The Wolf Crown (The Wolf Kings #2) (MLM)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE.

                The minutes ticked on painfully slowly. Jack was all too aware of Tiberius at his right, trying not to fidget with his hard bulge between his legs, hidden beneath the rectangular table around which they all sat, but he also knew that his fiancé was in no state to focus on the meeting, so that responsibility would have to fall to him.

"Jack?"

"Hm?" Jack looked up from Tiberius's hidden lap to realize Ender was speaking to him. He blushed and straightened at once, catching Tiberius's smirk out of the corner of his eye. Dick.

"Sorry, Ender, what was that?"

Ender looked concerned. "Are you all right? You're awfully red."

Jack pressed his lips together in his best attempt at a smile. So much for carrying the weight of the meeting. He could feel the tips of Tiberius's fingers graze his thigh, and he inched away, clearing his throat.

"Yes, absolutely," he said. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm still reeling after the—the last Shadow Wolf attack."

Tiberius straightened beside him, and the cup of tea Everett placed before him almost clattered.

Ender's expression tensed and he nodded once. "Yes, I understand. It must've been very frightening, seeing the beast so close. It's a good thing you weren't harmed, however."

Jack very pointedly refrained glancing at Tiberius to his right, Everett to his left, Violet across from him, or Graham standing against the wall. As the Shadow Wolf had clearly not been meant to contact Jack at all, it would've been suspicious if anyone else got wind that he had been poisoned and survived. It would've meant the Shadow Wolf had intentionally tried to keep him alive, which would've made no sense, so they all agreed to let the attack news slip, but not the details.

"Thanks to Tiberius and Violet," Jack said, knowing that it was true enough. "They reacted very quickly."

"Maybe the Shadow Wolf doesn't care about Jack at all," Quartz noted, feet on the table, crossed at the ankles, his fingers interlocked on his stomach. "Maybe it's just something about the Damned Quarter. What do you say, Hailwind, got anything worth finding in there?"

Jack glanced at Quartz. He'd smiled so carelessly as he'd said that, but there was a faint tension in his shoulders. Or was Jack imagining it? Was his seemingly innocent question really just a suspicion he had himself about what the Shadow Wolf was doing in the Damned Quarter where Jack had happened to be in the first place? Was he trying to find out if the creature he'd unleashed was breaking his rules?

"Plenty," Violet said curtly, avoiding his eyes. "Ender, how have your rescue attempts been going? Plenty of my witches still willingly offer their aid if you need it, you know that, don't you?"

Ender's smile dimmed. "Of course, my friend. I cannot thank you enough for it. We've recovered plenty of injured guards from the snow, they are being tended to as we speak. It will be a long recovery, but we hope for the best." He rubbed his jaw, his eyelids drooping ever so slightly. "I must be honest, I am very weary. Thank the stars that the guards are so well trained to endure, or the casualties may be much worse. The cries of my people alone have taken such a heavy toll on me, I might have to ask for the help of your witches soon."

"Of course," Violet assured him. "Just send the word, and I will send my best."

Ender patted her shoulder much like a grandfather patting the shoulder of his favorite granddaughter. "Thank you, my dear."