Page 43 of Destined Mate

“Scouts from Queen Kel’s territory were seen outside of Reggie’s neighborhood.” Michael was sitting at the bar on the edge farthest from me, rubbing the scruff on his face.

All that told me was that the Southwest queen had people scouting where they shouldn’t be. “And Reggie is?”

“Bodey’s uncle,” Janet answered, placing her hand on Michael’s shoulders. “Michael’s brother.”

“His pack is only an hour away from here,” Bodey added, touching my lower back and leading me to the center of the island, opposite the others.

Coming to stand next to me, Samuel pressed his palms to the countertop. “What does that mean? Why would she do that?”

Jack’s father, Carl, stood next to him at the other end of the island, his arms around his mate’s waist. His hair was a shade darker than his son’s, with some gray blended in with the darker color. He said, “It means they’re getting braver and moving deeper into our territory. They want us to know they’re aware that Samuel is staying with Bodey. They’ll probably move farther in, maybe even around here, the closer we get to the coronation. They want to unsettle us, so we’ll lose focus or push the coronation back.”

Jack grimaced. “That’s fucked up.”

“Language,” his mother—Destiny—said, glaring at him with eyes the same shade of cobalt blue. That was the only thing the two of them had in common. She had long, light-brown hair and a heart-shaped face that many a woman would covet.

Straightening his shoulders, Jack scoffed, “Please. I’m your alpha. I can say what I want.”

She smacked him on the back of his head. “You may be, but I’m still your mother and not afraid to take you down a notch or three.”

I snickered before I could stop myself.

No wonder Lucas smacked him often and Jack never got angry. Lucas must have grown up watching Jack’s own mother do that to him.

“Be glad I love you.” Jack wrinkled his nose at her, grinning.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek, and my heart ached. I’d never had that type of interaction growing up, not with my adoptive parents.

Miles’s father, Phil, cleared his throat and took a few steps back from where he’d been standing beside Jack. “Let’s stay on topic.” He rolled his shoulders as if he’d been squashed and needed to stretch. The setting sun filtered through the blinds in the dining room, shining on his bronze complexion, which was darker than Miles’s. He ran a hand over his shaved head. “She could be testing us to see how much they can get away with before we strike back.”

“Then we need to show her she can’t get away with shit.” Lucas lifted his head from his spot at the edge of the island between his parents, Dan and Taylor. “Let’s kick their asses.”

“That’s what she wants, son.” Dan’s jaw twitched as he placed his hands on Lucas’s shoulders. “She wants us to focus on a potential threat instead of securing our future. If we engage in any way, she wins, so she’s going to test our boundaries.” Dan’s brown hair was spiked as if he’d been running his hands through it, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

“What do we do, babe?” Taylor asked and turned to Dan. “If she gets more ambitious, we’ll have to respond.” Her long, dark hair was so silky that it had to be as soft as cashmere. Like her son and husband, she had a tan complexion that emphasized her dark, soulful eyes.

“I’d like to hear what our sons have to say,” Michael said.

Bodey stiffened and stepped closer to me, his arm brushing mine.

A smile spread across Janet’s face, startling me. She seemed happy instead of repulsed or upset over his action.

“We don’t attack unless they enter our territories.” Bodey straightened his shoulders. “Our individual packs can handle them since she’s testing us. As long as the number of scouts is low, the packs can handle running them off and warning us about the issue promptly. If more come and our packs need additional hands to resolve the issue, we’ll reevaluate and coordinate a strike similar to how Reggie did earlier. The scouts are gone, and there was no bloodshed.”

Steepling his hands, Miles leaned on the countertop. “I agree. We don’t allow her to provoke us and wait until we see her bigger plan. Also, she could be hoping we’ll use our resources to track them, leaving Samuel more vulnerable to kill or capture.”

“Great,” Samuel deadpanned. “What does that mean for me?”

Bodey sighed and tensed as if preparing for war. “You need to remain in the house, and if youmustgo out, take several pack members with you. Members I approve of.”

“Fantastic.” Samuel mashed his lips together hard as if making sure no other expression broke through. It reminded me of how I bit the inside of my cheek or tongue to school my expression and not upset anyone when there was nothing I could do to change the outcome.

In other words, he felt trapped.

Once again, our stories were so similar.

I touched Samuel’s arm, wanting him to know I was there…that I understood.

His jaw relaxed at my touch as if he got what I was trying to convey. He could challenge any of them, even Bodey—he was strong enough—but he respected the advisers too much to do that, and I admired him so much more for it.

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