Steele was not surprised by her reaction. Rylee and half of the lycan council were not fans of the lycan monarchy. What did she want, elections? Or worse, back to the bloody days of a challenging the king or queen for pack dominance.
James clicked the remote to the next slide. It displayed a list of over a thousand names, male and female. “This is the list of every wolf-segen wiped out during our global
hunt. After our culling, no werewolves were persecuted or wolf-segens left to charm pest animals away from farms.” He glanced at Gaby. “You are one of a kind.”
Steele smiled. “She certainly is, but how do you know there are no others?”
Gaby answered, “Giles who adopted me searched the world looking for others but came up empty. He said even my relatives had no trace of this charm. I might have been a genetic throwback.”
James smiled at her. “I would love to dig further, that is if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t.”
Steele’s mobile buzzed and he read the text. Shit. A long detailed text. “The king sent his helicopter to pick me up.” He stood. “I’m sorry. Time I face my brother.”
Rylee nodded. “No worries. Report back as soon as you can.”
“I’ll be flying to Wildwood Island to meet with him and his immediate family. I suspect I’ll be there for a few days.”
Gaby gave him a worried look. “He wants you now?”
“We need to discuss family matters and my decision. I promise I won’t be long.”
“Got that right,” said Rylee. “I want you back for further briefing.”
Steele lifted Gaby’s chin and met her beguiling green eyes. “I love you and you are mine.” He kissed her forehead and then left.
Gaby stepped out of the elevator with Lunara and James. Rylee went to her ready room to follow up on other Team Greywolf missions. The wolf shaman appeared young, but had the calm veneer of a wise crone. James was maybe mid-thirties, good looking in a bookish sort of way. Hipster glasses, blond hair and a crisp British accent. She understood Chandra the alpha werewolf’s attraction.
Lunara turned to James. “Why don’t you share your experience living in our community with Gaby?”
“No problem. We can hang out in one of the study rooms in the library.”
Lunara smiled at Gaby. “Steele will return. Don’t worry. No one stands in the way of soul mates.”
Gaby trusted Steele wholeheartedly, but not King Conan. He had forced Steele to take Kiara as a mate. No doubt, he had another princess in line for him. She blinked. “How do you know we are soul mates?”
“You shared dreams.” She narrowed her eyes. “When you had sex, you experienced being in Stallo’s forest, did you not?”
Gaby’s cheeks burned. Thanks for being blunt. “Not sure about the forest name, but yes.”
James chuckled. “You’ll find that lycans tend to be less repressed about discussing sex than humans.”
“Duly noted,” Gaby muttered. “What about the king? Can he stop Steele from taking me as a mate?”
“King Conan can pressure his brother. Our royal bloodlines are supposed to remain pure, but it’s Steele’s choice. Trust me, his wolf has claimed you.”
The king took away Slade’s title when he chose Cricket, a runt. They didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. “Will the king take away his title?”
“Yes. Although according to our lost treatise, the king could have you both banished. I think the council will need to vote on that, however.”
“Meaning no contact with the packs?” Part of her wanted to live far away, just him and her. Yet, she knew how much Steele enjoyed being part of the team and pack.
“Severe as it seems, yes.” She gazed at her watch. “I’ll see you both for the evening meal?”
They nodded.
James guided her. “The library is on the right.”