Page 9 of The Dancer

“No. I need you to leave me the fuck alone.”

With those words, I effectively dismiss my brother, no longer interested in hearing his warnings. I want to plan how to woo and win my mate—not listen to his paranoia.

****

I make the council wait for me. Yes, I called the meeting, but I won’t have them place demands on me. Everyone wants to know about the new female, and I will gladly supply the answers when I am ready.

Already, they are forcing my hand.

When I enter the great hall, a space my great-grandfather hand-built almost a hundred years ago, I see all twelve council members seated at a round wooden table, patiently awaiting my arrival.

“Finally,” Daryl says when he sees me approach. “You know the rest of us also have lives and things to get to?

“Don’t push it,” Waylon says from behind me. “YourAlphamay take offense at your shitty attitude.”

Daryl’s gaze jumps from me to Waylon before looking away.Coward. This behavior is precisely why I’m not worried about the lesser Alpha. He may be a member of the pack council, a position he didn’t earn but was handed down by his father, but he is worthless. Born an Alpha, he believes he deserves to have everything handed to him, especially the role of pack leader, buthe is not a leader. He’s barely a man.

After I took leadership, he fully expected to be named my beta, but I couldn’t trust him and decided to promote Waylon instead.

He made a big scene, throwing a tantrum like a child, but I wouldn’t be swayed from my decision. I know there has been talk about him wanting to take the pack from me, but he can kiss my ass. If he wants to take this pack from me, he can challenge me outright and fight for it like a man. Something I know will never happen.

Waylon stands beside me as I face the council, my beta never far from my side.

“I won’t waste any more of your precious time,” I say, poking at Daryl and watching a muscle in his jaw tick in irritation. “Everyone is curious about the newcomer. As the pack Alpha, I don’t feel compelled to share information, but my brother has pointed out that I must keep my pack informed. That said, here is the information I am willing to share. Her name is Quinn, and she is my mate.”

“Your mate?” one of the female pack members cuts me off.

“Yes. She is my mate.”

“And why is your mate not living in your home?” Daryl interjects.

I feel the bones in my face shift and realign as my wolf rushes to the forefront, wanting to rip this pathetic little man to shreds. A hand on my shoulder is all that is holding me back, my teeth snapping in Daryl’s face and spittle landing on his shirt. After several deep breaths my animal recedes and I finally feel like I have enough control to reply. Fear pours out of the other male in waves as the rest of the council stare in shock.

“That isn’t your concern. But I do suggest you make it clear to every male that I will rip them limb from limb if they gonear her.”

Chapter Seven

Quinn

It is three in the morning and I am lying awake in bed, listening to a wolf prowl just beyond the glass. I know it’s Elias, I can feel his energy through the wall that separates us.

My wolf paces in the far reaches of my mind, begging me to go to him. But I remain under the covers. I don’t know him or any members of this pack. I have never been in a pack so I have no idea what the dynamics are.

My mother was an omega, just like me. But she wasn’t in a pack that cherished their females. Omegas are relatively rare and the only females that can take an Alpha’s knot. Other shifter females and humans are torn apart, literally killing them. An Alpha’s knot is too violent for anyone other than an omega to handle. My mother and three other omegas were held against their will and passed around the pack for the enjoyment of all the Alphas. Once she found out she was pregnant with me, she ran, escaping to save me from a similar fate.

She raised me alone, away from the pack lifestyle. She is the reason I don’t trust Alphas or packs. No one stood up for her or tried to save her from being raped every day. They simply stood back and watched, thankful it wasn’t them.

It’s been six years since she died in a car accident, and I miss her every day.

A howl rips through the air and a full-body shiver works through me. I know I’m not being fair toward the big Alpha, but I have an ingrained fear that he will simply use and discard me.

Slipping from the bed, I grab my robe and head to the kitchen. I won’t be getting any sleep with Elias stalking around outside. I find Linda seated at the counter, a mug of tea in her hands.

“I’m sorry,” I say immediately, but the older woman onlysmiles.

“Nothing to be sorry for, dear. I know how a male can be when chasing his mate.”

“I hate that I am putting you and your family in the middle of this,” I say, sitting beside her.

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