Chapter 1 #2
They’ve made a decision, and he’s got to deliver news that I won’t want to hear.
“He’d have to be strong,” Carrie continues, bumping her shoulder into me. “You’re the daughter of an Alpha, Nia. Your wolf is capable of leading and your mate has to match you.”
My lips thin.
Other than the times my wolf has landed me in trouble, Lyall has shown absolutely no inclination to lead. She’s passive and takes a back seat, rarely coming to the fore. I’ve always assumed she was content to rest, fulfilled by the rebellion in my nature.
We’re more alike than most pairings, and Lyall has very little to say.
She talks to me only when something’s offended her and, invariably, that’s been the plethora of terrible suitors my father paraded in front of me.
Lyall wasn’t accepting any of them and if I hadn’t rejected them, then she’d have made damn sure that she did.
And that could have been bad.
I’ve only known her bare her teeth once and it was on the day my mother died. It’s why I survived and she did not. It’s why I’m left grieving a loss while that part of my being stays silent.
I’m well aware my wolf is capable of destruction and the fact that she came early is another sign of her power. But Lyall hasn’t been the force that she was expected to be and the Elders are disappointed now. My father too, and even their derision isn’t enough to rile her into action.
“We should look for him,” Carrie says gently. “It’ll keep your father and the Elders happy.”
Lyall growls and I ask her to hush, worried that my best friend will misinterpret my wolf’s annoyance and think it’s directed at her and her plan. Carrie has a point and if nothing else, it would get me away from here. Away from the machinations of the Elders and give me some time.
Neither my wolf nor I are thrilled to be here.
We’re growing tired of the perfect pack and the perfect estate we live in. The mansion is too pretty, too clean. Too damn ordered. And the woods surrounding it are too well kept. There’s not enough danger and far too many afternoon teas with porcelain decorated in pretty pink and pale purple.
It’s all too refined. Too English.
Perfectly polished and gentile.
And I don’t fit in.
I’ve tried. I’ve genuinely tried. But the rules and the etiquette and the goddamn manners are more than I can bear. My wolf isn’t restless because I’m already on edge, and one more thing might be enough to tip me over.
“Incoming,” Carrie says.
My eyes flick up and stare at my father, watching him stride across the lawn.
He’ll reach the terrace soon and I’m about to find out whatever it is that the Elders and he have agreed.
On a matter so important that it couldn’t wait until they could discuss it in private.
They risked breaching their own rules during today’s celebrations, doing business in the open, and during a festival.
We’re meant to be enjoying the day, remembering our ancestors, and basking in the success they’ve brought us. Instead, the Elders and Alpha have decided something that will dictate what this pack looks like in the future.
“Nia.”
My father’s voice sounds over the rustling of the flowers as they dance in the summer breeze.
The blues of lavender brush against the whites and pale pinks of the roses my mother planted in her perfect English country garden.
Its tranquility is disturbed and I sigh, tensing as I brace for whatever news my father is about to impart.
I nod.
His eyes flick to Carrie. “You’re not needed.”
“She can stay,” I whimper, immediately regretting my protest. I shudder as my father tenses, every muscle tightening as I challenge his authority and he grows even bigger. Even more imposing. Even less friendly.
“She cannot,” he says, almost snarling. “She might be married to my Beta’s son but this conversation is above her station.” Those dark brown eyes lock onto hers. “Go find your husband, Carrie. Make yourself useful somewhere else.”
Carrie has the good sense not to flinch and rises slowly, turning to wave goodbye before she leaves. She looks at me with her back to my father, her expression pleading with me to leap before I’m pushed and choose to start the hunt for my fated mate.
Her footsteps crunch on the gravel as she walks away and I stare up at my father. We’re waiting, for Carrie to be out of earshot and for his temper to cool. He’s riled after I challenged him, and the slight flare of his nostrils tells me he isn’t calming.
I shouldn’t have pushed against him so soon, and I’ve wasted some of my ammunition when I needed to keep it in reserve.
“We need to talk.”
I resist the urge to tell him that it’s obvious. Despite my attempts to stop it, my jaw insists on clenching and his ticks. My father’s seen it and it’s displeased him, and now he’s aware that I’m not in one of my more compliant moods.
“You’re my daughter, Nia, and that comes with certain privileges and expectations.
” His stance softens and he sighs, letting some of the tension leave his body as he exhales.
“You need to fulfill your duties to the pack. My pack.” He swallows.
“Your pack too, Nia.” His shoulders fall and the sunlight darts over them, blinding me for a second.
“You need to stop playing games when we try to find you a mate. You’ve scared off half the good ones with your surly attitude and sulking. ”
“I know.”
“And you need…” He stops, catching himself as my eyes finally focus back on his. “You’re agreeing with me?”
I shrug.
“You’re not going to fight me on this?”
I draw a deep breath and the stiffening in my core suggests otherwise. “I’m not going to accept anyone. I won’t do what Carrie did.”
The shadows over my father’s face darken as he closes the distance, moving to make his position clear. He’s towering above me and the difference between us is painfully apparent.
He’s in charge and I’m not.
He’s powerful and I’m not.
He’s dominant and I’m not.
“You may not have time. You’ve wasted enough of it already, Nia.” He crosses his arms. “Instead of searching for your mate, you’ve been rejecting any male who was prepared to consider a match. Now, the pack is in danger and our position isn’t as strong as it used to be.”
This is news and not the good kind. The pack believes we’re holding our own, possibly even winning the war against Lightclaw and their allies. Everyone knows we’re outnumbered but we also knew we were strong enough to survive.
The expression on my father’s face suggests this isn’t true.
He’s been lying to the pack and the Elders have been complicit in the deceit.
“We need an alliance more and you’ve got fewer cards to play. The Elders and I will arrange for some more suitors to visit. I’ll see if I can persuade any of those you’ve previously rejected to try again.”
I groan and pull my feet up, bringing my knees to rest against my chest. Lyall seethes, prowling through my consciousness as her temper flares, provoked by a suggestion she considers an abomination.
My rocking doesn’t soothe either of us and my father stands unmoved, presumably unimpressed by my display.
His head snaps as the wind rustles through the woods beyond the outbuildings on the far side of the lawn. The atmosphere changes even though the children’s laughter continues, ignorant of the sense of dread and violence creeping towards us.
“Get inside, Nia, and use the tunnels if you need to.” He turns and heads towards the woods. “Protect the pack, sweetheart.”
My father roars as the world comes to a standstill, stopping stationary on its rotation for one brief second. The children freeze and women gasp, while the men in the pack turn towards the woods and whatever danger is approaching.
Time restarts and with it comes chaos, as mothers grab their children and race towards the mansion.
The games of the afternoon are over and we’re facing an entirely different contest now.
One laced with threat and violence, and the stakes couldn’t be higher if my father’s response is any judge of what we’re facing.