Cut to the Chase (City Shifters: the Pride Book 4)

by Layla Nash

  "Because you wouldn't see reason." Irritation narrowed his eyes. "I gave you plenty of time, Ruby. But since you'd rather fuck around with the lions, I had to take another route."

  The blood drained from my face so quickly I swayed, almost embarrassed myself and lost my rank by fainting. Sheer stubbornness kept me upright in the face of Evershaw's grim triumph. "Did he tell you that?"

  "Of course he didn't." Evershaw righted his desk in jerky movements, still riled up, and started collecting all the shit that had flown off. "It's obvious. It was obvious a week ago in the gym."

  My heart sank. If it was obvious to everyone else, then it couldn't only be an infatuation. Maybe it meant more, and I would never be able to escape the draw of Carter Chase. I couldn't move, watching him stoop to gather up the pieces of his computer. "You don't know what you're talking about."

  Evershaw shot me a dark look. "Grow up, Ruby. Whatever it is, it won't last. He's a lion. You're a wolf. You should be with a wolf. He will never understand you. He will never understand how a pack works, or what it means to be a pack. The lions pretend like they know, but they're too different."

  He said exactly what my own doubtful head told me, despite that my heart remained steadfast. Even knowing why Evershaw would say those things to me, I almost believed him. Feared he was right, regardless of what my heart said. "I'm not interested in…"

  "The Council will decide where we go from here. Unless you want to accept my offer?" Evershaw shook his head as he studied his computer monitor and placed it on the desk. "If we team up, Ruby, everything changes."

  "You won't blackmail me into mating with you." I clenched my fists at my sides.

  "It's not blackmail. It's not a threat." He sighed and collapsed back into his chair, looking too tired to be threatening. "You're an adult. Make your own damn choice. I'm doing what I have to in order to keep my pack strong and on top. I'd expect no less from you."

  "Fine." I channeled the fury and hurt of Carter's betrayal and gritted my teeth. "Ditch the underhanded shit, Evershaw. I'll face you, alpha to alpha, and we'll decide this by the old laws. Fight to first blood."

  He opened his mouth to argue, or say he wouldn't fight me, or proposition me again, but I stormed out before he could speak. I'd had enough of Miles Evershaw. And I'd had enough of Carter Chase. Men in general, really. I stormed through the warehouse, ignoring Todd as he tried to get my attention, and flung open the steel door to the outside until it banged off the wall and almost shut in my face.

  Outside, I called Natalia and asked her to meet me at the bar. She might know more about this. Whatever the Chases planned, if Nat knew and didn't tell me, then I had a pretty clear idea of who I could rely on in the coming week. The Council would vote to establish a single pack or to let the wolves sort it out among themselves, and we would have to live by their decision.

  I rode the motorcycle more recklessly than normal, white lining and cutting off cars on the crowded city streets, but I didn't care. Carter betrayed me. Went to Evershaw to talk about pack business. Which only cemented how Evershaw saw me – a prize to be won or stolen, some trophy he could take from the lions to decorate his pack. I gritted my teeth as I strode into the bar, heading for the office so I could confront my brother.

  Rafe stared at a spreadsheet so hard I thought I smelled something burning, but he looked up as I stormed in. "What the hell, Bee?"

  "We have a problem."

  "Does that problem have anything to do with Edgar Chase sitting upstairs, waiting for you?"

  My heart seized up. But he said Edgar, not Carter. And I could face Edgar any day of the week. The security chief pretended to be tough as nails, but in reality there was a genuinely nice guy inside. I raked a hand through my hair as I stared around the office, not quite ready to go face Edgar. "It might. Evershaw called in his favor from Eloise. I don't know what he asked for, but it will be bad for us."

  "Then we should challenge Evershaw now, before the Council gives a verdict. At least we have some control over the situation," I said.

  "If we challenge him, we're the instigators. Makes him look like the victim," Rafe returned.

  Rafe snorted, leaning back in the chair. He watched me for a long time before he went on. "What were you doing at Evershaw's, anyway? Are you two involved?"

  "Don't be ridiculous." My stomach flipped at the thought. "I went there to confront Evershaw about all the shit he's doing, stirring up the jackals and coyotes and hyenas against us."

