“Welcome. Alpha and Luna. We are most honoured to have you here.”
A pretty blond met them at the door. Her hair was cut into a classic bob and she wore a pantsuit and an insincere smile.
“My name is Felicity, I am the– was the personal adviser to the Alpha couple.”
And now she had to usher in the very people who had taken them away and no doubt threatened her position in the pack.
Ava felt a twinge of sympathy but she didn’t say anything as Felicity showed them around while giving them a brief introduction to the situation.
The council had also arrested the Beta and the Gamma of the Silverwolf pack as well. They were nothing if not thorough. Which left Adrian and Ava in a dilemma. Who would take care of the pack for them on their behalf?
They had assumed they would meet either one.
Adrian inclined his head at Felicity. Ava cocked a brow as if to say. Her? Adrian nodded and Ava wearily sighed and took up the mantle.
“Felicity, we have a job for you. We understand this is a hostile takeover that will affect the members of the pack even more. We wish to ease this by giving them a leader they are familiar with for now. Would you do us the favour of leading the pack in our name?”
Felicity looked momentarily taken aback before regaining her composure.
“If that is what you wish, Luna. I live to serve. How do we communicate? You aren’t in the pack link.”
“A text or phone call will surface. Except you have some other options.”
Felicity hesitated then nodded.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I can pick a volunteer who can accompany you to your pack and keep you abreast of the current and arising situations through the pack link.”
Ava looked at Adrian and he nodded.
“Of course. We would be delighted.”
An hour later when Ava and Adrian left the Silverwolf pack grounds, Rhea was seated comfortably in the rear seat of their car plotting her vengeance.
When they finally arrived at the Mountain Coast pack grounds, Ava sighed a deep sigh of relief.
After finalizing the terms with Felicity, they had begun the long journey home. Even though Felicity had insisted that they stay, it was obvious that she and the entire pack were not at ease in she and Adrian’s presence.
The general pack meeting had been a minor disaster. Although they had done their very best to put the pack members at ease, all their efforts at cardinality was met with straight faces and silence.
The pack members seemed to think even they were on trial and that any slip-up would land them on the council’s radar.
Ava knew for an operation as large as the one carried out by Gilbert and Rita, there were bound to be complicit members of the pack. Perhaps that was what was fostering the frostiness.
She looked at the quiet redhead in the backseat. The girl, Rhea, hadn’t looked up for a second since Felicity had handed her over to them to use as a link to their pack. Although Ava had tried to engage her in conversation, she answered with a simple yes or no. At times, it had been complete silence.
It would seem even the girl was wary of them. No matter, in due time she would loosen up. Perhaps even enough to tell them about the elusive heir to the Silverwolf pack. He had managed to flee before they reached there.
When they’d asked Felicity if she had any idea where he was, she had denied it fervently. She had been obviously lying but the last thing Ava had wanted to do was spook the one pack member that was even relating to them.
So she had let it go with the intention to discuss it later in private with Adrian.
Adrian got out of the car and opened the door for Ava bringing a smile to her lips. He could be so chivalrous sometimes. Goddess, she loved him. It felt so good to admit that to herself especially now.
With Gilbert, Rita and her brother arrested, everything would finally calm down now, the rogue attacks would cease and she would finally have time to focus on her relationship with Adrian and finding Gabby.
Ava stepped out of the car and Adrian took her hand dropping a kiss on the back of her hand.
She smiled at him and he smiled back, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Ava!”
Ava looked away from Adrian to see her brother approaching them.
“Alex!”
They embraced.
“I heard you had our lands expanded.”
“I heard Zinora finally wrangled you into picking a date.”
“For the Goddess’ sake, I wanted our mating ceremony to hold the day we met. I was just trying to be cosiderate by giving her time to be sure about us.”
“If you say so.” Ava smirked.
“Ava, be nice.” She felt Adrian’s warmth behind her.
“Alex. It’s good to see you. Calvin told me the preparations for the pack meeting are in place?”
