I take the lead he’s giving me, knowing these words need to be my own. Alpha to Alpha, pack leaders in an alliance discussion. We can’t risk pushing him away, not right now, despite the joy I’m sure Ryan would take in it.
“I’ve recently learned that part of the negotiations between our two packs was for us to be married,” I say, keeping any hint of emotion from my voice, allowing it to take on the icy steel I can still see written across his face.
His jaw tightens at that, and my brows crease at his reaction. Had he not known that I was unaware of the deal between the two of them? I force myself not to look at Ryan, a million thoughts rush through my mind right now, but I push them aside. I will get answers, but not yet. It will do none of us any good to make any assumptions right now.
“Ryan and I were childhood sweethearts and recently reconnected. Now we’re engaged,” I breathe, the lie twisting around my stomach, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. Monte takes my hand in his, grasping the hand I hadn’t realized was still clutched to my chest and cradling it between his own in his lap.
“Funny that none of this came up before,” Marcus grumbles, his eyes locking on Ryan and narrowing in suspicion.
“I was loyal to my alpha. I had hoped he would change his mind, but I respected his decision.” Ryan's words don’t falter as he stares back at the alpha, our rival, and potential ally. I fight against expelling a relieved sigh when Marcus nods in understanding, knowing Ryan’s loyalty to my father.
“I didn’t know,” Marcus turns back to me, his expression guarded but no longer holding the icy rage it held before. Confusion fogs my mind for a moment before I realize what he must be speaking of.
“And you just thought I wanted to marry someone I didn’t even know?” I scoff, finding this all so hard to believe. What did these men think, it was the early twentieth century and I was still just my father’s property to barter with?
His jaw grinds at my words, but he bites back his response, apparently not deigning to give me any sort of explanation. I mean, look at him. Why would he, of all people, enter into a marriage with someone he didn’t even know? This man could undoubtedly have any female he chooses. Not even taking into consideration his rugged appearance, all the female wolves would vie for him just given his position.
His gaze shutters even further, the crack in this shield being fortified by the second. But ...why do I care? We spoke the words of rejection. I shouldn’t care about wanting to break past his barriers. He’s simply the alpha of another wolf pack, one we need to strike a deal with now that my father’s one was entirely off the table.
“We really should get back to everything at stake,” I prompt, gently pulling my hand from Ryan's lap.
“Well, I would say this is pretty important, seeing as you want to renegotiate your father’s agreement,” Marcus says, a steely glint in his cold eyes and I can almost see the wheels turning behind them. “Perhaps I don’t want to align myself with a pack so fickle that they change their mind on a whim.”
“What do you want?” I ask, my words coming out in a growl. Anger boils in my veins at his callous regard for the situation we’re in. I don’t understand this man. One moment he acts like the leader he should be, the next, he takes out his petty anger on me. “I’m not a prize or commodity to be won or bartered with,” I seethe, rising from my seat, and I slam my hands down onto his desk, punctuating my words. “Perhaps I don’t want to ally myself with a selfish bastard that thinks acting like a petulant child is more important than his pack’s safety.”
I dig my fingernails into the wood as I hold myself back, using every ounce of my willpower to keep myself from throttling him. My words ring thickly in the air, tension hanging between us as silence settles over the room. Panic surfaces as the haze of anger bleeds from my sight. Did I just potentially screw this alliance up before it even began?
“Good,” he says simply, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning leisurely in his chair.
“Good?”
“Yes, I had to make sure that you have a backbone. I need a powerful ally, not someone who will allow me to intimidate them or walk all over them. So yes, good.”
“You’re such a bastard,” I huff, flopping back in the seat. His eyes spark in challenge, a defiant glint entering them, and heat creeps to my cheeks. My wolf rises to the surface, not to protect me or take a stand against him. No, she yearns to claim him, to explore that challenge further.
“Well, it appears congratulations are in order then,” Marcus says through gritted teeth, his seething anger seeping out. “Allow us to offer you both a celebratory dinner tonight.”
