For the record, I was going with option two.

And apparently, so was Jase.

“You don’t believe me?” Sarvarna asked.

“I’m a coyote—”

“One of the strongest coyotes I’ve ever met. By the time you’re in your prime you’ll easily be the most dominant coyote Shifter in decades, if not centuries.”

“I’m not—”

“You are.” Some rustling and chair being scooted against the floor. “Trust me, Jase. You’re special. I’ve Seen it. In the future, you could be a Stratego. Don’t you want that? Don’t you want to be one of us?”

“You know I would be honored. Anyone would be. It’s just that Talley isn’t really sure about the whole thing, and she’s my mate. I can’t just drag her into it. That wouldn’t be fair.”

“What if she wasn’t your mate?”

I swear I heard Jase gulp.

“What do you mean? I’ve made my declaration.”

“I am the Alpha Female, Jase, or have you forgot?”

“Of course not, but—”

“There are no buts. My power is absolute. And if, during the hearing to determine whether Talley belongs to you or her father’s Pack, I should decide that you were sincere in your declaration but refuse to accept it based on the Alpha Pack’s need of you both to be unattached, then you would be free.”

“And Talley…?”

“She can return to either the Matthews Pack or Hagan Pack, or join us. It would be her call.”

There was a long silence, and I knew Jase was thinking over the offer. Don’t do it, I thought at him so hard my head ached. If the White Witch offers you Turkish Delights, tell her to shove off. Come on, Jase. You know this is wrong.

“And just like that, Talley wouldn’t be my mate any more?”

“She’s not your mate now.”

“I made a declaration.”

“And it was a brilliant strategic move. Really, I applaud you on your choice. Talley has a reasonable amount of power, more so than most Seers in your area. By claiming her, you solidified your position as the most Dominant Shifter in the Southern United States, if not all of this country. But it wasn’t necessary. You would have been anyway. Let me relieve you of your burden.”

My dislike of Sarvarna transformed into pure, unadulterated hatred at that moment. Locking me in a cage and threatening my life was bad enough, but referring to Talley as burden in that snotty British accent, sounding as if she was speaking about something gooey clinging to the bottom of her shoe? Unacceptable. I waited for the sound of Jase’s fist connecting with her face.

It never came. Instead, I heard, “What do you need from me?”

“I require only what you should freely offer - loyalty to your fellow Shifters above all things.”

A tear rolled down my cheek as Jase sealed my fate with the words, “You have it.”

Chapter 25

“Things aren’t always how they appear.”

I rolled my eyes at Alex, who was sitting on the ground with Nicole in his lap as I wore a path in the strip of beach that was quickly becoming as constrictive as my cage. “Thanks for that bit of deep, inspired wisdom. I feel so much better now.”

“I’m just saying, you weren’t in that room. Sure, it sounded like Jase is making a deal to turn you over to the She-Devil in exchange for a place in the Alpha Pack, but that might not really be what is going down. You should have a little more faith in your brother.”

I wanted to have more faith in Jase. I really, truly did. But Jase is nothing if not opportunistic. He likes being on top, being one of the cool kids. Sarvarna was offering him admittance into the coolest of the cool kid clubs in all of Shifterdom. Would he being willing to turn his back on me to get in? Twenty-four ago I would’ve said no, but that conversation was hard to dispute, no matter what Alex said.

“What’s the trial going to be like?” I asked, watching as my feet moved across the dirt. Step, two, three, four. Pivot. Step, two, three, four. Pivot. Second verse, same as the first.

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean, I don’t know. It wasn’t like I ever got put on trial for anything. Unlike you, I was a good little Shifter.”

I stopped so he would get the full brunt of my evil eye. “Now you’re just being a brat.”

He leapt up in one of those graceful, only a Shifter can do it moves that always managed to give my heart a little jump. He really was beautiful. If nothing else, I was glad I continued to have these dreams just so I wouldn’t forget what he looked like.

“Sorry,” he said, coming to a stop in front of me as the puppy leapt around our feet eagerly. I shivered slightly as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “I was just trying to lighten things up a little bit. I don’t really know what to say or do here. This Spirit Guide gig doesn’t come with a manual or anything.”

“What? You didn’t get your Handbook for the Recently Deceased? I’m pretty sure those are standard issue.”

Alex showed his dimples. “Big, hardback thing with a cover straight out of 1955? Looked boring. Tossed it in the garbage.”

I stepped into his arms and rested my head on his shoulder. Things had changed since my big revelation about how this was all just another aspect of my newly minted mental illness. We still touched, but it was more out of comfort than hormones. Still, the feel of his body against mine was one of the most divine things in the world. If only I could stay there forever.

Wait…

“Alex, what happens when someone dies?” Muscles tightened beneath my cheek. “Will I get to come here and be with you?”

“You are not going to die.”

“Sorry, but the Magic 8 Ball says, ‘All signs point to yes.’” I was to an odd point of acceptance about the whole thing. Maybe it was the depression talking, but ridding myself of all the drama didn’t sound like the worst thing to ever happen. And if dying meant being with Alex, wherever he was now, I was okay with that.

Alex, however, was not okay with it. At all. Most of my sleeping hours in the cage were spent on the beach, and an overwhelming number of them involved Alex hatching stellar defenses and elaborate escape plans. I went back and forth between being annoyed by his single-mindedness and feeling relief that my subconscious was fighting so hard to keep me alive.