Chapter 22 #2
“The plan is madness,” Paul said, shaking his head. “A half-assed attempt to get everything you want. But I feel like we should be happy that you’re here trying to come up with a plan instead of running off alone to fight that Alpha.”
The whole table snorted, a bit of tension draining away.
I was about to call for a vote when Oakley looked at Connie and Nick. Both teenagers were huddled together, holding hands as they listened to what was going on. Everyone could smell Connie’s fear, but we were too polite to address it.
“What do you think?” he asked, voice kind and calm.
A good call. I completely forgot that I’d wanted to ask Conrad about his thoughts on the whole spectacle.
Connie looked at Nick, then turned to my mate. Nix nodded at him, a small encouraging smile on his lips.
“I…” Connie swallowed, eyes wide as he looked at me. “I don’t want you to die for me, Alpha.”
“I’m not gonna die.”
Connie bit his lip, hand trembling in Nick’s. “Of course, Alpha. I mean… I… I don’t want you to risk your life for me.”
“I’m risking my life to fight for what’s right.
And you having to go back to suffer more abuse is not right,” I explained.
“I would fight for everyone here at this table. And everyone here at this table would fight for me. It’s what pack does.
But I need you to know what could happen.
If Otto does not accept defeat, I might have to kill him. ”
Connie swallowed, his hand tightening in Nick’s.
“I know,” he whispered, eyes shiny. “Nix told me. I… I thought about it. If you have to kill him, it’s not your fault—it’s his. He can admit defeat. But if his pride doesn’t let him, that’s his character flaw.”
Sorrow blossomed in my heart as I listened to Connie and saw the raw grief on his face. He expected his brother to die. And in a way, I bet he thought he himself was responsible.
Another thing I needed to talk to Oak, or maybe rather Nix, about.
“Understood.” I nodded. “So, you’re okay with my plan?”
Connie looked at Nick, then at Nix. “Yes, Alpha,” he said clearly, though his voice was a bit thin.
“And I’m in favour of getting Callum out.
” He looked at Heath, lip wobbling. “That’s the mage.
He’s… I don’t think he’s dangerous. Definitely not as dangerous as my brother and his enforcers.
He’s mostly quiet and always sad. My biggest regret is that the thought of taking him with me never even crossed my mind.
” He swallowed, and a tear rolled down his face as anger filled his features.
“I have to live with that. I could’ve done something.
And I didn’t. But I want to now.” Connie turned back to me, squaring his shoulders. “I’ll help you. I can go with you.”
That boy.
Unfortunately, he would have to come, not to get Callum out, but to be present during the fight because—as disgusting as it was—he was the prize.
I took a breath, focusing back on the task at hand.
“Okay. We vote.”
In the end, it was a unilateral decision.
I was going to fight Otto.
Sometimes the cogs of bureaucracy turned slowly, and sometimes—like in this instance—everything happened faster than I’d thought possible.
One night we were voting about me challenging Otto, the next morning we handed in the formal challenge, and then, barely six hours later, we had our reply.
Twenty-four hours.
As was customary, Otto was the one to decide on the location and time of the fight.
I’d rightly expected him to want to fight on his own pack lands but had foolishly assumed he’d want time to prepare. Instead, he’d given us a mere twenty-four hours. Tomorrow evening at sundown, I’d have to face him in the ring.
“Can he do that?” Nix whispered, leaning his head against my shoulder as he stared at the letter.
His emotions were in turmoil. Fear, excitement, and worry all echoed in my chest. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him against me.
Nix let out a small sigh as he melted into me.
I kissed the top of his head and smiled against his hair.
It sucked that he had to worry about me, but the fact that I had someone who worried, someone who cared, someone whose heart lurched at the thought of me going into a fight unprepared… that was invaluable.
“Unfortunately, he can,” I said quietly. “I thought he’d want more time to train and prepare, but… I misjudged.”
Foolishly, I hadn’t taken into account that he was always prepared, always training.
I should’ve known better.
“So, what do we do now? We have to leave at noon. That’s not a lot of time to come up with a plan.”
It wasn’t.
We win, my wolf insisted, chest all puffed up. At least one of us wasn’t scared.
Nix smiled faintly and petted my chest, almost as if he could hear my wolf. Maybe he could. I needed to ask him.
But later.
Once this whole thing was over. Once we were back here, safe and sound, with Connie as a rightful part of our pack, and a mage who… I didn’t know. Might or might not want to become a part of this pack.
First things first.
“Tonight, we sleep.” I let out a yawn. “We all need to be wide awake tomorrow. In the morning, we’ll put together a plan, and then… we wing it.”
Nix snorted. “That sounds exactly like you. You’ll give Rhett and Paul a heart attack.”
“They’re planners.”
Nix nodded, warmth blooming in my chest. “It’s why Rhett is your Second. He’s good at coming up with backup plans while you take charge of a situation.”
I blinked.
“What?”
Nix rose, looking at me with a gentle smile.
“Rhett is your perfect Second. He’s by your side as a voice of reason, but he needs time to come up with plans.
You don’t plan. You have a strong wolf in your chest, and you do what feels right in the moment.
It doesn’t always end up being the right decision.
” He pointed at himself and mouthed cell, but cracked a smile to let me know he wasn’t mad.
“But you’re making split-second decisions where others would hesitate.
I know you think it’s a flaw, but with the right safety net, it’s a strength.
” Nix leaned in, his breath fanning over my face as he slowly, oh so slowly, lowered his lips to mine.
The kiss wasn’t passionate or fervent. It was slow, intentional, and gentle in a way I’d come to crave.
A reassurance. A sign of love, his way of letting me in on his feelings.
“Your pack trusts you. They all voted for your plan.”
“They had a lot to say about it, though,” I grumbled.
Nix laughed, patting my cheek. “Which is another sign of what kind of Alpha you are. I’ve seen many packs where no one would have dared to question you.”
Damn. I loved him.
I pulled him onto my lap and wrapped my arms around his waist, needing to feel him as close as possible.
“You’re amazing,” I whispered against his lips, then fused our mouths together.
So amazing.
Nix sighed into my mouth, opening up for me without me even having to ask. He melted under my hands, body leaning against mine as I licked into his mouth. His tongue was there to meet mine, nudging against me, giving as good as he got.
I hoisted him up and carried him over to my bed, the thought of sleep all but forgotten.
I needed my mate now.