The Story of the Exile (The Belesone Pack #2)

Chapter 12

Leo was running as a wolf, when the most disconcerting shaking began. He couldn't make out what was happening, but it shook the surrounding woods and made his wolf mad.

"Leo," Katarina's voice called his name and the illusion of his dream was shattered.

Grudgingly, he left his pleasant dreams to open his eyes and look over his shoulder. He was lying a little awkwardly; on his front, arms and legs splayed out, as though he'd really been running. "What?" he asked grumpily.

"My father is coming to visit. He thinks that someone is using you to hurt me," she explained briefly.

With a sigh, he pushed himself off his front and sat against the headboard, yawning as he raked both hands through his hair. It was too damned early for this and he wasn't even surprised to find that someone was messing with him just to get to Katarina. That meant he was nothing more than the piggy in the middle, being manipulated and turned into a weapon against his own Alpha's mate.

"I need you to throw on some clothes and go with me to wake Oswine. I'll explain everything when we get there. Then you can shower and get dressed properly if you want to," Katarina explained, continuing to talk although his brain wasn't yet fully functioning.

Milo would have known better and, eventually, Katarina would have to learn that he just wasn't a morning person. And he wasn't capable of carrying on a sensible conversation, right after being woken.

Leo gave her a raised eyebrow in response and hoped she understood that it was all the agreement she was going to get out of him right now.

She smiled and headed for the door. "I'll be waiting outside. Please hurry," she asked, before escaping the room.

Leo frowned and threw the duvet off. He had to go to the bathroom before he did anything else.

He took a few minutes to get himself fully aware, doing his teeth and busying himself in the bathroom. He changed out of his sleeping clothes and into a pair of jeans and a sweater. He would get dressed properly later, after he'd had a shower. He felt sweaty and yet, when he gave his sweater a sniff, he realised that he also smelled of a wolf run and hormones.

Leo rolled his eyes. He had been dreaming about his mate again. Whether he remembered it or not, he knew the signs well enough.

He stepped out of his suite and saw Katarina hovering, smiling at him. It was only then that he noticed what she was wearing. "Great. Are you ever not going to be in heat?" he asked with a frown, as he started walking towards Oswine's room at the opposite end of the hallway.

"Leo!" Katarina practically shrieked his name.

He turned to glance as her, as she stood rooted to the spot.

Eventually, she came marching after him and walked into Oswine's room without a word. He figured she was angry with him for saying it out loud, but she would have known even if he had kept it inside his head. It was better to be open about these kind of things.

"Behave," she sighed, pointing to a spot just inside the doorway, as if he was going to have to be a good dog and stay there. He wasn't sure what she was up to, so he did as he was told and took the seat just inside the door.

Leo watched, curious and intrigued, as Katarina woke Oswine much more gently than she had woken him. When he was awake, she had a sweet voice to explain that they all needed to talk. And then, low of all lows, his Alpha's mate summoned him over with a wave of her hand.

Leo wasn't sure the day could get much worse and it had only just started.

"You both know Carlton, so I won't have to explain. But he contacted Milo last night to confirm a few things," she began, surprising him with that information.