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.

that there's a concern to the entire territory. Oh, he believes that there's

thinks it's as simple as reinforcing our boundaries in Blackwood and Westwood. As sending a few troops

inside of me, inside my

wrong.

to fight back. We've already witnessed how easily they

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

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

rumbling baritone cutting through the

on track.

34:52

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request aga, and

my feet, the chair groani across

to me.

needs

ener mment

calculated. Deliberate. A test of our defenses, of our ability to react. It's the first steps

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

Blackwood,

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

having helped Xavier during my attack on Blackwood. Of course, then

moral. Waiting to hear both sides of the story, refusing to take

neutrality is also

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

paranoid, Westwood," he diawls. "A few Unregistereds step out of line and

202 Lucas: Council (0)

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

a moment."

my fists, biting back the

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

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