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The Gala hadn’t changed in the past century and a half. It was still a bang fest once the alphas had enough distractions.
“I think that’s the best we can do given the circumstances,” I said, glancing over the plan with new eyes. “We can’t add more to the ranks at the archives, or we’ll weaken the numbers at the cage and the pack house.”
“It just doesn’t feel like enough,” Ledger insisted, going over the plan three more times in quick succession.
“The numbers are what they are; we can’t change them, no matter how many times we do it.”
“There’s got to be more somewhere.”
“If you want to weaken the cage, we can borrow from there,” I conceded, ready to be done with this conversation.
“We can’t show weakness there since we had the only escapee since the fucking thing was built.”
I opened my mouth to reply then snapped it shut just as fast. The reasoning behind this obsession made sense. The other alpha-apparents had been there when Faela was discovered. We needed a show of force, or the other packs would think us weak.
For the first time since I became beta, I didn’t fucking care. I only had one thing on my mind, and protecting this pack wasn’t it. Hell, I was destined to be the alpha to unite every pack, so worrying about one seemed narrow-minded.
Plus, this was the first real gathering that we’d had since I received this title. Which meant I would be introduced as the new beta to the other packs. A few days ago, it had felt like a big deal, but now I was super tempted to skip it.
“I’ll figure something out.” Ledger’s hair was disheveled from being pulled and messed with. “If I don’t find more, I’m gonna need you to gather volunteers.”
“No one will volunteer; it’s Gala night. You know as well as I do that the festivities aren’t just for us.”
I felt stupid reminding him of this since he was always the one who’d sneak out to party with the pack. I went with him a couple times to keep him out of trouble.
Funny how the tables had turned. He hated doing the basics of being an alpha, but now he seemed to have gotten a kick in the ass. Which was suspicious.
“Wait… are you getting pressure from someone?”
“Mostly rumors, but they’ve reached the other packs, and now there’s talk of our weaknesses,” Ledger answered, leaning over the table again.
I frowned, wondering when he started giving a shit about rumors. That seemed like more of my aunt’s thing, but maybe there was something else to it.
Fuck!
“What are the rumors?” I asked him more seriously.
For the next few hours, we went over every rumor that Ledger had heard. Most weren’t based on facts while others seemed outrageous and well in the realm of impossible. Still, there were others that were very close to the truth. Almost too close.
Whispers of an Alpha Seeker had made its way through the packs, and while her appearance should have been a sign of good things to come, it was the opposite. Fear of her and the destruction she’d bring to the packs was believed and spread like wildfire.
Thoughts of returning to Pearl disappeared as the threat to her became apparent. I became just as obsessed with security as Ledger was and refused to rest until I’d found a solution.
I’d protect her no matter the cost. Pearl was the only thing that mattered now.
* * *
That one night turned into a week and a half of planning with my cousin. I was obsessed with making sure the Gala was a safe place for Pearl, but I knew that the safest place for her would be at my side. I reached out to the friends I’d made in other packs about the rumors, but none of them had heard of them, which was reassuring.
I wasn’t sure what else I could do, so I went over the plans, security, and contingencies repeatedly. Early mornings became late nights. I’d crawl into bed every night, my head heavy with exhaustion, only to be up early and go over everything again.
Most nights, I stayed with Pearl, hating that I arrived and she’d be asleep, only to leave before she woke up. Leaving was a battle each time, but her safety was the goal, and I knew she’d understand.
I lay down next to her the night before the Gala, thinking I could relax, but just like every other time I stayed here, my mate’s scent drove me mad. We hadn’t completed our mating, and I regretted it. The idea of her walking into the Gala without my bite on her neck nearly made my wolf go feral, but the idea of it not being safe was more worrisome.
Pearl was curled on her side, leaving plenty of room for me to slip into the bed. I pulled the covers over me while making sure she was still tucked in. I covered my eyes, and I tried to calm my mind down enough so I could get some sleep.
Pearl shifted beside me, and I held my breath, praying that I hadn’t woken her up. The bed stayed still, and I exhaled, relieved.
