บททั้งหมดของ Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal: บทที่ 151 - บทที่ 160

(Piper POV)After a couple of rings, the house phone in the alpha suite is answered.“Hello?” says a female voice.I know that voice, but it isn’t Luna Rachael. Who is it?“Hello?” the voice asks again.“H-Hi. Who is this?” I ask hesitantly.“Andie.”Realization hits me and I sigh in relief. Andie is one of the Blue Ridge omegas. She and I used to be good friends. We were close in part because she was one of the few she-wolves who did not lust after Xander; she was too obsessed with her neighbor and long-term boyfriend, David.“Oh my Goddess, Andie. It’s me, Piper.”“PIPER!!!!!!” she squeals. “Oh my gosh. I have missed you so much!!!! How are you doing? Where are you? How is life? Have you met your mate? Any pups?”“Slow down, Andie,” I laugh. “First, tell me how you are doing? How is David?”“David is great. We just found out three months ago that we are fated mates, and… I’m PREGNANT!!!!”I squeal a little bit at her response. “Oh, Andie!!! That is fantastic news!!!!

(Xander POV)***FLASHBACK TO A FEW HOURS EARLIER***Leo and I had just worked out the terms of our agreement. With no time to write it out, we quickly dictated it into audio files on each of our cell phones. It wasn’t the ideal way to record a peace treaty, but it was enforceable all the same.While we waited for Luna Lily and Alpha James to rejoin us in Leo’s office so that we could tell them that we had reached a deal, I was feeling great. Powerful, even. Despite Leo’s strength and his reputation —and despite us being on his home turf, fighting over a she-wolf who unbeknownst to him was his fated mate— I felt confident that I was just days if not hours from having Piper in my arms, and in my bed, exactly where she belonged.Yes, I still had more steps that I would have to take to achieve that goal, but get there I would. After all, this mission had proven how quickly I could think on my feet and how masterfully I could get myself out of tough situations. Even if Ellis had playe

(Xander POV)“The werewolf council received another call from Blue Ridge about twenty minutes ago,” Luna Lily informed me.My stomach dropped. What the f&&k was Ellis trying to do now?“This call was from Dr. Jack Garcia.”Oh.F&&k.My heart started to race.Dr. Garcia was one of the Blue Ridge pack doctors. He was also the one I had asked to take care of my parents while they were in their drug-induced comas.“Dr. Garcia was calling to make a couple of mandatory reports, and also to request that a representative from the werewolf council come to Blue Ridge for an emergency alpha swearing-in.”I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Why would Dr. Garcia be making that kind of call? What kind of “mandatory reports” would he be required to make? And why would the council need to do the swearing in? Was Dr. Garcia a traitor? Was he the one to blame for this morning and not Ellis? He had been with my parents for decades, but perhaps he had gotten tired of not having a rank and a highe

(Xander POV)Ellis and Daphne came to my parents’ room together about ten minutes later. Daphne handled me a small bundle of clothing, which I quickly put on.Once dressed, I told Daphne to wait outside. I needed to talk to Ellis about the counteragent, and the last thing I needed was for Daphne to hear our conversation and have one more thing to blackmail me with.“But I’m your mate. I should be in here with you,” she protested.I rolled my eyes. “No, you aren’t. Now leave.”“To everyone out there,” she pointed to the pack hospital hallway, “I am. It would look strange if I left. So I stay.”“To everyone in here,” I replied tersely, “You are not. So leave.”Ignoring me, Ellis sat down in a chair and pulled Daphne onto his lap.“She stays, Xander.”Ellis spoke as though he was the boss, and the one in control. It pissed me off.I glanced at my parents, briefly wondering if they could hear what we were saying while they were in their comas. I decided to lower my voice, just i

(Xander POV)“No deal,” I repeated for the third time. “In fact, as far as I am concerned, you can go to hell.”Ellis had more to lose than I did. He could not expose me without exposing himself as well, and he was definitely the bigger villain in the story. It might be a game of chicken we were playing, but I would not and could not bargain with him. Period. It just wasn’t right.“Don’t be foolish, Xander,” Ellis warned. “This is a win-win for both of us.”“You tricked me into killing my own parents,” I sneered. “You set me up to be killed by Leo Bloodstone. Half of our best fighters are currently being held in Bloodstone dungeons. And you reported an un-noticed war to the werewolf council, which I am guessing was some sort of insurance in case Leo did not kill me quickly enough. Where exactly in all that is the win-win?”“You can still have Piper. She never has to know any of this. Once she is marked and she is on the werewolf council, you will be set for life. You won’t