In the center of the room, Brandt and the resident enforcers were seated on a cluster of leather furniture arranged around an old Persian rug in shades of red, brown, and dark blue.

A few feet away, Drew Borden sat on the edge of a massive, ornate wooden desk, one foot planted on the floor. He cleared his throat when we stepped into the room, and everyone got quiet as they turned to stare.

Titus stopped inside the doorway. “I’m not going to drag this out,” he said. “I’m stepping down as Alpha, effective immediately. Recent developments have made it clear that my leadership will do more harm than good for the Pride. I ask that you accept Drew Borden as your new Alpha.”

Drew looked humbled by the nomination, but not truly surprised. “Titus, I’m not sure—”

“You’ll be fine,” Titus insisted. “And both Jace and I are on call to advise, as often as you need us. I will call Faythe Sanders and report the change. Expect to hear from her later today.” He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. Then he focused on Drew again. “You’ll need to make other housing and finance arrangements, but for now, you’re all welcome here. I will be taking a short trip so that my presence won’t interfere with your transition into a leadership role.”

With that, he turned and headed for the staircase at the front of the house.

I lingered in the study doorway, watching as shock rippled across the small crowd. For a couple of seconds, no one spoke. Then Brandt let out a disgusted huff.

“I told you. He did it. He got caught, so now he’s quitting. He’s a fucking hypocrite!”

“Brandt.” Lochlan twisted his long blond hair into a bun as he spoke. “Shut up and let the grownups think.”

“He’s understandably frustrated,” Drew said. Then he turned to Brandt with a stern expression. “But that’s no excuse for the name-calling. Whatever’s happened doesn’t change the fact that Titus has been a great leader and he’s put nothing ahead of the good of the Pride. The very fact that he’s stepping down illustrates that.”

Brandt nodded, staring at the hands clasped in his lap.

“Let’s keep this under wraps until Titus and I have a chance to notify the rest of the Pride. I’ll be putting together a new patrol schedule and will be selecting a second in command within the next day or so…”

Reeling, I backed away from the study, trying to wrap my head around events still unfolding. How could Drew already have a game-plan minutes after losing his Alpha, when I was still stunned by the change of leadership?

When Titus was still obviously in shock.

Titus.

I jogged up the stairs and down the hall, then planted one foot in Titus’s bedroom doorjamb just in time to stop it from closing. Too late, I remembered I wasn’t wearing shoes. “Ow! Wait.” I pulled my foot free and rubbed it while I hopped on the healthy one, grateful for the cat’s balance that kept me upright. “You gave me your word.”

Titus pulled the door open and looked at me. I stopped hopping and set my throbbing right foot on the floor, suddenly aware of how stupid I must look. “Come in. But we’ll have to talk while I pack.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m taking a leave of absence. Like I said.”

“Yes, but where are you going?” I stepped into his room and was surprised to find it nearly spotless in the wake of Corey Morris’s invasion. No more torn clothing on the floor. No more wet footprints. The exception was his bed, which still looked very much slept in, with the dark gray comforter askew and the crimson sheet hanging from one side. “Where does a billionaire go to get away from his problems? Europe? The Caribbean?”

“Jackson.” Titus opened a door on the far wall and disappeared into a closet the size of my former dorm room, lined with racks of hanging slacks and suit jackets.

“Jackson, Mississippi? As in, an hour from here?”

The grunt from the depths of his closet sounded vaguely like an affirmation. A second later, he emerged with a carry-on sized designer suitcase.

“Why the hell would you go to…” My question faded into nothing. The answer was suddenly obvious. “Jackson is where Corey Morris was infected. You’re not trying to get away from this. You’re digging deeper into it.”

Titus wouldn’t investigate something he already understood. But if he didn’t understand how Corey Morris was infected, why would he accept the blame for it? Why would he give up his territory and leadership position?

He set his suitcase on the bed and flipped it open without even a glance in my direction. While he returned to his closet, I closed the hard shell case and sat on it. He returned with an armload of clothes and stopped short when he saw me.

“Spill it, Titus. I’m not going to move until you do.”

TWELVE

Titus

Robyn sat on my suitcase in those snug jeans, her legs crossed at the knee and dangling down the side of my unmade bed. The sight of her there, so close to where I wanted her, sent a spike through my pulse.

But she’d never been mine, and I no longer had the luxury of pretending otherwise.

I laid my clothes across the footboard, trying not to notice that she twisted to watch me, then I headed into my closet. “Do you honestly think I only own one suitcase?”

When I came out with a spare, she was sitting on my clothing, her legs now dangling against my footboard.

“I know you have more clothes,” Robyn said, looking up at me with her arms crossed beneath her breasts. “And more suitcases. And probably duplicates of everything you own. I can’t stop you from running out of here without keeping your promise. But I don’t think you’ll do that. A good Alpha keeps his word.”

“I’m not an Alpha anymore,” I pointed out as I eyed the wrinkles her shapely thigh was pressing into my favorite shirt. Wishing I was wearing it at that moment.

“You’re not their Alpha. But you’re still an Alpha. According to Abby, the position of ‘Alpha-as-leader’ isn’t the same as being an Alpha. Her brother Isaac is in charge of his Pride, but he’s not truly an Alpha yet. And Jace is an Alpha with no Pride to lead. That’s why you two keep butting heads. You’re like him now. A displaced Alpha. But a good one. You’ll keep your word.” Her mischievous smile stirred a heat deep inside me. “And in case I’m wrong about that, I’m fully prepared to obstruct you every step of the way until you start talking.”