Page 139 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

He looked at me, and I nodded. I wanted to know where he was going with this.

“I was thinking, if this is war, why not treat it like a real war? We send in a spy.”

A contemplative silence settled over the room. After a while, Langston said, “You mean have someone infiltrate Scottsdale? Try and feed us info and help take him down from inside?” He sounded incredulous at the prospect.

“Exactly,” Waylan said, snapping his fingers. “Just like that.”

“Two problems,” Langston said. “One, Eren knows most of our members. He’s been at every mating party the last four decades. He’d know anyone we sent and would immediately assume they were a spy. Second, even if we did have someone who could sneak in, I can’t think of a single person crazy enough to go through with that plan. It would be a fucking suicide mission.”

“You just need the right person.”

The voice came from behind us, at the open door to the conference room. I, and all the others, turned to see the new arrival. My jaw clenched when I saw Stephanie. Her cheeks were red from embarrassment.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Abigail spat. She’d taken Stephanie’s betrayal nearly as hard as I had.

The mood of the room had gone cold. The other alphas knew that one of my pack—someone on the council, no less—had betrayed me. It had spread like wildfire to the other packs.

Stephanie held her hands out in a pleading gesture. “I’m here to help.” Her voice nearly cracked. “That’s all I want.”

“Where have you been?” I asked, my voice even and emotionless, pinning her to the spot with my glare. “You vanished after the meeting.”

“Jace, I—”

“It is a simple question, Stephanie,” I growled. “Answer it, or get the fuck out.”

Her lower lip trembled, but I had no sympathy for her. She’d shown her true colors. It didn’t matter that she’d had a thing for me. Her infatuation didn’t give her the right to go behind her alpha’s back and help the enemy. It was all I could do not to drag her ass out of the building.

She swallowed visibly. “I’ve been staying in Scottsdale.”

“Fucking knew it,” Abigail hissed, pounding a fist on the table. “What have you been doing? Sucking Eren’s cock?”

“Jesus,” Noah said. “Aggressive.”

Stephanie ignored Abigail’s outburst, but I saw the hurt in her eyes. “I went to live there because it was the only place that would take me in.”

“You could have stayed here,” Waylan said. “Your house has been sitting empty. It’s not like you didn’t have a place to stay.”

Stephanie sighed. “And live under house arrest? Or worse, have to walk the streets and have everyone curse and spit at me?” She cast her eyes toward Abi. “Have my old friends talk to me like I’m a piece of shit?”

“If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck.” Abigail sneered.

“Jace?” Langston said.

“Yeah?”

He glanced at Stephanie, then back to me. “Maybe we can get some intel?”

It made sense. If she had been in Scottsdale all this time, then she might have heard some things. I chewed at the inside of my cheek, then made the decision.

“What have you heard?”

Her limp, dull blond hair swayed lightly as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. For the first time since she’d stepped into the room, I realized how exhausted she looked.

“Rumors, mostly. A boy went missing. Eren told everyone that he’d taken him and his brother in as, like, stepsons or something. The new rumor is that the Crestwood Pack kidnapped him.”

“Oh, for the love of God,” Ivy said, a mirthless laugh escaping her lips. “Really? That’s what he’s saying?”

Stephanie shrugged helplessly. “It’s what he and his men are saying, but most of the people in town don’t believe it. Especially me.”

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