  "You went to SilverLine territory, into his den, without telling me? Without asking me to go with you?" Rafe sat forward, expression difficult to decipher.

  I took a deep breath. "Yes, but —"

  "Fuck, Ruby." He lurched to his feet to pace. "We work together. That's how this works. If you start going off to negotiate with other packs without me, you're undermining my authority. Just because you're a better fighter doesn't mean you're the top dog. We both bring strengths to this pack. That's why this works. But it obviously doesn't work if you feel like you can take on an entire pack by yourself, and you don't even bother telling me you're going to do it."

  "Rafe," I said, then cut off. He was right, after all. I scrubbed my hands over my face. Everything was falling apart. Everything. "I'm sorry. I got too focused on being pissed at Evershaw. I didn't think."

  "No, you didn't." He turned his attention back to the computer. "Go talk to Edgar. I need to take a minute before I say something I regret."

  The wolf snarled in the back of my head, but I couldn't tell if she was angrier with me or him. So I turned on my heel and walked away without another word, slamming my fist into the door as I passed. My heart ached as I climbed the stairs to the living room, dreading seeing Edgar. I just wanted to curl up in my bed and hold the pillow that still smelled like Carter. It had been too perfect.

  Edgar sat in the recliner that faced the stairs, so he saw me when I finally dragged myself around the corner. His eyebrow arched when he caught sight of me. "You okay, Ruby?"

  "No." I leaned back against the wall but didn't want to get any closer. He looked just enough like Carter that I might lose my good sense and admit something I shouldn't. "But I don't want to talk about it. What do you want, Edgar?"

  The other eyebrow joined the first. "Logan sent me. SilverLine called another emergency session of the Council for tonight. Something about the coyotes joining. John and his crew are ready to accept Council membership. Logan wanted to make sure you and Rafe knew and were able to attend."

  My lungs seized and I couldn't breathe. The coyotes unbalanced the Council relationships. They'd support Evershaw, without a doubt. I rubbed my forehead and wondered for the first time if I could just walk away. Leave the pack, leave Rafe, leave Carter, leave everything behind. Find a new city without all this bullshit drama and start over. Being alpha had been fun. And it had been my goal for so long that I had no idea what to do after achieving it. Managing a pack was headache after headache.

  When the silence stretched and I couldn't speak, Edgar rose and shoved his hands in his pockets. He got that thoughtful expression that usually meant trouble, and the lion paced toward me with more scrutiny than my wolf liked. "Did something happen today, Ruby? You don't look surprised that the coyotes are joining."

  "I had a conversation with Evershaw today. He was planning something. I figured it would be something like this."

  Edgar didn't buy it. But at least he didn't call me on the half-truth. He glanced at his watch, then headed for the stairs. "Let me know if you need to talk about anything, Ruby. We'll see you at the Council meeting tonight at eight."

  I didn't say anything as he left. Instead, I collapsed onto the leather couch and buried my face in one of the blankets. Running away seemed like the best idea I'd had all week.

  Chapter 16

  Logan listened without comment as Carter tried to explain the last couple of weeks – his relationship with Ruby, the conflict with Evershaw, and the earlier confrontation over Eloise's favor. The
gorgon hovered near the door of Logan's office, her hair out of control as she hugged herself and paced. Carter tried to keep emotion out of his voice, but his heart broke, and his lion mourned. His mate felt betrayed. By him.

  Logan leaned his elbows on his desk and covered his face, sighing so heavily Carter thought he might deflate. The alpha spoke to no one in particular. "I just sent Edgar to O'Shea's to tell Rafe and Ruby about the emergency Council session tonight. The coyotes agreed to join the Council, and will take the oath."

  Carter shook his head, lurching forward. "They can't. Evershaw is using them to get a majority…"

  "We've demanded all shifters in the city cooperate with the Council, or pay the price. We can't turn the coyotes away when they've finally agreed to do what we told them to do." Logan massaged his temples.

  Eloise cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, Logan. I promised him a favor but I didn't think —"

  "It's not your fault." Logan leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. "Go check in with Benedict, El. So he doesn't kill Carter for taking you to see Todd Evershaw."

