Page 45 of Dark Auctioned Mate

Alanis raised her chin and looked right into his eyes. “Alanis Hester. Rael saved me from being trafficked.”

“Ah. So, you have a special understanding of how this network works.”

“Enough to convince anyone that the Weston Pack is not running it.”

“We will discuss more at dinner. I have a place ready to receive your party. You must be tired from the journey.”

***

The Riverdale Pack was smaller than the Weston Pack. But it was warm and inviting. There was a familiarity among the pack members, kids playing in the yard and the smell of food in the air.

It made Alanis think of what a Pack was supposed to be like—definitely not the brutality of Caldwell, but something more humane. Something better.

During dinner, the senior pack members of Riverdale were present. Alanis was seated between Rael and a woman called Catherine, who was a beta to Riverdale.

“So,” Catherine said casually as they ate. “How has your experience been with the Weston Pack? A great change it must be after what you must have gone through at the hands of those traffickers?”

“Yes, it was an adjustment. But not as hard as I anticipated.”

“Really? I would have figured that being captured and then bonded to an Alpha that you hardly know would be traumatic.”

Alanis looked at Rael, who was conversing intensely with Marcus at the other end of the table. “It should have been. But Rael... he is not who I thought he was. He is a good man.”

Catherine looked at her keenly, then went back to cutting a piece of chicken on her plate. “And the pack? How are they with you?”

Alanis visibly hesitated. She could lie and present a perfect image of integration and acceptance. But Catherine seemed to be someone who appreciated honesty.

“There has been... resistance.” She finally said. “Some do not feel I belong since I am not able to shift.”

“Ah.” Catherine nodded knowingly. “There were some very inflexible notions that they had towards Elle as well.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“For what it’s worth, I believe Rael did the right thing by claiming you.” She smiled politely. “You look like you’re a resilient woman, and that is what packs require. Not only people who can shift, but people who will not break when the going is rough.”

The words settled warmly inside Alanis’s heart. “Thank you.”

After dinner, Marcus invited the core group—Rael, August, Alanis, and a few of Riverdale’s senior members—to his study for a more private discussion. This was where the real work would happen.

Rael calmly presented their evidence in a systematic process, taking them through the financial documentation, chronology of their investigations, and testimony of victims that they rescued. August gave technical explanations of the forgery, demonstrating how the evidence had been planted.

And when Marcus asked why they should be convinced that Weston Pack was not involved in this, that’s when Alanis spoke up.

“I was there,” she said quietly. “I saw the buyers, the handlers, and how the operation was working. If Rael was there as a buyer, he would not have risked rescuing me or seven other women, tanking his mission.”

She looked straight at Marcus. “Someone is out to ruin the Weston Pack because they are getting too close to the truth. The rumors are nothing but rumors designed to cause distractions.”

There was a long silence in the room. Then Marcus nodded. “I’m sure my chiefs here have heard what they need to.” The senior pack members nodded, whispering to each other. “I believe you, and I support Weston Pack. I will also go to the other allied packs, tell and show them what you have shown me, and I will try where I can to refute the rumors.”

Relief poured through Alanis.

“Thank you,” Rael said. “This means more than you know.”

“Just find whoever is behind this, Marcus said sternly. “And make them pay.”

***

They spent the night at Riverdale, and the following morning, they made their way north into Shadowridge Pack. But this time, they split up. Krival and Tessa took half the team to approach Moonstone Pack, while Rael, August, and Alanis continued toward Shadowridge.