by Helen Scott
The one good thing was that they hadn't chased us as much as I’d thought they would. They hadn't been as determined to get to us as Jax was, or maybe he had stopped them from chasing us any further. I wasn't sure which, but I was glad that they had ceased their searching and given us a small break so we were only dealing with Jax and his wolves.
Being hunted by one psycho was enough, thank you very much.
The only part of Roman and Micah's pack lands I had ever really seen was the meeting place. I wasn't sure what the rest of their lands looked like. I knew they had the apartment buildings and condos and such—the ones that Micah had lived in before everything went to hell—but I had never gotten a chance to see the actual land. We’d been too busy running for me to even take notice, let alone get a good look.
As we walked toward their territory, I noticed a slow change. The foliage became thicker, and the undergrowth receded, not able to grow as thickly because the trees were so tall and so little light was filtering through the leaves. In fact, it was so shady that there was nothing but a few small, scrubby bushes on the ground.
I took a deep breath and noticed that the scents had shifted as well. I could smell the wolves who had been nearby, combined with the scents of the loamy earth and, more faintly, rabbits and raccoons. The only thing that really stuck out was the floral scent that seemed to underlie the others. I wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it didn't seem natural.
"The pack border is just ahead," Roman said quietly. That made sense, considering the scents I was picking up.
As though someone had known we were coming and had been planning on intercepting us, we heard movement in the woods. All of us froze. My heart sped up in my chest, beating so hard it practically thumped against my ribs. This was the moment of truth.
We heard a younger male voice in the distance saying, "I swear I heard something over here, man. We've got to check it out. You know what the officials said—if we get attacked by Jax's pack again, it'll start an all-out war. I don't want to be the reason for that, just because we didn't check something out."
"No one is going to start a war; that's just paranoia talking," an older male replied.
Just ahead of us, in the shadows of the trees, we saw the two shifters moving about. There was nowhere for us to go—no escape. Since there wasn't any undergrowth, there was nothing we could really hide behind except the trees, and most of those weren't big enough to actually hide anything, let alone any of my mates. All we could do was stand there and wait until the two men, who I assumed were a patrol of some kind, to see us and decide how they were going to react. I prayed to Freya that they wouldn't attack. I didn't want to start this with a fight.
My guys seemed to be taking their cues from me, because none of them moved either. The two men eventually turned in our direction, and I watched their eyes widen upon seeing us. The younger one opened his mouth, but no words came out as his gaze bounced between me and my mates and back to me again. I could almost hear the figurative penny drop when he realized who I was.
The older man was more successful, though confusion still settled over his features. "Roman?"
"Peter. It's been a while," Roman said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Uh, not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here?" Peter asked, looking awkward. I wasn't sure if he'd have orders to bring us in or if this would go more peacefully than that. It put me on edge; there was no doubt about that.
"We need to speak to the alpha," Roman replied.
Part of me waited for the two of them to laugh us out of the area, as though our request was ridiculous, but they didn't. Peter just said, "I figured. Come on." He waved us toward him as he turned and headed back in the direction they'd come from.
We stepped forward to follow, and I overheard the other man say, "We can't just bring them to the alpha. What if it's a trap? If...anyone finds out about this, we could be in serious shit." The awkward pause before he said “anyone” made me fairly certain they were talking about Jax. I glanced at my mates, who were all walking around me, and saw the suspicion written on their faces. I wasn't the only one who took it that way.
"Roman and Micah were part of our pack. Hell, she was too, in a way. Let's just be polite and not cause a fuss, Dan, okay?" Peter said so quietly I almost couldn't hear him.
"Fine, but I don't think this is a good idea," Dan grumbled.
"Noted." The single word from Peter effectively ended their conversation, and the two of them wound through the trees in a familiar path. We followed, with Roman at the head of our little conga line and Micah at the end. The silent walk wasn't as awkward as it could have been, but that didn't mean I didn't want to make a joke or have to resist the urge to giggle to myself. I wasn't sure why, but laughter always seemed to bubble up within me during awkward moments like this.
When we emerged from the woods, it was at the back of the building that I thought was the meeting house for the pack. I remembered it being more business-like than I'd expected. Though, it was far better than the open air ring that my old alpha had preferred.
We moved around the outside of the building, and I realized that it was so much bigger than I'd first thought. Finally, we found ourselves walking up the front steps. It seemed like a lifetime ago that I'd been hesitant to go in the building for the first time or that Roman had come storming down those same stairs, racing toward Micah with murder on his mind. I looked around at my five mates and wondered what past Roman would say about present Roman. Would he call him weak for sharing his mate with so many other men? Or would he be happy that our relationship had only grown stronger, despite more mates being added to our little group?
Peter pulled the door open and ushered us all inside. Roman waited just inside the door, and once we were all in, Peter led the way again, like we were in some sort of silent ballet or something. I was a little surprised that neither Roman nor Micah had just headed off in the direction they suspected the alpha to be. I doubted that much had changed since they'd been here last.
