Rejecting the Alpha Twins

Chapter 83

Xavier POV

it” I yelled, kicking aimlessly at the bars of the cell, ignoring the sharp burning pain that began to spread through my

foot.

They had taken her. They had taken Regan; our mate and we had been helpless to stop it. Isabelle that bitch, what was she planning on doing with Regan? It didn’t bode well. Not at all. For once, even Xander didn’t look like his usual, calm, rational self, flinging his body at the bars in some vain attempt to get them to break or even part. The guards simply stood back, watching, their arms across their chest, expressionless. I gestured at them wildly.

“Can’t you see that you’re being manipulated?” I shouted out. “Do you honestly think that my father is in charge of all of his mental faculties right now?”

Were they blind or stupid? Anybody could see that my father was not himself. Were we the only ones who seemed to have any common sense in this pack?

The guards shot each other a glance, their lips flattening in denial. Xander’s voice rose from behind me, also sounding panicked. “Qur father is not himself, His mate and Isabelle have him under a spell. Surely you should be able to tell the difference?” he demanded hoarsely.

Another glance between the two guards at our comments. Their eyes went cloudy. They were mind–linking with each other and silently communicating. We stared at them, willing them to believe us. But their eyes returned to normal and the first guard, a man called Sampson if I recall correctly, raised a brow and scoffed at us.

“Oh please, you’ll try anything in order to gain your freedom. You both should be ashamed of yourselves, for trying to kill your own flesh and blood. I never took you for the bloodthirsty type” he snarled, curling his lip back.

I blanched even though it wasn’t true, I would never betray my father like that. Nor would Xander. These men didn’t know us as well as they thought they did. They had misjudged us without hearing our side of the story.

The other man, Jerome, nudged Sampson with his elbow, his eyes glittering with mirth. “You have to hand it to them though,” he said with laughter in his voice. “The story they just came up with about the Alpha being under a spell? What lunacy” he mocked as I glared at him. “Everybody knows the witches wouldn’t just help anybody. The price they demand is too high for most shifters to even contemplate such a thing. You’re merely lying to try and gain sympathy” he said darkly “and it’s not going to work. We are and always will be loyal to Alpha Jackson and therefore his mate.”

His tone was filled with resolve. At any other time, a man like this would be highly valued as a warrior and appreciated. Now, however, I felt nothing but exasperation and annoyance towards the man and his colleague.”

“I admire your loyalty” I protested thickly, feeling a lump in my throat, knowing I didn’t even have to turn to know that my twin Xander was nodding his head in agreement, “but surely, you’ve noticed the change in my father’s behavior the last few days? The strange look in his eyes? The suddenness with which Heather has taken over while my father remains in the background?” I pressed.

A host of small things that when put together should have raised alarms and produced red flags.

Sampson pressed his lips together. “So what?” he asked nonchalantly. “Stuff like this tends to happen when you have a new mate like the Alpha. He’s merely showing his mate how much trust he has in her. You can’t deny that he found proof in your room. You had vials of poison” he said darkly.

“They weren’t ours” Xander roared back irritably, “and who happened to coincidentally find them in our room?” he snarled. “Heather or was it, Isabelle? Doesn’t that seem just a tiny bit suspicious to you or convenient?”

The guards looked mutinous. No amount of protesting, pleading, or begging was about to make these two men change their minds. They had already condemned us to our fate. They only trusted our father and nothing we said would change their views or make them inclined to help us. We were screwed unless we were able to come up with a plan. I gritted my teeth,

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glancing back towards the staircase where Regan had vanished along with Isabelle and her men. We had only a small amount of time. I didn’t know what Isabelle wanted Regan for, but the crazed look in her eyes as she had Regan dragged behind her spoke volumes. She was going to harm our mate, and we weren’t there to stop her. We had to get out of this blasted cell. I slammed my hand against the door, cursing under my breath as I pulled it away, my skin blistered and burned. It was nothing in comparison to the pain I was feeling on the inside for failing to protect my mate like I had promised to do.

of it. I

I tried once more to reach my wolf, but my mind was like a blank canvas that was missing the most important aspect was so used to having my wolf with me, to guide me and advise me on what to do, that the loss of him was overwhelming. I ran a hand through my hair frustrated, watching the guards out of the corner of my eyes as they stepped back into the shadows, silently murmuring to one another, so quiet that we were unable to hear what was being discussed.

