Chapter 186: Chapter 186
Heather
Beyond our bond, I felt the pack. The web of ties that linked us all together was much clearer than before. I could draw power from the bonds so much easier with the two of us tied together. Before, it’d been a reach. Now, the pack was just there.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like we could actually do this. We could win.
I blinked as my vision cleared. "Holy shit. That was intense."
He pulled me into his lap. "What did you see?"
I ran my hand through his hair and the soft curls parted, turning into fluffy mess. "I saw a lot of things. You and your parents at a castle?"
Through the bond, I could feel his heart warming as he thought of it. "Not a castle. That’s my house in France."
House? Nope. "That’s not a house. That’s a fucking castle."
He gave me one of his Gallic shrugs, but I knew he was laughing on the inside. He loved that castle. "Same thing in this case."
That was nuts. People in Los Angeles had ridiculous estates, but that monstrosity of a ’house’ was bigger than anything I’d seen before. It was something out of a fairy tale. "Then you and Mr. Langdon were talking about you sticking around campus. Not bonding with Callista. Yikes. I’d say you dodged a bullet with that one."
Another shrug, but this one was filled with regret. "She wanted it to be, but it wasn’t right. She’d make me so angry—push my buttons—and back then, I wasn’t in control of myself. It was scary, for everyone else and for me, too. I didn’t like who I was when I was with her."
I poked his ribs. "Of course she wasn’t right." He laughed as I wanted, and the regret he was feeling melted away. "But I’m glad you’re more in control. I mean, throwing that mug? Was that really necessary?"
"I told you it was hard for me before I met you. Before I had you to balance me out. I always had to keep such tight control on myself, and then you came and everything got mixed up again for a bit. And then it got better. So much better."
"Yeah." It was half word, half sigh. I didn’t want anything to ruin this, but the vision of the church filled my thoughts.
"We’re not going to let it happen, okay?"
I guessed he was in my head as much as I was in his. "Okay," I said, even though I knew he couldn’t promise that. Neither of us could.
He squeezed my hand. "We’re a team."
He’d said that before, but for the first time, it really was true. I was stronger with him. With this bond, I could feel his strength—all the alpha energy he was hiding from everyone pulsed against me—and that made me stronger. I had a partner in all this craziness, and I’d fight to keep him.
I pressed my lips against his, and surrendered.
As his tongue brushed against mine, I could feel his attraction to me, and that made me feel the same for him. The feeling snowballed until I was going crazy—needing to feel him. I ripped at his shirt, and the material parted.
He leaned back for a second. "I need you."
"Now."
He nodded, and his nose rubbed against mine with the movement. "Now."
I didn’t care that we were outside. That night had fallen. I needed him. Something told me that we were safe out here. That he wouldn’t have brought me here if he wasn’t sure of our safety or privacy.
Brent rolled until I was on my back.
His hand brushed my hair aside as he leaned down. His lips brushed against my neck as he peppered kisses up to my lips. The second he deepened the kiss, I got swept away in the moment. In the movement of our bodies.
Waiting for my soul mate—for my mate—was worth it. He knew exactly where to touch and when it was too much. He made me feel like I was flying, and I never wanted to it to end. As his hands ran over my body, I wanted more. I was addicted to his touch. With every movement, he owned me that much more, and I was totally fine with it.
We lay there after, sweating, catching our breath, and I knew I was cherished. Treasured. Even if the worst happened, this moment was worth it. It was worth everything.
Because love was worth it.
Always.
Brent’s cell rang, waking me up from the best night of sleep I’d ever had. Whoever that is, it better be important.
"Yeah." Brent’s voice, still thick with sleep, held a bit of rasp to it.
"The alphas have come to a decision. We’re meeting in the conference room in ten," I heard Mr. Langdon through the phone, and swallowed the lump in my throat. "I need both of you there."
"Okay." Brent hung up, and I rolled closer to him—laying half across his body. "We have to get dressed." He brushed his hand down my back, sending comfort in its wake. "I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day."
I blew out a breath. I sure hoped he was right. Otherwise...
We quickly threw on some clothes and then grabbed a few PowerBars to eat as we walked to the admin building.
Before we stepped inside, Brent grabbed my hand. "Whatever happens in there—even if it matches up with your vision—know that it’s going to be okay. We might end up in that church, but we know what’s coming now. We can fight it. So don’t freak out."
I licked my lips as I stared at the door. "I know. Freaking out in a room full of Alphas is probably a bad idea, too."
"Exactly."
I stepped through the threshold, tugging him along with me. "Let’s get this over with."
We heard the group inside the conference room arguing as soon as we entered the hall. I glanced at Brent, and he shrugged.
The pack had been more stable since we’d gotten rid of the dissenters. More peaceful. No more fighting in the quad. The alphas had all agreed to stay put while we planned our next move. Seeing Weres on the news seemed to have ended that truce.
Brent knocked twice. Before he could knock again, the door swung open.
Donovan stood in the doorway. "Good. You’re here."
What is this about? I asked Brent.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Judging by all the yelling, I should be running in the other direction. Not only was it intimidating, but in my vision, there’d been a lot of yelling.
I wiped my sweating palms on my jeans and stepped into the packed room. A long, oval table took up most of the space. I quickly scanned the room. Mr. Langdon, Donovan, Lucas, and Sebastian were the big alphas I knew at the table. Claudia sat next to Lucas, their hands twined together.
There were two other people that had a lot of power at the table that I didn’t know. A blonde lady and a man with ebony skin. The leader of the Cazadores—Keeney—sat on the far left side of the table. He wore all black, his head shaved totally bald. Today he’d added a black blazer to his usual all-black attire. He gave me a little nod.
Serena sat next to Donovan, but none of my other Were friends had been invited to the war council. Cosette sat on Serena’s other side, and the relief that she hadn’t disappeared for good was tangible.
She was the only one leaning back her chair, looking relaxed as she twirled her hair around a finger, but the dark circles under her eyes told a different story.
Three other alphas sat at the table, but they weren’t as strong as the members of the Seven.
Brent said something to one of them in French, and he answered in kind.
Who’s that?
The French pack’s Alpha.
Two seats were still open next to Mr. Langdon. Brent rolled one chair back and waited for me to sit before settling down next to me.
My knee bounced under the table as my nerves took hold. This was looking eerily similar to my vision.
Donovan stood at the head of the table, commanding the room. "Thank you for coming, Heather. You know most of us here. Though you’ve not met Lisabetta or Jackson." He motioned to the two unknowns. "They’re two more of the Seven. We have Blaze and Muraco on the conference line as well."
"Hola, chica," Muraco’s voice came through the black speaker in the center of the table.
"Hi, Muraco," I said, hoping that I didn’t sound too nervous, but that was a pipe dream at this point.
"The others here are the alphas of the Canadian, French, and Eastern European packs."
"Nice to meet you," I said, wondering when the shoe was going to drop. The last time I’d been in front of this many alphas, I’d been on trial.
"We’ve got quite the situation on our hands."
Donovan moved to the TV and my gaze shifted to the images behind him. Someone at the station had had way too much fun picking the worst possible images out of the police footage, and they scrolled past in a terrible montage.
The wolves looked terrifying on screen. Teeth out. Faces frozen mid-growl. Circling and slashing with their claws.
Then Cosette flashed on screen. They’d slowed down the moment her sword materialized and the freeze-frames showed her gracefully lunging through the air, glowing a pearly white shade that wasn’t anything close to human.
Finally my face appeared. My hands were full of glass vials and my skin looked pale. Afraid. Probably because I had been.
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