Alpha's Compromise (Alpha Selection Book 2)
Page 5
I flicked her off as I continued. “Do you plan on staying in Knoxville?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here for a while. Nate and I have been going to a lot of meetings for this treaty. It probably won’t be over for a while. After that… who knows? I’ll probably go on assignment to find Ben’s parents. Hybrid children are against both the witches’ covenant and the wolves’ laws. We have to handle that and make sure he doesn’t have any siblings,” she explained.
“That sounds dangerous, Tess.”
“A day in the life. I have to go where my orders take me. I managed to get myself assigned to you since you were Sam’s mate, even before you knew it, but now that you’re a wolf…” She trailed off.
“Now that I’m one of the damned, I don’t need a protector. Got it,” I joked.
“I’m really sorry about the things I’ve said about wolves. I feel… differently now. It was one thing when I didn’t know any wolves personally but now that you changed,” she paused as if searching for the right word. “You changed but you’re still you. Being a wolf hasn’t changed you as a person. If anything, it’s made you blossom. I dunno. I’ve been reevaluating the beliefs I was taught.”
“I was just joking, Tess. I know you don’t hate me and I can tell you’re coming around to wolves. Look at the beautiful homes you made for us and you’ve been working alongside Nate with no complaints. You’ve changed too. You may not get furry like I do but you’re not the same either.”
“That’ll happen when you watch your best friend die,” she said as a haunted look fell over her face. I pulled her in for a tight hug.
She pulled away after a few seconds and cleared her throat. “Anyway, enough emotional garbage. Why did you want to know if I’m staying here?”
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “I was wondering if you wanted to stay in my apartment while you’re here. I’m going to either be staying here or at Sam’s... if we can work things out.”
“Yeah, that’d be awesome!” She replied. “I get a budget for housing when I’m traveling out of state. I can take over the rent and I’ll still have extra cash for shopping. I’m so with it.”
I laughed at her logic. She bumped my shoulder with her own before standing up. “You guys will figure it all out. He’ll come around when he sees how much you care about your pack. Why don’t you give him a call?”
“Why should I?” I said obstinately. “He was in the wrong. He should call me first.”
Tess shrugged. “Check your voicemails. If I had to wager a guess, I’d say he already has.”
“My phone hasn’t rung all day. I know. I’ve checked… a lot.”
“Magic interrupts phone waves. Between me reconstructing the place and Bael searching for booby traps, there is no way your calls would have come through. By the way, the money is safe and y’all are loaded. That treasury is packed, girl. You can probably buy a shit load of land and build an entire community for your wolves.”
“Thanks, but I like the idea of being closed off from the human world for a while. A lot of these wolves are believed to be dead by humans because they went missing so long ago. It’s just a lot of drama that we don’t need right now. I’ll make sure to compensate you for your work though,” I said as I grabbed my phone from my satchel.
“Go check your voicemails. I can tell you’re dying to see if he called. I’m going to go to sleep. We can talk in the morning,” she said as she made her way toward the bedroom located at the back of the apartment. She paused half way down the hall and turned to face me again. “And Lil? I don’t want your money. Consider this an apology for being such a shitty friend.”
14
Sam
“But you already knew all of that!” I spat as I finished my story. Standing abruptly, I glared down at the Alpha Council as I continued. “How long did you know? How long did you know Ben was slaughtering alpha’s and absorbing packs?”
My voice rose with every word. All attempts at diplomacy flew right out the window as I realized our council, the people charged with policing and protecting our kind, allowed Ben to destroy packs unchecked.
“Calm down,” Raul said as he leaned back in his chair. He was the councilman I disliked the most. We’d met shortly after I’d turned eighteen and became the beta of my pack. It had been hate at first sight. He was young, not even twenty-five, and he had a superiority complex. He was the sort of man who believed he was God’s greatest gift to the world. Everything about the guy pissed me off. Just the sight of his face made me want to punch him.
“Calm down? My father was murdered and my mate almost died. My pack was the next one to be absorbed by that fucking mad man,” I hissed.
“Language!” Celeste interjected.
I glared at her as I continued to speak as if she hadn’t interrupted. “Why didn’t you stop him? If I hadn’t gone to the witches, my entire pack would have been decimated.”
“You going to the witches is why we are here,” Adriana spoke this time.
“So you’re telling me that you have a problem with me going to the witches to save my people and my mate? That is a problem but you’re okay with that hybrid monster destroying our kind? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I shouted.
“Going to the witches is not the way. You should have come to us,” Robert said.
“My father contacted you weeks ago and you’ve all just now deigned to meet with me. What good would going to you have done? We’d all be dead by now!”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Raul was the one to speak this time. His snide smirk combined with his calm delivery fanned the flames of my anger even more.
“Dramatic? My father was murdered. My brother almost died. Six of my wolves were slaughtered, and the only thing you have to say is that I shouldn’t have gone to the witches for help? This is ridiculous.”
“Sam, we’re not the enemy here. We’re on your side,” Celeste said in a nurturing tone.
