Page 63 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

He called Brandon, and we were in a meeting within fifteen minutes. Asher sat next to me, sipping on coffee to stay awake. He had recovered, but I still felt like I’d been drained of power. Brandon and Kaleb sat across from us, and Westley was standing behind them.

My legs shook underneath the table, my fingers tapping on my leg.

“What the hell were you two doing in the woods?” Brandon asked, his lip curled up. I knew he was staring at Asher, waiting for him to explain. But he didn’t know what to say. I knew he wouldn’t tell Brandon the truth. He wouldn’t throw me under the bus like that.

“I was out there. He just followed me.”

Brandon’s eyes snapped toward me. “And why in god’s name would you think it’s a good idea to run off into the woods? Especially after yesterday? Are you asking to get your ass chewed out?”

“It’s not her fault. I should have kept a better eye on her.”

“You damn sure should have!” Westley snapped at him now. “If she had gotten hurt, it would have been your fault.”

“It’s not his fault I was out there,” I said, shoving myself up. “I went out there. I was the one who was trying to run away and failed. It’s not his fault.”

Asher swallowed as the space went quiet. I sighed. “I am trying to feel like I belong here, but it’s not easy.”

Brandon leaned back in his chair and pinched his eyes. “So much information….too much information.”

Westley waved his hand. “Hazel, why on earth would you do that? Do you have any idea how upset Gabriella would be? How upset would everyone be?”

I chewed on my cheek. “I was trying to protect everyone.” I rubbed my fingers together, hating how that feeling wrapped around me like a blanket.

Would I ever be good enough? I wanted to be. I wanted to be able to hold my own weight and prove that I deserved to be here just like everyone else.

“We’re going to come back to this,” Brandon said, and I could see in his eyes that he was going to stop me for a chat at one point. “But to the other reason you’re here.”

The gem.

I felt like it had a hold on me when we were in the woods. The moment that I touched it, I felt the urge to protect it, to make sure nothing happened to it. But the moment that we stepped into the pack barrier, that feeling became less. It was like a rope had been pulled free.

I pulled the gem from my bag and set it on the table. All of them stared at it, and I chewed on my cheek.

“There is a way to put magic into an object. But the energy in this gem is powerful. I thought maybe if you broke it, that would be the end, but I think there is more to this.”

Brandon tapped his finger on the table. “What happens if you break it?”

“Normally, the smell or the magic ends with it. But I’ve never seen one this powerful before. I don’t think it would be that simple.”

“Why don’t we just break it?” Kaleb said, pointing at the gem. “Rather than holding it here and having them try to get it back. Just break the damn thing.”

I shook my head. “I think we need to know what its full potential is first. What is there more to it?” I chewed on my lip. “I want to do this. I want to find out what its magnitude is and figure out how we can use this to our advantage.”

Brandon stared at me, and Kaleb leaned onto the table. “Hazel, that’s a big job. And we don’t have much time for this. You were just trying to run. We should actually have you on house arrest right now.”

I understood that. I was a flight risk, and they wanted to keep me safe. But keeping me locked away wasn’t going to help.

“I can do this. I have been reading and researching with Chelsey since the moment I knew I had magic, before even. I was looking into this for them at the healing center. If anyone knows the books or where to look, it’s me.”

Brandon tapped his hand on the table, and Westley sighed. “She’s got a point. Even Nora and Jade haven’t done that much research.”

I tried to sit up straighter, wanting to appear more confident. I was, if anyone knew how to find the answer, I knew it was me. It was just a matter of finding the right book and looking in the right areas.

“What about the hybrids that are outside the barrier?” Kaleb asked.

“They have already headed back into the woods. But it’s only a matter of time before they start trying to figure out another way in. We are running out of options on how to protect us all.”

Brandon rubbed at his eyes, and I could see just how tired he was. He’d not been Alpha for long, but you could see the stress.