Chapter 18 #2
“Alpha Hudson.” Her stride is steady, her shoulders squared. Authority edges every movement now. “I understand Lockhart is requesting a meeting.”
My father inhales sharply, nostrils flaring as her scent fills the room—me woven into her, layered with the sweet musk of a sealed bond. The air hums with it, and my wolf preens with satisfaction even as I fight the urge to drag her behind me.
“Indeed,” Hudson says carefully, weighing every word. “Though I fail to see how this concerns you.”
“It concerns me because I'm what he wants,” Karina replies, moving further into the room despite my silent command to stay back. “And I think it's time we gave it to him.”
“No.” I move between her and my father, my body forming a barrier she'll have to go through to reach him. “Whatever you're thinking, the answer is fucking no.”
“You haven't heard what I'm thinking yet.”
“I don't need to hear it. I can feel it.” I turn to face her fully, my hands finding her shoulders. “You want to meet with him. To face him down like some kind of alpha challenge.”
Her chin lifts, and there it is—that stubborn defiance that makes me want to lock her in a tower and throw away the key. “Maybe that's exactly what this is.”
“Over my dead body.”
“That can be arranged,” my father interjects. “If you continue to defy me in my own territory.”
I whirl toward him, my wolf surging so close to the surface that my vision edges with gold. “Try me, old man.”
“Stop.” Karina's hand finds my arm, her touch immediately calming the beast beneath my skin. “This isn't helping anyone.”
“Neither is throwing yourself at Lockhart’s mercy like a fucking martyr, Karina.”
“Listen to me,” she says. “Lockhart wants me. Not you. Not your pack. He wants to use my bloodline to build his empire.”
“Which is exactly why you're not going anywhere near him,” I snarl, moving to block her path to my father's desk.
She sidesteps me, and for a split second her wolf ripples through the movement—no longer cornered, but alert, sharp, ready. “But he can’t have any of those things now, can he?”
My father leans forward, the calculation in him stirring. “To my knowledge, no one has ever rejected such a bond. In theory, you are beyond his reach.”
“Don’t feed her ideas,” I snap, but Karina doesn’t so much as glance at me.
“You said it yourself, Damien—he’s been watching me for years.
Building his fantasy, deciding what I could bring him, the power he could amass through me.
” She steps closer to Hudson’s desk, every instinct in me screaming to pull her back, but I hold still as her defiance burns brighter.
“Now imagine his frustration when he realizes all of it is gone. That dream dies here, and he’ll want blood for it.
Yours. Mine. This pack. Maybe even Bellandis. ”
My father tilts his head, considering her words with a kind of detached intrigue. “She makes a fair point, son.”
“Stay out of this, father.” My teeth clench as I step forward, bracing against the tension snapping through the air. “This isn’t your conversation. It’s between her and me.”
“No, it’s not, Damien. This isn’t just about me.
I am a box Lockhart wants to check to secure his power base, and he wants me so desperately, he’s willing to enter two different alphas’ territories to get me.
He’s not going to stop.” Karina steps forward, her eyes never leaving mine.
“Use me as bait. Let Lockhart think he still has a chance. Draw him out and end this once and for all.”
“Absolutely fucking not.”
“Actually,” my father interjects, “that might be worth discussing.”
I whirl on him, ready to rip his throat out, but he holds up a hand.
“Think about it, Damien. If Lockhart believes she's available, he'll be less cautious. More vulnerable. We could set a trap that would eliminate this threat permanently.”
“And put her directly in harm’s way? Have you lost your fucking mind?” I pace the room like a caged predator, unease crawling under my skin. “He’ll notice that her scent has changed. Any wolf with half a nose would catch it instantly. Not to mention my mark.”
My father leans back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin as if he’s already ten steps ahead.
“Not necessarily. Not if we’re deliberate about where the meeting happens.
Neutral ground, so pack law holds. Somewhere dense with other scents—enough to smother what she carries for now.
And she’s still in her cycle. That alone could be enough to muddy the trail.
Long enough for us to draw Lockhart in… and finish this. ”
“Crimson Howl,” Karina says suddenly.
My head snaps toward her.
“Think about it,” she continues. “The club will be packed with wolves from different packs. Everyone wears masks. The air is thick with pheromones, alcohol, and sex. If there's anywhere Lockhart's senses might be compromised, it's there.”
My father nods slowly, appreciation dawning on his face. “The girl's smarter than she looks.”
“Don't call her girl,” I growl automatically, but my mind is already racing through the possibilities.
The club will be crowded. Masks will obscure her identity until the moment of our choosing.
The cacophony of scents will make it difficult to isolate the true mate bond unless someone is specifically looking for it.
“I don't like it.”
“You don't have to like it,” Karina says. “You just have to trust me.”
“I trust you. It's everything else I don’t trust.”
Karina crosses the room to me. She steps into my space, her arms wrapping around my waist, and I instinctively pull her against me, my body recognizing its other half.
“If you want the threat to my safety gone, this is the only way. We have to play on my weaknesses to make this work. Lockhart thinks I am naive, and let's be honest, I am, but we can use that.”
Her words sink into me like stones in still water. I hate that she's right. I hate that she's willing to put herself at risk. Most of all, I hate that I can't think of a better alternative.
“It's too risky.”
“So, you’d rather hide behind these walls until he storms them. Hurting your pack in his pursuit of me?” She pulls back just enough to look up at me. “We will have the advantage if we do this my way.”
My father clears his throat, reminding me of his presence. I've been so focused on Karina that I'd almost forgotten he was there. “She has a point, Damien. If we wait, we're playing defense. This gives us the offense.”
“Fine,” I relent.
Karina rises on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to my jaw that sends a molten rush surging through my veins.
“Thank you,” she speaks against my skin.
“Don't thank me yet,” I mutter, already running through the tactical nightmare we're about to walk into. “You might not survive what I'm going to put you through to prepare for this.”
My father moves around his desk, his expression shifting to something I recognize from childhood—the calculating look he wore when planning military campaigns. “I'll contact Anselm. Crimson Howl is still his territory, and we'll need his cooperation to make this work.”
“Elias first,” I correct. “If his father gets wind of this before I can explain the situation, he might refuse outright. Elias can smooth the way.”
“And Lockhart? What do we do about him, considering that he’s at your border right now, making demands?”
“Leave Lockhart to me,” Hudson remarks. “How long will you need to get the ball rolling on this?”
“A day, maybe a little less.”
“I can work with that, and it will be the full moon. Even more enticing for Lockhart.” My father nods curtly. “I'll handle Lockhart's people—tell them we're considering their request but need time to discuss terms. That should buy you the time you need.”
I shift my weight, already mapping out my next move. One misstep and this whole thing unravels.
Hudson’s chair tilts back a fraction, his hands folding loosely on the desk. “If this goes wrong, there’s no coming back from it. You know that.”
“I know,” I reply, steady but measured.
My father rises from his desk, the legs of the chair sliding back with a muted scrape. He straightens his jacket as if settling invisible armor into place, then crosses the room in even strides.
“Gabriel!” he calls, brushing the doorframe as he passes. “Get the team ready. We’re paying our guests at the border a visit.”