Page 32 of The Lunatics

I stuffed a huge forkful of chicken into my mouth to get out of having to answer. Ladylike? No. Desperate? You betcha. I had no regrets.

Michael answered his mother with measured calm. “As most of you know, I accompanied Nathaniel to the bonding ceremony up north last night. The magic was corrupted, by what, we’re not entirely sure, and many among those in the audience found ourselves bound against our will.”

Conversation broke out then, his siblings and in-laws voicing their surprise or offering condolences.

“So find a way tounbindyourselves,” his mother said.

Everyone else shut up.

I reached for my wine and took a healthy swig. Across from me, Amy eyed my glass with envy. Poor thing.

“It has come to my attention that there is no known way to undo it,” Michael said.

His mother’s expression darkened. “There’s one way.”

I nearly choked on my wine.

Michael chuckled, like he found her amusing, but in my head, he was anything but calm. “You so casually threaten the well-being of my mate over dinner? Come now, Mother, I thought your manners better than this.”

Goading her. Right. Sound plan, my dude. Totally going to end well.

The rest of the family wisely looked down at their plates, wanting no part of this exchange. I stuffed another piece of chicken in my mouth.

“Mate,” she said, spitting the word out like it tasted bad. “Ridiculous.”

Michael met her glare with a face wiped clean of all expression. “Your distaste for our bond won’t in any way negate it. Nor will your reticence. I’ll say this one time. What happened to us is real. Even now, I can feel her, here.” He lifted his hand and tapped a finger against his temple. “I can feel her anxiety, her fear. The smell of her is overpowering to me. Even our pulses beat in tandem. Listen.”

Everyone at the table turned to us. Sets of eyes narrowed in concentration. Heads tilted to point ears in our direction. It looked like they had to strain to pick out the sound, and I stared back at them in shock. They should have noticed our heartbeats the moment we walked into the room. It was second nature. In conjunction with scents, it was how werewolves gauged each other’s moods. Even adolescent shifters were able to do it.

What the hell was wrong with the Kolbecks?

“Fine,” his mother said. She gestured at us with a hand. “There’s something between you two. But it can’t be worth risking a two-year engagement that comes with the promise of extended territory and great financial gains.”

“Marlena and I have already agreed to go our separate ways,” Michael said.

I looked at him in surprise. That was news to me.

Michael’s father leaned forward. “Tell me you didn’t.”

At the head of the table, his mother growled. “Call her back and fix this. Beg for forgiveness if you have to.”

“You assume that I was the one to break things off,” Michaelsaid. “I assure you, the decision was hers. She was quite adamant that we end the engagement.”

“Idiots, both of you,” his mother said.

I put my hands in my lap so she wouldn’t see me clench them into fists.

Deep breaths, I told myself, battling back the all-encompassing need to defend Michael.

“So, we lose a political alliance that would have added to our fortune and territory and gain… what?” his mother said, her gaze boring into me.

I looked away in submission, much like I had in the foyer earlier. No way in hell was I answering such a loaded question. I doubted there even was one that would satisfy her.

“Careful, Mother,” Michael said, his smile sharp as a knife.

“What do you even know about her?” she demanded in response.

“Admittedly, very little,” he answered. “But what I can tell you is that in the past”—he paused to glance at his watch—“not even twenty-four hours, she has suffered the shock of being bonded to me against her will, agreed to drop out of her current school, packed up her life and moved down here so that I could continue working for this family, was forced to say goodbye to her loved ones without knowing when she would see them again, has had to endure the stress of meeting a new pack, and now your onslaught of insinuations, threats, and insults, all without a single complaint.”