Page 11 of New Blood

He’d always known that it would come to this one day, when he’d joined the ranks of the Werewolf Alliance, where he’d been groomed to become an alpha to take over a rogue pack. It had been drilled into him to accept this condition because the only way to truly unite a pack is to marry into it. Kingdoms all over Europe had done this for centuries, sending royal princesses to marry foreign kings so their countries wouldn’t go to war with each other.

This was no different. He was ready to make the sacrifice for the greater good of all werewolves, despite not being attracted to Eve.

“That’s all for tonight,” he added, before looking at Flora. “Who’s in charge of the household? My men and I need accommodations.”

As expected, Flora nodded and stepped closer. “We have a few empty rooms in the side wing, and a couple of the cottages can also accommodate—”

“My men and I will stay in this house,” he said, cutting her off. “Please get the alpha’s quarters ready for me. My brother will take Cameron’s room. Find rooms for the rest of my men in this house and the side wing. Not the cottages. If necessary, some of your pack members will have to double up.”

“But,” Flora said, her chin dropping. “You can’t move into the alpha’s quarters. William stays there.”

“Your former alpha will be spending the night in the cell, guarded by two of my men. It’s for everybody’s safety.” He wasn’t going to give Gallagher a chance to take revenge on him and his men.

Her face now devoid of any emotions, Flora nodded. “Of course. I’ll have the sheets and towels changed for you and your men.”

“I appreciate it,” Jude replied.

As she turned away from him, he motioned toward Austin and Mason. “Take him down to the cell, and take turns watching him. Wendell can relieve you too if there’s need.”

When Austin and Mason grabbed Gallagher’s arms, the old alpha glared at him. “You’ll regret this.”

Jude didn’t let his words rile him up. He knew the threat was an empty one.

“The only thing I regret is that we didn’t come earlier, or we could have saved the lives of three, if not more, innocents.”

6

Danielle continued to peek past Chase’s broad shoulders. She and Priscilla had remained partially shielded behind him and Priscilla’s brother, Heath, while the new alpha had spoken to the pack. She was glad that she stood as far away as possible from the imposing stranger with the silky voice and the piercing eyes. Glad because of the effect he had on her.

She’d expected to be scared of Jude and the other newcomers because they were here to clean house and most likely impose all kinds of new rules. She’d only just gotten comfortable living with the Gallagher pack, but Jude and his men would bring more change, and she’d never liked change. Because in her experience, change was often accompanied by something negative, something bad.

What she hadn’t expected when laying eyes on Jude and listening to his voice was that no fear rose inside her. Rather, butterflies were invading her belly, turning it upside down as if she were doing cartwheels on a trampoline. She’d never thought that this was what it felt like and was utterly unprepared for it. At the same time, the feelings rising inside her, trying to bubble to the surface, were undeniable.

Long before her death, her mother had described to her what it felt like when her inner wolf had recognized her mate, but Danielle had dismissed the story as a fairytale every girl wanted to hear. She’d seen too much pain and suffering to believe that there was truly such a thing as fated mates. Her mother, of all people, had been a living example that even mates destined for each other could end up alone and unhappy. Finding one’s fated mate didn’t guarantee a happy ending.

Yet the feeling remained, even while she tried to push it aside. One look into his eyes, one whiff of his male scent drifting to her as if seeking her out, one silken word reverberating inside her chest, and the knowledge was etched into her heart. She was glad that the room was crowded and that she stood in the back of it, close to the door in case she needed a quick escape. Still, she remained standing there, her feet rigid as if glued to the floor, her body feeling like a furnace that was overheating. She knew what it meant: she was going into spontaneous heat, her body ignoring her regular cycle. This only happened to female werewolves when confronted with their true mate for the first time or after being apart for a long time.

Mine.

Even as her heart acknowledged that Jude was her mate, her mind tried to override it, knowing that the future her heart sought was impossible. Jude would never be hers. Not only was she one of the lowest-ranking females of the pack, but he’d also just announced that he would mate with Eve to unite the pack. And the firm tone in his words confirmed that he wasn’t interested in a love match. This was strictly business.

According to Heath and Chase, who both knew a few things about the Werewolf Alliance, this was how the organization managed to take over packs and keep them in the fold. The team leader mated with the highest-ranked female of the pack to quell any potential uprising and quickly produced a litter of wolf pups, all in the name of forming tight bonds that were hard to break. It would be no different here.

She wanted to curse, to scream, to run into the woods and let it all out: her frustration, the injustice of it, and the pain of knowing that there would be no fairytale ending for her. But she kept it all in, remained calm and collected on the outside, not betraying the storm that was raging inside her. She was good at that. It had been drilled into her from an early age.

Don’t draw any attention to yourself; it will only end badly.

Her mother’s words echoed in her head, and for the first time, she wanted to rebel against them.

“Danielle?” Flora’s sharp voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She snapped her gaze to her.

“Yes?”

“Upstairs! You’re with me,” Flora said gruffly, then pointed at Priscilla. “Priscilla will prepare Cameron’s room.”

She nodded quickly, following Flora out of the living room, Priscilla by her side. She could sense Flora’s displeasure, but she knew it wasn’t directed at her. Rather, her conversation with Jude had to be the cause of it. She hadn’t heard what they’d spoken, but she’d seen the tense exchange, and it had looked like whatever Flora had suggested hadn’t met with Jude’s approval.