Vivianna
“How could you not tell us that The Collective’s chairman was your uncle?” I said, slamming the door to Darius’s new office.
Viv and Astrid had gone back to talk things over in the royal office while we gathered here. Darius shot me a glare, his ice blue eyes narrowing on me as he sank into his chair. I was too upset to sit, so I just crossed my arms and waited for the answer.
“No one knew,” Darius bit out. “Able is my great uncle, and he made me agree to keep my family ties to him quiet so I wouldn’t be attacked or used against him. I’m not the one you should be mad at. Able is the one who fucked up and lost his shit.”
Tav sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Darius makes a good point. It wasn’t like they were trading information, or Able would have already known the answer to his question.”
I growled, turning to Tav. “I’m not questioning his loyalty to Viv. What I’m mad about is that he knowingly let Viv go into that meeting without that vital piece of information. She could have been prepared.”
Darius ignored our argument as he clacked away on his keyboard, pulling something up.
“Viv handled everything just fine. I know it’s our instinct to protect our mate from any danger, but we are mated to the most powerful alpha female in the world,” Tav said, giving me a raised eyebrow.
“Cut yourself some slack. You mated last night; your wolf is riding you more than your humanity is.”
Koit just watched us all from his chair, feet propped up on the desk, arms behind his head. How I envied the simple life of a beta. I still couldn’t figure out how he had managed to get Viv’s attention when typically only alphas mated with alpha females.
“I got the preliminary information on the guys that are up for prospect,” Darius grunted as he swung the computer screen our way.
“Gotta hand it to them, they picked an impressive group of guys. One’s a lawyer, a doctor, a business mogul, even a finance guy that has worked for some major human companies. ”
Koit dropped his feet so he could lean in closer to look at the list and pictures of the nine guys. “Are they trying to make us look bad?”
“Hardly,” Tav chided as he scanned the information. “None of these alphas run their packs, and those types of wolves tend to live more solitary lives.”
“Wait—so they picked alphas they wouldn’t mind losing if she mated with them?” Koit asked, a frown creasing his brow.
“I guess you could think of it that way. They picked alphas that wouldn’t be trouble for them to lose or allow us to gain an advantage.
The fact that they lost Rik’s pack and could lose mine is a major blow to them.
None of these men, other than the job they perform, will impact The Collective,” Darius explained as he continued to type away, windows popping up with information.
“Do you think she will take more mates?” I asked, not having even considered that there might be more than the four of us.
My question caused everyone to pause and look at me as if they hadn’t taken the time to think this over either.
Tav seemed thoughtful but not too bothered at the idea, which didn’t shock me.
Koit frowned at his fingers as they played with the zipper on his jacket.
Darius’s eyes glowed with his wolf, and I could tell he did not like the idea of anyone else getting close to Viv.
It was so obvious to us all how much he cared about her, no matter what he said or how he resisted.
He would figure it out soon or he would lose his chance altogether.
“She promised that we would have a say in who she considered. All I have to do is find enough dirt on them so she turns them away,” Darius growled.
Tav raised an eyebrow at him. “Is that the best course of action? What if there’s someone among these men that could be vital to her and her well-being? Would you really stop her from adding someone just because you’re feeling threatened?”
Darius narrowed his eyes at Tav and let out a low growl, his hands clenching beside his keyboard. “Do not presume to tell me how I feel, Tavas. Not when you have a lot more to worry about than I do.”
“What do you mean?’ I asked, concern making my stomach clench.
Darius double-clicked on a file, and a picture of someone we all knew popped up on the screen.
My wolf pushed to the surface, demanding to be let free so that we could defend our mate from this danger.
A snarl ripped from my lips as I turned on Tav, slamming him against the stone wall and gripping his throat.
“Why is he here?” I bellowed.
Tav stared back at me, his eyes blank, not letting me see what he was truly feeling. He grabbed my wrist and surprised me when he kicked out my right leg and twisted out of my hold. He pinned my arm behind my back and pressed me into the floor.
“That is Thomas, not Sebastian,” Tav said, his voice low, letting me know that he was as pissed as I was.
“Father would never let Sebastian be offered to someone who would take over his pack. Thomas, like me, would have been killed if he didn’t leave or try to take the pack from Sebastian, but he is not as cruel as his twin. ”
Slowly, Tav let me up, keeping a hold on my arm so that I wouldn’t attack him again. “How can you even tell the difference between them? They’re identical in every way,” I grumbled.
“Sebastian has no soul in his eyes. Thomas hasn’t lost his yet, but I fear that it’s not long off if he stays by his brother’s side.
” Tav sighed as he righted the chair I’d pulled him out of and sat back down.
“I still don’t understand why my father would let him join—I already fulfilled the offering from our pack. ”
“That is exactly what you’re going to find out from your little brother, Tav,” Darius said, stroking his chin as he stared at the picture on his computer. “He’s up to something, and we need to find out what, fast.”
“Great. Now we have this to worry about on top of everything else. Like Vadik isn’t enough,” I growled.
“Don’t forget whatever the hell is going on with how they are running things here on the island. It’s like we’re back in the stone ages,” Koit interjected, causing us all to glare at him.
“Thanks for the reminder, asshole,” Darius snapped.
Koit just shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t say our mate doesn’t keep our lives interesting.”