Page 76 of Tempting Fate

“You’re fucking kidding,” I say once Kieran has finished explaining.

“It’s everywhere,” Kieran says. He looks stricken. “Deacon’s waiting with Axel. I don’t—Em didn’t know about us, so that’s one thing, but he just got video of a wolf shifting.”

“Has he taken it down?”

“Yeah. Right after. Patch called Axel, and he told them to come in. Called me.” Kieran sighs. “But it doesn’t matter. I vouched for him.”

“You did? Why did you have to?”

Kieran shrugs. “He’s Patch’s mate. I thought he had everything in hand. But he lives with you and Nick, too, so we had to make a judgement call. If something accidentally slipped out, it’s not you or Nick or Em on the line. It’s me.”

“Us,” Lucien says from the front seat. Sam’s hands tighten on the wheel.

“Fuck,” I mutter. “So I—”

“He asked for you,” Kieran says, “or I wouldn’t have called you so late. They both did. Not that—no one thinks you’re to blame for this, of course. It’s pretty cut-and-dried.”

“Is it?”

“Apparently.”

We pull up outside Axel’s packhouse, and I follow the others to the door. I don’t know the wolf who answers, but she seems angry and gives me a particularly dismissive look. Sam steps back to walk me inside, hand hovering just above my lower back.

“Don’t let them see if you’re scared,” he murmurs as she leads us down a hallway. His packhouse looks like it’s a few flats knocked together in a larger building. I don’t know if she can hear us. “Nothing bad is going to happen, and if things do go wrong, I’ll get you and Em out of there. That’s my first priority.”

I glance over at him. “What about Patch?”

“He’s not part of our pack. He’s Axel’s responsibility.”

I frown. I don’t want him to be, but that’s his choice, I suppose, so I can’t fight it. I nod instead, and Sam drops into place behind me as we walk into a large office.

Em and Patch are sitting on separate chairs in the centre of the room. I don’t recognise anyone else, though I have to assume the muscular man sitting behind the desk is Alpha Axel. Another man, one who looks to be in his late forties, leans against the wall behind him and Kieran looks at him first, tilting his head to one side.

“Alpha Deacon,” he says, and the older-looking man nods in acknowledgement. “Alpha Axel.”

“Alpha Kieran,” Axel says. “I’d offer you a seat, but they’re all occupied.”

Kieran says nothing. Patch darts a look at him, then flinches, shoulders hunching up around his ears. Em stares down at his knees.

Neither of them looks at me. I want to scream. Why am I here?

“What exactly happened?” Kieran asks.

“Explain,” Axel bites out. He’s not looking at Kieran. He’s staring at Patch, who keeps his eyes down and shoulders tight.

I curl my hands into fists. I don’t like this. I know they’ve fucked up—both of them—and I’m about to find out how much, but this feels a lot like bullying.

Sam reaches over and takes hold of my wrist. He’s slow and gentle, but I get the warning. Alpha Deacon is watching me, not either of them. I let out a breath and, with it, relax my hands.

“I—I’ve been appearing as a wolf before Em for a week or so,” Patch says. His voice is faint, uncertain. “Tonight, I convinced him to follow me. I shifted. I wanted him to see… Wanted him to know.”

“Why?” Axel asks.

Patch does look up at him then, gaze stubbornly defiant. “Because he’s my mate.”

Sam’s grip on my wrist tightens. Probably for the best because I haven’t heard Patch say that yet, and it kind of hurts, and definitely makes me want to run right out of here. I’m here. Why am I here?

“A wolf revealing themselves to their mate is not a problem,” Kieran says. Axel looks at Patch again.