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Monte:We can take them on our own and then get our revenge on the Whitlock pack. Come home now, or I’ll come and get you.
Come and get me?
Skylar:You’ve shown that you’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment when it comes to the Whitlock pack. From now on, I’ll be taking Silas and Seline with me for any further meetings.
Monte:You’re making a mistake, Sky. But I’ll be here to put you back together when you finally realize it. Like I’ve always been.
I shove my phone back in my clutch as the armored limo pulls into the Whitlock compound, not bothering to dignify that with a reply.
My chest heaves as I take a calming breath to get myself under control.
My eyes flick up to meet Silas’, his brow creased with concern.
“Soon,” I promise.
I’m going to lay all the cards on the table tonight. I’ll be getting answers from my mates one way or another, and if I don’t like what I hear, I won’t spare them any mercy.
“Be prepared for anything tonight,” I add.
“Of course, Alpha.” Silas’s concern turns to determination, his jaw setting as he scans the warehouses, hand poised on his gun as he opens the door.
“Skylar,” Seline breathes, looking from her father to me as she purses her lips.
“I’ll tell you everything tonight, but for now, we stay on guard.” My expression hardens, and I block out the urge to tell her everything now, refusing to let the line between alpha and friend blur.
Seline nods, squaring her shoulders as she mirrors her father’s body language, swiftly switching from her role as my best friend to my beta.
Silas and Seline exit first, searching for any sign of an ambush. I take one last moment to prepare myself for what awaits me on the other side of that door until they give the signal that the way is clear. The beginning of something new, or the swift, brutal end of the Whitlock pack.
Either way, I’m jumping in head first. No more will I let fear or uncertainty hold me back. My wolf vibrates in agreement, and with the two of us finally in sync, we can take on the world.
“Thanksforfinallygracingus with your presence, Alpha Draven,” Everett growls the moment I make it past the front door. Seline steps to the side, sweeping for any sign of a threat as I stroll into the dimly lit dining room. Silas sweeps the other side, leaving me to stare down the long black table at the impatient alpha himself.
I grit my teeth, my eyes snapping to meet his instantly and my body instinctually sensing him. His frosty blue orbs bore into me, so full of anger and relief it nearly knocks me off balance. I chose to pursue the mate bond with Everett, claiming him and the others at my fake engagement party with Monte—turned nightmare—but I hadn’t expected this.
“I’m fashionably late.” I smirk, reveling in the jolt of irritation that flashes in his gaze, remembering just how fun it is to get under his skin. “You might as well get used to it, Alpha Whitlock. I run on my time, not yours.”
The mate bond thrums between us, not as insistent as when it first snapped into place, but a constant warmth blooming in my chest, driving my instincts to close the distance between us. This is why I couldn’t see any of them until now, because of this connection that flows between us. I stiffen as emotions slam into me—confusion, pain, relief—the mix barreling into me so suddenly that it takes me a moment to realize the onslaught of feelings isn’t coming from me.
Zeke.
I swallow thickly and slam a barrier down on the connection between us, not daring to even glance in his direction. There’s no way I’ll be able to get through this dinner if I don’t shut him out. A growl vibrates deep within my chest, and I do my best not to let it out.
Soon, I reassure my wolf.We’ll be able to get our answers soon.
Despite this thought, the video plays on a loop in the back of my mind and I can’t help the bile that rises in my throat. I sense the bonds linking me to my two other mates, Arsenio and Zayn, but I can’t bear to look in that direction either, the glimpse of red and black hair is the only thing I allow to filter through my mind.
“That may be,” Everett grinds out, snapping my attention back to him. “But now that you’re finally here, you might want to take your seat so we don’t keep the rest of my pack waiting.”
I let loose an indignant sigh, attempting to disguise the cool wave of relief that washes over me at his distraction. Everett gestures to a chair beside him, but it isn’t the same spot that I sat in the last time I was here. Now I’m beside him at the head of the table.
The weight of his act of kindness—placing me as an equal in his pack—settles onto my chest, making it hard to breathe. I do my best to keep any emotion off my face as I stride to the offered chair, but judging by the way his chest puffs out with pride, I’m sure I must not be doing a very good job at it.
Seline and Silas follow behind me, slipping into place in the two empty seats to the left, as Everett stands and pulls the chair out for me. Silence settles around the dining room, all the trusted members of his pack watching with rapt attention. This may seem small to some, but in a wolf pack, sharing a seat at the head of the table is something that is nearly unheard of.
I let him push the chair in behind me, my shoulders squared, chin high as I look at the gathered members of the Whitlock pack—well, nearly all of them.
“I’m sure the gossip mill has already been running,” Everett grumbles, eliciting a few chuckles from around the table. “Alpha Draven is my mate, as well as to my fellow alphas, Zeke and Arsenio.”
