by Emilia Rose
“A falling-out,” I said, refusing to go into any more detail than that now.
Isabella sat up in bed again, shaking her head. “Kylo has been one of the most outspoken alphas after the world found out that Ryker had betrayed the Lycans. He’ll be at the meeting tomorrow.” She curled her knees to her chest and chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I’m nervous that I won’t be able to settle the alpha down.”
Trailing my fingers across her hip, I sat up and placed my lips on her mark. “Don’t be nervous, my dear Isabella,” I said, feeling her relax under my lips. “Kylo won’t be a problem for you. I’ll take care of him. What we should be nervous about is the unrest between some of the warring packs.”
“Unrest?” she whispered.
“Cayden told me earlier that wolves have been more feral than usual lately,” I said, tucking some hair behind her ear. “And I don’t want you to get roped into it and willingly put yourself in more danger.”
“I’m the leader of the Lycans, Roman. Danger comes with the job.”
“And you’re my mate. Protecting you comes with mine.”
Chapter 3
Isabella
Loud, irate chatter spilled out into the hallway from the Lycans’ auditorium. I bounced on my toes and held my hands to my stomach, feeling the need to puke. Alphas, mates, and warriors from all packs were here, worried about what would happen now that Ryker had both betrayed them and died by his own mate’s hands.
Trust in the Lycans was dwindling faster than I’d expected.
Roman had been right about one thing last night: uneasy energy had fallen over our forest between warring packs. If I couldn’t get across today that they could count on us to protect them, I feared war against us would follow… or maybe something much worse.
“Izzy!” Vanessa said. She placed her purple-manicured fingers on my arms from behind and leaned over my shoulder, strands of her blonde hair falling into her face. “Calm down, girl.”
While Vanessa and I hadn’t been the best of friends, we had grown closer the past few weeks. She finally respected the boundaries I’d set for her with Roman and had quickly risen to become one of the strongest warriors in Roman’s pack.
“Is everyone here?” I asked her, peeking into the cramped auditorium.
She opened the door wider for me, trying to usher me in, but my feet wouldn’t move a damn inch. I hated public speaking more than I’d hated Vanessa in high school. Everything that happened today would affect the Lycans and how people viewed them in the coming months.
“Yes,” Vanessa said. “Raj, Roman, all the other alphas. You’ll do great. Now, get in there.” She pushed me into the room and closed the door, letting it clatter behind us.
A sudden silence engulfed the room as alphas stared at me.
Vanessa whispered, “Good luck,” to me and sat in the front row, next to Roman, who gave me one of those supportive smiles.
I walked to the front with my heart racing in my chest and my wolf suddenly on full alert. There was an unfamiliar, almost-soothing scent somewhere in the auditorium that she couldn’t quite place.
Before I made it to the podium, alphas started whispering to their lunas and betas about me—an eighteen-year-old woman leading the Lycans.
I swallowed hard and shifted uncomfortably, grasping the edges of the stand. “Good morning,” I said.
A couple people grunted in response, but the majority of the crowd was silent. Moon Goddess, this was not even starting good; I couldn’t see it ending well for us. Glancing around the room, I locked eyes with a man toward the center of the room.
Gold eyes. Blazing, intense, smoldering gold eyes.
With light-brown hair parted to the side, a chiseled jaw with a five o’clock shadow, and muscles so taut that they nearly ripped through his white button-up, the alpha stared me down like I was some sort of prey that he wanted to devour.
The entire time I spoke to the men and women, he stared and stared and stared. My wolf gazed back at him, realizing that the unfamiliar pine scent she’d smelled earlier was radiating off him in waves.
Something about him screamed danger, hazard, threat.
I clenched my jaw, turned away from him for the first time this morning, and continued speaking to the alphas, “And that’s why you need—”
“Excuse me, Isabella,” the man with gold eyes said, standing up and commanding attention so naturally.
It doesn’t intimidate me, I told myself. It doesn’t. Not at all.
A man so wickedly handsome couldn’t intimidate me.
Roman looked over his shoulder, clenched his jaw, and rolled his eyes.
“Yes, Alpha …”
“Kylo,” the man said. “Alpha Kylo Marks of the MoonRidge Pack.”
Almost immediately, I pressed my lips together and sucked in a quiet breath. This was Kylo Marks, ex–best friend of Roman and the most outspoken alpha against the trustworthiness of the Lycans.
A fiery hatred appeared in Roman’s eyes. While he had told me last night that he hated Kylo for the rumors spreading like wildfire—that he wanted to seize control of Roman’s pack—there was something deeper between them that had happened. I could just sense it.
“Isn’t it true that you went behind Alpha Roman’s back to join the Lycans?” Kylo asked.
I clenched my teeth together and balled my hands into fists behind the podium. “We are not here to discuss me or my acceptance into the Lycans, Alpha Kylo,” I said, keeping calm. “We are here to discuss the relationship between the Lycans and the packs.”
Lips curling into an even more frightening smirk, he nodded. “And that’s exactly what I plan to do.” Turning toward the group of alphas, he held his arms out like he was a king talking to his subjects. “Who says that she wouldn’t abandon the alliances she’s proposing for her own self-interest when the time came?” He shifted back to me. “I mean, you did leave your own mate to join a group of criminals.”
