Lachlan

I was eating a late lunch in the kitchen, looking around and trying to assimilate that this place was my home now. It was harder to believe when Magnus wasn't here with me, but he and Jason had gone to the pack house to help Anita snoop.

Still... it was a nice place. Safiya was going to absolutely love it, with its homey touches and with the big, open spaces. There were a lot of windows, so it was bright inside even though none of the lights were on. Natural light was so much more pleasant than artificial – it might be my favorite part of the house, after the balcony. Okay, and after Magnus' bathroom. That shower was incredible.

Mel had been in her bedroom since before I came down to make a sandwich, but she bounded down the stairs now, pausing for just a moment too long when she saw me.

Awkward.

This was her home and I wasn't sure Magnus had even warned her before I moved in. I set my sandwich down, suddenly much less hungry than I had been a minute ago, and studied her.

After a long moment of watching each other, Mel's eyes crinkled and she smiled softly. "I was actually hoping to catch you alone," she said, coming to sit across from me.

"Oh?"

"I just... I wanted to know how you felt about your mate's older sister living with you." Before I could respond, she hurriedly added, "I want the truth. No hard feelings no matter what."

Actually... I hadn't really thought about Mel living here. And if Mel was planning to stay, did that mean Jason would too? For that matter, how exactly was their relationship supposed to work? He would have to go back to his job after Magnus' case was closed, wouldn't he?

It was obvious I was trying Mel's patience. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her fingers against them as she watched me and waited. "It doesn't bother me," I said honestly. I knew how much Magnus loved her, and this really was too much house for two people. I had thought that all along.

"You're not telling me everything," she accused.

I held up my hands placatingly. "It's the truth, I swear. I was just wondering about how Jason fits into all this."

Mel sighed and sagged back against her chair. "Yeah, I wonder that too. We kind of jumped into the mating and now we're trying to figure out how we can both keep our jobs without barely seeing each other."

I grimaced sympathetically. That did sound hard. At least my job could be done from anywhere with an internet connection. Jason's would take him all over, and Mel's... well, I wasn't totally sure what she did for a living. "Any ideas so far?" I asked.

Mel shrugged and took the untouched half of my sandwich from my plate. She took a bite and grimaced. "Ugh, mustard."

"Serves you right," I said, glaring at the sandwich she tossed back onto my plate. I got up and made another sandwich, cutting it in half this time before putting mustard on one side of it. When I sat back down, I took my half and slid the plate to Mel, who smiled gratefully.

"So, do you have any ideas?" I prodded.

"Not really. I need to stay local for my job and Jason has to travel for his. We don't really have a choice here. Either we have a long-distance relationship or one of us finds another job." Mel took a massive bite, then sighed dramatically after she chewed and swallowed. "I'd rather give up my job than be separated from him so often."

"I can imagine," I said. No way would I do anything that kept me from Magnus for long.

"But... I don't want to leave my family behind. I've been hoping Jason will be the one to switch jobs. That sounds awful, but he doesn't have roots like I do. Besides, there aren't really any paralegal jobs I can have that will let me travel with him. I could find a job in Albuquerque and we would see each other more than if I lived here, but he would still be away a lot."

"Have you talked about this with Jason?" I asked. Mel's situation was interesting, but not as interesting as the fact that she was choosing to confide in me. We didn't know each other that well, not really. I studied Mel, looking for some hint of what was going on in her mind.

She scowled. "What?"

Well, Magnus always said Mel was direct and appreciated -honesty. "Why are you talking to me about this?"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "You're family. Besides, the others are too invested in me staying local. If I went to them about this, they would get all worried and upset. You, though – you wouldn't care a bit. Makes you the perfect person to help me sort this out."

Interesting logic, but she was wrong about one thing: I did care that she might have to leave because I knew how upset Magnus would be. Not that I'd ever tell Mel that.

I finished off my sandwich and licked the mustard off my fingers – not something I would normally do in front of others, but if this was my home now then I needed to start acting like it. Mel pulled a face at me but didn't say anything. I took a drink of water while I studied my increasingly-agitated sister-in-law. "I can't help you," I finally said.

She huffed and stood up, throwing her chair back as she did. "Really? That's it?"

"This is between you and Jason. You've got to talk to him about it."

I caught the flash of uncertainty in Mel's dark eyes before she crossed her arms over her chest and shuttered her expression. Hell. She was really nervous about this. I stood too so we would be on the same level and said, "He's your mate, Meleri. He's going to do what he can to make you happy. And if you end up going with him, you know your brothers will understand."