“I don’t have time for this,” I snap, gripping the arms of my chair. My fingers dig into the plush fabric, taking a bit of the edge off my building anger. “We need to figure out our plan of attack with the Lions, and I need to find my father’s killer.”
I let my need for vengeance seep into my words, to focus myself on these two priorities playing like a never-ending loop in my mind. I couldn’t let myself become distracted with this alpha, my soulmate, and his petty games. For a moment, I actually think he might agree, his gaze softening a fraction, but any emotion I thought I glimpsed there is gone a moment later.
“I won’t discuss this any further, not now. If you want an alliance, you’ll come tonight. It wouldn’t be a very good look to reject your new ally’s invitation, now would it?” he asks, malice gleaming in his eyes. I swallow thickly at the implication held in them, but I don’t let it show. Instead, I simply stare back with a look of defiance, my gaze steely and unwavering.
“Stop wasting time,” I grind out. “We do this now.”
His eyes glitter with the promise of punishment at my defiant words. Standing with deadly confidence, he prowls around his desk towards me, and I waste no time, kicking the chair back and out of the way, giving myself room. Marcus storms over to me, and I hold my place, not willing to step back even though it means I need to stare up at his looming form, reaching nearly a foot higher than my five-foot-six frame. I shoot a hand out behind me, gesturing for Ryan to stand back at his approaching movements. To my relief, he obeys, but his rage is so palpable I can almost feel it roiling off of him.
Ryan's eyes lock on mine as he pushes his dominance out at me to catch me off guard. But I meet him partway, both of us stepping into each other, our power meeting in the middle in an unyielding shield. I expect the forces to slam off of each other with a destructive force, but instead, they twine together, meeting in a glorious meld. Colliding in a symphony of sound, their sweet music sings in my ears.
His gaze loses some of its steely edge at the feeling of bliss that washes over both of us from the sweet twining of our power. My chest aches to lean in those few remaining inches, to let my body mold against his muscular chest just as our powers do with one another. But I fight the urge, fisting my hands at my side, my body going rigid with the effort.
“Leave us,” Marcus growls, his eyes flicking over my shoulder.
“You’re not my alpha,” Ryan says defiantly, but I can hear the slight waver to his voice as he fights against his instincts. I could withstand the power pulsing from Ryan , but Ryan must be clinging to the last shreds of his defiance to still be standing right now.
“It’s fine Ryan , I’ll be right out.” My voice softens for him, needing him to get out of the room, out of the force of the power I can’t let drop until MArcus does. I sneer at the alpha before me, my tone hardening. “It appears this trip was a complete waste of our time.”
Marcus hand twitches at his side, and my gaze is drawn to the movement. My mind can’t help but wonder what he yearned to do. Pull me closer to him, his rough, calloused hands gripping my arms, pressing me against his muscled chest? I can see clearly through the well-fitted dress shirt. I really need to stop allowing my head to wander in that direction.
