Page 97 of Poet & Protector

The commons

MASON

“Mason, could I have a moment?”

At the sound of Logan’s voice, I froze.

Ahead of me, Sabine was muscling Nev out of the commons. Good. He couldn’t be here for whatever happened next.

My eyelids drifted shut, a futile attempt to deny my new master’s request.

For the duration of the meeting, I’d barely followed the conversation. A low buzz persisted in my head as Logan spoke about houses, cars, logistics. I mostly stared at the floor, waiting for it to be over so I could get out of that room and away from him.

The only time I paid attention was when Logan dropped a bombshell by telling us a human named Shay Doran—who’d been the target of a Searcher attack outside Eden—was under the Keepers’ protection. Calla’s swift counterattack had saved Shay’s life. She’d killed one Searcher and captured another. The fact that she’d handled two enemies on her own was impressive, but I didn’t understand why Calla had been outside of the club and with Shay in the first place. Confusing the situation even further, Logan ordered our pack to welcome the human into our lives as a friend and instructed Calla to stay close to him.

Once I got over my initial bewilderment about our strange new human-sitting assignment, I put several pieces together. At that inexplicable moment in Eden when something unseen had claimed Logan’s attention, sparing Nev and I from whatever he planned to do with us, he must have been summoned by his father to deal with the aftermath of the Searcher ambush. Whoever Shay was to the Keepers, the surprise attack had spurred our masters into making his safety a priority, and our responsibility.

Logan’s startling and unprecedented command unsettled our already tense group even more. Though we were on the verge of becoming one, during this gathering the two wolf packs sat apart. Banes clustered to one side of the room, Nightshades on the other. I wanted to look at Nev but didn’t dare. Logan had already seen us together at lunch. I didn’t want the Keeper’s attention on me, but I was even more worried about him making Nev a target because of me.

“Strike one, Neville. You’d best keep count.”

That threat haunted my thoughts.

When Logan ended the meeting, dismissing us, I had a glimmer of hope that there would be nothing beyond simple pack business and I’d escape unscathed.

Luck wasn’t on my side it seemed because I was halfway across the room when Logan’s question stopped me.

“Could I have a moment?”

Such an innocuous request on the surface when it was anything but.

This is how it will be from now on. This is the beginning.

No. It began last week when Logan approached me the first time.

Not that it matters. Last week. At Eden. Now.

It all adds up to the same thing.

Logan will call my name. I’ll go to him.

How often will he call my name?

When I opened my eyes I found Calla gazing at me, her golden irises bright with fear, anger, and love. My alpha wanted to save me. She couldn’t.

I offered her a thin smile, and I started to turn back.

Calla followed, grasping my wrist tightly. “No.”

Oh, Calla. You don’t understand. There is no fight here. At least not one you can win.

I reminded myself that she was confronting this horror for the first time. The monster might have only come out from under my bed a few nights ago, but I’d always suspected it was there.

I gave a slight shake of my head and pulled free of her grasp.

“Calla!” Logan’s voice lashed out from behind me. “You have been dismissed.”

Ren came back for my alpha, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her away. His eyes met mine. I found an apology in his gaze as well as profound sorrow. This wasn’t new to the Bane alpha. He’d witnessed Sabine’s suffering for years.