We were being polite, though, since Dan and Peter’s accommodating moods could change in a split second. Peter turned and said, "Wait here a moment."
The area we were standing in felt like the entryway of a fancy house—the kind I'd only ever seen on TV. I half expected split spiral staircases to wind their way up each side of the area, but they didn't. There were some very fancy pillars, though. I tugged at the hem of my t-shirt, feeling scruffy and dirty in comparison to this place. Marble was the predominant theme of the area, the grey veins elegantly winding their way through the white stone. The longer I looked at it and took in the grandeur of the space, the more I didn't even want to walk on it in case I screwed it up.
Yes, I knew it was rock, but still.
Peter disappeared behind a large black door with silver handles and came back less than a minute later with a frown on his face. "The alpha's out right now. I'm sure he'll be back soon, though."
"We can wait," Roman said ominously. His tone brooked no argument. I knew that when he'd been a member of the pack, he'd been one of the alpha's most trusted men, as well as one of the most senior members of the pack, which meant that people who had been around while he was would be used to seeing him as a figure of authority. I wasn't sure if he would still be viewed that way, after the way we’d left, but I had to hope that they would respect his wishes somewhat.
Peter watched him for a moment longer before nodding reluctantly and saying, "Well, if that's the case, then why don't you come and have some food. You all look like you've been through the wringer. No offense."
That was a bunch of bullshit. From the way he looked us up and down, he definitely meant offense, and part of me thought about how Roman and Micah had looked when I'd first met them. Roman had been a smooth, suit wearing, newspaper reading business man, and Micah had been…well, not that. But he'd looked damn good in his own rock star way. Now, as I looked at them, I saw two tired men who had been fighting for too long.
&nbs
p; I realized then that Peter might not have actually meant offense—he may just have been assessing the state someone he used to know was in; maybe they had been friends. I honestly didn't know, and it wasn't like I could ask.
Dan seemed unamused by the whole situation and was practically scowling at us when Peter said, "Let's go to the dining hall. You can relax and eat, and we'll find you when the alpha returns."
Roman nodded and gestured for them to lead the way. I could almost see the gears in his head turning. He didn't want us wandering around by ourselves and getting accused of sneaking in or trying to attack them or something. If Peter was leading the way and carting us around with him, then we clearly had permission to be wherever we were. It was a smart move—one that made me appreciate the strategic side of Roman's mind all the more.
I sent a wave of love down the mate bond to him and saw him turn to me slightly before I felt one hit me right back. It was the encouragement I needed. We were doing this; the train had left the station, and there was no stopping it now. Whether or not the alpha was on board was a whole different question though. I really hoped he would be, even if he wasn't my number one fan.
13
Nina
As soon as we stepped through the door that Peter had opened for us, I knew we'd made a mistake. We should have just waited in the fancy pillar room. Anger seemed to erupt in the room as whispers spread through the people who had gathered for an early dinner like wildfire.
Every single person was staring at us—glaring at us, in some cases. Obviously, they all knew who we were, based on the fact that we were with Roman and Micah. They might not have known my other mates, but I was fairly certain they remembered me.
My gaze skipped over faces like a rock on water as I hunted for anyone familiar. I'd only met a few people, but I was hoping they would still be friendly toward me.
I was not exactly getting a friendly vibe from the crowd, though. The feeling of being scrutinized and talked about was unnerving. The only other time I'd experienced something similar was after my parents' murders, when Sam and I had basically been cast out from our pack…without actually being “outcast”. When my old alpha had announced that we were to be watched as potential traitors and that anyone who associated with us would be risking getting the same label, it had made us pariahs.
"The buffet is at the back, as usual. Help yourselves, and I'm sure someone will let you know when the alpha gets back," Peter said before turning around and disappearing through the same door we'd just entered through.
I had to stop myself from calling out to him. The one lesson I'd learned over and over again throughout my years was to never show weakness if you were threatened. No one ever respected someone who was weak.
"What are you doing here?" someone called from the other side of the room as we started to make our way to the buffet at the back.
"Just ignore them," Roman said loudly enough that it made me want to cringe. "They usually have better manners."
I was about to roll my eyes at his words when a woman who looked vaguely familiar stood up and blocked our path. "You couldn't just be happy with the most eligible bachelor in the pack? You had to take two…and then some?" She glared at me and gestured to the men surrounding me.
"Tori, back off," Roman said in a low voice.
Victoria. I remembered her now. She was the one who had wanted to be Roman's mate and had done that mean girl thing of being nice, only to get across how little she thought of you. She was kind who would tell you they love your hair, before turning around and telling someone else how ugly they thought it was.
Another woman, who didn’t look familiar at all, stood up next to her. They were clearly besties, so I figured she hated me just because Tori did. Wasn't that how it was supposed to work? I wasn't sure, since I'd never really had girlfriends myself. No one in the pack had been willing to let their kid play with me, so my only friend after the alpha's proclamation had been my brother, Sam. I pushed the thoughts away; the last thing I needed was for my armor to crack in front of my enemies, because that's what these bitches were.
