Magnus

Mel was in a lousy mood.

It wasn't the kind of concern I could voice to anyone but Felix. Everyone else thought Mel was always bad-tempered and I wasn't stupid – I understood what they saw when they looked at her. She could be cranky and, okay, a bit of a bitch. This went beyond her usual snappishness, though.

I went downstairs in the morning to find her scrubbing the oven – never a good sign. When Mel did deep cleaning, it was a clear sign to stay the heck out of her way unless you were willing to be a target for the stress she was venting.

I noticed the cleaning and immediately started backing away as silently as I could... but then my foot caught on the bottom stair and I went sprawling down. My back hit the stairs badly (though is there any good way to land on stairs?) and I couldn't keep back a yelp of pain.

I looked to Mel, waiting for some kind of nasty remark, but she didn't even look my way. Her cheeks flushed red, but she just kept scrubbing the oven. If anything, she might have been scrubbing even harder. At what point was the oven in danger?

It didn't matter. I would sooner buy a new one than try to stop her with the mood she was in.

I got to my feet and started for the stairs again, but Mel said, "Wait."

She put the scrubber down and finally looked at me. There were tears in her eyes and my heart twisted at seeing her looking so hurt. I had read the situation all wrong. She wasn't upset or angry. She was stressed, but it was all worry. Worry for me.

"Hey, it's okay," I said.

It was the wrong thing to say.

She got to her feet and marched over to me so we stood toe-to-toe. She glared up at me with her fisted hands on her hips and said, "You don't know what you're talking about."

I held up my hands and tried to back up a step, but there was nowhere to go. I was boxed in. Triumph flashed in her eyes and she lifted a brow, watching while I tried to think my way out of this situation.

Finally, that spark of triumph died out and she sighed, dropping her hands at her sides. "Magnus, you don't know what's going to happen. None of us do."

I was leaving for the Summit this afternoon and I had been walking on eggshells with my sister all week, waiting for something like this. Foolishly, I had thought that her lack of explosion before today meant I was safe. Thankfully, I had been worrying enough about how things would go in Albuquerque that I felt pretty well-equipped to address her worries. "They won't hurt me, Mel. Not physically. The worst thing they'll do is strip my title."

That would be pretty terrible... but not for me. It would actually uncomplicate my life a lot. I would be free to follow Lachlan if he decided to move again and I could get back into teaching. That wasn't such a bad outlook. I was more worried about what would happen to the pack if the Summit removed me as their alpha.

Mel swatted at my arm sharply enough to sting. "I know the Summit won't hurt you!" she snapped. "It's Opal I'm worried about."

I looked away from her. Yeah, Opal was an unknown. I had spent the past week convincing myself that she wouldn't dare try to kill me to get me out of power, but the fear was persistent. Killing me wouldn't necessarily make her the alpha, though she had enough powerful friends that it really might work... but if she was ever connected to my death, her friends wouldn't be able to do anything to save her from the Summit's justice or from my siblings – and you could bet Mel and Felix wouldn't let her get away with it.

Still, the fear persisted.

Mel sighed and hugged me. "I don't want to freak you out, but it's good if you're a little scared about this. It means you'll be more careful."

I couldn't help smiling. I had the best sister. "I'll be careful," I promised. "You know I can take care of myself."

She smiled. "When you're not tripping on air, you're a decent fighter," she admitted.

I laughed. Mel had joked loads of times while we were growing up that my fighting strategy was to trip my opponent to death. If only that would work. "Thanks. And you know I'll have Roy and Tasha with me. They'll watch my back."

Oops, wrong thing to say. Tasha was a warrior who had joined our pack back when Mel was leading the defensive team – before Felix moved here with his family. Tasha was a great fighter, but she and Mel butted heads every single time they crossed paths. "I don't know why you're insisting on taking her instead of me," Mel said.

"Because you have a job with a human boss. You can't just disappear for who knows how long. Besides, I need you and Felix here to watch over the pack. I can't trust anyone else like I trust you guys." It was hard not to be exasperated. I had given this exact list of reasons to Mel every day and she refused to see reason.

Mel grew visibly more annoyed with every word and was positively steaming by the time I was finished. "Exactly why you should be taking one of us with you!" she exclaimed. "Magnus, you need to have people you trust absolutely to watch your back."

It was an argument we'd had several times in the past few days and I knew from experience there was only one way to end it: walking away. "I trust Roy and Tasha. I'll be okay, Mel." She opened her mouth but I quickly ducked under her outstretched arm and bolted up the stairs. "Catch you later!" I called like the coward I was.

"Magnus!" she yelled. "Magnus, I wasn't done with you!"

I made it to my room and shut the door, locking it for good measure. Mel didn't really have boundaries, not when there was something she wanted. I couldn't judge her too hard for that since I could be the same way.

