Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
N othing.
I waited for the inevitable pain, but nothing flared inside me until his undeniable scent hit my nose…mixed with someone else’s.
I inhaled shakily. He’d completed a mate bond with someone else.
Four of the five men who sat with their backs to the window had creased brows, which made sense since we didn’t know each other except for the Shae pack alpha, Bruce, on the other end. His expression looked slightly pained.
Reid’s eyes widened. Ryker tugged me closer to his side and wrapped an arm around my waist, his warmth searing into me.
My attention couldn’t be diverted from Reid. My blood boiled. The sensations of pain and heartbreak didn’t hit me like I’d expected. Instead, my legs felt like Jell-O, allowing Ryker to maneuver me with our sides pressed together, no space between us.
Even without the buzz that sometimes sprang up between us, my pulse quickened. I was enjoying his touch way too much. I hated that he had this effect on me despite all the awful things he’d done. For some reason, a growing piece of me wanted to believe he had good reason for his actions, but…torturing innocents was wrong, no matter what.
From his seat at the center of the table, Reid jumped to his feet, his chair skidding back. “Ember! You’re alive,” he rasped.
I laughed, letting all my hatred and bitterness show. “Disappointed?”
He blinked and shook his head. “What do—”
“Let’s cut to the chase because Ember and I have other things to do.” Ryker glanced at me and winked, causing my heart to skip a beat.
I had to get my head on straight. This was pretend, but the faint, spicy scent of his arousal hit my nose. When his mouth touched mine, a jolt went straight through my stomach. Then his tongue brushed my lips, demanding entrance.
I inhaled shakily, and as soon as it registered that I should respond, he pulled away and arched a brow at the place full of male alphas. “I assume this meeting is to discuss who the next royals will be?”
Perry leaned over the table from his position next to his son. He scowled. “Yes, that’s the topic of discussion. We assumed you weren’t coming, so we began. These attacks are horrendous and must be stopped.”
There was no scent of a lie, and a chill ran down my spine despite the fury blazing inside me. I gritted my teeth and jerked forward, wanting to punch the bastard in the jaw. However, Ryker’s arm tightened around my waist like a vise, keeping me anchored at his side. The way Perry and Reid wrinkled their noses in disgust made me want to kill them both right then and there.
How dare they look at me like I was the problem?
“Sorry, Rebel’s a little feisty. One of the things I admire most about her.” Ryker chuckled. He moved his lips next to my ear and breathed, “Calm down. Remember what your number one goal is—Briar.”
My sister’s name echoed in my head. He was right. The point was to stay focused and unaffected to infuriate the others—like we had no worries about being in control. We’d been here a minute, and I was already ruining that.
I took a shaky breath and forced a smile. “Sorry. It’s just hard seeing everyone after the loss of my pack.”
“It was a travesty.” Reid’s face crumpled. “All those bodies… Our pack buried them this morning. Though someone had begun digging a grave, which surprised us. At least now we know who.” He gestured to me.
This prick slaughtered my pack, kidnapped my sister, and now wanted to pretend to be some sort of saint by burying the people he’d murdered? Hatred punched into my stomach, making my chest tighten. I’d never realized I was so capable of these horrible sinking emotions.
From the other side of Perry, the middle-aged, light-blond-haired alpha of the Golden pack— another of the packs we were here to observe—cleared his throat. “That’s awfully kind, but clearly there were survivors. How many bodies were missing?” He glanced at the Blackwoods for the answer instead of me.
I growled, unable to hide my disdain. I would know better than those two, seeing as I was part of the pack. Despite it being the twenty-first century, sexism still thrived in the shifter community.
“Me and my sister Briar. Everyone else died.” My attention flickered toward Reid and Perry, hoping they could sense the disgust for them sludging through me. I watched for any reaction to my words.
Reid hung his head and flinched. “She’s right. We thought they might have died elsewhere since we ran the entire perimeter of their land.”
Ran was one way of putting it. The term hunted would have worked the best.