“One of them has a key” Xander muttered with a tinge of hope in his voice. “Maybe if they get close enough…” he trailed off, glancing at me as I thought it over and then realized the folly of such a plan.

It was impossible for such a plan to work. Too many things could go wrong. The odds of it working were laughable. I hated to crush Xander’s hopes but I had to be realistic. It wasn’t going to work.

I shook my head. “How? They aren’t stupid. There is nothing that is going to lure them close enough to the cell in order to surprise them with a sneak attack or get the upper hand. Even if we did, they would only call more men” I pointed out wearily.

If only I had my strength back or my wolf. This blasted silver, I thought, staring at the cuffs and wishing I could simply yank them off myself.

Xander frowned. “We have to do something, Regan’s out there,” he said, his voice rising.

“Don’t you think I know that?” I shouted, staring at him in disbelief. “How could I forget about our mate? It’s my own stupidity and recklessness that has caused her to become a target and put us in this stupid position” I added, daring him to contradict me.

All of this, it was my fault. Regan deserved better mates than us. We should never have forced her to accept us as her mates. We should have accepted her rejection the first time. I was thinking irrationally but my guilt was practically crushing me by

now.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself” Xander sneered, staring at me and looking like he’d like to throttle me with his bare hands. “Our mate is trusting in us to help her and you’re busy wallowing in self–pity,” he said in disgust, curling his lip and raking his gaze over me.

I opened my mouth to answer him when both of our faces contorted into an expression of pain. We bent over doubled, panting and grasping at the ground, startled as what felt like a fire swept through our bodies. Our bodies shook and shuddered. I flinched. Xander let out a small moan. Our eyes rose and met each other’s. Comprehension began to dawn. Neither of us had been injured just now. We hadn’t touched the bars; we hadn’t swung our fists at each other. That meant the pain had come from another source. That meant that somebody else was experiencing the pain alongside us. I could feel my body beginning to shake but it wasn’t with fear but rage. Regan. She was being hurt. This was her pain that we could feel. Somebody was hurting her. Isabelle, I thought, letting out a ferocious growl, my eyes darkening. That bitch was laying her. hands on our mate and we were stuck here unable to do a damn thing to stop her. I could feel myself becoming almost berserk with the urge to become vicious, seeing another but red as my thoughts began to whirl inside my mind. I had to save my mate. I had to get to her. I had to.

“Regan” Xander rasped, horrified, as the pain faded and then started again, a burning, heating pain that caused us to wince and grit our teeth.

The pain we were feeling was all hers. Xander looked as though he was on the verge of losing control. I saw his eyes as he glanced towards the guards who had stepped towards us, eyeing us with interest.

darken

“They are hurting our mate” Xander snarled, while the guards remained still.“Do you think that you will be spared if we get out of here? Do you think we will grant you leeway for what you have done?” he roared.

Both of us were staring at the guards with bloodlust. Reason had gone out the window now. Our hands were itching to land a

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hit on one or both of the guards.

“You don’t scare us,” Jerome said with a laugh but Sampson was quiet, tilting his head and studying us closely, an indecipherable expression on his face.

“If she dies, I don’t care what it takes, I will personally rip you limb from limb” Xander threatened, while I stood there thinking hard.

It was time to act. We couldn’t stand here forever throwing threats towards the guards. Regan needed us. The pain continued to come in waves, fading and then hitting hard, my stomach clenching as the worst of it hit. I could almost picture Regan screaming in my mind and it almost caused me to become undone. My mate. My mate could be dying for all I knew.

There had to be a way to get the guards to come closer. A way to make them take notice and let down their guard or cause them to make a mistake. Something that would make them take action without considering the ramifications. I had the inkling of an idea, but I needed Xander to go along with me. He had to understand my motives. Would he be able to read my mind? I couldn’t risk mind–linking him. The guards would instantly get suspicious. No, he would have to interpret and adjust to my plan. We were twins and this wasn’t the first time he’d had to follow my lead. I had complete faith that he would instantly recognize what I needed him to do. Otherwise, we were toast.

