“Your actions endangered the pack, Freya. Now we have no way of knowing why the vampires attacked in the first place. You chose vengeance over intelligence. You’d better learn quickly to change that otherwise next time it could be someone you love that dies because we’re unprepared for what’s coming our way.”
She hissed at him, fangs bared at the verbal slap down but he didn’t back down, his expression turning hard. “I don’t care if you like what I’m saying or not. If you can’t think past your own needs then think of your brother’s. If the pack gets attacked then it could be your family that suffers for it. Ashleigh, Liam, all the other children we should be protecting.”
Her eyes turned black with fury at the mention of any danger befalling her family. Talons clicked loudly and both Nors and Dayton took a step forward but Rafe waved them away, refusing to drop his gaze from the furious vampire in front of him. She had to respect him and for that to happen he had to prove that he was strong enough to stand up to her.
Freya wanted to hurt the wolf. God, she craved to sink her talons into his chest and hurt him so bad he’d never again talk to her as he just had. He should have been terrified of her and yet there was no scent of fear from him. That confused her and made her think, made her realise that she was plotting serious harm to a man that her brother and her mate cared greatly for.
Her feral nature subsided instantly. Her gaze was still angry but she knew she couldn’t hurt the Alpha, remembered her own words to Dayton about how she’d fucked up. The wolf was only repeating what she already knew. He was right and it was hard to admit that. She could have kept one of them alive to interrogate them for information, if she’d been thinking, instead of reacting.
“Fine,” she managed to grind out. “I should have controlled myself.” The acknowledgement felt as if it was being ripped out of her but she knew it was the right thing to do because both Nors and Dayton relaxed slightly.
Rafe continued to watch her for another long moment, relieved she’d backed down. “Mistakes happen,” he finally said running his eyes over her again. “You’ll know better the next time. Head back to the compound and get cleaned up before we give the all clear and the kids come out of the tunnels.”
He turned to Nors. “Organise sweeps of the area, make sure they didn’t leave anyone behind and then clear up the mess. We’ll regroup back at the house and debrief once we’re sure it’s safe for the moment.”
As the rest of the pack headed off with Nors to do his bidding, Rafe watched Dayton come to stand beside his mate, his arm going around her protectively. She relaxed a bit more, leaning into the other man as her fury lowered another notch.
Despite what he’s said to her, Rafe knew she was making a huge effort. Given time and a complete mating with Dayton, he had hope that she would settle down and be the huge asset to the pack that he knew she could be.
His expression softened. “We might not know why they were here but ultimately Dayton was protected and the pack too by neutralising the threat of the vampires. I know this isn’t easy for you and I may come down hard on you from time to time but if you want to, you can do this, Freya.”
She appeared surprised by his words but she relaxed even more and his eyes met Dayton’s and he saw gratitude in them as well as a deeper level of acceptance. The lost Alexander brother was finally accepting that he was pack.
“You two will have about an hour to check each other out for any injuries. Then I expect to see you downstairs for a debriefing. I’d suggest you make the most of the time.”
Rafe almost laughed out loud at the speed the two of them took off into the trees. They needed the time together to reassure themselves they were both okay. He had enough people out doing the sweeps and he wasn’t willing to sound the all clear until he’d checked out the area himself.
He turned as Alexei and Andrei arrived, quickly giving them a briefing and then shifting back to wolf form to begin his own sweep. The attack on his people infuriated him. He would find out what the fuck was going on and then he would ensure that it didn’t happen again. No one was going to hurt his pack.
To be continued…