Seconds later, my door shook as she pounded on it. The doorknob rattled and she let out a shriek of frustration. "Magnus, you don't walk away in the middle of a conversation! I know you were raised better than that!"

And, even though nothing about this situation was funny – not Mel's worry, not my fear, and certainly not the appeal Opal had filed against me – I couldn't help laughing. This was just so normal – running through the house and locking myself in a room while Mel yelled at me through the door. I had heard her shout exactly that at me through a door more times than I could ever count.

"Ugh, you're a child!" she said, and I heard the sound of her feet stomping away. She pounded down the stairs and something slammed in the kitchen.

I might have gone back down to comfort her, but it wouldn't do any good. Mel needed to be alone to work off her mad. Seeing me would just flare everything up again.

Besides, I had plans. Specifically, a mate who was waiting for me to arrive. I had intended to scarf down a bowl of cereal before driving out to his house, but now I was thinking I'd sneak downstairs and make a mad dash for the front door, breakfast be damned. Lachlan would feed me.

It wasn't a perfect plan, but my wallet and keys were down there, so sneaking out using my balcony wasn't an option. I waited a few minutes on the off-chance they let Mel cool off a little before opening the door slowly, wincing when it creaked a little. The sounds of Mel aggressively cleaning the kitchen didn't let up, so I crept out into the hallway and slowly made my way to the stairs.

Dishes clanked and I froze, then peered around the corner to find Mel looking up at me from the bottom of the staircase.

"Aren't you a little old to be sneaking around?" she asked.

"Apparently not."

Mel planted herself in the middle of the stairs, effectively blocking my exit, and I pouted at her. "C'mon, Mel. Lachlan is waiting for me."

Her eyes softened like they always did when I brought him up, but she quickly caught herself and glared at me. "I see where I rank."

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but she rolled her eyes and stepped aside. "It's fine, I get it," she said. "Tell him I said hi."

I knew better than to argue.

I dashed down the stairs and was out the door within a minute.

I tried to let the drive clear my head – it worked sometimes, focusing on a simple task while my other worries slipped away. The fog of anxiety was too thick, though. I might have felt okay if it was just Mel and me freaking out... but everyone else around me was acting strangely, too. Everyone but Lachlan.

Margery wouldn't let me help her in the kitchen, saying she didn't want to keep me away from my Summit preparation. She wouldn't listen when I told her I needed the distraction. What I didn't say was that I wanted to work in the kitchen because I needed to feel close to my pack while I still could. It was a maudlin thought and I didn't want my pack mates to start doubting me, so I couldn't voice it.

Roy was a whirlwind these days. Almost every time I saw him, he was in the middle of something or he was hurrying on to the next place. We hardly had time to communicate outside of e-mails and texts, which wasn't very comforting when he was the person I was relying on to get me through this ordeal.

My pack members were generally skittish around me. Rooms got noticeably quieter when I walked in. Sometimes I even heard shushing noises, so I knew they were talking about me behind my back. It wasn't the kind of environment I ever imagined Tourmaline would foster, but I could hardly blame them for wanting to talk about the Summit appeal. I just wished they would talk about it with me.

Maybe they didn't trust me quite as much as I had hoped.

It was disheartening, but at least I had Lachlan to get me through. He had been quieter the past few days and sometimes I caught him looking sad when he thought my focus was on something else. He was worried too, but at least when I was with him, I didn't feel so separate.

Lachlan had the front door open while I was still getting out of my car and he watched me with hungry eyes as I walked up the driveway.

This was my last time with him until I got back from Albuquerque, and I didn't know how long I would be gone. I pushed that knowledge deep down where it didn't hurt so sharply. Roy thought we'd be back in a few days. I could cling to that for now.

When I was still a few steps away from him, Lachlan launched himself at me in a tight hug that had me staggering back a few steps. I hugged him back until he stepped away and looked up at me with luminous eyes.

"How long until you have to leave?" he asked softly.

I cleared my throat, hoping to unblock some of the emotion that had built up before he heard it in my voice. "I should leave around eleven." That gave us almost three hours. "Sorry I couldn't come sooner. I way underestimated how long it would take to pack."

Lachlan rolled his eyes and held his front door open for me. "I told you it would have been better to pack yesterday."

The instant we were both shut in his house, he gripped me by my hips and pressed me back against the door. His eyes locked on mine as he stepped in closer to me, his gaze so intense I felt dwarfed by him even though I was a good half-foot taller. It was a distinctly odd feeling, but I liked it. Lachlan's grip on my hips tightened, but it wasn't painful; it was... exciting.

"Magnus, I need you to give me a straight answer: are you going to be in any danger while you're away?" he asked, wiping the smile from my face.

I considered how to answer him, but there was no getting around the truth even if I really didn't want to have this conversation again today. I couldn't promise there would be no danger. "Probably not."

Lachlan glared at me. "Probably?" he repeated.