I took a deep breath and then turned towards Xander, narrowing my eyes and spitting at his feet, causing him to jolt back in shock.

“This is your fucking fault“, I growled, hatred simmering in my eyes. “If it wasn’t for you and your damn incompetence none of this would have happened. You call yourself an Alpha?” I mocked, my tone becoming dark, “You are nothing but a weakling. No wonder Regan prefers me to you” I added arrogantly as Xander began to tense, his eyes beginning to blaze with anger.

It was time to dance. I threw the first punch. Xander didn’t see it coming.

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Chapter 79

Regan POV

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My father is dead. There had always been this thought in the back of my mind that he might have died while being a rogue, but now I knew for sure. He was gone. That wasn’t even the worst part. I had been the one to kill him. I had killed my own father, my own flesh and blood. I had dealt the deadly blow that caused the light to fade from his eyes and his body to slump to the ground. Even though he had connived with Heather and Isabelle, there was still regret inside of me for what I had been forced to do. If only my father had simply seen the choices he’d made and become good, there might still have been some hope for him, I thought bleakly, but he’d chosen to remain the evil bastard that he was and now he’d paid the ultimate consequence. Death. At my hands. My stomach continues to churn. Even though we had washed the blood off and the mud, I still felt dirty all over. It’s as though I can still see all the blood, my mind conjuring something that is no longer there.

“It wasn’t your fault, Regan. He was going to kill both of us.” Xavier’s voice is soothing as he attempts to comfort me, perhaps reading my mind.

“I know, but that still doesn’t make me feel better” I confessed feeling hollow.

The light fading from my father’s eyes and the image of him dropping to the ground would haunt me in my dreams. Now I had no father or mother. Heather and Isabelle ironically were all I had left and they were merely my stepmother and stepsister, who had already, tried to hurt me and my mates.

“I’m sorry it had to be you” Xander’s voice is filled with self–depreciation “I should have been able to protect the both of us better.”

I just shook my head at him as we continued to walk in silence. If we kept up this pace, we would make it back to the pack grounds by nightfall. I became lost. in my head and the hours began to slowly tick by, neither of us deigning to speak.

“Not long now and we’ll be back at the pack. I wonder how Heather and Isabelle are going to feel when they see us” I murmured, now recognizing some of the landmarks around us. “Do you suppose they put my father up to trying to kill us?” I asked.

Xavier shrugged. “They could have done. I guess we’ll find out soon. At the very least, they’ll be surprised to see us. I bet it will come as a shock. Either they knew where we were going, or they simply guessed. He was intended to slow us down. If we hadn’t

gone back towards the pack house, he would have cut us off.”

His tone was knowing. There was no doubt in his mind. My father meant to kill us both. He was determined to have his revenge and it had been his downfall.

Inodded, feeling tired and drained. I inhaled as I realized we were about to step foot back into Blood Moon Territory, feeling relief wash over me. Home, we were finally back home. My eyes sparkled. Xavier sighed, looking somewhat relieved himself. To our surprise, as we stepped over the boundary line, a large black wolf came to meet us. Xander. My heart swelled with joy. He gave a low growl and then shifted. Before he could speak, I had lunged at him and wrapped my arms around my other mate, my heart singing with joy. We hadn’t been gone long, but I had missed him all the same.

“Whoa steady there” he laughed, even as I stood on tiptoes and fiercely claimed his lips, liking the way he grabbed the back of my neck and reciprocated, his own mouth moving fervently, acting as though he hadn’t seen me in months.

We pulled away from each other reluctantly while Xavier folded his arms across his chest and looked at his brother gravely.

“Something tells me you didn’t just meet us here for a conversation and biscuits,” he said teasingly and Xander shook his head, glancing at me quickly, fear flickering in his eyes..

“There’s trouble. Isabelle claims to be pregnant with my child” he glances at me swiftly to see my reaction, but I show nothing.

I remain expressionless. I already know thanks to Mala. He looks surprised by my lack of anger. I put a hand on his shoulder.

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“I know, but we’ll deal with it. It’s not your fault.”

