Page 56 of Betrayed Alpha Bride

I’m so distracted that I don’t notice the people ahead of me on the sidewalk until I almost run into them. Startled, I jump back a bit to see Jacinta and the Haggertys blocking my path.

“Clara,” Jacinta says in a hard tone. “We need to speak with you.”

Her tone irks me, but I try to answer gracefully. “Yes, Jacinta? What can I do for you?”

“You had no right to take Galen out of the valley,” Mrs. Haggerty snaps, cutting in. “It left us vulnerable. We need our alpha!”

“That’s right,” George backs up his wife. “There was important business to discuss right before he left, and instead of tending to it, Galen just walked out of the meeting early. We can’t have him distracted like this.”

“We were gone for one night!” I protest, my voice rising in anger. “What could have possibly happened in that time?”

“Nothing happenedthistime,” Jacinta says tartly. “But it could have.”

“I’ve been warning him,” George goes on, “an alpha’s work is never done. Loyalty to the pack must come first. He won’t put extra guards on the territory like I’ve told him to, and it’s going to be our ruin.”

“George,” I say as calmly as possible, “Galen is your alpha, and he is completely devoted to the pack. You don’t need to worry about this. It’s true he had important matters to attend to, but if he decided not to heed your advice, I’m sure he had very good reason.”

“Really?” Mrs. Haggerty snaps. “Is that why he told us we should make plans for extending the council, then immediately left, giving Sherman free rein?”

“I’m sure Galen never intended that,” I answer stiffly. “He’s back now, so he can attend to all of these matters personally.”

“None of this changes the fact that he left the valley unattended because of you!” Jacinta hisses. “He wouldn’t dream of leaving us alone and unprotected… until you came back.”

Even though her words make me want to defend Galen, they give me pause.

She’s implying that Galen is going out of his way for me.

“You weren’t alone and unprotected,” I answer. “Galen had backup watching over Quartz Key.”

“Enemy packs!” George dismisses. “The very ones I’m trying to defend us against, I’m sure! Next thing you know, he’ll be admitting them into our council!”

“The trouble, my dear, is you,” Mrs. Haggerty says, advancing on me, narrowing her eyes as her voice lowers to a hiss. “I don’t know why you came back to town, but you shouldn’t have. You have been nothing but trouble your whole life, and now you and your brat—”

“Mrs. Haggerty,” a bright voice cuts in. “How are you today? Well, I hope?”

Winnie throws an arm around my shoulders, standing next to me like a wingman ready to protect my six. I was so distracted by the terrible things I was hearing, I didn’t even notice her approach.

“Hello, Winnie,” George mumbles.

“And hello to you, George!” she replies. “Look at all of you, welcoming Galen’s mate back to town. Mother will be so pleased to hear it.”

All three of them look extremely uncomfortable at the idea of Macy finding out about their actions. Jacinta even looks around furtively, as if the old matriarch is hiding nearby, spying on us.

“We were just—” Jacinta starts.

“Oh, I know!” Winnie gushes. “You’re all so kind. It’s good to see how much you support Galen that you’d personally come and accost his mate right here, in public, just to show how much you care.”

“She’s right,” someone speaks from behind us, and I turn around to see Delia and Nathan not far away.

“What do you want?” Jacinta asks bluntly.

“Galen is at the town hall with Sherman,” Delia answers. “I thought you guys might want to be there, since you have so much to say on pack business.”

“He’s having a meeting now?” George demands.

Delia shrugs. “He got all your messages, so I’m guessing he went straight there. Pretty poor of you to demand to see the alpha, then not show up.”

I can’t stop a huge smile spreading across my face at Delia’s tactful maneuvering.

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