Roman growled through his canines, “Sit down, Kylo.”
Breathe, Isabella. Don’t freak out on him.
“The Lycans are not a group of criminals. We protect packs from rogues, so alphas like you can lead their packs without problem and without added stress.”
He furrowed his dark, thick brows at me. “Your leader was ordering rogues to kill alphas.”
Something about him got under my skin, made my blood boil with so much anger.
“He is not our leader, Kylo. I am,” I said, pushing my shoulders back.
“Alpha Kylo,” he corrected. Again, he looked around the room. “Can we really trust someone like this? Someone who was under Ryker’s influence? Someone who lied to her own mate for her own selfish reasons? If she goes behind her mate’s back, she will go behind ours.”
Because I was getting nowhere with him and because Roman looked like he was about to rip Kylo’s head off, I stared Kylo down. “Let’s break, so some of us can cool down.”
Kylo curled the corner of his lip up slightly, taunting me. “Does the princess need a break?”
This time, Raj growled from the front, standing up and preparing to fight. I held my hand up to command him to back down and pressed my lips together.
“I am a luna and the leader of the Lycans. I will not be disrespected, Kylo. I want nothing but peace between the Lycans and the other packs. Calm down during the break or leave.”
After turning off the microphone, I stepped down from the stage and walked out of the auditorium. As soon as I made it to the hallway, I plastered my back against the wall as I took a breath of fresh, untainted air and closed my eyes.
Moon Goddess, help me. How was I going to convince them to trust me when Kylo had it out for me for some ungodly reason? And why the hell was my wolf so anxious, just looking at him? He wasn’t my mate. She should never feel this way about him.
“Damn him,” I said to Raj when he exited the auditorium.
We walked down the hallway together, passing the refreshments room and other Lycans, who
I’d told to do some damage control.
“Find me as much information on Kylo Marks as you can get. I need it all. He’s not going to stop me from having peace with the other alphas.”
Raj nodded and hurried down the hallway toward his office. Instead of locking myself away in my office, I decided on some much-needed sunlight, something to help me think clearly because, now, I was blind with rage and …
Lust, my wolf said in my mind.
No, I was not blind with lust. No fucking way.
I turned the corner and bumped right into the asshole himself, Kylo.
“Isabella.”
“Kylo,” I said, straightening my back. “What do you want?”
“So defensive.” He clicked his tongue at me and shook his head. “It’s quite sexy on you.”
I sneered at him. “I have a mate,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I had a mate once too,” Kylo said, stepping toward me.
I didn’t like the closeness between us. It made my wolf too anxious to be still and quiet for just a moment.
“And your dear, precious Roman took her from me. Wouldn’t it make you angry if that same woman was trying to get with Roman again, take him away from you?”
“You’re lying.” I tilted my head and stepped closer to him, staring up into his big, beautifully agonizing brown eyes. “You’re trying to get under my skin, trying to split us apart, so that we’re weak.”
“You don’t have to believe me, princess. I just thought I’d tell you before he breaks your cold little heart,” he said, brushing his fingers up my forearm. “A strong woman like you deserves to know.”
“What do you want?” I asked again.
He isn’t getting to me. He isn’t getting to me. He isn’t getting to me.
So much mischief lay in those golden-streaked brown eyes. He thought that he had power over me, that he was the one with control. But he had no control over me and definitely none over my wolf either.
“I want you to back off and disassemble the Lycans.” He stepped closer to me, nearly pinning me against the wall, and brushed his fingers against my hip. “Maybe I want to make sure you don’t get screwed by Roman too.” He leaned down slightly, so his lips brushed against my ear. “Take you for myself.”
I snaked a hand around his neck, squeezed tightly, and twirled us around, so I was pinning him to the wall. “Don’t you dare speak to me like that. I’m not someone you can push around. I’m the leader of the Lycans, a wolf that could kill you, if I wanted.”
“A dominant woman.” Kylo hummed, drawing his fingers up my forearm. “I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be with one. To have her pin me to the wall, press her body against mine …” He leaned down further, nose grazing against my ear. “To have her think that I couldn’t break her just by brushing my fingers—”
I squeezed his neck a bit harder. Moon Goddess, he was getting on my nerves.
“Stop it,” I said, my heart racing.
“Why? Is it turning you on?” he asked playfully. I growled, and he chuckled. “It is.”
“Listen to me and listen closely, Kylo. You can try to break the peace between the Lycans and the packs, but if you even try to come between Roman and me, I will rip you into tiny little pieces and feed you to the rogues myself.”
He shoved me against the opposite wall so easily, his strength overpowering mine. “You can think that, princess.” He drew a finger up the column of my neck to my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “But when you find him and Scarlett in the refreshments room, alone, you won’t want to kill me. It’ll be him you want to destroy.”
I gripped his wrist and dug my claws into it until I drew blood. He didn’t know shit about where Roman was.
