Tangled

Unshift 202

Unshift 202

202 Lucas: Council (1)

Alphas arguing with alphas is nothing but a waste of time.

The dregs of cold coffee stick in my throat as I set my mug down with a thud. Fuck. I'm exhausted. My eyelids feel like sandpaper against my eyes, and I rub at them with the futile hope of easing the discomfort.

Forty-eight hours.

Two damn days since I've seen the inside of my eyelids for more

then a blink

I haven't had a chance to even speak a single word with Ava. Not

even a text

It's impossible to keep her a secret forever, but without knowing how far I can trust these other alphas-bringing her into this mess

is a risk I refuse to take.

The last thing I need is for the Council to push back and demand that Ana be returned to Alpha Blackwood in order to prevent any more vampire attacks.

Jericho's worries have set root in my belly, growing an entire forest of doubt and concern. He's right. Ara's not enough of a reason to Breach the peace we've upheld for so long Far longer than any of our lifetimes

There's something else there. Something I was too blind to see. And we need to act. *

Now. Before any other tragedies come to be.

The stink of unrest taints the air, setting my teeth on edge.

I glance across the conference table, meeting Clayton's steely gaze. He's been the ally in my corner, standing steadfast beside me in my

concerns.

a concern to the

simple as reinforcing our boundaries in Blackwood and Westwood. As sending a few troops of fighters to

everything inside of me, inside my

wrong.

a chance to fight back. We've already witnessed how easily they can invade our

are just the beginning. A first strike in

stubborn old bastards? It's like herding cats. Suspicious, prideful, territorial cats, who'd rather bury their heads in the

throat, his rumbling baritone cutting through the

this meeting back on track. We've argued enough.

34:52

2/5

state your request aga, and

feet, the chair groani across the

to me.

stalemate needs to

mment on

incident. It's calculated. Deliberate. A test of our defenses, of our ability to react. It's the first steps of war. We are all at risk. Westwood

table-neutral party in Alpha Ezekial Talon of Whispering Pines. He was friend to

Blackwood, with

and scars all across his face. Even so, it's a

of late, despite having helped Xavier during my attack on Blackwood. Of course, then we had only asked him to turn a blind eye. Here, we're

both sides of the story, refusing to

is

the most,

"A few Unregistereds step out of line and

202 Lucas: Council (0)

It's nothing new They've been holed up in their little sanctuaries for so long, I'm surprised they haven't all turned into dust. With our numbers and strength, we could

a moment."

biting back the growl building in my chest. Shortsighted

time," Clayton interjects smoothly. "They're able to move without detection, to appear and disappear at will. They're striking without warning, and we have no way of fighting back. No matter how strong we are, it's like

making for two goddamn days, falling on deaf