Chapter 28
OPTION NUMBER THREE
LUKE
I press my weight into the ground, wishing Nia was still the weak, pathetic she-wolf she was when she first arrived.
She didn’t have the fight in her to do this and I’d have been able to keep her safe.
I’d have locked her away in a safe room in my goddamn house and she’d have damn well liked it, certain it was for her own good.
Now, she’s got fire.
She’s got fucking spirit.
She’s got an iron will and enough determination to burn the world to the ground if that’s what it takes to get what she damn well wants.
Cole thought about telling Nia to go to the safe room. He considered it for the briefest of split seconds before his common sense kicked in and he realized it would only make her more irate. He backed down in a hurry and even Elias didn’t have it in him to make a stand.
Nia glares at me and I’m so angry that I don’t know if I can contain myself.
It’d be easier if I could bend her over and fuck my fury out, but even my cock knows that now isn’t the time.
The thought that she could be taken from me consumes my entire consciousness, and all I can do is seethe and tense, preparing to unleash my anger on anything that dares to breathe wrong.
“She’s not going.”
“She is going,” Nia replies, stamping her little foot.
Lawson is as livid as I am, and every possessive, territorial instinct of his fires off a warning shot. His dominance pushes through our merge, and Nia and Lyall purr like kittens before tossing their heads and sauntering off.
They’re ignoring him.
They’re dismissing him.
They love his goddamn dominance but they’ve decided they don’t need it and they’re disregarding my wolf. They’re disrespecting their Alpha. They’re doing something much more dangerous: they’re asserting their dominance.
Fuck me, she’s spectacular.
Fucking hell, I’m screwed.
Nia’s stepping out of the shadows and she shines so fucking brightly that it’s impossible to see anything else. She’s blinding me and anyone else lucky enough to get caught in her orbit, holding me in her thrall in the way the moon commands the tides.
And I’d gladly throw myself on the rocks, certain I’d be smashed to pieces if that’s what it takes to keep her safe. That girl has me under her spell and I never want to be free of her. She’s not just any girl. She’s my girl. Goddess, help us, she’s mine.
“Are you going to stand there or are you coming with me?”
My mouth falls open and Nia’s eyebrow arches into an arc that’s acute enough to slice through stone. I blink, rapidly, like an idiot, before nodding my head and pulling my shit together.
“We need a plan, Nia.”
“We’ve got a plan, Luke.”
I sigh and the gruff hint of exasperation catches in my throat. “We need a better one. We can’t just walk up to a bunch of Elites and invite them in for coffee and cake.”
She starts unlocking the door and I feel Cole’s anxiety surge. He wants a plan too and my Beta warns me that we ought to try to stop her. Even his wolf wants to know what Nia’s about to do, casting aside his usual impetuous nature for a moment.
Nia opens the final lock and grins. “No, we don’t have any cake, do we?”
I’m going to kill her.
I swear on the Moon Goddess herself that I am going to kill my mate if she keeps this up. It isn’t funny. It’s not the time for gallows humor. It’s not the time for backchat or being a smart ass. It’s not the time to render me speechless as she walks out the door toward almost certain disaster.
Fucking hell, she’s on fire.
Her hands have curled into fists and Nia isn’t walking. She’s marching with so much intent that even imbeciles would run away after catching the mere sight of her.
I scramble to catch up with her, ignoring Lawson as he tells me this is unbecoming. I look like a bloody lunatic and I definitely don’t look like I’m in charge. I’ve given up all pretense that I’m in control and he growls, irritated that I’ve rolled over for my mate.
“We really need a plan, Nia.”
“We’re making it up as we go along, Luke. The Elites won’t make this easy and they won’t be predictable. We’re just going to have to react to every move they make and hope it doesn’t come down to a fight.”
Lawson’s hackles rise and he throws his weight back, baring his teeth as he barks and snarls, already acting aggressively. His power ripples through me as I pull alongside Nia, slowing to a more controlled stride as we walk past the pack buildings.
“It’s pretty,” she says. “The flower beds are a nice touch.”
I’d forgotten that Nia hasn’t been here before and I’m strangely touched she’s noticed the planters.
My focus might have been on exacting revenge for my father’s death, but I’ve paid enough attention to my pack to make sure I provided for them.
I listened and made damn sure I didn’t forget the women, giving them the little things that make them feel appreciated.
