“If the men still have any respect for my opinion and experience after they hear about Morris, then they’ll believe that whoever I appoint is the man most worthy of the job. If not…” he shrugged.

“They know you better than I do. If I can tell that this is more complicated than a simple attack, they’ll believe that too.” Yet Brandt hadn’t, because… “If you let them believe that.”

Titus gave me a quiet smile, but he looked unconvinced.

“So, who will you appoint? Jace?”

“Jace is the most qualified, but…”

“But he’s not here?” I guessed, when Titus’s voice trailed off.

“That, and he’s natural-born. They like him, and they’re fine with him here in an advisory position. But they won’t want to be led by someone they think holds himself above them.”

Did they really think of Jace like that? What about Abby?

“My other concern with Jace is that he’s already insisted that putting him in charge won’t help our case with the council. If they wanted to recognize Jace as an Alpha, they wouldn’t have exiled him in the first place.”

“So then, Drew?” I guessed.

Titus nodded slowly.

“You look doubtful.”

“I’m not sure he’s ready, but he’s my only real option. Fortunately, he has the best interest of the Pride at heart, and he’s been with me from the beginning. I’m sure he’ll accept advice from both Jace and me behind the scenes.” Titus blinked, then shook his head, as if he were trying to wake up from a long nap. Or emerge from shock. “I’m sorry. That’s nothing you should have to worry about.”

Which was clearly just a nice way to say it was none of my business, and if he’d been thinking straight, he would never have revealed an Alpha’s private doubts to an outsider.

Titus stood and squared his shoulders, and I could practically see him donning determination as if it were an article of clothing. “You don’t need to come to the meeting. None of this has anything to do with you.”

“Seriously?” I stood and stepped into his path, so he’d have to stop and reconsider. “So once you step down, your deal with the council will be void? I can take off whenever I want?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Titus ran one hand through his hair. “Drew will uphold our agreement. That’s in the Pride’s best interest. You’ll get the rest of your two weeks.”

“And after that? What if I don’t want to leave here? Does Drew have the experience and backbone to stand up to the council?” Would he do that for someone he’d just met? Someone who wasn’t ready to pledge loyalty to him as an Alpha?

“I don’t know. I’m sure he’ll do the best he can.” He tried to step around me, heading for the stairs, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Titus. What’s going to happen to them without you? Where will your enforcers live? Can Drew afford to pay them? I may not know much about the inner workings of a Pride, but I know they can’t operate without enforcers. Or funds.”

“He’ll figure something out. Alphas have been running territories for generations without a fortune to fall back on.” Titus shrugged. “I’ll fund them for a while and then maybe he can get a day job and charge dues, like the other Alphas. But that’ll be up to him. I can’t really think about that right now. I have to…” He gestured for the staircase, then stepped around me and took the steps two at a time.

I followed him out of the guesthouse, around the pool, and into the kitchen, where he stopped. Listening.

“You can’t be serious.” I recognized Knox’s voice from down the hall, and even most of the wordless grunts of agreement following it sounded familiar. “This is a joke.”

“Go see for yourself,” Brandt said. “I wouldn’t have believed it either, if I hadn’t smelled him.”

Titus took a deep breath, then marched forward with his shoulders square.

“You don’t have to do this,” I whispered as I followed on his heels. “Tell them the truth. Whatever that is, it can’t be worse than losing your position. Than losing their respect.”

“I’ve made my decision,” he growled softly.

I shrugged and stepped past him. “Fine. Then I’ll tell them you’re hiding something.”

“Robyn.” Titus grabbed my arm, his eyes flashing with the first beats of anger I’d seen from him. “This is my last order to you as an Alpha. Keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?”

His order resonated through me with the authority behind his words. The shifter half of me demanded that I obey. But if I could choose to fight my attraction to him—just another instinct to be conquered—I could fight the order too.

Or…

“I tell you what.” I stood on my toes so I could reach his ear, and his scent triggered a rush of my pulse. “I’ll keep my mouth shut during the meeting if you give me your word that you’ll tell me the truth afterward.”

Titus’s eyes narrowed. His brows dipped low. His grip on my arm tightened. “Just you?” he demanded softly, and I couldn’t quite smother the chill his whisper sent through me. “And you’ll keep it to yourself? You swear?”

“I swear on the very concepts of feminism and independence.”

His left brow arched. “Those are odd things to swear by.”

I shrugged. “Those are the parts of me most threatened by my new life as a shifter. They’re what I cling to, so that I know I’m still me, even when the fur takes over. Even when I follow orders. Take it or leave it.”

Titus’s puzzled expression melted into…surprise. “Alphas aren’t typically given ultimatums. I’ll take it. But don’t make this a habit.” He let go of my arm, then leaned down to whisper again into my ear. “And do not break your word, Robyn.”

The fierce edge in his voice called out to something primal deep inside me. I nodded, then I followed him down the hall and into a two-story study that I might have called a library instead. Three of the four walls were lined with shelves packed with hardbacks—mostly old leather-bound editions. In one corner, a tall ladder rested on a rail that would carry some lucky reader all the way around the room and up to the shelves at the top of the high ceiling.