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“So we should position our packs amongst these rows,” I say, trailing my finger along the lines of containers. “Then we’ll send out groups of three to venture out past the meeting point and report back if there’s any sign of an ambush.”
She nods thoughtfully, scanning the drawing, her expression thoughtful rather than outraged. I breathe a silent sigh of relief, glad to have dodged that bullet. Hopefully, if anyone further than the two betas had heard her, they would dismiss the outburst since she’d been so far removed from our society.
“That seems like a good plan. For now we’ll all switch over to the same channel and communicate if anything changes when we get there,” she says decisively, folding the map to apparently take with her. This woman never ceases to surprise me.
“Right, let’s get our teams together so you can head out,” Everett says, glancing at his watch. He presses a button at the side, informing the leaders to bring the teams out with them. We both briefed our betas after the conversation this afternoon, organizing where they would be situated along the compound. The twenty betas from each pack will split into teams of four, but the teams will be composed of the same pack due to the lack of time spent together. Many are still wary of the new alliance, and if I were them I would be too, without knowing the deeper ties we now have to one another. Our radios will all be switched to the same channel to coordinate as one cohesive unit though.
Despite our agreement not to show any signs of the bond in front of her pack, Everett moves to her other side, much to the chagrin of her betas keeping guard. But they know better than to stand against an Alpha, especially one they now have an alliance with.
“Stay safe, little wolf,” he whispers in her ear as he sweeps back a few strands of her tawny brown hair. Watching them, my body craves her touch, her warmth, begging me to move against her other side as well. My cock twitches again in my pants, my arousal growing at the redness that creeps up her neck, spreading to her ears, and at the shuddered breath that escapes her lips. The smell of her desire permeates the air near us. Everett is playing a dangerous game right now.
As though he senses that, or perhaps only meaning to tease her, he leans back, swaggering his way out the door without even a glance behind. Most men would get jealous of having another man touch their mate like that, but we aren’t men. We’re wolves, and especially with a female alpha, her mates inherently are drawn to share her. Perhaps that’s why Everett and I have shared several other women before. But never again, neither of us will touch another woman now that we’ve found our mate.
“Bastard,” she mutters, and I need to purse my lips to hold back my laugh this time. Because I know the truth—if Everett had stayed a moment longer he would have had her splayed on the war room table. And the two of us would be ravaging our mate, damn the consequences, and she would have been begging us to do it.
She follows him out, her footsteps slamming against the floor and out onto the pavement, pounding out her anger at Everett working her up, then leaving. Her betas follow her out the door, their protests for her to wait for them to clear the area falling upon her unperturbed ears.
I pause, taking a moment to compose myself before following them outside. Our mate sure is a handful. I’m not sure her pack will know what to do with her. Luckily I know just what she needs, and I’m ready and willing to give it to her as soon as she accepts me as her mate.
The crisp night air whistles past me as I open the door, my eyes shifting to my wolf’s to adjust to the growing darkness, and the last rays of the setting sun blink out over the horizon. I stop short, noticing Skylar and her lead beta with her tonight embroiled in a tense discussion. The others are congregating with our pack and introducing themselves to the rest of the Draven contingent.
Unsure what exactly they would need to discuss in private, I clear my throat, interrupting their conversation since there’s no reason I shouldn’t be included. The beta is lucky I sensed what I had earlier, their connection not romantic. Otherwise my wolf would be pacing, ready to rip him away from her being entirely too close. We’re still on edge after seeing her with Monte last night, this mate bond so new, along with the terror that had stricken us at the possible rejection, still has us on edge. I draw in a slow breath to calm my racing heart and simmer the anger boiling within me.
“I’ll meet you there,” she says tersely, briefly meeting my eyes before focusing back on the older man.
I swallow the growl that almost escapes my lips, not wanting her to see it as a challenge against her, but there is no way I’m letting her out of my sight. My wolf howls in protest, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. If our mate wants to march into the lion’s den, I will need to have my eyes on her at all times. Her safety is my number one priority, always.
“I don’t think so,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and letting a smug grin spread across my face. Skylar’s head whips back to me, her expression incredulous just as I’d expected. I’m sure there haven’t been many in her past that dared to speak against her, and I can tell her wolf enjoys the challenge.
“You’re riding with me, babe.”
Chapter Eleven
Skylar
“I’mnotsurewhoyou think you are, but I’m not riding with you,” I scoff, mimicking his stance. To my relief, Silas takes a few steps away, having sensed Zeke’s position. Placing himself in the middle of a standoff between two alphas is the last thing he should be doing. “And I’m not your,babe.”
The word makes my lips curl into a sneer, attempting to mask the start my heart gave at the sound of it leaving his lips. My skin tingles with desire, both from Everett’s little display a minute ago and now Zeke’s proximity. My wolf craves his closeness, urging me to move towards him even now. I couldn’t survive in a car alone with the man.
“Sorry, that’s non-negotiable,” he purrs, inching closer. I fight the urge to close the distance between us, the connection pulling us together with its magnetic force. The amount of focus I needed to exert in that room, with his body next to mine, his comforting scent wrapping around me like a protective cocoon, was astronomical, and a feat of pure willpower that I succeeded.
“Fine,” I growl, not having the time nor the patience to argue with him any longer. At least that’s the excuse I tell myself. His infuriating grin only widens at my response, and I want to wipe that look of triumph from his face.
“But, Alpha,” Silas says hesitantly, sticking close enough to my side to still overhear the conversation.
“It’s fine, Silas. We have matters to discuss. Besides, what better way do we have to show both our packs that we’re truly in alliance?” I justify, taking pride in the fact that I came up with that on my feet. I almost convince myself that’s the reason I’m agreeing to go with Zeke when I glimpse the appreciative look Silas gives me, nodding his agreement. He backs away hesitantly still, all of my betas hyper-aware of the potential danger even our allies pose. But he has a job to do, as do I. Now, if I could focus on it while being close to this man, that would be great.
“Nice cover-up,” Zeke whispers, keeping his voice low enough so that only the two of us can hear, to my relief.
“Excuse me?” I huff out on an indignant breath, unsure why this man needs to keep testing me. He already got his way, isn’t that enough? Some deep intrinsic part of me giggles at my naivety, knowing that he’s playing with me, challenging me. And my wolf loves it. She loves that he isn’t willing to follow me blindly, that he’s strong enough to stand against me, to be an equal partner—Nope, not going there. No fucking way am I letting my mind go there, especially not right now.
“Let’s go, babe,” he says, placing a hand on my lower back to guide me. His body shakes as he attempts to suppress his laughter. Annoyed, I scowl up at him, which only serves to amuse him even more.
“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath, but if his answering snort of laughter is any indication, he definitely heard me. Grudgingly, I soak in the warm, comforting touch as his hand slips under my jacket, resting against the thin shirt beneath it. I inch closer to his side automatically before catching and stopping myself. My body craves him, especially with the way the cool breeze carries his scent to me, ruffling through the few stray hairs that have fallen from my braid.
“So is that my pet name now?” he asks, barely able to keep a straight face as he pulls out a car remote from his pocket. A blacked-out armored Mercedes G-Wagon lights up in response. The rest of the Whitlock envoy are packing up just beyond it, and it dawns on me then just how large this pack house is, the warehouses stretching further than even my wolf sight can make out. The Whitlock pack truly has expanded more than I ever thought was possible in such a relatively short amount of time.
“What?” I ask incredulously, my hackles raising. There’s no way I can let myself get close enough to this man to give him a pet name. My mind runs through what I said that would’ve given him that idea.
