Page 10 of Wolf's Claimed Mate
“All right,” Fenrys sighed. “Honestly, I’ve called you all here because I’m sick of this. You’reallexhausting.” His eyes flickered over me, over Sasha, over the other pack. “Stop these petty little pissing competitions. We’re two different packs, we’re bound to fight, but we’re not children. Either punch it out outside or shut the hell up and act like adults. That goes for the women, too.”
“Yeah, let’s see those spots, leopard,” Jason called, laughing.
Sasha threw Jason a grin. “Oh, baby, you couldn’t even afford tothinkabout any part of me,” she cooed, blowing him a kiss. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her performance. Thalia sniggered, though.
“All right,” Fenrys called. “Jokes aside, I want us to cooperate properly. There’s too much unrest out there, with the threat of Kato’s pack regrouping under a new alpha, for us to be too busy arguing among ourselves. That means—” He jabbed a finger at Declan, then at Conall. “You two, sort your shit out. You’re brothers with bad blood, fine. But Con, you’re better than these petty—”
“I’ve been trying to talk to you,” I said to Declan, my voice lowered, angry but composed. “Stop walking out on me.”
“Hurts, doesn’t it, brother? Being walked on out. Ignored. Backs turned.”
“Declan,” Aidan warned. “We’re here for a reason.”
“He’sthe problem,” Declan shouted, flinging a hand towards me. “I will work with him, but I don’t have to talk to him.”
“I see, in our time apart, you haven’t grown up,” I muttered.
“Say that louder,” Declan challenged. “Ifucking dare you, Conall. Don’t play high and mighty because—”
“Stop!” Thalia called. “All of you,stop.” Her hands slammed down on the coffee table. Her golden eyes brightened in anger as she surveyed the room. “You’re two packs, stronger together. The last time Fenrys faced Kato’s pack, he nearly lost his life. The pack only just made it out alive. This time, weneedthe forces together.” Her eyes found Sasha’s. “I’m begging you to put whatever’s going on between you and him—” my Luna jerked her head at me. “Aside and work together. I’m not giving you both more time to play at avoiding one another.”
“Nothing’s going on,” Sasha argued while I said, “There isn’t anything between us.”
I looked at Sasha, her burnished orange eyes blinking back at me. Dark lashes framed the orange, making her look dangerous.
The denial of anything made Thalia laugh, breaking the tension in the room. “Oh, yeah. You two aredefinitelyworking things out.”
Next to her, Fenrys nodded, although his eyes lingered on me, concerned. Betas didn’t mate the way alphas did, but I still wanted to find my Thalia or Dakota. Lyna was like a sister tome, and there were no other female shifters I was interested in. Only…
No, I told myself, refusing to think about it.
“You two are working on a proper strategy,” Fenrys told them. “And you’llbothreport to Thalia and me afterward, so we know you’ve actually put your heads together for once.” He jerked his head at Sasha. “You know things about that pack that could help keep your best friend alive,” he snarled, his protective alpha side coming to the surface to support his mate’s wellbeing. “Do her a favor and use it.”
Sasha blinked at the command in his voice, and I half expected her to defy him. She’d told me she didn’t need to take orders from an alpha wolf. But now, in the face of that order, she nodded, biting her tongue.
Aidan watched the whole exchange as if he was delighted at the tension between our own pack. He grinned at me across the room. I flipped him off. I’d find an excuse one day to punch him again.
“Theo, Lyna, I want you doing more perimeter searches,” Fenrys ordered. “We need to expand, cover more ground. Aidan, your pack is working on Oak Hill’s side, yes?”
“Right,” he said. “Some of my pack are from other towns, so they’re keeping an eye out for anything amiss.”
“Good,” Fenrys said. If he was nervous, then he didn’t show it. It didn’t crack his voice like it might crack mine. I was fuelled by anger, I could help hold off that, but being in total command of a room? It was where I lacked that alpha personality. I could talk, but it didn’t mean people would respect or listen.
I hated that the most. That onelookfrom Fenrys could hold so much more weight than an order from me. I bit my tongue.
Fenrys called the meeting to a close before switching from an alpha in charge, into just himself, and started taking movie suggestions. Aidan tossed the remote control to Lyna. As the room burst into activity of people moving, talking, reseating themselves, and Aidan and Dakota unable to keep their hands off each other, I approached Sasha.
She eyed me as I walked up to her, a perfectly shaped brow raised at me.
“Yes?” she asked. The thing I’d noticed about Sasha was that she was different in a room full of people than when she was alone. She was sharper, smugger when she had an audience, more discreetly mocking. In private, she was softer. I enjoyed seeing the switch, actually.
“Me, you, breakfast tomorrow at Jack’s diner.”
“No,” she answered.
“Yes.”
I met her gaze, staring her down. I was aware some of the others had looked our way, but I refused to back down. Sasha’s gaze turned into a glare as she stood up. “No.”
