CHAPTER 8: CORNERED

TRAVIS

“They need to be checked if they are going to be assimilated into the pack.”

The moment the words slip out, I know I have made a huge mistake.

A terrible one

Louisa’s eyes literally glow with fury, her body tense like a coiled spring ready to snap.

“Who gave you the fucking right?” she snarls as she rips away from me and edges closer, forcing me to back up.

Never, have I ever had to back away from someone before.

I guess there is a first time for everything.

“Louisa -”

“Assimilated into the pack?” she echoes, her voice rising with each syllable, sharp and cutting like a blade. “You think you can just decide that without me? Their mother?! How dare you?!”

“Louisa, please—”

She cuts me off, her voice cracking with a mix of anger and fear.

“They are my kids, Travis! Mine! Not yours, not this pack’s! Who gave you the right to make decisions for them?”

I step closer, lowering my voice, trying to calm her, but she backs away, her eyes wild. “Will you try and listen? I am trying to protect them.”

“Protect them?” she spits, incredulous. “By dragging them into this mess without even asking me? Who exactly are you trying to protect them from?”

Her voice echoes through the clinic, drawing the attention of everyone around us.

Nurses, patients, even the damn janitor stop what they are doing to watch the spectacle unfold.

To watch their Alpha get chewed out by a rogue.

I can feel the weight of their stares, but Louisa doesn’t seem to care.

She is too focused, too angry, too scared.

And while I can understand the reason, she should also try and understand mine.

“Louisa, listen to me,” I say, reaching for her arm, but she pulls away sharply, glaring at me like I am the enemy.

“Don’t touch me,” she growls. “You don’t get to touch me.”

I clench my jaw, frustration boiling just beneath the surface. “You are being unreasonable,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, but it is hard. She is not listening, and time is running out.

If someone reports this to the elders before I can add them to the pack, we are going to have one hell of a fight in our hands

“Unreasonable?” she snaps. “You think I am the one being unreasonable? Because I want to protect my children from your pack’s bullshit?”

Her words sting, but I push past it. “There are laws, Louisa. You know this. Laws about rogues trespassing on pack land. Especially on my land. If it weren’t for me, you and the kids would have been killed the moment you stepped onto our territory.”

I watch as her face pales, the truth of my words cutting through her rage for just a moment. She knows the laws, knows what happens to rogues who trespass.

“I didn’t want to do this,” I continue, my voice softer now, trying to reach her. “But I had to. The elders... they are watching. They know about Leo and Lia.”

Her eyes widen, panic flickering across her face before she masks it with more anger. “And what, this is your way of keeping us safe? By making decisions without me? By treating my kids like they are already part of your pack?”

“If you had listened to me when we met earlier, none of this would be happening now, but you were hell bent on causing as much damage as possible. This is the only way to protect them,” I say, stepping closer again, keeping my tone calm, steady. “If they are part of the pack, the elders can’t touch them. No one can.”

She is breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she processes my words. Her eyes dart around the room, taking in the crowd of onlookers, the men standing guard at the doors, ready to intervene if she loses control again.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I add, taking a chance and reaching out to touch her arm again. This time, she doesn’t pull away, but I can feel the tension in her body, the way she is holding herself together by a thread. “Nor did I want to go behind your back. You are my mate, your opinions matter, you matter. And so do your children. But I need you to understand that this is the only way I can keep you all safe.”

Her shoulders slump, the fight draining out of her just a little.

She still looks at me with distrust, but there’s something else there now- a flicker of understanding, maybe even acceptance.

“Fine,” she mutters, her voice hoarse. “I understand. But that doesn't mean I want to be part of your pack.”

“Lou-”

She raises her hand, cutting me off mid sentence. “Just take me to my children. I need to know they are safe.”

I stare at her for a long second before I nod, relief washing over me, but before I can move, she turns back to me, her eyes hard and unyielding. “But don’t think for a second that this is over.”

The clinic falls into an uneasy silence as we make our way down the hall, with people parting the way for us.

Whispers begin to surround us and I send a glance at the men standing nearby, their postures tense, waiting for my command. I nod slightly, and they step back, giving us space.

As I lead her toward the examination rooms, my mind races, searching for the right words to say next, to explain everything, to make her see that this is the only way.

A way to make her stay

But before I can find them, she stops in her tracks, turning to face me one last time.

“You think you’re saving us, Travis,” she says quietly, her voice trembling with barely contained rage. “But all you have done is remind me why I left my pack in the first place.”