Bitten By the Alpha
Page 24
Shit.
Angry snarls erupted from all of the betas.
As head of pack security, Alec darted forward lightning fast. He grabbed Davies by the throat and propelled him across the room, slamming into the far wall. Trickles of blood ran down Davies’s neck where Alec had his claws out. His voice frighteningly soft, Alec asked, “Did you just threaten the alpha?”
“No! I d-didn’t… I don’t know what—”
“Mr Knight?” Alpha Wallace walked towards them from the back of the room. “If I may interrupt for just a second.”
Alec nodded, and Cam wondered if she was about to suggest one of her ideas. He fucking hoped so. The last thing he wanted was another death or banishment on his hands, but Davies had clearly threatened him and showed no signs of being willing to follow him as alpha. There was no place for Davies in Cam’s pack while he held that attitude.
Letting Davies go, Alec stepped back with a deferential nod in alpha Wallace’s direction. “He’s all yours.”
“Thank you.”
Moving into the space Alec had vacated, she met Davies’ gaze. Even from this far away, Cam could see the tremor in Davies’ hands as the head of the alpha council regarded him like a science experiment.
“Mr Davies. Let me correct you, for your sake and the rest of the room. When Alpha Landon was head of this pack during the pack wars, his behaviour was so reprehensible that his betas took the only option left open to them. He refused to step down, so they killed him. All of them. That was not the action of one person, but the duty carried out by four loyal pack members. Am I clear?”
Davies nodded. “Y-yes Alpha.”
“And you do realise that attacking one’s alpha with no provocation is a punishable act?”
Davies’ eyes widened, but he nodded again. “Yes, Alpha.”
“And that the punishment can be as extreme as banishment or even death?”
The remaining colour drained from Davies’s cheeks. “Yes,” he whispered.
She glanced over at Cam, one eyebrow raised in question, and he gestured for her to go ahead with whatever it was she was about to say. “Fortunately for you, both Alpha Harley and the council accept that these past few weeks have been overly stressful, for some more than others. And as such, we are willing to give you options rather than an ultimatum.”
She waited for him to reply, and it took him a couple of attempts to get the words out. Cam felt sorry for him, even if he had brought this on himself. Newell had done a lot of damage.
“What are the options?”
She addressed Davies’ friends, who were now huddled in a group near the back. “This goes for everyone who has been visiting the prison, since you seem to share the same opinions as Mr Davies.”
Whether they did or not, no one argued with her.
“If you cannot willingly accept Alpha Harley as your alpha, then I will help you relocate to separate packs of my choosing. I don’t believe it would be in a new pack’s best interest to keep you all together.”
Davies paled even further, and so did his friends. Cam wasn’t sure they’d actually thought what the consequences of their actions might be. Or they hadn’t counted on the alpha council interfering. But then neither had Cam.
“So,” Alpha Wallace said, her expression neutral. “What’s it to be?”
A unanimous, “I’d like to stay with this pack,” came from Davies’ friends.
She turned to Davies. “And you?”
He glanced at Cam, then Gareth, then at the betas next to them. His gaze landed on Jenn, and whatever look passed between them, it was enough to elicit a heavy sigh and a quiet, “I’d like to stay with this pack. Please.”
“Are you absolutely sure? Because I’ll be keeping an eye on you, all of you, and if Alpha Harley reports anything other than exemplary behaviour, then you won’t get a say in what happens next. Pack is family. I accept that your last alpha set a poor example, but Alpha Harley is one of the most honest and fair alphas I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” She smiled at Cam, and he warmed under her praise. “You either trust and respect your alpha, or I’ll find you another. This pack has been through enough, don’t you think?”
“Yes.”
“Very well then.” Addressing Cam, she said. “Thank you for allowing me to intercede.”
Cam bowed his head in respect, and she made her way to the back of the room again. Davies ducked his head and shuffled back to join his friends. The room remained silent, gazes darting about as his pack struggled to take in everything that had happened. It had certainly been one of the more eventful pack meetings he’d held.