“I’m the only person who can help you reach your full potential. Unlike Roman, I’m not afraid of a woman like you, one who’s strong, hardheaded, one who likes to go after what she wants. I don’t get jealous of a powerful woman and leader.”
My wolf was oddly quiet, and I hated it. I pushed him away from me, my fingers tingling.
Kylo smirked and stepped away from me. “If you want to settle for an average life, you can stay with Roman, who will never give you the control your bratty self so desires in and out of the bedroom.”
“Fuck you,” I said.
He leaned close once more. “Maybe you can once you get rid of your lousy mate,” he said. “But for now, just know that I’m coming for you, princess.”
Chapter 4
Roman
Alone in the refreshments room, I took a long sip of a beer and blew out a deep breath. Holy fuck, this meeting was not going how Isabella had wanted it to. Just as she’d started to convince some alphas to trust her again, Kylo had stood up and fucked it all up.
After this meeting was over, I planned to politely talk to Kylo alone and tell him to fuck off. Isabella could try talking to him and convince him to shut his mouth, but she didn’t know Kylo like I did. He was a prick, just like his father. And I’d take care of him as my father had taken care of his.
“All by your lonesome?” someone said from behind me.
I cringed at the sound of Scarlett’s tacky voice and turned around to see her standing in the doorway, dressed in the tightest damn dress she could squeeze herself into. She sauntered into the room, dark brown hair in soft curls down her shoulders.
“You look so much better than the last time I saw you, Romie. Really filled out.”
Rolling my eyes, I placed my drink down and started for the door.
She jumped in my way and pressed her hands against my chest. “Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. I just want to talk.” She twirled around with a big, stupid grin on her face, like she thought this was some sort of game. “See anything different about me?”
“No. Now, move.”
She leaned forward and pressed her breasts together. “Oh, come on, Romie. Just guess then.”
After coming to the conclusion that I wouldn’t get out of here without force, I rocked back on my heels and gave her the most uninterested expression I could muster. “You let your hair grow?”
“Guess again.”
Moon Goddess, fucking help me.
“You lost some weight.”
“Getting closer,” she said, twirling around even slower this time.
I shook my head. “I don’t fucking know, Scarlett. I’m not in the mood for you either.”
She drew her hands up her hips, accentuating her curves. “Well, I know you’re an ass guy, so I started working out for you. I think it’s been paying off.” She turned around to show me her ass and gazed back at me with huge, desperate fuck-me eyes. “Oh, come on. Don’t pretend like you didn’t notice.” She snickered. “Tell me, Roman, does Isabella please you the way I used to with Kylo?”
Fuck being nice to her anymore.
I stepped toward her and curled my hand around her throat, which was a mistake.
“You don’t have to say it. I didn’t think she could. I know what you need and what you want—obedience. A strong warrior like her could never give you that. Has too much other shit on her mind. Me …” She smiled, eyes lighting up with excitement. “If I were yours, I’d be sitting on my knees, waiting for you by your bed every single night. I’d make you the man of your pack.”
I squeezed hard until her face turned blue and pulled her closer. “Isabella pleases me more than you ever could, pup,” I said into her ear. “Next time you mention her or Kylo, I won’t hesitate to snap your fragile, worthless neck. Do you understand me, Scarlett?”
She brushed her fingers against my abdomen and made me tense.
“Do you understand?” I repeated.
“One day, Roman,” she threatened, ripping herself out of my grip. “One day, you’re going to wish you’d chosen differently, wish you’d chosen me, because there is a darkness coming, and you nor Isabella will be able to stop it.” She walked to the door, staring me down. “You’ll crumble, and I’m the only one who’ll be able to
save you.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I blew another annoyed breath out of my nose. Darkness? Did she think she was some kind of prescience? What kind of weird shit had she been on these past four years?
When she turned to walk out of the room, she stopped at the door. “Oh, hi, Isabella. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She threw me a wicked grin and left.
Isabella stepped into the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes wide with fear. “That was Scarlett, wasn’t it?” she asked.
I stepped toward her, but she stepped back. My wolf howled inside me at her blatant rejection to be close.
“Why were you talking to her in here, alone?”
Anger rushed through me at the mere thought of Scarlett trapping me in here, alone, just to piss off Isabella and get her not to trust me. While I knew that Kylo and Scarlett had split up for years, they could be working together again, trying to tear me down.
“Answer me, Roman. Why were you in here with Scarlett, your ex-girlfriend?”
“She wanted to talk,” I told her, not knowing what else to say.
I didn’t want to tell Isabella that Scarlett had come on to me because I didn’t want her getting jealous. We had less than two minutes before the meeting resumed. She needed to be thinking clearly.
After pressing her lips together, she shook her head. “Kylo was right,” she whispered to herself, grabbing my half-empty beer from the counter and taking a swig. She looked at her watch. “We have to get back to the fucking meeting.”
“Kylo?” I asked, following her out of the room. I hated—fucking loathed—that he had been alone with her for even just a second. I never wanted that man to look at, think about, or even be close to my mate. “You talked to him?”
She stepped into the auditorium. “Yes.”
Before she could get any farther, I snatched her wrist and pulled her back toward me. “And?”