Donovan sighed. “Let me get the flight sorted. I’ll be heading out as soon as I can.” He ended the call before Vivian could say anything else, then threw the phone on the bed and held his face in his hands. “Shite. This is a fecking mess.”

I wasn’t sure how to help. Losing a second was like losing an arm. The second took charge when the Alpha was away. They had to be steadfast, smart, and trustworthy. Otherwise, the second would challenge the Alpha and cause all sorts of problems. Finding a good one… It was like a million to one, and there weren’t a million werewolves.

With Donovan’s schedule as one of the Seven, he was going to need to find another amazing second or either give up the pack or the Council entirely. From what I knew about him, giving up the pack wasn’t a real option. He’d been the Irish pack’s Alpha for a very long time, and he wouldn’t want to let his pack go. That meant he might have to leave the Seven which no one had ever done before. Council members only left the Seven when they died.

So he had to do the impossible. Find a new second. Very, very quickly. With everything that I’d just learned about his pack…

He was right. This was a fecking mess.

Donovan rolled off the bed and grabbed his laptop before coming back. “I think I can have my plane ready in a few hours.”

He made a quick call, pacing the room as he talked and giving me a chance to figure out what I was going to do. Because there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. This was it. This was what Cosette warned me about.

I should stay home. Donovan would be totally fine with that—he’d probably prefer it—but I couldn’t. It was dumb. I wasn’t ready to face a mess of this size. I wasn’t strong enough. But that didn’t matter. I was Donovan’s mate, and abandoning him when he needed me was not an option. Even if it meant facing my darkest hour. Whatever the hell that was.

He clicked off the phone and turned to me. “All right. I’m heading out at six.”

I checked the clock. That was in four hours. “Okay. I can be ready. I need to—”

“Absolutely not.”

“Yes. I am.”

“No, you’re not.” This time he threw some command behind his words. “I’ve got a dead second. A crazy Were. Cosette warning you…” He paused. “No. I’ll not allow it.”

“You won’t allow it?” Oh, boy. He was grieving and upset, so I tried not to get angry, but it took some doing. “I’m your mate. You don’t get to order me around.” I stepped up to him. “I’m going with you.”

“I can’t guarantee your protection. If it’s fey… If it’s not…” He let out a breath. “My best friend should’ve had his own pack by now, but he stayed on as my second out of loyalty. Whatever took him down, it’s supernatural. It’d have to be. I can’t tell what’s going on yet, but I know it’s dangerous and I don’t want you anywhere near it.”