Page 25 of Cuffed By My Mate

I nod at my friends and pull out a chair for Vera next to Logan. He smiles at her, and I see my mate start to relax as I take a seat next to Miles.

“It’s nice to meet you, Vera,” Griffin says. “I’m just sorry that it’s under these conditions.”

Vera nods at the Alpha and swallows hard.

“I’m sorry for all of the trouble that my dad and brother have been causing,” she starts.

“It’s not your fault,” Ryker assures her, and she nods.

“It feels…like I could have done more. I should have tried to stop them somehow.”

“I doubt that you could,” Tucker says. “They seem…determined.”

“They are,” she agrees.

“Why?” Harris asks.

“I don’t know. My best guess is that they’re pissed that they were kicked out of this pack when the Alphas came here and took over. It was embarrassing that they were dethroned in front of everyone. I thought that maybe they were trying to prove their strength by taking back this pack or at least the land.”

“I had forgotten all about that,” Griffin murmurs, and I nod.

“Me too. It’s been years.”

The Twisted Oak Pack used to be a really sketchy pack. There were a bunch of criminals here, either hiding out or working for the Alpha. When Ryker and Griffin came to town and took it over, they kicked all of the bad seeds out and really turned this place around.

I’m not surprised that Vera’s dad and brother haven’t moved on. They were always known for holding grudges.

“It got worse when you guys kept Nori. Her uncle is close with my dad and brother, and they took it as a major slight. They’re pissed, and they want her back and this pack.”

“Like hell. They’re never getting their hands on my mate,” Tucker snarls.

“No, they’re not,” Griffin agrees.

“They’ve made threats, and I’ve seen some papers. They have borders of this town’s land and some blueprints for places intown. I’m not sure what they have planned. Just that they have that stuff.”

“We need to handle this. Hit them before they come after us,” Harris says, looking pissed.

“We can’t. That would start a war,” Ryker argues.

“They want a war!” Tucker snaps, still furious about them coming after his mate.

“I know, but I don’t want to give it to them. We need to try to talk to them. Maybe we can see what they have planned, in order to stop it.”

“It won’t be any use,” Vera says. “They can’t be reasoned with.”

“We still need to try. We need to exhaust every option before we start a war and endanger all of our pack members’ lives,” Griffin says.

I nod, and I can see that no one is happy about what the Alphas have decided, but they agree. I agree with Vera, though. They can’t be reasoned with, and I think that it’s just a matter of time before we have to fight back.

“Thanks for telling us all of this, Vera,” Ryker says, and she nods.

“If you hear from them again,” Griffin starts, but my mate shakes her head.

“I won’t. I told them that I wouldn’t spy for them and that I had found my mate here, and they cut me off. They won’t reach out again.”

I squeeze her hand, and she looks at me.

“Well, you have a new pack and a new family here,” Tucker tells her, and all of my friends nod.

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