This time, it was Charles's turn to look uncomfortable, which was interesting since he outranked her alpha. He sighed. "This stays here and is so off the record, I'll deny it was ever said. The Supreme Alpha has ruled that the individual behind the attack was Shane Colvin and, since he is dead, has paid for his crimes. Saranac will pay some restitution in monetary funds, the border will return to the original state, and it will be done."

Maya stared in disbelief. "If you believe that horseshit, then you're as culpable as they are. Linc Colvin was involved too."

Charles glanced around the room. "Linc swears he only found out at the end. His Alpha is standing by him. It's his word against yours and, since Garrett is no longer a Saranac wolf, he has no standing against Linc."

"That's bullshit. Tell him it's wrong." Maya glanced at everyone's faces, but they avoided making eye contact.

Finally, Duncan reached out. "No one wants Linc and Saranac brought to justice more than I do. I feel the loss of every single one of my wolves keenly. But if I pursue this, we'll be embroiled in another war and I can't do that to my pack."

"So I have to let it go. What about Garrett?"

He avoided her gaze. "We appreciate what he did to save our pups."

"Can he join Dirigo?" She challenged.

He shook his head. "It would cause too many problems with Saranac. He said he was going to go south, find another pack willing to take him."

She looked at Caleb and Charles. "What about the Council? He could join you."

Caleb gave a sad smile. "He refused. He left after his debrief."

She sat back in her chair, stunned. He left her? After everything they had been through? No wonder her chest felt like something had been torn out of it. She had attributed it to the trauma of the cave, but now she could tell it was because Garrett was moving further and further away from her, the mate bond demanding that they stay together.

She stood and tossed the blanket aside. "If there is no room for Garrett here, then there is no place for me."

Isaac reached out and grabbed her arm. "Maya, don't make a rash decision. You're upset from the attack and the investigation. Give it a few days, then everything will be clear."

She shook her head. "No, it was clear all along. I was just too stubborn to see the truth. I will collect my things and leave immediately. I renounce my pack bonds."

As soon as she said that, she felt the bonds that had anchored her for her entire life, her family, her friends, all fall away. Yet one thing flared strong inside. The mate bond.

She looked at Caleb. "Where is he?"

* * *

Garrett sat on the porch of the old farmhouse and considered his next move. Alex hadn't been surprised to see him that afternoon, only took in the duffel bag, and nodded. He'd handed him a beer and joined him on the porch. Someone kept them both supplied with a steady stream of bottles all afternoon, yet he still wasn't drunk. The curse of being a shifter. He burned through alcohol faster than a human, so he rarely got drunk. But he could if he drank fast enough.

"So, where are you going to go? Not that I don't want you here, but if Dirigo finds out, they might not be happy."

"I just need a couple of days to sort it out. I have a few feelers out there."

Okay, that was a lie. He had no idea where he could go. Most packs he knew because he had been a Council Enforcer. None of them wanted his kind around. He needed a neutral pack. But first, he needed to grieve the loss of his home and his mate.

"Dirigo won't come looking, not while they're dealing with their own loss. And I recovered their pups, so they'll give me some latitude."

Their alpha, Duncan MacKinnon, had told him before he left that, while he wasn't welcome, he could remain for a few days and no one would encourage him to move on. Stay more than a couple of weeks, and he could expect a visit of the less than friendly kind. So he was confident he was safe for now, as was Alex for sheltering him.

Alex grunted. "What about your mate?"

He should have known that Alex would have figured out that Maya was his mate. "She is staying with her pack."

"That sucks. A broken mate bond is one of the worst things to happen. Most of us have experienced it, usually through death, sadly."

"I'm sorry." He was such a dumbass to remind Alex of their own painful past.

Alex shrugged. "We're learning to move on. Maybe someday we might even find mates. Who knows?"

Dust kicked up from the lane. "You expecting company?"

Alex dropped his feet from the railing to the floor. "A couple of wolves went to town for supplies."

Garrett grunted. But the vehicle came closer, and he recognized the jeep as a Dirigo pack jeep. Guess he wasn't getting that reprieve from Dirigo that he was promised.

It pulled up in front of the house, and the driver's door opened. A long-legged female got out. "So this is where you've been hiding."

His heart stopped in his chest.