non-Alpha with impulse control problems, he thought, then pushed it quickly from his mind. That wasn’t going to happen again.
For both their sakes now, it couldn’t.
Bane was looking at him, his dark eyes shrewd. “That’s a noble thought, Jenner. And I think you mean it on some level. But I also know you. Loyal as you are, you don’t put yourself out for just anyone.” He looked out the window at the fiery trees, pensive. “You know the rules. Gaines was one of the Silverback. They cut him loose, and he bit Mia. If they want to force the issue about where she belongs, they very well can.”
“We found her,” Jenner pointed out. “Our men saved her. That should make her one of us.”
Bane shook his head. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but Kenyon Chase wants her. It’s pretty obvious.”
Anger, and some other, even darker emotion, reared its ugly head. The hairs on the back of Jenner’s neck prickled to attention. “This isn’t the Dark Ages, Bane, and those are some old rules you’re talking about invoking. Mia’s stronger than she looks. She got through last night and she hasn’t come close to breaking yet. You think she’s going to take it if the Silverback tell her she’s got to take one of them, no choice?”
Bane’s gaze was piercing. “You know very well there are ways around that. If I tell our men to back off, let Kenyon court her or whatever he’s got in mind, she’ll never think twice about the possibility that she had anything less than free choice.”
Jenner curled his lip and turned his head, hating this conversation. “Don’t you think she’s been manipulated enough?”
A pause, then a heavy sigh. “Look, Jenner,” Bane said. “I get that this is a sore spot with you. You’re entitled. But you’ve got to separate this from what happened with you and Tess. It’s been years.”
Jenner’s head snapped around. It was all he could do not to bare his teeth, an action that would have been a grave mistake. Bane was a fair man, but he didn’t tolerate disrespect.
“This has nothing to do with Tess,” he managed to grit out.
“Sure it does. She was one of the most manipulative women I’ve ever known. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t finally seen through her, Jenner.”
Jenner exhaled loudly. He hated talking about it, even though it had been years. Sometimes he thought he should have known so he could have stopped her sooner. Other times he wondered if he might have been able to save her instead of—
“No, quit it. I can see the pity party starting, and you should be way past that. The Shadowkin hunt us, we hunt them. If a wolf heads to their side, it means either their death, or all of ours. You did the right thing.” Bane’s tone brooked no argument, and Jenner knew he was right on some level. Most levels, even.
“Yeah, I try to look at it that way,” Jenner said with a small shrug, an attempt to cover how strongly he felt about it. “Would be easier if I didn’t think there was still some part of her in there that wanted to stop and do the right thing, even at the end.”
“It would have been a small part, because she never did. She caused the deaths of some good wolves, Jenner. Don’t do them the disservice of forgetting.”
“You know I wouldn’t,” Jenner replied flatly, his temper prickling again. “Now if you’re finished lecturing me about old news, again, I’m sure you can think of someone more interesting to bother. You want to let Chase paw at a feral victim because of some archaic notion of property rights? Go for it...on your own watch. While I’m keeping track of her, it isn’t going to happen.”
Bane’s eyes flashed, and Jenner knew the man well enough to realize that the long, slow exhalation that followed was an attempt to refrain from shouting. Jenner had to fight back a smirk, despite his anger. It took a lot to get Bane to this point, but he’d always been pretty good at it.
“Would it kill
For both their sakes now, it couldn’t.
Bane was looking at him, his dark eyes shrewd. “That’s a noble thought, Jenner. And I think you mean it on some level. But I also know you. Loyal as you are, you don’t put yourself out for just anyone.” He looked out the window at the fiery trees, pensive. “You know the rules. Gaines was one of the Silverback. They cut him loose, and he bit Mia. If they want to force the issue about where she belongs, they very well can.”
“We found her,” Jenner pointed out. “Our men saved her. That should make her one of us.”
Bane shook his head. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but Kenyon Chase wants her. It’s pretty obvious.”
Anger, and some other, even darker emotion, reared its ugly head. The hairs on the back of Jenner’s neck prickled to attention. “This isn’t the Dark Ages, Bane, and those are some old rules you’re talking about invoking. Mia’s stronger than she looks. She got through last night and she hasn’t come close to breaking yet. You think she’s going to take it if the Silverback tell her she’s got to take one of them, no choice?”
Bane’s gaze was piercing. “You know very well there are ways around that. If I tell our men to back off, let Kenyon court her or whatever he’s got in mind, she’ll never think twice about the possibility that she had anything less than free choice.”
Jenner curled his lip and turned his head, hating this conversation. “Don’t you think she’s been manipulated enough?”
A pause, then a heavy sigh. “Look, Jenner,” Bane said. “I get that this is a sore spot with you. You’re entitled. But you’ve got to separate this from what happened with you and Tess. It’s been years.”
Jenner’s head snapped around. It was all he could do not to bare his teeth, an action that would have been a grave mistake. Bane was a fair man, but he didn’t tolerate disrespect.
“This has nothing to do with Tess,” he managed to grit out.
“Sure it does. She was one of the most manipulative women I’ve ever known. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t finally seen through her, Jenner.”
Jenner exhaled loudly. He hated talking about it, even though it had been years. Sometimes he thought he should have known so he could have stopped her sooner. Other times he wondered if he might have been able to save her instead of—
“No, quit it. I can see the pity party starting, and you should be way past that. The Shadowkin hunt us, we hunt them. If a wolf heads to their side, it means either their death, or all of ours. You did the right thing.” Bane’s tone brooked no argument, and Jenner knew he was right on some level. Most levels, even.
“Yeah, I try to look at it that way,” Jenner said with a small shrug, an attempt to cover how strongly he felt about it. “Would be easier if I didn’t think there was still some part of her in there that wanted to stop and do the right thing, even at the end.”
“It would have been a small part, because she never did. She caused the deaths of some good wolves, Jenner. Don’t do them the disservice of forgetting.”
“You know I wouldn’t,” Jenner replied flatly, his temper prickling again. “Now if you’re finished lecturing me about old news, again, I’m sure you can think of someone more interesting to bother. You want to let Chase paw at a feral victim because of some archaic notion of property rights? Go for it...on your own watch. While I’m keeping track of her, it isn’t going to happen.”
Bane’s eyes flashed, and Jenner knew the man well enough to realize that the long, slow exhalation that followed was an attempt to refrain from shouting. Jenner had to fight back a smirk, despite his anger. It took a lot to get Bane to this point, but he’d always been pretty good at it.
“Would it kill
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