  She made a face and reached for the door. "Jesus Christ, will I never live that down?" She slammed the door behind her without another word or a backward glance, and something in Carter's chest eased. He could be more honest with just Logan in the room.

  His eldest brother fixed him with a no bullshit look. "The whole story, Car. Not the after school special version."

  "She's my mate." The words escaped in a rush and a weight lifted off his shoulders. Finally, finally, he could say it aloud in front of others. He lurched to his feet and started pacing. "Ruby is my mate. She's…worried about what it would look like, if we were together, so I agreed to a trial run. Evershaw wants her as a business deal, a way to consolidate power without giving a shit how she feels. I went with Eloise to protect her, but also to…look out for Ruby."

  "Evershaw wouldn't look past the opportunity to make the choice easier for her. As long as it was the choice to go with him." Logan stifled a groan.

  "Yeah." Carter shook his head, wishing he had something to hit. "And when she came in, she heard enough that she thought…she had to think I betrayed her trust and went to Evershaw on her behalf. I didn't, Logan. I wouldn't."

  "I know, Carter."

  "What do I do?" Carter faced his brother in desperation, hands clenched at his sides. "Logan, how do I fix this? She's my mate. I can't lose her."

  Logan's stoic expression softened a touch, and he took a deep breath. "Well, I sure as shit don't know how to calm a furious woman down. Why do you think I'm here so much? Half the time I say the wrong thing and hide out here until Nat forgets about it, or the flowers and chocolate distract her."

  Carter frowned at him, wanting real advice, but Logan held up his hands. "So keep that in mind. Give her a little time to cool off. Talk to Natalia about what to say. Maybe call Rafe. And then you have to talk to Ruby, brother. You can't force her to accept you. A woman like that, an alpha…she'll just dig in her heels if you try to convince her. But you have to fight for your mate."

  Carter stared at him, a thousand possibilities running through his mind, and tried to imagine a future where Ruby wasn't part of his life. "Can I get her back?"

  Logan picked up his cell phone and fussed with it, finally holding it up to his ear though he spoke to Carter. "Let's find out."

  It rang for a long time before Natalia picked up, and from the look on Logan's face, she wasn't happy. The alpha even held the phone away from his ear so Carter could hear Natalia ranting about jackass lions, and insensitive pricks, and belligerent males always interfering in her business. Logan listened for some time, making agreeing noises whenever Nat paused to take a breath, and eventually she trailed off to only spitting curses.

  Logan sounded mild and barely interested. "Babe, please listen to me."

  From the way the alpha flinched, the response was not positive. Carter held his breath. Logan rubbed his forehead and rolled his eyes, still trying to sound soothing. "I know, babe. I know. We can talk more about that later, okay? Now, though, I need you to listen to me. What happened wasn't what Ruby thinks happened."

  And again Logan held the phone away from his ear as Natalia's voice gained both decibels and octaves. Carter leaned back against the wall and stared out the enormous windows behind Logan's desk at the city below. Maybe it was over. He would have to leave the city. Maybe the country. And that wouldn't be enough distance to forget the scent of Ruby's perfume, the feel of her skin. He would have to die inside, just to keep breathing.

  Logan watched him, then said to the phone, despite that Nat continued shouting at him, "Ask Eloise. Eloise was there. If you don't believe me, your mate, call the damn gorgon. I love you, even though you're being completely unreasonable, and I will see you at home tonight." Then he hung up and shoved to his feet, striding over to Carter. "Brother, don't look like that. Please don't look like that."

  And then his arms crushed around Carter and Carter couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. He stared over Logan's shoulder as the alpha tried to squeeze the grief right out of him, and managed to say, "What if I lose her?"

  "You won't." Logan pounded his back. "You won't. Come on, man."

  Carter didn't believe him.

  Chapter 17

  Two hours of crying and shouting and arguing left me with a bitch of a headache. Natalia tried to make me feel better, but after Logan called, she was more distracted by what a dick he was than helping me see whether Carter was just as bad. I felt like an ice pick was stabbed through my temple as Rafe and I left for the Council meeting. Nat still fumed at the bar, unwilling to go back to the mansion to deal with Logan or Carter or any of the lions, though she grudgingly admitted she'd promised Eloise truffles, and would have to go back to make them.