"Why can't you just go be with Jax?" Tori's friend demanded.
A chorus of agreement went up around us. It was enough to send a chill down my spine. I'd been worried about being turned in before, but now I was terrified of it. This was a large group of people; if a mob mentality took over, we wouldn't be able to stand against them.
"He's not my mate," I said carefully, keeping my voice as neutral as possible.
"But he could be, right? Whatever defective thing allows you to have multiple mates means he could be one of them?" Tori demanded.
I couldn't say no. After all, she was telling the truth.
Fortunately, her friend jumped in too quickly for me to respond anyway. "He's not ugly or anything. How selfish do you have to be to want to keep all these wolves for yourself, while the wolf that wants you the most is terrorizing all the packs in the area?"
"It would be for the good of all shifters, really. Just give up your current so-called mates and go find Jax. Easy," Tori cooed.
"No." I hadn't realized that Jax was hurting the other packs, but it made sense. Part of me wanted to ask what he'd been doing, but I wasn't sure if doing so would make the situation worse. Had it just been threats, or had more been going on? Was he actually attacking them? Surely, he wouldn't go that far, right? Would he risk starting an all-out war between the packs just to get to me?
I wanted to say no, but that would be a lie. From everything I'd seen and experienced, I knew Jax would do just about anything to get to me. I wasn't sure there was a line he wouldn't cross.
"You selfish bitch. You're just going to let everyone be terrorized by Jax, just because you won't give it up. You're clearly not opposed to giving it up—just spread your legs for one more, and we can all live in peace," a random guy said from behind Tori and her friend.
A snarl erupted from Roman, and I had to fight not to flinch at the sound, since it was so unexpected. As soon as it came from him, my other mates joined in.
"I may not be part of this pack any longer, but I will not tolerate you talking to my mate with such disrespect, especially when we came here peacefully," Roman growled. I mean, literally growled, to the point that it was a little hard to understand what he was saying.
"You're just as bad," someone else called. "Sharing your mate isn't right. If she was your true mate, then you'd kill the others just for touching her. Whatever you have isn't right. Send her to Jax, and let us all move on."
A vicious snarl seemed to echo all around me as each of my mates became more protective. Their wolves were getting agitated, and the last thing we needed was a bunch of shifters fighting. I put my hand on Roman's arm, and he stilled at the contact.
"I just want to be sure I understand this. You're willing to sacrifice me to Jax so that he'll leave you alone, yet his whole plan, once he has me, is to take control of all the packs in the area—and eventually more. So, explain to me how that is getting him to leave you alone, when he'll be running your lives?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"You think we'll just let him take our pack? We're not some scared little pups," the guy in the back called.
"And when you fail and he takes your pack anyway, he'll start handing out your females like party favors to the wolves he trusts. He'll decide who mates with whom. He even has a healer who is willing to work with a witch to make the old potion that forces a mate bond where it doesn't exist. How does that sound?" I looked Tori dead in the eye. "You'll get to become property. Forced to sire a bunch of pups to a man of Jax's choosing. Is that what you want?"
She paled slightly but didn't stop glaring at me.
"Our alpha will never let that happen!" Tori's friend cried, and though her words were defensive, she seemed more rattled by my words than Tori herself.
"I want all of us to have the same rights: to be able to choose who we mate with, to consent to those matings, and to choose the lives we want to live and w
ho we want to live them with. Is that so bad?" I asked, my tone going softer at the end to my own surprise.
"People are suffering because of your ideology," Tori replied, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
I sighed and had to look away before I said something I regretted. So, I looked at each of my mates, who were all standing around me in what could only be described as a protective circle. Each of them was ready for a fight. They might not have looked it with just a glance, but their knees were ever so slightly bent, and their arms were loose at their sides. Their stances were sturdy, with their feet braced in a way that would let them be attacked and not fall.
Finally, I looked back at Tori and said, "What you're not grasping is that I'm doing this so even more people don't have to suffer at Jax's hands. Whatever he's doing now? I guarantee it's just a taste of what he'll do once he’s in charge. And he eventually will be, if we don’t take action. His wolf kills indiscriminately. Imagine that for a moment. An alpha who, when he shifts, is a wolf of uncontrolled rage that kills anything and everything in its path. How many people, women and children included, do you think would suffer with a leader like that? How many families would lose a member to his anger?"
The door that we'd come in through banged open, and I saw the alpha of the pack stride in. He stopped short when he saw the current situation. "What's going on in here?" he demanded.
The power in his voice rolled over my skin and I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine in response to it. Most of my mates could do the same thing, so it was weird to feel it from a stranger.
"We were just having a discussion about consent," Roman said, as he turned toward the alpha. I saw his shoulders relax. I hadn't realized exactly how tense he had been. He had really thought he was going to have to fight his old pack mates.