The Wolves and the Vipers

Chapter 29 - Match Made in Heaven

Danny had been sitting in the far corner of the cell. He scrambled to his feet upon seeing me, but his eyes drifted further before long. They reached Kallie and stuck there, widening in shock. Yes. I had been right.

"Emma, who's this?" he asked me, a little breathlessly.

"Kallie is from this pack. She works in the kitchens," I told him. It would all be white noise to them, I was sure, but best to pretend I didn't know what was happening yet. "Kallie, this is my brother Dan. He's in here for purely circumstantial reasons, I can assure-"

"Hi," Kallie said midway through my sentence.

She lifted a hand, almost instinctively. Her fingers brushed against Danny's, and I watched as both of their faces cracked into the biggest, goofiest smiles I had ever seen.

"Hi," he said. "I've, um ... I've been waiting for you for a long time."

I found myself edging backwards. I didn't need to be a part of this, and frankly, I felt I owed them some privacy. A glance over my shoulder told me that Zoe had already averted her eyes. She wasn't smiling, not like I was. No, she was biting her lip and her forehead was creased.

Why wouldn't she be happy for them? She didn't even know Danny, and she had no grief with Kallie, as far as I was aware. For some reason, I could not figure this girl out.

There were footsteps behind me. They stopped right behind my shoulder, so I had no need to turn and look. It was exactly where my guards loved to stand.

"Ah. Um. She's not supposed to be touching him," Luke informed me. "She's not even supposed to be down here."

I turned my head so that he could see the smile on my lips. "I know. I've decided to allow it."

Luke took a long look at them. It was less than ten seconds before I heard him release a sharp breath. "Oh, Goddess. Are they mates?"

I nodded.

"Well, good. He can apply to join the pack," he murmured. "But I'm guessing he won't be wanting this casserole for a while."

No, he wouldn't be wanting his casserole. He would be asking his mate a hundred little questions - trying to learn everything about her in the space of five minutes. It was strange to be so connected to someone before you even knew the first thing about them, so most mated couples did their best to fill that gap.

My forehead creased of its own accord. "Hang on. What do you mean he can apply to join the pack?"

Luke set the plate down beside the bars and came back to stand beside me. "It's the rules. Mates of pack members have a legally-protected right to make an application. Remember? So don't let the Alpha tell you no this time."

Well, I did now. It was understandable that it hadn't been the first thought on my mind, and I was suddenly very grateful for Luke. He was friends with Jace, yes, and that meant he was rarely on my side. But it also meant he was one of the few people in the pack who wasn't afraid to piss their Alpha off. I could use that. I could definitely use that.

"That's true," Kallie said, beaming at Danny. "You'll be out of here in no time, I promise."

"Well, thank the Goddess for that," he murmured.

"Look, Kal," Luke interrupted. "I've seen things like this before. Get him to mark you - and make it quick. Once the mark is on, it's nigh on impossible for Jace to deny the request."

Kallie emptied the air from her lungs and chewed on her lip. She looked from Luke to Danny and back again. "He's right, you know. I'm willing if you are. One of the girls I worked with - her mate was standing where you are now. He'd done some things, and the Alpha wouldn't let him join, so she had to go rogue. I don't want to risk that."