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.

Alpha Xavier, our strongest ally in the Council, isn't convinced that there's a concern to the entire

boundaries in Blackwood and Westwood. As sending a few

of me, inside my

wrong.

fight back. We've already witnessed how easily they can invade our lands and fight when we're

territory, bold as brass, are just the beginning. A first strike in a war that

like herding cats. Suspicious, prideful, territorial cats, who'd rather bury their

throat, his rumbling baritone

get this meeting back on track. We've argued

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request aga,

my feet, the chair groani across the floor. All

to me.

needs to

mment on

is no isolated 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 is nothing more than the first step to whatever goal

of the table-neutral party in Alpha Ezekial

bastard Blackwood, with his territory between

with wrinkles and scars all across his face. Even so, it's a testament to his power

on Blackwood. Of course, then we had only asked him to turn a blind eye. Here, we're asking for

Waiting to hear both sides of the story, refusing to take sides in a personal

is also

see what benefits his pack the most, instead of acting in the best interest of

he diawls. "A few Unregistereds step out of line and suddenly it's Armageddon? We've

202 Lucas: Council (0)

holed up in their little sanctuaries for so long, I'm

a moment."

my fists, biting back the growl building in my chest.

time," Clayton interjects smoothly. "They're able to move without detection, to appear and disappear at will. They're striking without warning, and

same argument that we've been making for two goddamn days, falling on deaf