58. Anna

58

Anna

It was Jax who announced over dinner that he was closing talks early.

London balked. "Neither we nor our witches have made any progress."

"My clan has become too dangerous. There has been a direct attack on a guest. Until I know who attacked her, I would like to err on the side of caution."

Maeve's gaze slid to me. "Removing temptation?" She purred.

I gritted my teeth. The whole dinner had been tense. Jax had been right all along. He considered the other alphas enemies, and now he had good reason.

Emerson had turned his third in command to betray Jax. Maeve was ready to pin everything on me, and she was willing to kill now and ask questions later.

And London was walking around with guards bathed in magic. Glamour magic? Some other kind of magic? It took time for me to study it and try and pinpoint what the magic did, and I couldn't just stand in the open and stare at the guard.

Not to mention the problems we were having outside the alphas. Irene hiding her magic.

Lunessa capable of all the magic used in the attacks.

The whole situation was a fucking mess. The sooner we got the alphas out of the territory, the better.

"The only temptation at the table for me, Maeve, is my mate," I responded easily.

"To fuck or kill, my dear?"

"Depends on the night."

Emerson cleared his throat. "I'm with Jax on this one. We've had a good start to a hard conversation, and we all know that we are not going to agree on anything tomorrow or even next week. It will take time. I, for one, have things I need to sort at home. I do not have the luxury of spending all my time here."

Maeve was the only alpha who hadn't weighed in except to take a jab at me. I wondered what they did when they needed to break a tie, and then I remembered London's comment and how quickly Jax had brushed it aside.

There used to be five packs.

As a rogue, I'd thought frequently about the safety a wolf must feel with a pack. To have the love of an alpha. To be protected by family. Deep down, I'd always suspected that it wasn't for me, and now I could see why.

The politics of it all was a nightmare. One false move, and you were out in the cold.

Or dead.

My gaze strayed back to Jax. To be an alpha was to be hard as steel. No wonder the other alphas didn't take mates. Even now, I could feel the bond between us hardening. I'd never noticed how much it fluctuated before now.

Maeve smiled, and it chilled me to the bone. "Yes, I think it is time we all went home. We can finish battering our ideas around from own separate packs, and it's obvious that Jax has his hands full."

Another stab at me. Maeve really believed I had attacked her witch.

I was definitely going to have a talk with Cam before she left.

London was outvoted, and dinner ended with tension still in the air. Jax headed outside, and I started to the stairs to his bedroom when Maeve called my name. Pausing on the landing, I turned as she sauntered my way.

"Yes?"

"How does it feel to go from a nobody to the mate of an alpha?"

There was no bite in her voice. It was an honest question, and one that surprised me. "You think I hold any power here? As I'm sure you've discovered, this pack hasn't exactly accepted me."

"No, they have not. Perhaps they never will. It is hard to shake a reputation once it's earned, even if it's earned unfairly." Turning her head, she studied me. "I am not convinced that you are innocent of my witch's attack."

"Really? You're hiding it well."

She chuckled darkly. "I have already lost one witch. I cannot afford to lose another."

"Emerson provided me with an alibi, and I did not seduce him to get it. I would never."

"They look good together, don't they? Like they belong."

What? I turned my head to see who she was looking at. About fifteen feet from the window was Jax.

With Kenzi.

Immediately, I stiffened.

"It's not the first time I've seen them together. It's also hard to ignore the rumors swirling about this place. If I were you, I would have had her exiled immediately."

"You've seen them together while you were here?" I hated that I couldn't stop myself from asking, but Jax hadn't said anything about Kenzi approaching him.

"No. He used to bring her when he traveled to the alpha meetings."

My heart dropped to my stomach.

"Oh, don't worry. He stopped doing that a few years ago. Still, I can see why the pack liked her so much. She makes an excellent leader."

So Maeve had decided to start being catty. "Then perhaps you should take her with you and train her as your heir. Since you don't seem to have one."

It was a low blow and one that I regretted when I heard her inhale sharply. I almost apologized, but I couldn't bring myself to show any more weakness. "Good night, Maeve. I hope that your next visit here will be less eventful. Maybe we'll have an opportunity to get to know each other a little better."

I headed back up the stairs and closed the door to Jax's room. I refused to go to the window and stare at Jax and Kenzi. Maeve's voice was already rattling around my head, and it spoke the truth. Kenzi would have made the perfect mate for Jax.

Too bad he got stuck with me.

I'd just stepped into a hot shower when the door to the bathroom opened. Before I could whip my head around, I felt my wolf relax.

Jax.

"She thinks she saw who attacked Cam," Jax said in a low voice as he joined me in the shower.

I didn't turn around. "Let me guess. It was me."

"Yes, but before it was you, it was a swirl of smoke, and she swears it was a ghost."

That caught my attention. Jax's arms caught my waist, and he gently turned me around.

"A witch?"

"She thinks so, and I'm inclined to agree. She asked for an opportunity to speak to you. To apologize to you. Apparently, she was left shaken by what she saw, and she thinks she understands how falsely you've been accused. I told her you would reach out to her if you were interested in her apology."

"If I don't seek her out, I'll seem like a bitch," I grumbled. "And if I do, then it'll be like I want her apology, which I do not. She has reason to dislike me. She had expectations, and I ruined them. Maeve told me you took her to several alpha meetings. You dated her for several years."

Jax sighed. "I did not take her as my potential mate. She is high on the hierarchy. Once I make it known that Bridget is dead, she'll make an excellent candidate as my third."

I tried not to wrinkle my nose at that. "The easiest thing would be for you to let me go. You could take Kenzi as your mate. Even if you never create the bond with her, you could make it work. Your pack would be happy. That is your concern."

"And the threat to the mountain?"

I shrugged and turned back to the water. "It sounds like witches attacking witches. Maybe it has nothing to do with wolves. The crone likes to play games. Maybe she exaggerated her vision to see what would happen if I came to your pack."

Jax's fingers flexed around my waist, and then he pressed his back against mine. It took all of my strength not to lean against him.

"I'm not letting you go, Anna."