Alex bowed slightly before speaking.
“Yes, I’m supposed to escort you there at least I was before I was sidetracked by your mate.”
“Hey. You can’t blame me for that.”
Adrian laughed.
“Calm down, children.” Ava threw him a nasty look before he continued. “Alex, we have a… guest. She will be staying with us now. Let Zinora show her around a little after the pack meeting.”
Ava’s cheeks warmed as she realized their conversation had been privy to a third party. Rhea stood quietly to the side of their car, her eyes still lowered.
This would take some getting used to.
Alex walked up to her.
“Hi, I’m Alex, Beta of the Mountain Coast pack.”
She shook his hand.
“I’m Rhea.”
********
Rhea excused herself the first chance she got to go to the restroom in the pack house.
She shook with anger. She had been so quiet because she knew that if she spoke or even looked at them for one more second them she would be unable to carry out her plan.
She couldn’t believe those people had managed to beat her parents. They couldn’t even notice an enemy in their midst. Not only that but they had all but given a stranger free rein to enter their pack house unaccompanied when almost all their pack members were out for the meeting.
It was almost too easy.
She had done her research on all of them from the minute the envoys had stepped foot in their property. She knew all about Ava, Adrian, Alex, Calvin, and Elder Elvis. All the major power players in the Mountain Coast pack.
She found the room very easily. It was even unlocked as well. She retrieved what she needed and took the solution in her pocket.
It wasn’t magical just scientific and it would serve her needs just fine. She wouldn’t stop until she had wrecked the Mountain Coast pack, freed her parents of the wrongful accusations and taken her rightful position as leader of her pack.
All set, she went back to join Alex for an eventful and memorable meeting.
********
Cynthia stood with the rest of the pack members waiting for Adrian and Ava to arrive.
Calvin had gotten back hours before they had and the first thing he had done was kiss the daylights out of her.
“I missed you.”
“That has to be the millionth time you’ve said that.”
Calvin mock frowned.
“Just millionth, I was hoping for billionth.”
She’d laughed at his silliness and he had kissed her again.
When they’d come up for air, he’d whispered to her, his eyes bright with warmth.
“From now on, we travel together. I don’t think I can stay apart from you that long.”
In that moment, she had felt a slight twinge of guilt for what she was doing. They would never take a trip together. Her work here was almost done. Dorian could call her back anytime now.
She didn’t say all that to him though. She just smiled and kissed him again.
Now, he stood at the podium to the side waiting on Ava and Adrian, the much anticipated Alpha couple. He caught her eye and winked.
She nearly smiled back before she caught herself in time. Had she turned into a fool to smile at all his jokes? Disappointing.
Ava and Adrian walked in hand in hand and the sweetness of the moment was almost enough to make Cynthia gag removing the lingering awkwardness following Calvin’s wink.
Yes. She still intended on getting her much delayed revenge.
Adrian took the podium with Ava standing next to him like a well kept bitch.
“Members of the Mountain Coast pack. We went to the council to expose the treachery of the Silverwolf pack and our claims were proven. The culprits are being punished and our borders shall remain in molested. Our family lost at the hands of the rogues have been avenged and justice served.”
The pack cheered and the speech went on but Cynthia tuned out. So things had gone according to Dorian’s plan and the Silverwolf pack had taken the fall for it. That was good. It meant they were still on track even if they had to lay low now, they’d avoided detection.
And no one was none the wiser. Justice served indeed.
“… we have a member from our new pack here. I ask that you show her the ropes and accord her the respect you give your fellow pack mates.”
Cynthia followed Adrian’s gaze like half of the pack to Alex mounting the podium with a woman. She was a redhead probably around Cynthia’s age give or take a few years. She was a bit on the short side but she more than made up for it with curves that were distracting even for her as a straight female.
That wasn’t what drew her attention though. It was the way the woman stopped midstep as she caught sight of Calvin and the way he stared at her in return.
“Mate.”