Conan is still burning with outrage, but before he can shoot back at me, the old woman on the council holds her hand up.
“That’s enough.”
Everyone in the room turns to face her. There’s a sea of emotion swimming around us, and I can feel that the room is definitely divided over what should be done.
“The council has already discussed this at great length, and we have decided that the best course of action would be to let the packs unite under Rylan. It is the safest way forward. We will not lose any more shifter lives—including those of Sydney and Isla—if we allow the merger. It would also give this pack what it’s sorely missing and desperately in need of; an alpha.”
She cuts a narrow, dark look at Roman, and he simply turns his head from her.
“Supporting the marriage will save all lives and enable a path forward for each of us. Isla and Sydney are already there now, so it’s as good as done. There’s no way out of it. We do not need to bring more trouble to an already seriously troubled pack, and we definitely do not want anyone else in the pack endangered. A rescue attempt or a battle would certainly ensure that some of us, if not all of us, will wind up injured or dead. We cannot condone the loss of more lives. Allowing the marriage is the right thing to do.”
“It’s not!” Elon raises his voice, and I’m a little startled. It’s unlike him to be so forceful. Of the three of us, he’s usually the most amiable. “We have to go and fight them! We have to rescue the girls. Sydney is our fated mate. We cannot allow her to marry Rylan!”
An older man on the council speaks, and his voice booms out over all of us, reverberating through us.
“Your mate made her choice! She is fated to Rylan as well, unless you’ve forgotten. She voluntarily took him as her fiancé, and she will voluntarily take him as her husband. She gave her word that she would marry Rylan. He is the cousin of the rightful alpha,” and here I see him also send a dour glance to Roman, “and because of that bloodline, and Sydney’s mating mark, he has every right in the world to take her as his wife, unite the packs, and take control as the reigning alpha. There’s nothing to fight about. You three just need to accept that your mate is going to be married to someone else, and you will not have her. She’s gone, and she went of her own volition. Let her go, think of the safety and prosperity of the pack before your own selfish desires, and accept the coming change.”
He sits down before saying, “A cruel alpha is better than no alpha at all. This pack has gone too long without proper guidance. Maybe a strong hand is what we need.
“It’ll be more than a strong hand,” I growl, barely able to keep my own temper in check.
“You’ve lost your chance to fight Rylan,” the old council woman points out acidly, to me this time before turning sharply to face Roman. “You never took your obligated position as alpha, so you cannot challenge Rylan. Only alphas can challenge other packs. The only way you can possibly expect to challenge Rylan and fight him is if you accept your role as alpha. So then … will you finally step up and take your responsibility?”
Roman, who has been brooding silently in his chair at my side opposite Elon, shakes his head. I already know his answer, even as it makes my own blood begin to boil for the first time.
“I will not.”
“Then you have left us with no alternative,” she continues coldly. “Our only solution is for the packs to unite under Rylan’s rule. His wedding will be on the full moon, and that’s coming up very fast.”
Shouts blast up from the crowd of wolves all over the room.
“NO!”
“I’m not going to be ruled by Rylan!”
“Roman, take your damn place and save us!”
“OH, GO TO HELL!” Roman roars as he finally shoves himself to his feet.
“Well I’m not serving under Rylan. No way!” one shifter insists, facing Roman angrily. “So, either you take your obligated position as alpha right now, or I’m leaving! I refuse to live under that tyrant’s rule.”
“Me too!”
“Me as well!”
A chorus of agreement sounds around us. Roman swings his hands through the air, carving out an invisible letter X.
“I’m not going to be alpha! Not ever!” he shouts bitterly. “I’ve sworn to the goddess that I wouldn’t … or does that mean nothing anymore?”
His words cause a slight shift in the air. At least some of this pack still respect the old ways. For all Roman’s complaints about his sister’s devotion to the goddess, he’s devoted too. More than most, anymore.
“Well then, I’m out,” the shifter who spoke before announces flatly. With that, he turns and strides from the room and we stare on as more than half the remaining pack follows him; all of them glaring in disgust at Roman. He only stares straight ahead and jams his hands down into his jean pockets.
“Where will they go?” Elon asks quietly.
I watch them, knowingly. “They will spread out and join other packs in other regions rather than live under Rylan’s rule. That, or like the hunters, will simply fade away. Forget pack life entirely.”
I think back to my old pack in Australia, and how it felt to have to leave; how it felt to have to be out on my own without a pack, and then at last, to be brought into Roman’s company. Shifters aren’t meant to be alone. Becoming a member of Roman’s small pack saved me, in a way, and when we finally came back here to Nashville I’d wanted us to join his old pack too. I missed having a big family—but now it’s clear that it will never happen.
At least I have Roman, Elon, and hopefully, Sydney. If we can get her back.
“I can’t believe the council is going to be submissive to Rylan.” Elon shakes his head in absolute shock. “I thought for certain that they’d want to join the demons and fight!”
“There’s no one left here to fight with us,” Roman snaps hollowly. “The hunters are gone, the pack has just been reduced to goddess knows how few members, and we don’t have anyone else to fight at our side.”
