AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“West,” I breathe out.
Mere hours after he rejected me at last, he’s here.
And I have no idea why…
CHAPTER14
RAFAEL
With a quick nod my way, he turns to Rafael, holding out his hand. “Weston Reed, Beta of the Sylvan Pack.”
“Rafael Cruces, Alpha.”
He knows that. There’s no way that West doesn’t know who this male is. Considering he’s hated the idea of Rafael for years, I never thought he would willingly step foot onto Gravetail territory. To offer his unwitting rival a nod, then shake his hand?
Someone pinch me because this cannotbe happening.
“What can I do for you, Beta?”
In his slight accent, Rafael sounds so polite. So pleasant. Almost as though he actually means it…
“I’m sorry I’m late. I had some loose ends to tie up before I could follow Helene. I told your wolves that I would be following after… didn’t they tell you?” I know West. He’s not lying—obviously, otherwise Rafael would know—but there’s definitely more to the store. “Frankie—”
“Francois,” corrects
West dips his head. “My counterpart. He had to have known that my Alpha would want to make sure that Helene made it safe to Darkwoods. There isn’t anyone he trusts in the Sylvan Pack more than me.”
Oh, West isgood. Over the last three years, I’ve tried my hardest to keep some distance between us. I had to, and that meant that I didn’t always get to watch him act as the Beta. No wonder he’s such a pro at handling Bishop. Every single word he said was true, while not admitting to anything at all.
He planted an idea in Rafael’s head, and the Alpha ran with it.
“Oh. So… Bishop sent you?”
“Helene wasn’t just our Omega. She’s the Alpha’s sister.”
Another truth, and it also didn’t answer Rafael’s question. Of course not. If West confessed to Bishop that he had meandthat we were attacked by a feral, then West would be the last shifter in Hickory that Bishop would send to watch over me.
And that’s even if my brother did. The whole point of accepting Rafael as my mate was because the Luna gave him to me, and that, as a future Alpha, Rafael would be strong enough to protect me. Sending a former packmate of mine as a… achaperonetotally undermines any prospective alliance between our packs.
And both of these males know that, a sentiment Rafael echoes when he says, “I’m well aware of that.”
“Wouldn’t he want to make sure that she arrived safely on your territory? He knows you. He doesn’t know your wolves. Omegas are prized and they need to be doubly protected.”
“And you’re just the wolf to do it, aren’t you?”
“I’m the Beta.”
“So I’ve heard. Weston, you said. Have we met? I feel like we have.”
“Once,” West says. “Three years ago when you came to meet Helene. We met then.”
They did? I didn’t know. After I told Bishop that I would take Rafael as my mate, he arranged for Rafael and his entourage to return to Hickory for a lunch. West was conspicuously missing that day, and I assumed he ducked out of pack land to avoid meeting Rafael.
I should’ve known better. West probably waylaid the Gravetail wolves, trying to get his own read on Rafael. Like it or not, he’d spent years thinking of this male as the only obstacle standing between me and West. Why wouldn’t he want to see what he was up against?
Is that why he’s here now?
For a moment, an awkward silence fills the small cabin.
