Page 46 of Destined Bear
He glances at the other Alphas as if waiting for them to add their names, but the Alphas are conspicuously silent. It’s not surprising. For too long, there has been unrest among us. We’re not friends.
“Come on.” I stand up, my senses heightened, and Emeric whips his head around as though he can smell it, too.
Something shifted in the air.
Before I can stop myself, I release two shrill whistles.
“What are you doing?” Emeric is flabbergasted by my call for help, but he doesn’t have a chance to question it more before our enforcers rush through in their shifted forms. At the sametime, the swinging doors fly open, and another group of shifters swarm the dining room as the Alphas rise in confusion.
“What the hell?” an Alpha from West Texas barks out.
The Alphas in the room look as confused as the rest of us, but I'm not entirely surprised. I'd been sensing something was off all evening, and now I see it's coming from Roman's own staff.
“What is this?” Roman growls, jumping onto the table, his gray eyes flashing.
Emeric falls onto all fours, his huge, chocolate-colored body emerging in bear form.
A familiar face appears from the kitchen door, her snow-white hair gleaming against the turquoise combs in her hair.
Seline.
“Sorry to interrupt your dinner, Alpha,” the healer says, looking directly at Roman. “Alpha Emeric and I have some unfinished business.”
“Seline, why are you in my house? No one sent for you!” Roman is incensed as his pack advances on our enforcers.
Our enforcers stand ready, while the Stonecrest enforcers remain frozen, their bewilderment obvious as they await Roman’s command.
“Do you know he locked me up in his cells?” Seline complains, pointing at Emeric.
“You were plotting to overthrow our territory!” I step in front of my mate, refusing to let the healer steal the narration. “You’re not the victim here. You and your accomplices ruined our packhouse.”
“Only because you kidnapped me!” She looks imploringly at Roman. “Are you going to let them get away with this, Alpha?”
Roman’s dark eyebrows rise speculatively. “Were you conspiring against Willow Grove?”
Seline clears her throat. "Well, not conspiring, exactly. I mean, it was for you, Alpha."
Roman's face darkens with confusion. "For me? What the hell does that mean?"
Seline's eyes light up with a fervor that makes my skin crawl. "I've been watching you for years, Alpha. You deserve so much more than what you have. Your pack should be the strongest in Texas, but territories like Willow Grove keep you from reaching your full potential."
"I never asked you to—" Roman starts, but Seline cuts him off.
"I wanted to show you what I could do for you, how valuable I could be to your pack." Her voice takes on a pleading quality. "I thought if I weakened them from within, if I made their Alpha look incompetent, you'd see how much I care about Stonecrest's future."
My blood runs cold as understanding dawns. This isn't about territory or power—it's about obsession.
"You're insane," Roman breathes, stepping back from her.
Seline's face crumples at his rejection, but then hardens with defiance. "I'm not finished! It started with the old Alpha—Rhemus. He was already dying anyway. I just... helped speed things along. Made sure his weak son would inherit a fractured pack." She looks directly at Emeric, her eyes gleaming with malice. "I didn't really kill him. He would have died regardless. I just ensured the timing worked in our favor."
I place a hand on Emeric’s trembling back, his desire to pounce overwhelming me.
Easy, lover. It’s all right for the moment, I tell him psychically. As if he hears me, his heart rate slows through the thick of his fur.
“You’re an uninvited guest in my house.” Roman turns to his enforcers. “Arrest them all and throw them in the cells.”
“All who?” The lead enforcer stares blankly at Roman like the rest of us.