“Well, we’re just going to have to go rescue her ourselves.” I shake my head. “There’s no way I’m giving up on Sydney.”
“You will not go!” Conan seethes at us. He comes closer and jabs his finger in our direction. “If you go after Isla and Sydney, it’ll endanger Isla’s life, and our pups that she’s carrying. You do that, and you’d better never come back to Nashville again. You won’t ever have a home here, and you’ll be praying that I don’t lay eyes on you for the rest of my life, because I’ll be the last thing you see before you die. Do you understand me? Drop this. Now.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer, I think because he knows what it’ll be.
Conan storms off and the rest of the pack and the council filter out, grumbling. They’re all blaming Roman. I can feel it. I know he can feel it. He had a chance to stop it, but he wouldn’t do it their way, and they hate him for it. His refusal is about to change all of their lives for the rest of their days, and the lives of many more generations to come.
It’s all I can do not to hate him for it too. I understand—but at the same time, it’s hard not to resent him for his vow.
We’re the last to leave. I stride out of the doors into the cool evening air and breathe it in. It fans the flames already burning hotly within me. I head for our SUV and get into the driver’s seat.
“Where are we going?” Elon asks, getting into the passenger seat as Roman slides into the back and reaches for a bottle he had tucked away there.
“I’m going to Florida. There’s no way in hell that I’m letting Rylan marry Sydney. You in?”
“Definitely.” Elon nods. “It’s the only choice we have.”
“Why not?” Roman shrugs, taking a long pull on the bottle he’s just uncapped. “I’ve got nothing to lose here. Let’s go get our girl.”
For a moment, I see a glimmer of Roman’s old fire in his eyes—and I feel, for the first time in days, the tiniest spark of hope. We’ve faced danger before together, and we never needed a who
le pack then.
Why then would we need them now?
Chapter Six
The guard that Rylan has assigned to me reaches out his hand to shake mine. Rylan’s finally left us, and I can sense a slight change in the air between the man and me. He’s a hunter and easily the biggest man I’ve ever seen; clean cut and so well dressed that it looks as if not even a speck of dust would dare to settle on his shoulder.
He feels calmer to me now that Rylan has gone. It’s as if we can both breathe for the first time—a sensation that’s more than a little surprising.
“I’m Sergei,” he introduces himself. “I’m the captain of the guard.”
I greet him with a firm handshake. “Sydney.”
“I’ll take you to your quarters.” His voice is welcoming, and it’s a nice change. Slight, because everything here makes me uneasy, but it is one good thing. I hold on to it.
“Are you the head of all the hunters then?” I ask, wondering what exactly the ‘head of the guard’ means.
“Yes,” he answers. “Some of our guard are just shifters, but most of them are hunters. We’ve gotten several new hunters recently.” He pauses and glances at me, “But I guess you knew that.”
I nod and narrow my eyes a little, staring straight forward. “Yes.”
We walk along the main floor before taking a flight of dark wooden stairs to the second level. My gaze moves over the courtyard below where we first entered the compound, taking in the blooming plants, the vines wrapped around the posts, the marbled tiles, the large fountain, and the shade over a great seating area offered by a blanket of flowering greenery draped across a large, arched arbor made of the same dark wood beneath my feet.
“Do you like your new home?” Sergei asks lightly, glancing at me.
I look away from it, focusing on the length of the balcony before us as we stroll down it. “It’s the most beautiful prison I’ve ever seen. Sort of Mediterranean villa meets Fort Knox.”
Sergei keeps his eyes straight forward too, but I think I hear the slightest hint of a chuckle from somewhere deep down in his throat. “It’s not exactly a prison, though I can understand why you might feel like it is. Maybe it’s all just new to you, and it will only take some time for you to come to enjoy it. Try not to think of it as a prison.”
I look right up at him. “Am I allowed to leave?”
His silence gives me my answer.
“Then it’s a prison.”
Sergei sighs, but it doesn’t seem to be out of annoyance. It’s more of a resigned sound, and it makes me pause. I think he might be the only person in these towering walls who cares what I think or how I feel, but I can’t help but wonder why it would matter to him.
He’s the captain of Rylan’s guard, after all. He should only care about him. The alpha.
“You’re allowed to go anywhere inside the compound, except for Rylan’s chambers and office,” he says as we continue onward. “And any areas that are barred by my guard. I don’t recommend testing them. They’ve been known to have short tempers.”
I don’t blame them. I would too, if I’d spent my life being ordered around by an alpha like Rylan.
We reach the end of the balcony and start across the second story wooden bridge to the next building. This place seems like a veritable maze.
“And where are Rylan’s quarters?”
Sergei nods ahead as we round a corner of the building. I gasp, pausing momentarily in mid-step before I quickly recover.
There’s another courtyard here in the shape of a pentagon, mirroring the shape of the buildings around it. Within the courtyard, there’s a breathtaking garden with another fountain; this one crafted of glistening white marble, at the center of which is a sculpture of the wolf goddess. She is looking skyward, as if to see the full moon above her, and revel in it.
