How did I manage to fuck her up so badly?
How do I repair the damage?
“We have to prioritize. Bitching at each other like a couple of pissy old women won’t accomplish squat. You need to screw your head on tight and listen up.” Diskant kept his outward exterior calm, despite the fact Trey could feel the man’s tension. “If we want to survive this we have to put things in order. Handle yourself. You’re acting like an ass.”
“I’m listening.” And he was, but it took all of his willpower not to sweep Sadie off her feet and carry her away. He bit back his fury because Diskant was right. “Start talking.”
“I thought we should make Leigh leave. She might be safer somewhere else.” Diskant smirked when Trey snarled. “I said I thought. Past tense.”
“And now?”
“The pack is our primary concern.” Any hint of amusement in Diskant disappeared. “If we can gain their support then we’re on the right track.” He met Trey’s eyes, intent etched in his distinct features. “We have to have their support. Do you feel me? If we don’t, nothing else will matter.”
Anger bled away, replaced by a cold bitch-slap of reality.
Shit. Diskant was right. Again.
Without the pack, they’d be fucked.
As an Alpha, Trey needed his brothers and sisters for strength. It went without saying Diskant did as well. As an Omega Diskant fed off the power of others. Once it was gone Diskant became a mere shifter. Certainly he could still shape into any form but he lost the edge that gave him substance. Trey would too without a pack standing behind him.
Their lives—even if they sometimes sucked—consisted of a constant checks and balances system.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“We’ll hold a meeting and announce your newly mated status,” Diskant responded. Oddly enough the Omega sounded cautious, like he was about to say something he knew Trey wouldn’t want to hear. “You can introduce them to Sadie, give them whatever story you choose and make it clear nothing’s changed. You have to convince them that the mating changes nothing. You’re still their Alpha and you’ll put their needs above yours.”
“Where’s the catch?” There was one, Trey knew.
“You’re going to tell them she hasn’t bitten you. And you’re going to make damn sure they believe you too. You’re going to tell them you’ve taken the vampire as a mate but you’ll never let her feed from you. Not ever. You can’t become a familiar if she takes blood from another source. They can’t fear her in that capacity.”
Trey couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d given Sadie his word. He’d sworn he’d accept their mating before the pack. That meant accepting all of her—eating habits included.
“Did Ava hit you with the stupid stick? They’ll know she’s taken blood from me.”
Diskant growled—the sound a combination of the cat, wolf and bear that resided inside the Omega. “Keeping them on our side is our primary concern.”
“We won’t build the foundation from a lie.” If they did, they’d pay in the future. “They need to understand what’s at stake. They have to accept Sadie isn’t a danger. Who she feeds from isn’t important. Her loyalty is what they should be worried about.”
“Listen to me, goddamn it.”
No. Not this time.
He’d been born long before Diskant. The Omega was smart and loved the shifter races but Diskant had no idea of how the pack reacted to a lot of things. They’d never buy such a shit story. They’d know Trey was lying. Especially those who were mated themselves. Bedroom sessions always got out of hand. There was no way Sadie wouldn’t get a bite or nip in when they got horizontal. Shifters bit each other during sex for fuck’s sake.
“No,” he growled, shaking his head, rejecting the plan. “We’ll deal with it another way.”
“We have Shepherds at our back and fucking vampires at our front.” Diskant advanced, no longer giving polite suggestions. “You will convince the pack the mating wasn’t of your choosing. They can’t know you’ve been keeping this from them. You’ll tell them you were just as shocked as they are but it is what it is. If they discover you haven’t been honest and have kept her a secret they’ll hang you out to dry. This is about more than you or your mate, by the way. In case it’s slipped your fucking notice we’re trying to prevent genocide.”
Damn it.
Trey wanted to clock his friend in the face and tell him to fuck off.
Maybe he could get the pack comfortable with the idea of having Sadie around. After all, they’d accepted a Shepherd and human. Shitty things came in threes. Obviously his number was up. There was no exit strategy. No way to make things safe for everyone.
“I talked to Kinsley.” Diskant informed him.
“And?”
“He’s on board.”
It took a minute for the words to sink in. Fucking-A.
Kinsley MacGregor—the Alpha who influenced all the feline shifters—would be an ace in the hole. With his backing the Alphas from the prides would fall in line. Trey frowned, holding Sadie a little tighter. Unless the man decided to cut and run on a whim. Feline shifters were solitary creatures, looking out for their interests before anyone else’s.
“You sure?”
“I am.” There was zero doubt in the reply.
“What’s he bringing to the party?”
“Centuries of knowledge.”
Like that explains anything. “Enlighten me.”
“This happens every few hundred centuries.”
“The world goes to shit?”
“Shifters mate with vampires.” Diskant gazed over his shoulder again, making sure no one was listening in. After several seconds he looked at Trey. “It’s not uncommon when the world gets off-balance.”
Off-balance? I’ll take understatement of the fucking millennium Alex.
“Her heart,” Trey motioned to Sadie, relieved that she’d quieted, “is broken because of me. I was so concerned about what the pack would think I treated her like dirt. She’s suffered enough. I won’t turn my back on her and lie about how things are. Excuse me if I don’t give a shit about things being off balance.”
“She’s smart. Give her a chance to be part of this.” When Trey opened his mouth to speak Diskant snarled, “Your female has existed for a long time without you. She’s earned the right to voice her opinion in the matter.”
Something clicked, a lock sliding into place. “You trust her.”
“Ava trusts her. Don’t ask me why. I don’t have an answer.”
Ava trusted Sadie. Really trusted her. “And you trust your mate?”
“What do you think?” Diskant asked, agitated and out of patience. “If Ava thinks Sadie has the power to heal the pack, why should I argue? She got them to accept Mary.”
“She announced her pregnancy.” Trey broached the topic with caution. Diskant remained anxious when it came to Ava’s condition, which was understandable. But it made the man more dangerous than usual. “You’re an Omega. She’s your mate. It’s good news.”
“Then maybe you should get your mate in the family way.”
An invisible fist clenched Trey’s heart and squeezed.
Family way. Sons and daughters.
My sons. My daughters.
As far as he knew he and Sadie would never have children. No boys, no girls. Vampires and shifters didn’t produce offspring. How had he forgotten that? How had it slipped his mind? He visualized little girls with Sadie’s hair and eyes, or little boys with his features. Did Sadie want children? Did it break her heart to think they’d never have any?