ELRETH

Elreth sucked in a breath and stared at Aaryn, her mouth slightly open.

She was fiercely aware of all the males in the room, ignorant of the subtext here, but that could smell her heart shifting between joy, and admiration, and grief.

But just as her emotions roiled, they were all tied up in a deep conviction that held her tongue.

She couldn't talk into this. Not with her mate. It would look like she was making it work out to her own good. Aaryn had to make this decision—with the support of the others. It had to be something he did of his own accord, not at her pushing.

So, after a deep, longing look at Aaryn to acknowledge the pain that proposal had given him, she turned to Lhern and Tarkyn. "Thoughts?"

"Are we giving credibility to the Alpha role if we force something like this?" Lhern said to Tarkyn. "Are we only adding weight to their influence?"

Tarkyn frowned. "Possibly. But with role already established, are we better to disband them and possibly push them to rebellion, or acknowledge them as a family group. Allow another alpha who will not take such an… all encompassing role?" he said dryly.

Aaryn stiffened. "I never intended—"

"I don't believe anyone thinks you set yourself up seeking this, Aaryn," Lhern said. "But the fact remains that we have a very disturbing trend emerging, and I think you are right to see yourself as the answer to it. I think you would prove nothing more than that you are a true Alpha, to do so. Especially if you explain it to your followers. Let them see how important it is that they become a part of the Anima as a whole, rather than a splinter group."

"They were splintered by the treatment and prejudice of others," Aaryn growled. "Not by my actions." He raised his hands, palm forward, to hold off the anger he saw rising in some of them then. "But that doesn't mean that we have ended in the right place. I give my word to you, scent me for truth, that this was never my goal. In fact, I thought I actively worked against it."

"You said them today—we saw them all day—" Tobe broke in, "they do not view you only as someone to be admired, Aaryn."

Aaryn nodded. "Which is why I am willing to submit to a challenger, or even appoint a new Alpha. Whatever the council, the elders decide is best. I will… I will give them to another and let them find their way. I will remain the Queen's Cohort and… and I can work for their good as King."

*****

AARYN

Several heads nodded around the room. Tarkyn still eyed him suspiciously, but Aaryn just set his jaw and met his eyes. He could be damned if he thought Aaryn was backing down. He would do what was best for his people, for the Anima as a whole. But he would not allow the male the freedoms he'd been taking with Elreth. Never again.

To his surprise, a slow, small smile bloomed on Tarkyn's face. Aaryn blinked, but Tarkyn was already looking away. But he smelled… satisfied?

Aaryn huffed.

"I had been considering one thing," Elreth piped up from Aaryn's left. "And perhaps this is the time to consider it: What if the disformed were established as a tribe? An actual tribe? They have the population for it—and a different set of skills and values to the people. Perhaps the time has come to consider that they have, in fact, been held under the thumb of the other tribes for too long. Perhaps, in order to truly integrate them, and train them, we need to make them their own people. I would hear your thoughts on that."

The stunned silence that followed didn't bode well to Aaryn. But the males also didn't leap on her with arguments either, which he thought was a good sign.

"This is a question for the elders, I believe," Lhern said sternly.

Elreth nodded. "But if this council sees real danger in it—danger that outweighs the possible gain—there is no point even proposing it to the elders. So I would hear your thoughts."

The males murmured to each other, discussing the possible gains and losses. Elreth sat quietly, but when everyone was engrossed in their conversations, she let one hand rest on Aaryn's thigh and turned to look at him.

His heart throbbed when their eyes met. He hoped she saw the love that spilled out of him.

"Thank you," she murmured to him. "I know how much that hurt."

Aaryn shifted his weight, but laid his hand over hers on his thigh. "My concerns for it were that they would be harmed, pushed in a bad direction. But if I am the one taking them there… I never wanted to resist you, Elreth. Ever."

"I know," she said. "You're a good male, Aaryn. The best. I'm so blessed to have you."

Her joy in this moment rankled. He faced grief and a serious humbling—not to mention the fear of watching the people he cared about potentially let down by someone who was less experienced, or unwilling to fight for them.

He swallowed. But he knew… he knew…

He couldn't allow the disformed to keep following him. Not like that. Because Tarkyn was right. With the humans, or others who worked with them here, it was possible they faced even greater threats than an internal rebellion. The Anima needed to be a united front now more than ever.

He couldn't stand in the way. And he couldn't let himself be a barrier to the others being fully embraced by the rest of the Anima. He'd led with good heart, but in the wrong direction.

He looked at Elreth and sighed. He needed to help his mate make sure she didn't make the same mistake.

Squeezing her hand again, he returned her smile, though he suspected his wasn't as bright.

This was the right thing to do, he knew.

And no one ever said being right was easy.

*****

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