Page 14 of Bully Alpha's Pregnant Mate

A shiver runs down my spine, but I force myself to stay calm, nodding. “Then I guess we’d better be ready.”

Alec studies me, a flicker of surprise in his gaze, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just nods, and that familiar intensity settles back over him as he considers Jade’s warning.

I clear my throat, easing back toward the door. “I’ll leave you two to it. This sounds way above my pay grade.”

Jade waves her hand, stopping me with a look that’s too encouraging to ignore. “Actually, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that right now? We need everyone who knows what they’re doing.” She throws a look at Alec, her eyes practically daring him to disagree.

Alec is leaning back against the counter, rolling his coffee mug between his palms like he’s trying to work some vision of his own out of the dark liquid. But then he glances at me and says, “If this is as serious as Jade thinks, we’ll need every defense we can get, even if it means some… unconventional approaches.”

I cross my arms, feeling an odd spark of satisfaction. “Perfect. Because I can be very… unconventional.”

He raises a brow. “Oh? And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that, while I was off on my sabbatical, I wasn’t just lounging around. I spent time with the Ironclaw pack—the largest pack on the West Coast,” I reply, ignoring the way his look goes from dubious to intrigued, as if he can’t decide which would be more entertaining: me succeeding, or me proving him right. “They’re legendary for their defenses, especially their barrier techniques, so I learned from the best. Strengthening traps, building more resilient barriers—all the ways to keep out unwanted guests. I know how to modify them, Alec. Make them more resilient. We’ll just need some supplies.”

Jade’s eyes light up. “What kind of modifications are we talking here?”

“More strategic placements, stronger borders,” I say, focusing on her. “I know how to make sure anything—or anyone—trying to cross into East Hills is stopped before they make it too far.”

Alec’s smirk fades, replaced by a skeptical look that makes me want to shake him. “You think it’s that simple, do you?”

“Yes, I do,” I respond. “I’m not saying it’s a walk in the park, but it’s possible. Unless you’d rather waste time doing it your way first and find out the hard way that it’s not enough.”

He sighs, his reluctance as clear as the daylight streaming through the kitchen windows, but he glances over at Jade, who’s already nodding with a look that says she’s fully on board, whether he is or not.

“That sounds promising,” she says with a confidence that I can tell irritates Alec. “If we can strengthen the borders, we’d be stupid not to give it a shot.”

Alec stares at me, but he nods slowly, as if he’s already half-conceded and knows it. “Alright, let’s see what you can do.” His tone is so polite, it’s almost suspicious. I feel his gaze linger on me, careful, measuring, like he’s sizing me up. “Wouldn’t hurt to have a luna with a few tricks up her sleeve,” he adds.

A hint of a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, but there’s a glint in his eyes that makes my stomach twist with something that feels a lot like suspicion. I know exactly what he’s doing—humoring me for Jade’s sake. Not because he believes I know anything about traps, or because he thinks I can actually help. He’s just going along with it to keep his sister happy.

But I smile right back, matching his tone. “Oh, I promise it’ll be more than worth it.”

Chapter 7 - Alec

“Well, don’t just stand there looking pretty, Alec. If you’re going to hover, at least pay attention.”

Isadora’s tone is biting, like I’m the one dragging her out here instead of the other way around. I cross my arms, giving her an unimpressed look as she kneels beside one of the older traps on the western boundary. We’ve been at this for all of ten minutes, and she’s already talking to me like I’m some clueless newbie she’s been saddled with. This, after practically demanding I tag along so she could “show me” the pack’s weak points.

“Alright, then,” I say, trying not to sound sarcastic. “Enlighten me.”

She glances over her shoulder with a sigh. “The wiring here is old. The trip mechanism isn’t sensitive enough, so anything with a trace of magic—say, a demon slipping through the boundaries—could go unnoticed, especially if it’s in its true form. With the state these traps are in, they wouldn’t catch anything but the most obvious threat.”

I follow her line of sight to the wiring, faint scorch marks and all. I open my mouth to say something—probably sarcastic—but she’s already pulled out a sleek black device from her bag that I don’t recognize.

“This,” she says, holding it up with a triumphant glint in her eye, “is a thermal-and-energy-modified sensor. It can pick up traces of demon magic or any paranormal activity from fifty feet out.”

I tilt my head, genuinely curious now. “Ironclaw pack?”

“None other,” she replies with a smirk. “I trained with their best strategists. They take defense very seriously.”

She crouches down again, attaching the sensor to the wiring with a swift flick of her wrist. A faint hum tells me it’s live, and a small screen on the device displays energy readouts.

“This sensor will catch subtle energy shifts,” she says. “The kind associated with demons or other supernatural threats. Much more reliable than hoping something steps in the exact right spot.”

A grin tugs at the corner of my mouth. “Alright, that’s impressive.”

Isadora straightens, brushing off her hands. “Oh, I’m just getting started.” She takes a few steps ahead, scanning the area for the next trap.

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