  In the car on the way to the meeting, Rafe stared out the windshield and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened. He didn't say anything and I wallowed in my own misery, watching the city slide by. Rafe parked the car but didn't cut the engine or get out. He sat there for so long I almost expected him to kick me out.

  Finally, he exhaled in a gust but wouldn't look at me. "Carter called me."

  I was too tired to be angry. "I'm not surprised."

  "He said to talk to Eloise. Evershaw set them both up, and us." Rafe finally looked at me, his expression lost in the dark shadows. "What's the plan, Bee?"

  Hearing the familiar nickname just made me feel worse. I'd betrayed his trust. I took a deep breath, shifting in the seat until I could face him full on. "I'm sorry, Rafe. For everything. I got so caught up in finding Carter that I lost sight of what's best for the pack, and…"

  "I don't really give a shit about the pack, Ruby." I blinked and my brother held up a hand to cut me off. "We can hand the pack over to Evershaw tonight and be across state lines before anyone knows. You're my sister, and I love you. I want what's best for you. Tell me what's best for Ruby, and that's what we do. Stop thinking about the pack."

  My eyes stung but I felt all cried out. I managed to squeeze his hand. "I don't know what's best for me. I don't know anymore."

  He sighed. "Okay. Then our goal for tonight is to delay. Regardless of what Evershaw, or the lions, or the rest of the Council says, we stall. A vote, a fight, whatever. We stall. Next week. That gives us more time to plan, and for you to think."

  "Rafe, I'm really sorry. I don't know how things got so screwed up."

  My brother attempted a smile. "It's probably my fault, too. I should have kicked Carter's ass the second I caught him staring at yours, six years ago."

  I blinked. "You what?"

  "Jesus, Ruby, he's loved you for years. He's quiet about it, though. I didn't say anything because I didn't think he had the balls to ask you out. Good for him." Rafe shut off the car and kicked his door open. "Let's get this over with."

  I checked myself in the mirror to make sure I didn't look like death warmed over, though my eyes were still puffy, and followed Rafe into th
e Council's meeting rooms. We couldn't face Evershaw or the other alphas with anything less than our strongest defense.

  Inside, the halls were quiet and dim, barely lit. Each alpha had an office in the hall, but we bypassed our pack's office in favor of the meeting chambers at the far end of the hall. Most of the alphas already gathered, and the coyotes sat in the center of the circle of tables. They looked just a tiny bit nervous.

  I refused to look at Logan, Edgar, or Benedict where they sat next to us, though Rafe went to shake Logan's hand, and instead seated myself to stare straight ahead. I didn't have anything to say to anyone. We had business to conduct, and the sooner we made it clear where BloodMoon stood, the sooner we could get the hell out of there and start preparing to take Miles Evershaw down.

  The SilverLine alpha sat across the circle from us, unfortunately in my line of sight, with Todd next to him. Evershaw's famously impassive visage only made me hate him more. The man might as well have been cut from stone for all the emotion he displayed. I could have respected him more if he at least looked gleeful about the trouble he would cause. But no. He sat with his arms across his chest and watched the coyote alpha, John, with as much interest as a man watching grass grow.

  Rafe eased into the chair next to mine but said nothing. No reason to show our cards so early in the meeting. I pushed away every shred of emotion and did my best Evershaw impression as the other alphas filed in and took their seats. The hyena queen, one of Eloise's friends, looked about as happy to be in the room as I felt.

  Kaiser spoke first, big and gruff and calm, as he lumbered to his feet and leaned forward. The table creaked under his weight, and I wondered whether any of the furniture had been reinforced to account for shifter strength. Probably not, by the way it wobbled. Kaiser scanned the room, his eyes narrowed, to take in every alpha there. "The coyotes wish to join the Council as members, and have sworn to adhere to the guidelines and rulings of the Council." His gaze paused on Rafe and I before he went on. "That is the matter before us, and that is the only matter we will be discussing tonight. Everything else can wait until the next scheduled Council meeting, three weeks from now."