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That there were only ten of them was surprising. He had expected Andre to bring an army.
If two of the wolves were Andre and Tate, then there were only eight guards. Something about that did not sit right with him. There was no way he would come to confront them with so few, even if it really was just about the wolves he had lost.
Each Alpha should have brought their betas and at least four other guards. Aiden knew there was no way they had depleted their forces with the seven wolves they lost. Both packs were just as large as Silver Lake.
Aiden reached out to the group,“Do not let your guard down, no matter what. Something isn’t right here. No Alpha would show up with so little back up to a council meeting.”
Marshall grunted beside him,“You’re right. Unless he is just being cocky.”
“Andre is not the type to be cocky. He is a narcissist and an asshole, but he does not need to flaunt or strut around. I assure you. He has a purpose, and it is not the loss of his men.”The absolute confidence in Chris’ words was telling.
He knew the Alpha better than any of them. This was the man who killed his mate and ripped his family apart, nearly destroying his pack. He knew Chris believed beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Andre was evil. Aiden did not doubt him for a moment, even if the council was not convinced and had refused to prosecute Andre.
With that conviction in his mind, he prepared for the possibility of a fight as the wolves broke through the tree line.
They paused just outside of the forest and shifted. Not one of them stayed in wolf form. As they dressed, he wondered why. They did not seem to have any weapons on them. Each man only dressed in a pair of pants, and with everyone watching, there was no way for them to try to hide anything.
Beside him, Kenzie coughed. When he looked over at her he realized she was trying to hide a laugh as she stared up into the sky.
“Uncomfortable with a bunch of naked guys?”
She shot him a glare,“One of them happens to be my big bad grandfather, so yes. Very uncomfortable. Also, Eww.”
It wasn’t the time to laugh so he sent her the image of a smile,“Sorry cupcake, didn’t think of that. They are dressed now so you can look.”
She sighed and squeezed his hand once, before taking a slight step back so she was a step behind him.
Normally he would prefer to have her at his side, but in this case, he wanted to be a line of defense between her and whatever was coming. To the other alphas, it was also a sign of strength and respect that the Beta and Alpha stand in the front.
As Andre got closer, Aiden could make out more features. He’d never seen Andre before, but the man looked fierce. He was well over six feet tall, with buzzed black hair and pale green eyes the same color as Kenzie’s.
That detail was a bit startling. He hadn’t expected them to look alike for some reason. He also had a severe scar running down the left side of his face, through his eyebrow and eyelid, all the way down to his chin.
With a scar like that, Aiden was surprised he hadn’t lost his eye. He couldn’t help but wonder what had been able to do that to him.
Next, he focused his gaze on Alpha Tate. Unfortunately, Aiden did know him, and he looked as slimy as ever. He wore his hair long, reaching just to his shoulders in a greasy rusty- brown color. His face was pock marked, probably from childhood acne, and for some reason he was wearing untied leather pants just high enough to cover himself.
The other wolves in the group looked a little more average. He studied their stances briefly, to get an idea of how each one handled himself. Only one of them set off his alarm bells.
“Keep an eye on tatted blondie at the end. Everyone else’s stances are relatively relaxed, but he is itching for a fight. Do not let your guard down.”
The wolves stopped about ten feet from their pack, and of course, Andre spoke first, “Hello Christopher. It’s been a long time.”
Chris growled, “Not long enough.”
Andre didn’t exactly smile, as bare his teeth. He looked like he wanted to bite something. Without another word to Chris, he turned to the council, “Council, nice to see you again. I see Corine could not make it?”
William glared at the Alpha, “We do not abide traitors in our midst.”
“Ah, I see. Is she dead than?” Andre looked almost sad at the idea. Aiden figured it was just a front. This man felt nothing for Corine, or anyone else for that matter. He was selfish and only cared about his own wants.
“Actually, no.”
Aiden heard Kenzie gasp quietly behind him. No one else noticed, so he reached behind him to gently grip her fingers, then let go.
“Hm… And why is that?” Now Andre just sounded disappointed. Aiden figured that was probably the real emotion. If Cornie was dead, he didn’t have to worry about her spilling his secrets, not that she seemed to know much.
After a long moment of silence, Sabine took over the conversation since William did not seem inclined to answer, “Corine has been sentenced to life in The Iron Prison. We decided death was too kind a punishment.”
