Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“To me?”
I nodded.
“So this ghost wanted to say what to me?”
Whenever I spoke to ghosts, spirits, any kind of spectral anything, I spoke in a lower register than humans could hear. If Teague had been there, or Ondine, they would have heard me, because that was in their wheelhouse as well, but the shifters in the room with me had seen my lips moving but heard no sound.
“It wanted you to know its death was unnatural.”
“What?”
“The bones that were found, whoever they belong to, their death wasn’t natural.”
“So the bones that were recovered on pack land—”
“How can that be?” Abel broke in, coming around the bed to stand beside Cole. “We haven’t been there long enough to bury any of our dead and—oh.” He went still, the words dying in his throat.
“What’s wrong?” Narah asked him.
“I was just reminded that there are members of our pack in cemeteries in New York, meaning we do, in fact, have people that we’ve left behind in Matthias Haviland’s territory.”
“Yes, but the dead have never been counted as part of the pack once they pass. Matthias can’t possibly believe we still owe him anything because of that.”
“That’s the only reason I can think of as to why he sent Tuss to demand tribute,” Abel told her before turning to the rest of us. “I’m sorry, everyone, but I’ve been trying to work out what the Haviland Pack was doing here, and why, and I’ve been mulling it over for days.”
“Have you tried calling Matthias at this point?” Cole asked him.
“He won’t speak to me, which of course makes sense. We killed his men; he only has blood on his mind now.”
“Which means he will return,” I stated.
“Yes, and when he does come, I would like you to stand with us, Merritt.”
Cole stood up, and because the room was cramped and full of people, Abel had to take a step back or be nose to nose with his nephew, which I was certain he hated.
“You can’t ask Merritt to help us fight another pack,” Cole blurted out. “He has no blood pact with us, no mating—”
“But there could be one. I know that Justin—”
“Alpha,” Cole began, and his voice had a hard edge to it, “you cannot mean to suggest that Merritt—”
“Your son needs to expand your pack,” Narah chimed in as I moved my chair closer to Evan, making more room for Cole, “and I know you don’t want him to mate with Merritt. That was made very clear on Friday evening.”
Abel immediately said that wasn’t true, and Narah argued that it certainly was; she’d seen his reaction to me Friday night. Justin was quick to add that he wasn’t ready to even consider having a mate and that his father needed to get the idea of an arranged anything out of his head.
I could have said something, because the alpha was basically trying to make decisions about my future with no input from me, but I wasn’t a big believer in adding to the noise. Once everyone got whatever they wanted to say out and calmed down, that was when I normally spoke my piece, gave an opinion, or said yes or no. The same thing happened at the restaurant every now and then. There was yelling, people talking over one another, and when it was done, I made suggestions that were then debated. Everything always worked out. It would be the same here once everyone was done.
“Everyone needs to stop,” Cole ordered, and it was impressive how quickly there was total silence. He looked at Abel. “I know the pack politics are important, I do. I understand that as the alpha your concern is everyone, but at the moment, I think we need to figure out what is going on with the bones that were found on the pack land and what that has to do with Evan.”
After a tense moment, Abel said, “Yes, of course.”
Cole took a seat again, turning his chair so he was no longer facing me, but back at my side. Reggie and Fletcher crowded around the bed, Fletcher near Evan’s head on the left, Reggie on the other side of me on his right.
“So the ghost who possessed me is related to me?” Evan asked.
“In your line, yes,” I told him. “And when the bones are identified, we’ll know who it is and what was unnatural about their death.”
“Excuse me.”
We all turned to the nurse standing just outside the door, glaring.
“I know Evan will be leaving us soon, but we can’t have raised voices on the ward. It’s not permitted. We have other sick people here who desperately need their rest, so if you’re going to continue with the yelling, you need to do it outside of the hospital.”
“Yes, of course. We apologize,” Narah said quickly.
The nurse glanced around the room, making sure we’d all heard her, then left.