I glared down at the older woman, “You could have fooled me. I haven’t broken any wolf by-laws. It’s well within my rights as alpha to form a treaty between the witches and my pack... I think we’re done here.”
I made my way to the door as Celeste stood. “Please have a seat. We have much to discuss.”
“I don’t trust you. Any of you. We have nothing more to say to one another,” I spat as I stormed out of the room.
My wolf was raging with me. He was as angry as I was. The sense of betrayal reverberated within both of us. The Alpha Council was formed to protect packs from threats like Ben and they had just let him run rampant.
I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Nate as I waited for the valet to pull my car around.
“How’d it go?” He answered on the first ring.
“Like shit. Meet me at my house. We have to talk.”
“Alright. I’ll meet you there.”
I drove off as soon as I was in possession of my car again. I sped down back roads with my windows down, hoping the night air would calm my wolf. It didn’t. He wanted to shift, to rage and run, but I couldn’t let him. I needed to stay in my human form and discuss the night’s revelations with my beta.
Nate was sitting on my front steps as I pulled into my driveway. He stood as I climbed out of my car.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Not here. Inside!” I commanded, my voice sharp. I unlocked the door and led him straight into my office. I paused to pour us both a healthy serving of whiskey before I began filling him in on my meeting with the council.
Nate was just as outraged as I had been. “They fucking knew? They just left us to die?”
I nodded, too angry to form a response.
“How did they know about Lily and the witches? Who’s keeping them in the loop?” He demanded.
“I don’t know. I think we’re going to have to take a page out of Lily’s book and ask the entire pack under a truth command. We obviously can’t trust the council any longer,” I said as I drained my glass.
“This is a shit show, man.”
Nate nodded and stood. “I’ll give her a call now. Hopefully, I can meet with Chancellor Warren in the morning.”
“Alright,” I replied as I poured myself another glass.
He turned to leave before pausing. “Do you want to do the truth command to me now?”
“I’m not going to command you. You’re my beta. I trust you as much as I trust my brother,” I said.
Nate didn’t say anything but he stood taller at my words.
“Go ahead and call Tess. Report back when you have information. Don’t share sensitive information over the phone until we can buy burners just in case.”
“You got it, Alpha. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I said good night before draining my second glass of whiskey. Life had been giving me way too many fucking lemons lately and I hated lemonade.
15
Liliana
The moment the apartment door shut behind me, I went to the voicemail screen on my phone. I hit play on the first message and sighed to myself as Sam’s voice sounded from the speaker.
“Hey, Lil. It’s me… obviously. I’m sorry for earlier. I was being an ass. I’d really like to talk when you’re ready. I love you.”
The next message was roughly the same… as were the following four. The final one was to inform me of our sonogram appointment with Ember the next day.
I was far enough along in human weeks that we’d be able to find out our baby’s gender which was pretty exciting. The fact that Sam and I weren’t on good terms put a damper on my elation though. This was going to be our first ultrasound. Going in while our relationship was up in the air didn’t sound even moderately appealing to me.
I dialed Sam’s number. The phone rang over and over again until I was sent to his voicemail. As I waited for the beep that signaled the start of the recording, I worried that he was mad at me for not answering his calls all day and was in turn avoiding me.
“Hey. Sorry I didn’t answer earlier. Tess and Bael were working some serious magic which apparently messes with cell reception. I’m sorry for storming out. We need to talk. Call me back. I love you. Okay… bye,” I said after the tone sounded.
I tossed my phone in my satchel and made my way back down to the fires. The apartments were finished but the wolves continued to congregate around the warm flames. It had turned into a party while I was gone. People danced and sang. There were even a few wolves making s’mores around the main fire. I made a beeline for the dessert campfire. I just wasn’t in the mood for music. I was too upset about my argument with Sam.
“You okay?” Ryan asked as he came up beside me.
I roasted my marshmallow, watching the crackling flames as I responded. “I will be. Just have to find a balance. Same shit, different day. It’s just starting to really get to me.”
“Sometimes, when you can’t solve your problems, it’s best to distract yourself.”
“That’s what I’m doing… with food,” I said as I pulled the mildly charred marshmallow from the fire. I assembled my treat and began to eat as Ryan stood beside me silently.
As I stuffed the last bite in my mouth, he put his hand on my upper back and began to lead me toward one of the smaller fires. “Come on. Maybe this will make you feel better about your choice to be here.”
I followed along as curiosity got the best of me. Two wolves that I didn’t know very well sat beside one another on a blanket. I stared as we drew closer, willing their names to come to me.
Shannon and Damien, my wolf supplied. I mentally thanked her as we reached the pair.
“Hi, Shannon. Damien.” I greeted them before looking at Ryan in confusion.
“Hey Alpha,” Damien greeted. Shannon smiled as she waved a little greeting.
“I want Liliana to hear your story… if that’s okay with you?” Ryan asked.
Damien looked at Shannon as if waiting for permission. She stared at me without blinking for a long time before she assented.
