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Talulla is distraught at the thought of me fighting another male and getting hurt and possibly dying. Not once does she mention herself, and I make sure that my brother keeps a close eye on her. She’s liable to do something stupid like turn herself over to Warren to save me, and I won’t stand for it.
The council has called a meeting I must attend even though I don’t want to leave my mate alone for a second. The truth is that there is a real chance I won’t be able to defeat Warren.
The members of the Northridge pack are raised and trained far more brutally than any other I have ever heard of. Their boys are ripped away from their mothers and thrust into fighting pits from the age of five. They fight for survival, and those that do are fearless and psychotic.
Walking into the great hall, I find the entire council waiting for me.
“What is it now?” I ask, my patience wearing thin.
“Congratulations on your mating, Alpha,” one of the older women says.
“Thank you. I need to get back to my mate, so could we please hurry this along?”
“We are aware that the Alpha from the Northridge pack was here earlier,” Bill, an older male, says. “We cannot afford to go to war with them.”
“There won’t be a war. We will settle our disputes in three nights on the full moon.” I am already getting fed up with this conversation.
“You are letting your dick lead you,” Daryl says, and I want to bounce his thick skull off the table before us. “Just give him the bitch and be done with it.”
“Do you want me to rip your fucking arm off completely?” I lunge at him, but my beta intervenes, saving the worm’s life.
For the moment.
“We need a new Alpha,” Daryl proclaims from behind the back of my Beta. “He can’t be trusted to keep us safe.”
“In three nights, I will fight the Alpha of the Northridge pack. To the death.” I make sure to initiate eye contact with each and every member of the council. “If I lose, you can pick a new Alpha. But… If I win, and I fully fucking intend to, you will bow to me as your Alpha and Talulla as your Luna. “And you,” I point at Daryl. “You’ll either leave my pack, or I will kill you. Understood?”
Everyone nods. I watch the wheels in Daryl’s head turn and I know that I won’t only have to fight one enemy on the full moon.
Chapter Seventeen
Calm before the storm
Talulla Smith
Silas is more protective than usual, and I fully understand his reasoning. He wants to keep me safe and will do anything to ensure that happens. My heart breaks at the mere thought of my mate being hurt or killed. I can’t stomach the idea of anything bad happening to him only so that he can keep me safe.
I would offer myself to Warren, the Alpha who claims that I belong to him, to keep Silas safe. But my mate already knows me too well and has Maddox watching my every move.
“Stop doing that,” Maddox grumbles over the rim of his coffee mug.
“What?” I am trying to act innocent, but I am sure that it is falling flat.
“Thinking. I can hear your thoughts as if you were screaming at me. You’re not going to that asshole, and Silas isn’t going to lose the fight.”
I watch him intently. “How can you be so confident?”
Maddox smiles softly. “Did Silas tell you anything about our father?”
I shake my head. “He just said that he used to be the Alpha and is dead now.”
“Our mother passed when we were young and I was ten when our father died, Silas was barely sixteen. He was thrust into the pack Alpha role without any idea how to handle the situation. He also became the only family I had. He raised me on his own, started Whychwood Industries, expanded the pack, and so much more. I can’t think of anything my brother can’t do once he sets his mind on it.”
Wow.
I am stunned, silent. Thinking of a young Silas doing all of this on his own leaves me in awe of the man he is. It also makes my heart ache for him a little bit. It must have been hard having to go through that alone.
“What lies are you telling my mate?” Silas’ voice breaks the silence in the kitchen, drawing both our attention.