Every alpha nodded at Reid’s confirmation, including the Asher alpha, who’d been as close to my pack as we had been to the Blackwoods. Normally, I’d brush it aside, knowing that I would either be the future beta of our pack or the alpha mate of another, but as an alpha myself, my wolf snarled.
“Of course she’s right,” Ryker spat. “She’s the Sinclair pack alpha now. We don’t need someone else confirming the numbers she stated. And don’t forget she is of royal blood.” He lifted his chin and stared down the twenty men in front of us.
My stomach fluttered. Down, girl . This was an act. I had to remember that. Ryker might find me attractive, but we did not like each other.
“There’s no reason to get upset.” The Hadley pack alpha lifted both hands.
“Right.” Golden ran a hand through his hair, making it messy. “I just didn’t know if the body count added up to the number Ember gave.”
They were trying to play it off without lying, but I understood what the intention was. It had been a slight jab to undermine me because each one of these assholes wanted the crown, and none deserved it.
Bruce fidgeted, and I couldn’t help but notice the sweat beading on his brow. His milk-chocolate-brown eyes flicked toward me, and he quickly wiped his forehead.
My hands clenched. He was acting nervous, and his was one of the three packs I suspected had Briar. If it was him, then he had to be in cahoots with the Blackwoods. My stomach pitched. He was the one alpha of the three I hadn’t truly suspected. He was older and had always seemed aligned with my pack’s views.
The sting of betrayal hit my heart. Once again, someone I thought I knew had screwed us over.
“And she may be of royal blood, but we’ve heard the rumor that something is wrong with her,” a young brown-haired man with a bowl cut spat. “No one will follow her.”
Air whooshed from my lungs. Before I could say anything, Ryker released me and marched over to the prick. He got in his face and pushed his finger into Bowl Cut’s chest. “There is nothing wrong with her. Reid was too much of an idiot to see what he could’ve had. She’s strong, smart, and resilient. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be standing here with us now.”
I couldn’t see Ryker’s face, but I could feel alpha power pulsing from him, and my own wolf whimpered in approval. This version of Ryker didn’t seem fake, but I had to push that thought away. I refused to let anyone else into my heart.
My gaze flickered to Reid, whose jaw worked as he watched the exchange. “Ember already said she doesn’t want to ascend the throne, so none of this matters. We need to figure out a solution before our packs lose more strength. We can’t fight an enemy as we grow weaker. Cassi mentioned a spell that can be performed so our wolf magic can identify our new leader as the new royal bloodline once we’ve selected them.”
“If the enemy grows weaker as well, then we don’t need to be in much of a hurry to make that decision.” I rocked back on my heels, enjoying that the positive emotions I’d felt for Reid were now gone. I didn’t give a fuck if it was because he’d mated with someone else. As long as I was free of that cursed bond, I didn’t give a damn how it had happened. “ Whoever is behind the attacks somehow diluted their scents, so they must have a witch helping them.” I let the last part hang out there, especially since Reid had just referenced the witch tied to his pack.
Reid’s and Perry’s heads snapped in my direction, my implication clear. The other alphas flinched and blinked, processing what I’d just said. The Blackwoods were the rare pack that had a witch who was close to them.
“Is that your way of trying to get me back?” Reid’s jaw dropped. “I know I shouldn’t have embarrassed you like that, but damn, Ember. I didn’t do it on purpose. You don’t have to be so damn bitter.”
After the slaughter of my pack, this guy had the nerve to suggest my suspicions were due to his rejection. For the first time in my life, I wanted to slit someone’s throat with my bare claws. My pack strived to be pacifist and fight back only when attacked, but I believed that, for a situation like this, a change in policy would be justified.
Ryker straightened and pivoted to me. The sheen on his eyes seemed thicker than ever.
I had no clue what I’d done to get his attention, but at least this time, he’d get a show instead of being the main act. My wolf inched forward, and I marched toward Reid, but Ryker intercepted me.
