Chapter  391

XENOIS I stared at the tactical map spread across my desk, trying to concentrate on Jerome's likely next moves, when my office door opened without warning. Again. For the third time in an hour. "Thorne, I swear to god if you're sneaking off to use the portal again----" I started, then stopped when I realized it wasn't Thorne. It was Lumina, and her expression suggested this conversation was going to be more complicated than tracking down my second--in--command. "We need to talk about Shawn," she said, closing the door behind her. I sat back in my chair, abandoning the map entirely. "What happened?" "He got bullied at school today," Lumina said, settling into the chair across from my desk. "Some alpha kids from traditionalist families. They shoved him, questioned his place in our family, made it clear he's not welcome among 'real' pack members." I felt my wolf surge with protective anger. "Did he tell you this?" "No, he specifically tried to downplay it," Lumina said. "But your mother h