“Have a seat,” Damien said.
Ryan and I both sat as instructed. I was eager to learn more about my wolves and their dark pasts. I wanted to help them heal and I couldn’t do that without knowing how deep their wounds ran.
The flames danced, casting shadows over Damien’s face as he launched into his tale.
“Ben attacked in the middle of the night. We were the first pack he absorbed. My mate and I,” he gestured to Shannon before he continued to speak. “Were asleep when he entered our home. He froze us with his magic before we knew what was going on. No matter how hard we struggled to move, our eyes were the only body part we had any semblance of control over.”
He paused and Shannon spoke for the first time. Her eyes were focused on the fire, unblinking. “He used his magic to carry us outside, and lined our entire pack up in a row before he went for our alpha. When Alpha wouldn’t submit, he brought the children to the front. We could move our eyes, but we couldn’t blink--couldn’t close them. We had to watch as he... He started with the youngest and worked his way up.”
She broke down in tears and a sense of dread filled me. I placed my hands on my stomach, on the child that still only felt like butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
Damien wrapped his arm around his mate and held her to his side as he continued for her, his eyes fixated on the flickering fire in front of us. “Liam, our son, was two. He was the youngest in our pack and the first one that monster murdered. He-”
He took a fortifying breath before continuing in a trembling voice. “He didn’t die fast. It was long and drawn out. He did the same to two other children before our alpha gave in to Ben’s demands and commanded we follow him until death. After the command settled over the pack, he snapped our alpha’s neck.”
Shannon wiped at her eyes furiously before she sat up, “He didn’t just kill our pups. He tortured them. Our boy would have been thirteen this year if he hadn’t come for us… if our alpha had surrendered sooner.”
Her hands clutched at mine as she leaned over her mate. Her gaze, though full of tears, never wavered from mine. “I don’t care why the witches helped us or your mate’s pack. I’m just glad they did. I had to watch that sadistic bastard kill over and over in order to absorb packs. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth if it will keep us from having to bow to scum like that ever again.”
I hadn’t spoken since their story began, equal parts entranced and horrified. Tears fell from my eyes as I squeezed her hands reassuringly. “I’m so sorry about your son. I know that there is nothing I can do to change that, but I can promise you that I’ll protect you all.”
Shannon nodded before releasing her grip. “I believe you. If you’ll excuse us… It’s been eleven years but talking about Liam is still hard.”
“Of course,” I said as I rose to my feet alongside them. The knot of emotion in my throat felt like it was cutting off my air as I fought in vain to keep my tears from falling. I had no right to cry over their loss. Still, the very thought of the atrocities Ben committed tore my heart to shreds.
I sat back down after Damien and Shannon made their way back to their home for the night. Ryan sat beside me, his arm wrapping around my shoulder as he pulled me into his side. The physical contact broke the tenuous hold I had on my emotions. Sobs wracked my body as I thought of Liam and the other children who had lost their lives in such a god-awful way. I had never been glad another person was dead but, in that moment, I was positively joyous that Ben was.
“That’s only one story from one pack. There are other stories… worse ones if you can believe it. You’re doing a good thing, Liliana. Don’t fold in your negotiations with your mate,” he said as he rested his cheek on the crown of my head. It felt natural, being comforted by Ryan. It wasn’t sexual or inappropriate in any w
ay. It was like hugging Luca… if my brother was about a foot taller.
“Negotiations? You make it sound like Sam is the enemy,” I scoffed.
“Isn’t he? He definitely isn’t an ally to us. Maybe to you, but not to us. He needs to accept our pack and your role in it before we can trust him. You have to make him see that we need you as our Alpha.”
“Do you really think so?” I asked. “You would make a great alpha.”
He released me and leaned back on his arms in a reclining position. His head cocked to the side in sarcastic questioning. “You can hear your wolf, you said? What does she say to the idea of me being alpha?”
My eyes squinted in irritation because my wolf was not having it… even in pure hypotheticals. She just kept saying mine and howling within my chest.
“Okay, fair enough. I can’t walk away. This is my pack.”
Ryan grinned, everything about his expression practically shouting I told you so. “I get it. In theory, you’d be free and the wolves would be safe… but you’re meant to be our Alpha. You turned into a wolf, for fuck’s sake. Do you know when that happened last?” He answered his own question immediately, which was fine with me since I had no idea. “Not once in our recorded history, which is pretty extensive for a secret species of people. I was always meant to be your beta. My wolf feels it and so do I.”
I smiled sadly at him before standing. “I’ll be back tomorrow. I think I have a mate to see and a solution to find for us all.”
“Attagirl,” he said playfully. “And make sure he doesn’t come raging when he smells the fact that I hugged you. You’re hot but definitely not my type. I like my women more… well... I don’t like women.”
My eyebrows shot up at his announcement before I snorted out a laugh. “I’ll make sure he knows that… eventually. He deserves to stress over you a little bit first.”
Ryan threw his head back and laughed as I waved goodbye.
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