“I believe I’ve covered everything that I wanted to for today. If anyone has questions that they would prefer to ask in private, my door is always open. Either send me an email or talk to one of my betas, and I will find time to speak with you.” He glanced around the room, thankful that the faces staring back at him seemed satisfied and not outraged by the afternoon’s announcements. “Thank you for your time, and enjoy your evening.”
As the large crowd began to file out, he turned to Gareth and reached for his hand. Words weren’t necessary, relief flooded their bond from both sides, and Cam offered him a smile instead. Gareth squeezed his fingers in return, then nudged Cam’s shoulder, nodding in the direction of the door. Cam looked up to see Rachel making her way over.
She smiled as she reached them. “Wow. Pack meetings back home are never like that.”
Cam laughed. “That’s not the norm, as you’ll come to realise soon enough.”
“Don’t spoil my fun. I was looking forward to being one of your betas for a while, if that’s what I have to look forward to.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ll just have to put up with the same old boring ones that we have at home.” Before Cam could answer, she added, “But thank you both for this opportunity. I’ll admit I was shocked when Gareth suggested it earlier, but now it’s sunk I can’t wait to get started.”
“I’m glad.” Cam glanced over at where Gareth’s old unit still leant against the wall, his gaze landing on Nathan. “And don't worry, I think you’ll get plenty of excitement being a beta with that unit.” Cam hoped Nathan realised what an opportunity this was and decided to learn a few things from Rachel while she was here. He had the makings of a good beta in him, according to Gareth, but he needed to show a little more maturity in his actions before Cam would consider him for the position. “Have you spoken to your father?”
She sighed. “This morning. He wanted me to come home.”
“Has Sara’s father changed his mind about the two of you?”
Her laugh was bitter, and she shook her head. “No. But apparently he’s sent her to stay with her grandmother for a while.” She lowered her voice considerably. “The one who’s on the alpha council. So since Sara’s no longer around, he has no issue with me coming back.” Her eyes glistened, and she blinked back tears.
Cam’s heart broke for her, especially knowing how wonderful a bond between two shifters could be. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” She rubbed a hand over her chest, the move so familiar, Cam’s ached in sympathy. “I guess it’ll fade in time.” Shaking her head a little, she added, “Anyway, when I told him about your offer of being a temporary beta, he thought it was a great idea. Apparently it will give me the opportunity to understand what being a beta really means.” She rolled her eyes, but Cam was glad to see a bit of her spark return.
With nothing else to say to that, he pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sure you’ll be an asset to my pack, even if it’s only for a short while.”
“Thank you.”
Before she could turn away, Gareth caught her hand. “I know we didn’t get off to the best of starts.” Her laughter was genuine this time. “Which was entirely my fault, I know. But I’m more than happy to hand over the reins to you. I know they all respect you. It’ll be a good fit and hopefully we can work together to find a permanent replacement.”
“I’d like that.”
She gave Gareth a quick hug, whispered thank you, then hurried to join the rest of Gareth’s—now Rachel’s—unit as they walked out the door.
“You sure you made the right decision?”
Gareth wouldn’t lose his beta power—as an alpha’s mate it was allowed, expected even—but he would no longer have his unit to look after. Cam knew how much they meant to him.
Gareth’s gaze drifted over to where Cam was looking. His expression turned wistful for a second, but when he met Cam’s gaze, there was nothing but love and determination in his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Alpha Harley.” Alpha Wallace and Alpha Jones joined them at the front of the room, now empty except for Cam’s betas and them. She waited a moment, probably until the rest of his pack was out of earshot, and then smiled. “Quite the team you have now.” She gestured to Gareth and the five betas, then to where Rachel had just left through the double doors.
Cam grinned, unable to help feel anything but proud. “Yes. I’m very fortunate to have them.”
