Page 46 of Cruel Mate

“Anything I need to know about him?” Zander asked, wishing he’d had more time to prepare.

“He’s a real piece of shit, just like the others who left,” Hanson explained with a shrug.

“Noted,” Zander said. “Now get out of my way.”

Hanson did more than that. He stepped aside and opened up the study door for him.

The scents hit Zander like a ton of bricks the second he stepped into the room.

Jack and Eddie, the third senior member in the pack, were seated on one couch while three men sat on the one across from them. Two more stood further back, reclining against the wall on opposite sides of the window, glowering at Jack and Eddie as if ready to jump to the defense of their alpha if need be.

And it was those two that Zander recognized, not by appearance but by scent. He’d have recognized it anywhere.

“You two!” he snarled, unable to control himself. He was about to fly across the room at them when Jack was up like a shot and barred his way with one strong arm.

“We do this peacefully, Zander,” Jack whispered in his ear, though the entire room could likely hear him.

“Is this the Zander that you spoke of?” The guy sitting in the middle of the other couch asked. He leaned forward, looking Zander up and down in a most judgmental manner.

“Yes,” Jack said, waiting until Zander had relaxed a little before he lowered his arm and gestured Zander to take a seat beside him.

“What’s going on in here, Jack? You can’t possibly be considering an alliance with these dogs! Don’t you know who they are? They’re the ones who tried to tear Layla to shreds!” Zander spat the words, refusing to sit. And this time it was Eddie who stepped before him, barring his way.

“My apologies have been made for that,” said the man who was clearly the alpha of the other pack, the man Zander could only guess was Christian.

He was a mean-looking son of a bitch with black hair, pale skin and a scar down one cheek. Zander would have liked to have given him another to match. Instead, he glowered at him over Eddie’s shoulder. “It’s not Jack you owe the apology to. It’s Layla. And besides, I should shred them both for laying a single claw on her!”

“You can rest assured, my men have been punished,” Christian said, standing. “Perhaps you might take some time to consider my offer, Mr. Blackwell?”

Christian looked to Jack, whose expression remained unreadable. “I imagine you’d like some time to discuss it with your beta, seeing as he made no rush to join us. Though, if he has been busy with Layla, I can see why.”

Zander growled low in his throat.

“I shall consider it,” Jack said. “And as you have come a long way, I shall agree to your request for the hospitality of Nightstar, but it shall last only until sunset this evening. Then you and your men must be gone from our territory or I will not be held responsible for the actions of my pack. I know many of them have a great many reasons to be…angry with yours.”

Christian scoffed, his expression filled with grim amusement. “Indeed.”

“We will walk you out,” Jack said, gesturing for Zander to take the lead.

Reluctantly, Zander moved, and once outside the room, Jack grabbed him.

“Get a grip, Zander. I know you can be a bit of a hothead, but not now, not with this,” Jack said, ever the diplomat that his father had often tried to stomp out of him. Zander gritted his teeth and nodded.

“Please, this way,” Jack said, gesturing Christian and his men through the manor to the front door.

Zander hurried quickly after them, knowing all too well who awaited them on the other side.

He half-hoped she might have gone off somewhere to stretch her legs when Zander didn’t hear Christian comment as he stepped out onto the porch.

The new alpha of the enemy pack hopped confidently down the porch steps and onto the lawn with his men behind him.

It was only then that he turned, and Zander’s blood ran cold as he watched the man’s dark eyes pinpoint the area where the porch swing seat was located.

“Well, hello beautiful, I almost missed you there,” Christian said in a charming, yet almost deadly tone. “Have you missed me? I thought maybe we could have a word in private?”

Nobody could stop Zander then. He saw red. He wanted to rip the man’s eyes from his skull just for looking at his mate. And before anyone could block him, he charged along the porch and pounced right over the railing.

Not a single person had the chance to react before he landed on Christian and all hell broke loose.

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