I ran into his chest, and his arms circled my waist. I tried to jerk out of his grasp as he whispered, “Rebel, pretend your hatred is due to the rejection and not because you remember anything from the attack.”
Shit, he was right. Now wasn’t the time to act. I had my sister to save. I would take her somewhere safe and then eliminate the threat. I didn’t need Reid convincing the Shae pack to harm her to get back at me.
Fighting to pull my wolf back, I forced my body to stop fighting his, but then his mouth covered mine. I gasped, but instead of air, his tongue filled my mouth, tasting of mint and honey, a combination I never imagined I’d enjoy this much.
Before I could stop myself, I responded, and my arms slid up his chest and around his neck. I anchored my body to his, and the world seemed to disappear.
Until he pulled away.
He snickered and turned his head toward Reid. “Your loss is my gain, and it’s not that you rejected her that’s the problem. It’s that you attempted to embarrass her, which wasn’t a regal move.”
I smiled, immensely enjoying yet another dig we’d managed to make at Reid, one that made it clear he didn’t have the temperament needed to be king.
Reid’s flush and flared nostrils had me grinning so hard it hurt.
“That’s quite enough!” Perry exclaimed. “You don’t get to come in here and make these statements like they’re facts.”
“Actually, he does.” An alpha with salt-and-pepper hair stood. “That’s the whole purpose of the meeting, right? To discuss who makes sense to lead? The Grimstones have been running rampant, trying to pin the attacks on someone else, and the Sinclair pack was supposedly extinct. Yet here they both stand, and you have attempted to control this entire meeting. I drove ten hours to say that I think a competition should be held to determine the next ruler. Just because you scheduled this meeting and selected a location near your territory doesn’t mean you should assume the role. You have no claim.”
“What sort of competition are you suggesting?” The Golden pack alpha tilted his head. “Because I agree that the Blackwoods shouldn’t use manipulation to take control, but neither should those two. Neither one of them could protect their own packs.”
Both Ryker and I tensed. I wanted to scream that the attackers were the ones trying to take control, but I didn’t need to.
One by one, the other alphas agreed, causing Perry’s and Reid’s expressions to strain further.
Good. Those assholes didn’t deserve an easy win…not after everything they’d done.
“Now listen here—” Perry slammed a hand on the table.
But the Golden alpha jumped to his feet. “I can’t remain here. An unknown scent has been discovered on my perimeter. I must get back to my pack.”
Bruce ran a shaky hand through his dark brown hair. “Then I must get back to my pack as well since we share a border.”
“If our enemy knows that the local pack alphas are meeting here, then we should have a video conference to discuss the competition.” A man with sandy-blond hair stood. “We should’ve never left our homes with a threat at large, but the Blackwoods promised the meeting would remain secret. We should all get back to our packs immediately.”
My stomach dropped. Was another attack happening? Thinking of another pack being slaughtered had my stomach in knots, especially knowing Kendric, Gage, and Xander were in that area too.
The Shae and Golden alphas were the first ones out the door. Ryker and I glanced at each other before trailing behind them.
We needed to follow Bruce to see where he went.
The two of us jogged to our vehicle as the other alphas rushed out. We jumped in and waited for Bruce to peel out of his spot and gun it down the road.
Ryker didn’t wait long before we pulled out and followed him.
“Are the others safe?” I asked and gripped the door handle as we took a curve fast.
“They’re fine. The Golden pack picked up Kendric’s scent. He got too close to their lookout, trying to scout for your sister.” His jaw clenched, and he kept his eyes on the road as he reached out and took my hand.
The buzz shot between us, and I couldn’t make myself pull away.
“Don’t worry. He’s already back in his car and heading toward the Shae pack territory to meet up with Gage. They won’t find him.”
Some of the pressure on my shoulders lifted. I hadn’t realized how worried I’d been about him.
Not wanting to distract Ryker, I kept my mouth shut, and we fell into silence.
About thirty minutes later, something hot blazed in my chest as if I were on fire.