I licked my lips nervously and his eyes locked onto my mouth. My heart beat faster in my chest even though I knew – I knew – there wouldn't be any messing around today. Lachlan had been getting better at following his no-skin contact rule while we got to know each other better.

But what I wouldn't do for a slip-up right now.

"Magnus, focus," Lachlan demanded.

I was focusing, but on all the wrong things. I was starting to get hard enough that my jeans were uncomfortable and he had no idea what he was doing to me right now. No, he was standing there, waiting for an answer while my mind went almost completely blank.

"Magnus!"

I shook my head and tried to back away from him. If he wanted to have a coherent conversation right now, I needed a little distance. Since I was already against a wall, there was nowhere to go without breaking his hold on me and I would never willingly do that. "What was the question?"

"You're not taking this seriously," Lachlan said. He threw his hands in the air and stepped away from me, leaving me shaken and wanting as he paced the room.

I shut my eyes and focused on anything but the phantom feel of his hands gripping me and the memory of his eyes fixed so intensely on my own. I tried and failed to tune out the scent of him, which was strong here in his home even though he hadn't lived here for long. When I was done, I opened my eyes to find Lachlan sitting on his couch, watching me.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Not really," I said, and sat down next to him. "We can talk now, though."

Lachlan nodded slowly. "I'm just worried. If something happens to you while you're gone, I won't know. The people you're traveling with have no idea I'm your mate, so they won't know to call me."

Warmth spread through me as it did any time Lachlan acknowledged the bond between us. "I really don't think anyone will try to hurt me, but if something did happen, they'd call Felix and Mel. I gave both of them your phone number, so you don't have to worry about not being kept in the loop."

"I don't like it," Lachlan said, glaring at the wall behind me.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll check in with you often. That's the best I can do. I have to go," I said. He was reasonable; I knew he would understand.

And he did. Lachlan sucked his lower hip into his mouth while he thought, and when he looked at me again, it was with clear eyes. "Okay. Let's just have a nice morning."

My stomach rumbled. "Can we start with breakfast?"

Lachlan smiled and rolled his eyes. "You know, dating a werewolf feels an awful lot like having a dog. I feed you, I take you for walks... you want me to give you a bone."

Lachlan glanced over his shoulder at me, smirking. My mouth went dry and I tripped. Lachlan darted forward to catch me by my forearms – our first skin-to-skin contact in four days. I closed my eyes and relished the exquisite feeling while I could. All too soon, Lachlan released me and stepped away.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice shaky.

I looked at him and saw that his eyes were looking a little glazed and his pupils were dilated.

At least I wasn't the only one suffering.

"Yeah, I'm good."

We went to the kitchen and Lachlan got me a bowl of yogurt with fruit and granola. He leaned against the counter eating an apple while I shoveled food into my mouth. Usually I would have had breakfast and a snack by this time of day, so I was painfully hungry.

Lachlan's eyes were bright while he watched me. It was a perfect moment. I had my mate, I had food. I was happy to put everything else out of my mind for a while.

Happy to... but not able to. I was only halfway through the bowl when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and my heart sank when I saw it was Felix calling. He knew that I was spending time with Lachlan while I still could and wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important.

"I have to take this," I told Lachlan. He came and sat down next to me, watching with concern-filled eyes.

"Hello?"

"Magnus, I'm sorry about this, but I need you to come back to Tourmaline. Something's come up and we could use your intervention."

I wasn't even gone yet and they already needed me to come back? That really didn't bode well. I stared at Lachlan, absolutely horrified. I was supposed to have hours left with him. I had wasted all our time getting horny and eating. "Okay. I'll be over soon," I said.

"Sorry about this, really. Why don't you bring Lachlan? I can take him home for you later if there isn't time for you to do it."

Now that was a tempting idea, but I didn't even know what I would be bringing him into. "What's going on over there?"

"Just a dispute. Nothing violent, but it'll be resolved much cleaner and quicker with the alpha's intervention. I'm not officially in charge until you leave, and even then, I don't have the authority you do. So bring Lachlan."

Could people not keep it together for a few days? Really? "I'll talk to him. See you soon."

I hung up the phone and shut my eyes for a few seconds, trying to come to some kind of acceptance about our dashed plans. Lachlan rested his hand on my arm and I opened my eyes. He had his sleeve pulled down over his hand, but I could still feel his warmth, and it was better than nothing.

"What are you supposed to ask me?"

"I have to go back to Tourmaline – part of my job is mediating and apparently there's some dispute. Felix said it would be safe to bring you with me and that he can take you home later. Would you come with me?"

Lachlan had been to the pack a couple more times since Callie's barbeque and I thought he liked it. However, this would be the first time Lachlan would be around werewolves without me. I wouldn't have time to bring Lachlan home and make it to the airport in time since they were in opposite directions of each other.

Lachlan didn't look concerned, though. He just smiled a little and said, "Sure, I'll come with you."