“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” This might not have been the us Graeson had hoped for, but I would stand by him in this. The mate thing was big. Huge. Neither of us had signed up for it. Graeson was…confused…about me, and my gift was to blame for that. The same gift that had apparently incensed his alpha. “From what Graeson’s told me, your alpha is an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy.”

Meaning if he viewed our bond as legitimate, he would also view it as a slap in the face that he was shut out of such a huge decision when I wasn’t a warg and therefore couldn’t be Graeson’s lifemate. Also meaning all the poking and prodding Bessemer would have done to test my fitness prior to welcoming me into the pack would now occur post-bond.

“Bessemer is a hard man.” Dell worried the hem of her borrowed shirt. “He has to be.”

A wolflike growl rumbled through my chest upon hearing the fear in her voice. Must be the dregs of Aisha’s blood yet to be flushed from my system. The fact remained I didn’t like how subdued Dell had been acting, as if someone had burst her usually bubbly personality. Her eyes widened at the guttural sound, as if it carried a message she understood. I cleared the tightness from my throat. “So it’s fair to say that Bessemer wouldn’t mind seeing his beta brought down a few notches.”

“More than,” she agreed.

Again the silent wolves drew my eye. Too bad the pack bond wasn’t a thing I could tap into at will. I would give a lot to know what those two were discussing. Without asking I knew Dell wouldn’t tip me off about the content, assuming she could pick up reception for their conversation.

This whole interlude made me wonder if, under normal circumstances, there were distinct channels you could tune into to converse with specific wolves. That would come in handy.

In the clearing, the standoff was ending. Not a drop of blood had been spilled. That was progress, right?

The alpha pair turned and left, the subtext clear: they weren’t afraid of turning their backs on Graeson.

I, however, had no trouble admitting my unease. I wasn’t taking my eyes off them, not even long enough to retreat inside the trailer. The tip of Graeson’s tail flicked my calf as he trotted past, but I kept my stare fixed until Aisha and Bessemer were gone and not so much as a tree limb swayed to betray their passage.