There’s a draw in me to it. I long to feel the thrum of vibration that has reverberated through my body and very soul each time I’ve touched one of her statues. I wonder if I’ll feel it still, or if that too will begin to fade into memory like everything else before we entered the compound.
Something about this place … it has a dreamlike quality that makes everything else before it seem like it was nothing more than a dream too.
“Rylan’s quarters are there.” Sergei pauses and points to the left side of what would be the top of the pentagon, if I was in the air above the courtyard and buildings, looking down on them.
“Your rooms are beside his.” His finger moves to the right a little, indicating what would be the top right side of the geometric shape.
“Fantastic,” I say evenly.
“You came of your own accord, did you not?” Sergei asks, turning to look at me. “It was your choice to be here, wasn’t it?”
I sigh. “It was. I did it to save the lives of the people who matter most to me.”
Sergei regards me quietly and then speaks in a low voice. “Self-sacrifice is among one of the noblest acts.”
I shrug a little and look away from him. “I don’t know if it’s noble. Wouldn’t any of us do that for those we care about?”
The expression on Sergei’s face changes, and he becomes unreadable for the first time since I met him. “That would require truly caring about others, first. Not everyone values life that way.”
I wonder what he’s really talking about. I can tell there’s something centered in his mind, but I have no way of knowing what it is. He leads me onward, and I follow.
I step into my new rooms. There are several.
We first enter a sitting room, set about with stylish chairs, small tables, artwork on the walls, and lovely floral arrangements. If I was ever going to entertain guests, presumably other women, it would be in this space. Through a set of dark wooden double pocket doors, is a small library. The walls are lined with bookshelves, there are two wing-backed chairs that look surprisingly comfortable positioned near a large white marble fireplace.
As reticent as I am to admit it, even to myself, I could definitely spend some time in this room. And will be, I’m sure, in the coming weeks.
And months. And years, if nothing changes.
On the far wall there’s a widely arched doorway that leads into a massive bedroom. Both the large windows and the king sized four poster bed are draped in fine, sheer, white linens. It’s serene and peaceful looking. I eye the bed, decked several-layers deep with pillows, feeling the soreness in my body, and thinking that I could sleep for a week, I’m so tired.
To my right, between the bedroom and the library, is a narrow room with a plain door. I open it to discover a little kitchenette. There’s a black marble countertop, a sink, cupboards, water kettle, a fancy coffee machine that probably makes fifteen kinds of coffee, and a few cupboards that are filled with tea sets, coffee mugs, glasses of several varieties, small plates, and linens.
A slight pit settles in my stomach. I could be locked in here indefinitely if Rylan ordered it.
When I turn, I see Sergei completely filling the doorway behind me. “What’s that look on your face?” he asks me, his eyes scanning my face as he studies my expression.
I shake my head slightly, then realizing there’s really no use in keeping it to myself, I say, “This place was designed so I could care for myself in here, wasn’t it? So, if it comes down to it … I can be locked away, alone in here … forever.”
Sergei stares at me a moment, then a look of recognition dawns on him as his eyes flicker over to the kitchenette and then back to me. He backs out a bit, shaking his own head.
“Oh no, my lady, you would never do that. Your servants would do it for you. This room is for them.”
Both my brows shoot up. “My … servants?”
“Yes, my lady.” He lifts his hand, and I see three women enter into the library from the sitting room. I see in an instant that they are succubi. All three of them bow to me.
“Can I choose not to have servants? I live a pretty self-sufficient life.” I glance up at Sergei. He sha
kes his head.
“No, my lady.” There is the merest hint of surprise behind his eyes, and I can smell something very much like admiration coming off of him. I decide that I like this hunter.
“This is Mara, Elise, and Kera. They will see to all of your needs.” He gestures to the ladies and they come to me; their faces calm, but their scent immediately gives away their uncertainty and trepidation. It hits me like a wall.
They’re afraid of me.
I can understand. They know nothing of me, and they’re here to serve me completely. They’re used to Rylan. They probably fear that I’m just as big a monster as he is, and after all, I’m a shifter—and one that agreed to marry him at that. They probably haven’t heard that I was trying to spearhead a peace treaty between our kinds.
I extend my hand to them all to greet them.
“Hi ladies, it’s very nice to meet you.”
None of them take my hand, but they all bow low to me. I just let my hand fall to my side.
“I’ll be going.” Sergei heads for the door. “Good luck in your new home, my lady.”
“You don’t have to call me that,” I tell him as he heads into the sitting room.
He turns and gives me a genuine smile. “I choose to call you that.”
I can’t help but smile in return, and he leaves. I realize that he didn’t start calling me that until after I said I’d come here to save the lives of those I loved. I must have made a good impression on him.
“How may we serve you?” Elise comes to me with the other two.
It’s clear that there’s no changing the way things are here. At least, not on my first day.
“Um … I’d love a hot bath, and then I could really use some sleep. It was a long trip down here. I’m pretty sore and tired.”
Alpha Returned: A Rejected Mates Reverse Harem Shifter Series (Feral Mates Book 3) Page 5