But it did hurt. To know that it was in fact, his child and that he would be having it with my stepsister, even though she had engineered it. He was my mate, and I should be the one bearing his children.

“Let’s get you back to the pack house” he nods at me, wrapping one arm around my waist while Xavier puts a hand on my shoulder, the two of them escorting me to the house.

“Where’s father?”

“Hasn’t left the room.”

Xavier just nods grimly. I know we’ll come up with a way to find a method to give him the antidote in the morning without arousing suspicion. But as we get nearer to the pack house, Isabelle is standing there, her arms folded across her chest. She raises a brow.

“If it isn’t Regan and Xavier” she trilled, her voice making me wince at the ear–piercing noise it made. “Mother and I have been wondering where you were.”

I glared at her. “Out.”

She had no business asking. Involuntarily my eyes dipped to her stomach, but it wasn’t showing her pregnancy, at least not yet. Either that or her clothes were hiding her bump remarkably well. She saw and put her hand to her stomach gloating. “I take it that Xander has told you the exciting news,” she said with excitement “We’re going to have a baby together.

She clapped her hands, looking me squarely in the eyes “It must hurt to know that I’m going to be the first woman to bear your mate’s child.”

despite

right now. I still demand a paternity test” he added scornfully, although I knew it would do no good.

further add insult to injury, Isabelle withdrew some papers from her bosom and thrust them at Xander who took them.

looks at me, his complexion pale. “Regan, I swear. I didn’t…” he trails

cast a disgusted gaze at Isabelle “We can discuss this in

The truth is I’m barely holding it together. Between

Regan,” she

Regan

either of you needs to know about”

going alone” Xander protests. “Neither

of you go then.

fuming. “I have a few choice words to say to this bitch” he

you riled up. She’s probably expecting a confrontation.” “I’m going to kill her” he vowed.

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kill her, then what? She’s technically still your father’s mate” I pointed out, “until we’ve given your father

his teeth, looking furious. But to kill his father’s mate, while still marked by him, would also cause his father. undeniable

to Heather Ramona, one hand resting on her shoulder. I swallow hard, feeling as though something is about to happen and that his presence means it’s not going to be anything good. Why had Heather chosen now to bring Alpha Jackson out of his room and why did he look so cold? The boys stared

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Chapter 80

Xavier POV

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looks too comfortable standing beside my father and his eyes, they are strange, looking as though he is looking right through all three of us. I subtly try to get the vial of the antidote that Mala gifted us, even as Heather smirks and my father finally decides to speak. This is the first time that he has left his room, according to Xander, since we left, and something tells me that this is not good. Heather looks too smug and that alone is enough to unsettle me. Regan casts me an uneasy glance but Xander remains stony–faced. Whatever this is. I rationalize, we will face it together. All we had to do was get close enough to be able

attention

was filled with rage.

such thing. Father, can’t

were falling into her carefully laid trap. I glared at her, feeling frustrated and fighting the urge to shake some sense into my father, knowing it would do no good. Without the antidote, he would only continue to believe Heather and neither of us. Still,

always known you two were ambitious, but to plot to kill me, your own father” he shook his head in sorrow “I cannot even begin to tell you how

slightly in fear, her eyes wide with disbelief, “your sons would never do

you have helped them to

in store for us when we first entered the study. You had to hand it to Heather Ramona, she had planned for everything. She was smarter than we had given her credit for. She and Isabelle. We had underestimated the both of them or perhaps we had been too arrogant.

proof do you

proof, my father could claim nothing. It was a reasonable question but it didn’t faze

saw it myself,” he said, drawing himself up and straightening his shoulders. “If Heather hadn’t discovered the vials of poison in your room, I would never have guessed that you had been slowly poisoning me in order to make

hand finally closing around the vial in the bag and slowly withdrawing it, my hand keeping it well hidden from prying eyes. “We are your sons, we would never…” I trailed off at

had him well and truly

such action against your father. If I hadn’t suspected that you had intentions to get rid of him, not to mention myself and even Isabelle, well then, who knows what might have happened? We would all be

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and shut his mouth, looking lost. “Isabelle is