Tires squeal in the distance and my eyes pop open, the noise jolting me from the easy peace that had settled over me. I ready myself for another attack, my hand reaching for the gun still holstered on my leg. I pull it from the strap, but before I can bring it up, Nick’s voice breaks through. “That’s our pack, they’re going to load up the injured and bring them back to be treated.”Some of the tension eases from my chest and I give him a grateful smile, my look encompassing Marcus and Nate too, knowing that they had as much to do with that. I don’t even let myself think about how much they helped my pack tonight, unsure what would have happened if I didn’t have the two alphas here on the ground.“Go with them please, Sava.” I scan those crowded around us, knowing that he will be near.“Of course,” Sava nods solemnly from the side of an injured woman close to us. He clasps a shirt to her side, the white fabric turning red from the blood seeping through it.“I’ll help gather the injured
As you know, this engagement came about fast, and there is a reason for that,” I pause, before launching into the story, first telling them about the agreement with the Weavers pack that had been set up by my father, then how Monte stepped up and gave me an option which I took. “Then when we met the Weavers pack, I found that they’re my mates, their three leaders including Marcus Weavers are my mates.”Gasps echo around me, some faces pulling down into looks of disapproval, and other’s foreheads creasing in confusion. Doing my best to remain unperturbed, I don’t allow my gaze to linger on them for too long, knowing I may lose my nerve if I do.“We agreed to keep the information to ourselves, but as I began working with them to keep both our packs safe, I’ve come to appreciate them and their pack. Which is why it would be unfair to continue on pretending that the platonic relationship between me and beta Ryan is anything more,” I declare. Glancing back at him, I don’t let his crestfall
I glide across the floor, shivers running up my spine as arousal mixes with the warm buzz of alcohol in my veins, heightening my desire so much that I can barely think about anything other than Nick and his cock pounding into me. I weave my way through the group of patrons, most hurriedly moving out of my way as they spot me, leaving the path to my mate clear.His lips part as I approach him, but I don’t wait to hear what he has to say. I know what I want, and he can’t give that to me in a room full of strangers. His brows furrow in confusion as I pass him, but I don’t leave him to stew for very long. Making my way to the hallway, I turn my head to look back at him over my shoulder, crooking my finger in what I hope is a sexy gesture, beckoning him to follow me.Not bothering to wait, I continue on to the office at the end of the hall, leaving the door cracked open behind me. I shrug off my leather jacket, followed by the tight sweater dress, and my shoulder harness and gun. A chill r
Would that really be so bad though?” she asks, her voice soft and caring.I dart my gaze over to her as we approach the wrought iron gates of the Drave manor. “No,” I whisper, the word slipping from my lips before I give myself the chance to overthink it. No it wouldn’t be so bad honestly, and the more I allow myself to imagine it, the more I want it to be real. I want to be able to claim my mates to the world as excitedly as Nick had said he would. I want to know what a future would be like with them at my side, as more than mates but as equal partners in our packs, or perhaps singular pack at some point.To my relief, Semine doesn’t comment as she pulls through the gates and up to the manor. The thick stone facade and climbing ivy make this place seem like more of a prison than a home, my responsibilities and the thoughts of my pack holding me back from what I truly want, and the people that are starting to feel more like home than this place had ever been.My moment of clarity is s
That is how i met with Nate,I comb my fingers back through his black hair, comforting him while I wait for him to continue. That was a lot, both to dredge up and to go through as a child. I desperately need to know more, what happened in those foster homes, what happened to his mother? But I won’t push. He needs to work through this in his own time, and I’ll be here to listen and support him or knock some sense into him if need be, just as he has done for me.“That was until Nate and I ended up enrolled in the local school here in Enders. The family we were fostered with were racoon shifters but couldn’t sense us yet since we hadn’t shifted. But as soon as we met Marcus he knew, his alpha wolf senses were more in tune with ours, perhaps even more so because of our shared mate connection,” he says, giving me a weak smile, one which I feebly try to return.My mind races with thoughts of what it must have been like for them growing up, unable to imagine what I would have done in the same
Asshole,” I say between gritted teeth, but that only draws a laugh from those plump lips, his shoulder shaking beneath me.“You’re going to make me lose my concentration if you keep talking dirty like that,” he teases, placing his hand on a scanner to allow us into the building.I let loose a small shriek while gripping on to his sides to steady myself. My eyes lock in on his firm ass as he walks, the tight muscles flexing as he wastes no time maneuvering the halls. Well two can play this game I guess. I really didn’t have the opportunity to ogle it last night with my back bleeding out, but tonight…A growl slips from his lips as I reach down to slap his firm ass and his arms clamp down on my legs to avoid me falling off. He picks up his pace towards his room, and I giggle at the loud crack echoing out through the empty hallway.I help to close the door behind him and he spins to lock it, neither of us wanting to be interrupted. He wastes no time carrying me to the bed, pulling me bac