Both men clamped their mouths shut, but she wasn’t going to let them off the hook so easily. “Do you think it has to do with Academy business or me specifically?”
Ryder answered immediately. “They would never ask the Academy for help. That would mean publicly admitting to a weakness. Now that you’re one of them, things are different.”
She ignored the insinuation in his tone that hinted she was at the center of his conspiracy theory. “Help with what?”
“Nothing good,” Caedmon muttered, staring out the window. “Wolves are barely domesticated. They’re vicious and ruthless and don’t like inviting outsiders into their territory.”
Morgan collapsed back into her seat, her shoulders deflating as what he’d said settled over her. “And now they have access to a coven full of wolves they think they can command, thanks to me.”
That so can’t be good.
Her heart thundered against her ribs as she glanced between the two men. “Just how much authority do they have over us?”
Ryder and Caedmon shared a look, and her spirits sank.
A muscle ticked in Ryder’s jaw, and he focused on the road. “Not a lot, but they can make your life difficult. It’s never a good thing to be a lone wolf surrounded by pack.”
Morgan ran a hand down her face, exhausted by all the politics. She thought she’d left that all behind with the Academy. She was just a hunter. That was all she wanted to do, but lifeseemed to have a different path for her. “What would they want with us?”
Both men glanced back at her…like the answer was obvious.
When she only stared at them blankly, Ryder grimaced. “There are very few true female werewolves. A female alpha—it’s unheard of.”
Fuck.
“No.” Morgan held up both her hands, like she could hold back their expectations. “Make that a hell fucking no. I have enough mates.”
Ryder glanced at Caedmon from the corner of his eye, and she scrunched her nose in confusion. When she glanced at the elf, he was his normal impassive self.
Neither of the men gave anything away, the bastards.
She hated secrets, and she felt they were keeping something important from her.
She crossed her arms and glared. “Besides, they didn’t know I was a wolf, much less a queen or alpha or whatever before they came over.”
When the guys fell silent, she glanced out the window, unable to get over the sensation that they were being watched.
The Alpha Assembly was being too insistent.
They wanted something, and she suspected that she wasn’t going to like the answer.
CHAPTER SIX
To her surprise, they reached the alpha compound much quicker than expected.
Not enough time for her to work out what the bastard really wanted.
She didn’t like that they were blindly going into a meeting with a bunch of alphas.
It felt like a setup.
A trap where she was the sacrifice.
She’d been there once, and she didn’t enjoy the experience.
The closer they came to the Assembly, the more wolves she spotted out the window. Even if they decided to turn back, she feared it was much too late.
With each mile, Ryder and Caedmon stiffened, both acting all alpha and possessive. When a few of the more adventurous wolves wandered a bit too close to the vehicle, they both began to growl…though Morgan wasn’t sure they were even aware that they were doing it.
