Page 67 of Royal Beast
And then Alannah arrives. Her footsteps echo in the hallway, fast and determined, and a second later, she bursts through the door.
“All right,” she announces, striding straight to the empty chair at the end of the table. “What’s going on?”
I exchange a glance with Rory. Here we go.
“This doesn’t involve you, Lana,” Rory says, his tone calm but firm, like he’s already prepared for this fight.
Alannah’s eyes narrow, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Doesn’t involve me? How does this not involve me?”
“It’s about the Russians,” Rory says, his voice steady but clipped.
“Exactly,” she fires back. “So let’s talk about it.”
I can feel the tension rising, thick and suffocating. Rory leans forward, pinning her with that big-brother glare he’s perfected over the years. “Lana, this isn’t your fight. It’s for us to handle.”
She slaps her hands on the table, the sound echoing in the room. “Not my fight?” Her voice rises, sharp and indignant. “I’m a Brannagan, same as you. This is as much my fight as it is yours.”
“It’s not about your name,” Liam says, looking up from his phone, his tone calm but condescending. “It’s about experience. You don’t have it.”
“And you think I don’t know what Anatoly is capable of?” she snaps, her voice shaking with anger. “I know damn well what he can do. I can help.”
“You’re still a kid, Lana,” Lucky says, leaning back in his chair. There’s no humor in his voice, no softness. “You’re not ready for this.”
“That’s garbage,” she spits. “I’m nineteen. At my age, you were practically Dad’s right-hand man!”
I step forward, keeping my voice steady. “Lana, it’s not about capability. It’s about risk. You’re too important to us to gamble with. That’s all this is.”
Her eyes meet mine, and for a second, I see something beneath the fire—hurt. But it’s gone in an instant, replaced by cold determination.
“You’re all going to regret this,” she says quietly, her voice laced with steel. “When you finally realize I could’ve helped, it’ll be too late.”
She pushes her chair back with a screech and storms out, slamming the door behind her.
The silence she leaves behind is oppressive.
“She’s not wrong,” I finally say, breaking the tension. “We don’t give her enough credit.”
“She’s too impulsive,” Rory argues back, rubbing his temple. “This isn’t about underestimating her. It’s about keeping her alive.”
I sigh, but I can’t argue. Rory’s right.
“We need to focus,” Rory says, shifting gears. “Anatoly wants a meeting. Thoughts?”
I drop into a chair, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. “If he’s asking, it means he’s desperate or thinks he’s got the upper hand. Either way, this might be a chance to de-escalate.”
“Or a setup,” Liam counters, his voice flat. “He could be baiting us into a trap.”
“Maybe,” Lucky says, shrugging. “But ignoring him sends the wrong message. He’ll take it as disrespect, and that’ll make things worse.”
I can feel my blood start to boil at the way Lucky brushes off the risks. “We can’t just ignore this, Lucky. We’re already on the edge, and doing nothing won’t fix anything. I’m not about to sit back and wait for it to blow up in our faces.”
Liam rubs his jaw, his eyes flicking between us like he’s weighing something in his head. “Kellan’s right,” he says slowly, his tone a little more hesitant now. “But we can’t just walk into whatever Anatoly’s throwing at us without thinking about it. We’ve got enough to worry about. Things that could get worse if we’re not careful.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap, already on edge. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it, Liam. We’re not gonna solve this by dancing around the truth.”
Liam’s gaze turns to the floor, and he pauses. His eyes flick up briefly, something unreadable in his expression. “I just think that some people might hurt if we rush into things, Kellan,” he mutters, low and dark. “Things I’d rather not happen.”
I try to push the frustration down, but it's boiling over. “That’s exactly why we need to act. You think staying stuck is better? What about everyone who’s counting on us to get this under control?” I glance at Rory, hoping for some kind of support, but his face is set in that unreadable way he gets when he’s trying to be the peacekeeper.