Mel stared at me, her expression inscrutable. Then she slowly nodded and a little smile quirked her lips up on one side. "Thanks for the talk," she said, heading for the stairs. She paused on the first step and looked back at me. "And welcome to the family."

I cleared away the lunch dishes with a little smile on my face. I hadn't particularly cared before about getting Mel's approval, but it was nice to know I had it.

--

I finished unpacking the bags I had brought and then spent a while poking around the house, trying to get accustomed to the space. It was only mid-afternoon at this point and I was getting a little restless being in this big, empty house without Magnus. Even though it was probably a stupid idea, I headed out for a walk.

I might not be officially part of the pack and they might not officially know I was their alpha's mate, but I had been to a couple of events now, so I was at least a familiar face – and even if I was caught "trespassing," what was the worst that would happen? They'd bring me to Magnus?

Hmm... maybe I should try to get caught.

Of course, the few people I passed waved cheerily at me or ignored my presence altogether and the wolves I saw in the forest just looked me over and moved on. Maybe I should be worried about Magnus' security here.

I did a big loop through the forest and wound up at the back of the pack house. With a shrug, I headed inside. The kitchen was in chaos and when I walked in, a couple of people glanced my way. Their eyes filled with visible alarm. One of them did a good job quickly schooling his features, but the other not-so-subtly nudged the person next to him. She looked at me and snorted.

Slowly, the chaos fizzled out as more and more of the people cooking noticed I was here with varying reactions. It was easy to tell that they weren't preparing for an ordinary pack dinner. I'd seen that particular hustle before and it was much more organized – not to mention that its participants had never looked so panicked/surprised/guilty upon seeing me before. And I knew – I knew exactly what this was. Magnus was throwing another barbecue.

And based on these reactions, it had something to do with me.

I wanted to roll my eyes – he knew I didn't need any fanfare, whatever this was about, but some part of me I hadn't even known existed was flattered and pleased. My mind raced with possibilities and landed on the likeliest: maybe he was celebrating our mating. The thought made my cheeks heat and I couldn't stop a big, dopey smile from taking over.

Next time I saw Magnus, I was going to do whatever it took to make him feel how deeply I adored him. Maybe against a wall or bent over a table or...

I shook my head and walked through the kitchen, heading down the hall until I found a staircase up. Magnus was probably busy right now, but it couldn't hurt to check, right?

I ran up the stairs, grinning when it was far easier than the last time I climbed them as a human. My breath was coming only a little faster when I reached the top and my muscles felt pleasantly used. They were relaxed and ready for more, and more than ever I wanted to grab Magnus, drag him out to the woods, and explore my new body – in more ways than one. I wanted to run, jump, and climb. Then I wanted to find a nice, private place to press Magnus up against a tree and take him again. Somehow, I wanted him even more badly now that I had been inside him. Usually losing the curiosity and newness of a partner was enough to cool me off, but I didn't think I'd go a day without wanting him, not for the rest of my life.

The thought had me chafing against my jeans as I grew uncomfortably hard, so I made the walk to Magnus' office with bowed legs and shuffling steps. The door opened before I could knock and Magnus' expression quelled every ounce of lust. He looked... afraid? Yes, that was actual fear in his eyes. How had I not picked up that something was wrong through our link? I concentrated on it, on that intangible but very real connection between myself and Magnus, and I realized he was doing something to block me out. As he stared wide-eyed down at me, the walls between us crumbled and his emotions hit me full-force.

He wasn't just afraid; Magnus was terrified.

The sound of footsteps behind Magnus caught my attention and I stepped around him to see who was in his office. It was a woman, maybe a few years older than Magnus was, with a platinum blonde braid hanging down over one of her shoulders and almost reaching her hips. Her skin was nut brown, which made me think the hair color was fake. Her eyes were piercing, an icy blue color that belonged in a magazine somewhere. They weren't what made me shiver, though; no, that was the glint in her eyes. I knew that expression, had seen it far too many times in the eyes of the people who had almost caught me over the years.

Assurance and the thrill of a victory she was sure of, that's what that glint meant. The woman had clearly done or said something to terrorize my mate and now she almost looked gloating. I snatched Magnus' wrist, fully prepared to tug him behind myself even though he was a trained fighter and I wasn't. She didn't look physically threatening and I thought Magnus would feel better with a barrier between himself and her. He held firm when I tried pulling him, though, and I looked back up at him for some kind of explanation.