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had proved it and I had every reason to believe Mala’s words. Not that I had gotten around to explaining everything

is your child and the rightful heir to the pack as Alpha” Heather said, flipping her hair over her shoulder

verge of attacking

heirs and Alphas of the pack” I shot back, staring at my father “You are under some sort of spell, you

to gain by putting me under a spell? No, the only villains here are my own two sons. I killed my own wife for your sake” he spat at Regan and then turned back to Xander and me “And this is the thanks I get? I

shook his head

in every family. Take Regan for example” she purred. “She’s always been a troublemaker. It’s no surprise that she’s helped the two of you. Do you realize the consequences of

her. Shouldn’t that be enough to make you suspicious? Since when have we ever turned our back on you? Since when have we ever expressed a desire to see you harmed? We would die for you”

knew you” my father’s voice is filled with regret “and once upon a time I would have believed that. But the proof is undeniable. The shame” he shook his head. “The only solace I

had already found us guilty. My own

Jonathon” I snapped, motioning to her as she remained expressionless. “She’s the one who has been poisoning you, along with Isabelle. They are the ones who

months ago and there is no chance he survived as a rogue. You are simply spouting nonsense in

I had

to

she was a wonderful

not” my father murmured, putting a protective hand on Heather’s shoulder and

you…” she trailed off as my

at him in silence. I got a sinking feeling in

of them with grim expressions on their faces “I am now the Alpha in charge. My sons forfeit the titles having tried to murder me. Capture these three” he pointed at Xander, Regan and me “and place them all in the dungeon. I intend to punish them and make an example out

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so many warriors between us all. I glanced at Regan and didn’t see the vial in her hand anymore. I was poised to fight but Xander caught my eye and shook his head, subtly motioning to Regan. Neither of us wanted her to get hurt. Not by our own men. We silently

see sense. Men, take them. Place them in a cell together” he instructed icily “I shall show

all out. As we left, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Heather give a wide grin as she blew a kiss at the back of us all. She was under the illusion that she had won, but I wasn’t about to give up. When I got free, she and her daughter would feel the pain I inflicted on them with my bare hands. Screw the elders, it was now a matter

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not to fight back. I glared as the warriors dragged Regan with them, my only focus on her and ensuring she was safe. My wolf was filled with rage, but if we fought against our men, we would injure them as well as ourselves. We needed to be smart about this. As they

I asked, even as Xavier let out a low growl of frustration from behind me, the door to the cell

from the cuffs burnt her skin, causing my wolf to continue growling inside my mind, promising vengeance the

fury, there was no doubt about that. Everything they had done

hand against the bars of the cell and staring hard

at us stony–faced and almost expressionless. They would be the first to die once we made it out of here, I thought if they attempted to prevent us or resist. I wondered what had happened to Malcolm, hoping he had the sense to lie low once he established something was wrong. He might be the only chance we had of getting out of here alive and that was only if he was truly as loyal as he claimed to be. As much as I trusted him, there was always that tiny doubt in the back of my mind that made me question who I could really trust. Regan hastily pulled back Xavier’s arm, inspecting it

be more careful” she scolded, looking concerned as he scowled at

much the same. We should never have let Heather get the upper hand, let alone allow her to go this far. We should have nipped this in the bud the second we had the chance and worried about the consequences later. At least then, we wouldn’t be in this situation. We only had ourselves to blame.

looking bored. The door to the cell was locked and since it was heavily fortified the chances of us escaping were practically nil. At least not without help. Xavier shot Regan a quick glance, motioning for all

hissed, “did they…” his voice trailed off as he shot a quick glance at Regan, his eyes showing

it.” She put a hand to her cleavage and quickly withdrew it, keeping it from being seen, and then hastily put it back between her breasts as we stared, knowing that it was the wrong time to be feeling lust wash over us and still unable to help ourselves. “I hid it before anybody saw it. As long as they don’t strip us”

use magic, I thought blankly, as that would have solved a lot of our problems. Then again, magic appeared to be the source of our problems which was ironic. There was no doubt that a witch

have a chance” I murmured, looking at Xavier who nodded in agreement. “Without that,” I motioned to the antidote, Xavier having

in this current situation. Regan sighed and then sat down, looking far from comfortable.

