Across the Ranks
twenty-three
*FOREST*
There is not much that Rose and I can prepare in advance. At the end of the day, we’ll need to rely on Nina and her friends and their ability and willingness to play along.
Nina’s friend is a shy, sweet young woman, eyeing us all nervously when we meet at Griffin’s place, but her mate is a pretty confident guy. It shows that rank doesn’t mean much at the end of the day. Someone can be an alpha and a coward, or he can be an omega and a hero.
Nina’s mate is here, as well, obviously ready to get his very own revenge and make amends at the same time.
“And you think this will work, Alpha?” Ben asks me.
“Yes,” I say. “But we need to place the device somewhere she won’t spot it.”
“What about under one of those belts around the chest?” Nina asks, squeezing her mate’s hand. “You wear them sometimes when you train.”
“Oh, to measure your heart frequency,” Griffin says. “Yes, we can fix it on something like that. You can use one of mine. Take off your shirt, Ben, we’ll fix it now.”
“Make sure to stick it to his body so it won’t drop,” Rose adds.
“We’ll have this one shot. Let’s be extra cautious.
” She walks over to the shy young woman, gently taking her hands.
“Don’t worry, Elli,” she says. Her voice is so gentle and warm, making that odd warm feeling return to my chest. She is a great luna.
She might be out to take down Lissa and my parents, but her concern for the omegas is genuine.
“Your mate looks like the type of person who can easily pull off a difficult task.”
Ben instantly perks up. “Really?”
Before he can bounce over to his mate, I grab his arm and hold him back. “Yes, really,” I mutter. “Just please hold still for a moment.”
“You are like a kid with ADHD,” Griffin teases. “Just how old are you?”
“Eighteen,” he says promptly. “One month older than my super-cute, hot Elli.”
So young, yet so brave.
“You are proof that inner strength has nothing to do with your rank,” I tell Ben. “You are ready to protect your mate and stand up for yourself. That counts more than any rank ever will.” I pause. “I will not forget the way you and your mate were ready to help today.”
I am definitely going to make sure he gets a good position in the pack. I can do with supportive, loyal pack members. I bet Rose has similar thoughts already. Nina already trusts her and has proven to be a good ally, and now she has Elli in her corner.
“Are we sure you are going to meet Lissa tonight?” Griffin asks Ben.
He nods. “That witch reached out to me and sent me a message. No clue how she got my phone number. She wants to meet later. I wanted to ditch her and pretend I had a shift, but now, obviously, I am going.”
“Did she tell you an exact time?” Rose asks. When he shakes his head, she smirks. “Make it 7 p.m.”
“Everyone will be at dinner during that time,” I say, before it dawns on me. “Oh, nice.”
Ben eyes us curiously, and I make sure to explain to him. “The luna is suggesting live streaming it all. And wouldn’t it be best to do it when everyone is listening?”
“Will Ben be safe?” Elli asks anxiously.
“Of course. I will follow him and keep an eye on him,” Griffin promises before turning Ben around to us to have us check him over. “Do you see anything?”
Rose and I scan him over. “No, I can’t detect any device.”
“It’s well hidden,” Rose agrees. “Ben, don’t forget to be reluctant when you meet Lissa. It needs to be believable to her.”
He nods. “Easy. I hate her.”
While Ben is going through some details with Rose, Griffin turns to me. What about Martin? he links me.
I pause for a moment. We should probably tell him something.
I can only say it from my perspective, Griffin says. But I would be hurt if you didn’t involve me at all. He is supposed to be someone you trust. I know he was picked for you, but so far, he has proven to be pretty loyal.
You are right. Especially now, since we have also involved Nina and some of the others.
We don’t need to tell him all the details, but at least tell him what Nina knows, what happened with the recording and how Lissa is involved. That’s only fair.
I nod. I will tell him to meet you before Ben heads out. Please, fill him in on everything.
Griffin nods his agreement, and I make sure to link Martin, telling him that we started a spontaneous move against Lissa after finding out something disturbing, and that Griffin will tell him everything.
