Page 49 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

“Thank you so much, Alpha Dax,” I said into my phone as I paced around my home office. “I look forward to seeing you soon.”

Once I hung up, I pumped my fist into the air. Alpha Dax was the fifth Alpha I'd contacted since Axel threatened the WaterLock pack, and he,as well as the four other Alphas,had confirmed that they were ready.

My plan was coming together perfectly.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I knew who it was even before I glanced down at the screen. I opened up a text message from my father.

Gabriel, I want you to know that I did ask the Alpha King if we could do a simple transaction of the money and your company in exchange for his Royal Guard. But he insists on the marriage between you and Olivia to ensure that he will have an heir to his throne one day. A male heir produced by you and Olivia will be in the contract when you sign it. I’m sorry that this is the only way.

My hands clenched tightly around my phone and my jaw clenched.

He was wrong. Aligning with the Alpha King wasn't the only way. When my plan was ready, I'd be able to show him.

And I sure as hell wasn't going to have a child with Olivia. I already had a son with the love of my life.I was certain the Alpha King only wanted this marriage between his daughter and me because he wanted her to marry—and have children with—someone who was well off.

Now that I was in contact with many packs around our kingdom, I'd learned that when the Alpha King had proposed a marriage deal to WaterLock when I was eighteen, he had offered the same contract to other packs around our kingdom. I believed he planned to marry off his daughter to the pack that offered him the most money. But none of the packs could give him the absurd amount of money he had asked for, so all of the marriage deals stalled.

Now that he knew I could give him the money he wanted and a successful company, he was willing to offer the protection WaterLock needed, even if that meant leaving all the other packs to defend themselves against the Rogues.

It always came back to money and greed when dealing with King Ezekiel.

I was shaking my head with disgust for our Alpha King when my phone vibrated again. It was another message from my dad.

I want you to know that I've just held a pack meeting and informed all of WaterLock that you will be marrying Olivia soon. Everyone is relieved that WaterLock will finally be protected from the Rogues. Don't disappoint them, Son. Stop ignoring my calls and texts. Stop hiding away in your compound. Come to WaterLock to talk to your people. I can't do this without you. The Alpha King needs the money transferred into his account soon, and he wants you to sign some papers handing over your company. I know that this will be a great sacrifice for you, but it's the only way to protect our pack.

Hot fury shot through me.

How could my father tell the rest of our pack that I was going to marry Olivia when I hadn't agreed to it? I told him I was vehemently against the idea.

Should I go to Brindle Creek and call a pack meeting? Should I tell them that I wasn't going to marry Olivia, but instead had my own plan to keep our pack safe?

No, contradicting my father would only cause fear and confusion amongst my pack. The important thing for me to be doing as the moment was solidifying my plan.

I texted my father the same thing I always did—and my mother, for that matter, when she messaged me pleading for me to talk to my dad.

I’ve already told you I have another plan to protect our pack. I’m working on it now. If you’d like to discuss my plan and hear me out, I’d be happy to come to Brindle Creek.

Not even a minute later, my father sent me a message back.

There is no other way except for this arranged marriage. Do the right thing, Son.

I groaned and resisted the urge to throw my phone against the wall.

Then, my heart skipped a beat, and a second later, someone knocked on my door.

Just like the text message with my dad, I already knew who it was before I swung open my office door.

Beautiful.

That was the only thing I could think as I took in Summer standing in the doorway of my office. I simply stared at her. I needed a moment to adjust to her sudden appearance. I hadn’t been this close to her since our fight a few days ago. Even though I wanted more than anything to get to know my son and spend time with my Mate, I gave her and Grayson their space.

When I was lying in bed at night and couldn’t sleep, it drove me crazy to think about how Summer was under the same roof as me. Our one night together had been six years ago, but I could still perfectly recall the feeling of her body as it shivered underneath mine…

“Um, can I come in?” my Mate asked, raising her eyebrows since I’d been staring at her for a beat too long.

“Yes, of course.”

I stepped aside, and she walked in. Summer slowly walked around my office with her arms behind her back. My Mate studied my antique wooden desk, the shelves of books that lined the walls, and my computer set up, which was complete with three computer monitors, with an unreadable expression.

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