“Yes, you are.” She turned her attention to Gareth. “Must have been a hard decision to give up your position as beta.”
“It was. I love my unit, and I’m going to miss being a part of that, but I believe it was the right move. For us, and for the pack.”
“Oh. I agree.” She smiled, an amused glint in her eye. “And Miss Tregarrak is an interesting choice for your replacement.”
Gareth’s shoulders tensed. “I think under the circumstances, choosing a relatively neutral beta was essential. It also buys us some time to find my long term replacement.” Cam silently agreed. He wouldn’t have approved it otherwise, but he let Gareth handle this.
She reached out and patted him on the arm. “That’s true.” Shooting a glance at Cam, she added, “It’ll also give Miss Tregarrak something positive to focus on, which she needs right now.”
Cam wondered how much she knew about that whole thing. He suspected it was far more than she’d let on. “Yes, I think it’ll be good for her.”
“One of my council members, Alpha Cornell, is related to the neighbouring pack.”
Cam recalled Rachel mentioning it, and if he remembered rightly, it hadn’t been in a good way. “Oh?”
Raising an eyebrow, she said, “There’ve been rumours of a dispute between the two packs.” Cam swallowed, not wanting to get into this at all. “Not that I expect you to know anything about that.”
Thank fuck.
“According to Celia, her son-in-law’s not the most progressive of alphas.”
Cam snorted out a laugh but smothered it quickly. “Oh?”
“I understand he’s been known to use her position as a scare tactic, yet neglects to mention she has no great fondness for him. In fact, she finds his narrow-mindedness tiresome.” She glanced at the door, then back at Cam. “Might be worth mentioning that to someone.”
Cam smiled in understanding. “Yes, it might.”
“You might also mention, if anyone were to ask, that the alpha council can’t be used as bargaining chips. We aren’t biased, even where family are concerned.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. I think we’re done here.” She spared another glance at Cam’s betas, all of whom were now watching them unashamedly. “I’ll admit I had my doubts about joining the two packs again, but I’m happy to see they were unfounded.”
So am I.
Alec escorted the council members downstairs, and the other betas followed them out, leaving Cam and Gareth alone at last.
Leaning against the window, Cam sighed in relief. “Thank fuck that’s out of the way.”
“Yeah.” Gareth joined him against the glass, and Cam automatically reached for his hand. “Whatever will we do now?”
Cam met his gaze, smile curving his lips. “I can think of plenty.” He tugged on Gareth’s hand. “Come on. I’ve told everyone not to bother us for the next couple of days unless it’s an emergency.”
Gareth laughed, stopping to wrap his arms around Cam and kiss him, their bond full of happiness wrapping around them both. “I love you. More than I ever thought possible.”
For the last ten years, he’d been living in the past. Mia would always hold a place in his heart, but Gareth had made him realise he had room in there for more. So much more.
Cupping Gareth’s jaw, he whispered, “I love you too,” then stepped back, pulling Gareth with him. “And I’m going to spend the next two days showing you just how much.”
No one knew what the future held, but Cam was done avoiding life, avoiding love, being scared of what could happen.
Now it was time to live.
About the Author
Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her three rowdy children, and two cats.
An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They're usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.
https://annabellejacobs.com/
Twitter: @Ajacobs_fiction
Facebook: Annabelle Jacobs Fiction
Email: ajacobsfiction@gmail.com
Also by Annabelle Jacobs
The Choosing
Torsere Series:
Capture
Union
Alliance
The Lycanaeris Series:
The Altered
The Altered 2
The Altered 3
Toy With Me
Will & Patrick Series:
A Casual Thing
A Serious Thing
Magic & Mistletoe
Chasing Shadows
Always Another Side
The Regent's Park Pack Series
Bitten By Mistake
Bitten By Design
Bitten By Desire
All Hallows’ Eve
A Christmas Kiss
Maybe This Time
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
About the Author
Also by Annabelle Jacobs