The woman spoke up instead, closing the distance between us and sticking out her hand. "Opal Reyes," she introduced.

I froze. I knew that name. This was the woman who was trying to depose Magnus. Why was she here? Was it not enough to be pulling strings behind the scenes? And how had she even made it to Magnus' office? Surely, his guards would have turned her back before now. Surely, she couldn't be welcome here.

But Opal wasn't done. "I'm here to join the Tourmaline pack."

I looked up at Magnus for his reaction, but he clenched his jaw and wouldn't meet my eyes, staring hard at the floor instead. I looked back at her and saw that the glint in her eyes had grown to a full-blown gloating expression, complete with a nasty smirk twisting her full lips. "See, my mate is a member of Tourmaline. Gage Phillips. Pack policy says that mates of pack members skip the application process. I'm transferring in effective today."

"Where's Jason?" I asked Magnus through our link. He was a lawyer. There had to be a way out of this, and if there was, Jason would find it. We'd get Mel on the case, too. I didn't know anyone who was half as headstrong as her, not even Safiya. Between the two of them, they would get Magnus out of this.

If not, Opal would be within her rights to challenge Magnus for his alpha position. The rules in Magnus' pack didn't allow for death matches, but that didn't mean an accident wouldn't happen, and it didn't mean she wouldn't maim him. So Opal couldn't be allowed in. She just couldn't.

"Jason is supervising Anita's interviews," Magnus answered. Even his mental voice was trembling with fear.

So Jason would be useless for now.

I looked back to the gloating Opal and said, "I'm Lachlan, Magnus' mate. There's a family matter that requires immediate attention, so I'm afraid we'll have to postpone your meeting."

Opal imperiously raised a brow and shifted her stance. It didn't escape my notice that she stood with her feet better positioned for a fight. "You're not getting out of this," she said. "Stalling is just a waste of time."

"Magnus will be available at six," I said, choosing not to respond to her words. "You can speak with him then." That would give Jason an hour to come up with some kind of loophole against Opal joining Tourmaline, or at least to help us stall while he searched for one.

"Fine. I'll see you at six." Opal nodded pseudo-respectfully at Magnus and strode out of the office.

We didn't speak or move until several long moments after the stairwell door shut behind Opal. Then, it was like a mutual thaw. Magnus and I simultaneously turned and reached for each other. He pulled me so tightly against him that my feet dangled down toward the floor, and I took the opportunity to wrap my legs around his hips, burrowing as tightly against him as I could manage.

"She's going to challenge me," Magnus said. "I don't think I can beat her."

"Ssh, we're going to find some way out of this." I ran my fingers through his hair, hoping it would calm him some. Magnus only started trembling against my body.

"She's going to challenge me," Magnus repeated. "I'm going to lose. I've spent all this time trying to prove to the Summit that I deserve my position, and for what? She's going to take it away before they ever have a chance to conduct my hearing."

"She won't get that chance," I insisted.

"I know the rules, Lachlan," Magnus said, finally pulling away a bit and gently setting me back down on my feet. He braced his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes. "Her mate is in this pack, Gage Phillips. Felix processed his transfer while I was at the Summit, and now that he's in Tourmaline, he has a right to have his mate join him here. It's the rule. I can't start breaking the rules whenever I don't like the results. I'd be a tyrant, Lachlan."

"Yeah, but-"

Magnus cut off my protest with a kiss. It was light and fleeting, but it showed me something I hadn't realized: comforting me and talking me down was steeling Magnus' resolve. He was calming himself down in his efforts to calm me.

"Magnus, I'm worried," I admitted.

Just as I expected, he relaxed even further. "I know. Me too, but we'll get through this. Maybe I'll have a chance to go back into teaching, after all."

I whacked his chest, scowling. "Hey, if this is happening – if you're really going to have a fight with Opal – you can't go into it thinking you've already lost. Felix has been training you for years, and I know you've won tough fights before. He's going to ramp up your training and you're going to go into this prepared to take her down."

I felt through the bond how Magnus' heart ached at my words, but he smiled a little and nodded. "Okay."

"And I'm still going to see if Jason can find a way out of this," I grumbled under my breath. Magnus chuckled and pressed a kiss on my cheek before taking my hand and leading me from his office. As soon as his back was turned, I allowed myself a small smile despite the circumstances. I might not be able to help Magnus prepare for his fight, but at least I could make him feel better about it.