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.

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

Westwood. As

inside of me, inside my wolf, screams that

wrong.

be slaughtered without a chance to fight back. We've already witnessed how easily they can invade our lands and fight when we're vulnerable,

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

convincing the rest of these stubborn old bastards? It's like herding cats. Suspicious, prideful, territorial cats, who'd rather bury their heads in the sand than acknowledge

baritone cutting through the

get this meeting back on track. We've

34:52

2/5

your request aga, and we'll vote

the chair groani across the

to me.

needs

mment on

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

the table-neutral party in Alpha

that bastard Blackwood, with his

so, it's a testament to his power that no alpha challenge has unseated him in all these

colors of late, despite having helped Xavier during my attack on Blackwood. Of course, then we had only asked him

moral. Waiting to hear both sides of the

is also

see what benefits his pack the most, instead of

"A few Unregistereds step out of line and suddenly it's Armageddon? We've dealt with

202 Lucas: Council (0)

holed up in their little sanctuaries for so long, I'm surprised they haven't all turned into dust. With our numbers and strength,

a moment."

biting back the

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

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