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.

ally in the Council, isn't convinced that there's a concern to the entire territory. Oh, he believes that there's

Blackwood and Westwood. As sending a few troops of fighters

inside of me, inside my wolf, screams that

wrong.

without a chance to fight back. We've already witnessed how easily they can invade our lands and

just the beginning. A first strike in a

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 breathing down our

clears his throat, his rumbling baritone cutting

get this meeting back on track. We've argued

34:52

2/5

your request aga, and

to my feet, the chair groani across

to me.

needs to

mment

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

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

Blackwood, with his

in his hair with wrinkles and scars all across his face. Even so, it's a testament to his power that no alpha challenge

of late, despite having helped Xavier during my attack on Blackwood. Of

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

is also

his pack the most, instead of acting in the best interest

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

202 Lucas: Council (0)

up in their little sanctuaries for so long, I'm surprised they haven't

a moment."

fists, biting back the growl building

"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

making for two goddamn days, falling on deaf