My mother taught me that their needs were as important as those of the men who protect the pack, and I tried to do as she would have done, honoring her wishes.
I understand the lesson she tried to teach me better now I have Nia, and while I realize I could have done better, I’m delighted my mate recognizes my efforts.
“This is going to be a shit show, Nia.”
“Of course it is. The Elite Guards are assholes and everything we do turns into a shitshow, Luke.”
Cole catches up with us and his breathing is as ragged as his thoughts.
My Beta’s right to be worried and his mind is whirling, plotting and planning.
He’s trying to anticipate every move so he can work out the countermoves, and Cole isn’t getting very far.
His wolf is rising and Elias won’t let himself be caged much longer, not when the pack is threatened and when he doesn’t have instruction.
“They’re standing on that ridge.”
Nia points to the horizon and the Elites have already advanced. They’re not waiting at the edge of my territory, and their presence is an offense. I roar and their heads turn to face me, doing the minimum to acknowledge my presence as they intrude on my goddamn land, making their intentions clear.
“Well, they aren’t going to wait, are they?” she says, heading along the road that leads towards them.
“We should…”
“We’re going to…”
Nia cuts me off and it takes the edge off my rage. She knows she shouldn’t go to them and she’s aware they’ve positioned themselves to put us at a disadvantage. My tension eases as I exhale and Nia pushes some of her controlled calm into me.
“RIGHT YOU FUCKERS.”
Goddess, this wasn’t what I thought she had in mind. Cole chokes and coughs, hacking away as he tries to recover from the sheer shock of what Nia’s just done. She’s incandescent and unrepentant, stepping forward and leaving the pair of us standing in her shadow.
Fuck me, I’m in love.
It’s a wonder that I thought she was weak when it’s clear she’s so damn strong she’s unbreakable. Nia takes another step and stops, refusing to budge and insisting that the mountain comes to her, demanding the assholes threatening her pack bend to her will.
“ONE OF YOU—AND ONLY ONE OF YOU—CAN COME DOWN HERE.”
The wind howls as our wolves join in its chorus and the pack behind me rises.
They’ve locked themselves away, preparing to defend their own and following the training Cole and I drilled into them.
But they’re not cowering now, and they’re as furious as their Luna, and I almost pity the Elites as my pack unites and heeds the call of the wild.
“We’re not…”
“You damn well are,” she yells back, cutting off the idiot who dared to challenge her and letting her voice echo through the hills. “You’re on my fucking land, trespassing on my territory. Show some fucking manners.”
“Did she just say what I think she said?” Cole asks.
I smirk and nod at my Beta. “She’s glorious, isn’t she?”
“And you thought she was pathetic. Fuck me, Luke. You’re screwed.”
My grin widens and my eyes narrow as I stare up at the cunts looking down at me, watching as they fidget because my Luna’s made them uncomfortable. She’s scored the first point and they don’t like it, and Nia taps her foot, pointing to the ground in front of her with her index finger.
Goddess, she’s calling one of them to heel.
“She’s…” Cole swallows and Elias laughs, running wildly as his delight takes hold.
He’s almost as vicious as I am and the wolf inside my best friend is begging to be let loose, desperate to join in the carnage Nia’s unleashing.
He’s accepted her as his Luna and Lawson’s tail wags approvingly, finding a second of joy in the chaos.
The girl who’s half my size crosses her arms and waits, watching as the rules that govern our world rewrite themselves for her and one of the Elite Guards walks down the hillside. He’s slow. He begrudges this. He’s furious he’s been dispatched to deal with a she-wolf who’s refusing to submit.
But he’s walking over anyway and it’s a sign he’s not in command.
Nia smirks and stands motionless, making the cunt do all the work.
“You could hurry the fuck up,” she spits.
The werewolf is far from impressed and darkness hangs around him like a cloak, wrapping him in a shroud that brings with it the specter of death.
He’s strong and his muscles are almost as powerful as mine, and I grind my molars together, betting that the Elites have sent the weakest member of their pack.
“We don’t take orders from you,” he barks.
“Apparently, you do,” Nia fires back. “And you fucking will do when you’re on my goddamn territory. Now what is it that you assholes want?”
The Elite Guard’s body ripples and he’s preparing to shift.
“Don’t even think about it,” Nia says, stepping forward until she’s almost toe-to-toe with him. “Not unless you want me to put you down like a rabid dog.”