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our father is going to declare as our punishment?”

kept my mouth shut and protected Regan from knowing what was in store. I was an idiot. Now my mate was

laws” Xavi Voice is grim. “Trying to kill one’s

“and all of us know the punishment for

now looking hard at the both of us, trying to ascertain what we meant. “What is the punishment?” she asked in concern, still in the dark,

eyes at

1. us.

far” I began, trying to change the subject but Xavier snorted and I glowered at him,

Ramona’s influence? You bet your ass they will” he muttered, before glancing apologetically at Regan who was beginning to look worried and more than a

her voice

to know what fate was in store for us if we didn’t escape,

that or I would die protecting her. I would

said quietly and watched as Regan’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then her

a panic. “Your father is going to kill all of us and Isabelle is going to watch it happen. She’s

my shoulder at the guards who were miraculously remaining silent.

I

it’s going to be okay,” Xavier

here without alerting any of my father’s men or Heather’s loyal watchdogs. I cast a warning glance

tensing in apprehension. Who was down here with us? Who was looking to make more trouble? A face loomed out of the shadows, a wicked grin on her face. Isabelle looked at the

the three of you” she purred. “Not so high and mighty now are you?” she asked and then looked at a hard expression on her face.

Regan

with

mouth shut unless you want to lose it” I snarled, moving to stand in front of Regan and defend

surrounded by several other men. She smirked. “What

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to sniff to know what they likely held. We gave them to prisoners to keep them from shifting, weakening them further in an attempt to keep them from being able to ever escape. Evidently, Isabelle was finding it necessary to also poison us with

them” she declared haughtily, lifting her chin and pointing at

put up a fight, punching and kicking, wrestling with the men but as we fought, more and more men showed up. When one of them got their hands on Regan and put his hands around her neck, we were forced to submit, our eyes locked on Regan as the man smiled, nodding to his comrades. I jerked as I felt the syringe plunge into my leg, my body shuddering as I felt the wolfbane enter my bloodstream, my body dropping to the floor. I saw Xavier have the same reaction. I watched the bastards do the same to Regan but instead of letting her go, the

beginning to fight

doing the same. There was a blazing look on his face as he took several men down, but with the wolfsbane, we were fast running out of energy. Isabelle laughed as the man successfully pulled Regan who was flailing and

Regan” she sighed as Regan glared at her, the man tightening his grip on her throat and causing her to go motionless “I’ve dreamed of the day when I could get my revenge on you for stealing the men who were supposed to be my mates. You thought that you outsmarted

snarled, flinging myself at the bars and ignoring the stinging pain

precisely the point” she smirked, “otherwise where is the fun?” she laughed.

while Isabelle turned around and motioned for the men to

魚

of the cell, ignoring the sharp

foot.

on doing with Regan? It didn’t bode well. Not at all. For once, even Xander didn’t look like his usual, calm, rational self, flinging his body at the bars in

being manipulated?” I shouted out. “Do you honestly think that my father is

they blind or stupid? Anybody could see that my father was not himself. Were we the

each other a glance, their lips flattening in denial. Xander’s voice rose from behind me, also sounding panicked. “Qur father is not himself, His mate and Isabelle have him under a spell. Surely you should be

each other and silently communicating. We stared at them, willing them to believe us. But their eyes returned to normal and the first guard, a man called Sampson if I recall

order to gain your freedom. You both should be ashamed of yourselves, for trying to kill your own flesh and blood. I never took you for the bloodthirsty type” he snarled, curling

father like that. Nor would Xander. These men didn’t know us as well as they thought they did. They had misjudged us without hearing our side of the

elbow, his eyes glittering with mirth. “You have to hand it to them though,” he said with laughter in his voice. “The story they just came up with about the Alpha being under a spell? What lunacy” he mocked as I glared at him. “Everybody knows the witches wouldn’t just help anybody. The price they demand is too high for most shifters to even contemplate such a thing. You’re merely lying to try and gain sympathy” he said

valued as a warrior and appreciated. Now, however, I felt nothing but exasperation and annoyance towards the man and

nodding his head in agreement, “but surely, you’ve noticed the change in my father’s behavior the

things that when put together should have raised alarms