I offer Rose my arm as we return to the packhouse, my heart making a happy leap when she accepts it and smiles at me. “Are you nervous?” she asks me.
“I don’t know. A little bit, but I am positive that Ben can pull it off.”
“What makes you so certain?”
I smile. “He loves his mate and would do everything to protect her. Anything. Plus, he is a confident young man, and probably ready to get back at Lissa for several other reasons.”
“People like us, heirs to high ranks, underestimate people like Ben and Nina because they happen to be of lower rank,” Rose says.
“I never liked that attitude of higher-ranked pack members. Jordan was an elitist, too. But you know what? The only kindness I received was from the omegas who served in the kitchen.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Ben could probably be good as a warrior if he is up for it, even if he is an omega. Or he could be on a security team. He could get a license and take an IT course. As for me, I would hire Nina as my assistant. But then, I know I am only here for…” her voice trails off.
“You are here for as long as you want,” I tell her. “As far as I am concerned, you are the luna of this pack.”
“We are not mates,” she says quietly.
“Right, because I don’t have one anymore, and yours cut the bond to you,” I say. “Like I said, as far as I am concerned, you are this pack’s luna.”
“What if you fall in love with someone when I am still here?”
I gaze at her, taking in her regal features, her soft skin and brunette hair, making her look like I’d probably envisioned Snow White as a child. My heart makes another leap. “I don’t think that will happen,” I say.
“You never know,” she says quietly.
“It could happen to you, too,” I point out.
“I don’t think so,” she says, casting me another look that I can’t quite read, and yet again my heart makes a traitorous jump.
“I am not going to send you anywhere,” I tell her. “As long as you want to be here and reign with me, I will be happy.”
What the fuck am I even telling her? This is wild. It’s like I am telling her I want her as my chosen mate. I am sure she will reject me or at least let me down gently, but to my utmost surprise, she doesn’t. “As long as you want me here, I will stay,” she says.
Darien perks up in my mind. Did she just say what I thought she did?
I am not sure, I admit.
Do you hope she did?
I pause. Do I? I just know that a week ago, I realized my family betrayed me, and I found out that my mate was killed before I could get to know her.
Then I met a woman who was hurt and shunned by her mate and wanted to get revenge just as I did.
And somehow along the way, it’s like she has become my closest friend, my strongest ally and my best support.
I don’t trust anyone as I trust her, not even Griffin. Goddess… I breathe out.
I want to run with her wolf, Darien says, surprising me all over again. She is strong. I want to meet her.
Wait a moment, are you telling me you are interested in her?
Of course I am! Fate brought her to us. She is beautiful, strong and smart. I bet her wolf is the same.
Trust my wolf to keep things simple. I guess it’s easier for him than it is for me. I move my arm away, but before Rose can look hurt, I take her hand into mine. “That’s better,” I say.
“What are we doing here?” she asks, looking at our hands.
“I have no idea,” I say. “I just know that right now, I want to hold your hand.”
Rose doesn’t say anything, but she also doesn’t pull her hand away. That’s all the answer I need for now.
“It’s time to go to the packhouse,” I tell her.
“We need to set up the speakers before dinner starts,” Rose agrees.
We walk the rest of the way in silence, using the side entrance to enter the packhouse and make our way to the kitchen immediately.
There, Nina is already expecting us. Rose hands her the two speakers she’s prepared, instructing her to put one close to the buffet and the other at the entrance door to the dining hall.
“Do you have it covered?” I ask quietly.
Nina nods in grim satisfaction. “Trust me, Alpha,” she says. “I am ready to play my part.”
I return to Rose. “And you?”
Rose shows me her phone. It’s not connected to the speakers yet, but to Ben’s recording device. She holds it to my ear, and I can hear Griffin’s voice through it, talking to Ben. It’s loud and clear. Meaning, when Ben meets with Lissa, everyone will also hear it loud and clear.
All we can do now is wait, and hope that the kid can pull it off.