Page 5 of Wolf's Claimed Mate
“Leg day?” he asked.
“I was doing arm day, but sure, I can switch,” I said, dropping into the leg press beside him. We both got ourselves situated, he cranked my weight up to the same as his, not insulting me by lowering it, and began. We repped in tandem. Without Aidan in my periphery, it felt normal again, and I was reminded of who I was. I was Conall Vox, beta to Fenrys Randon, the most powerful alpha for miles. I wasn’tjust a second, as my younger brother had claimed upon our first reunion.
He could go fuck himself for his disrespect.
“Break,” Fenrys grunted. I let the plate fall back into place and lowered my legs, stretching out the bend and the muscles. “So, it’s been a couple weeks. Has Sasha given up any information yet?”
I shrugged, wiping my forehead on the bottom of my gym tank. My dark hair, slightly overgrown, plastered to my skin, and I shoved it off. “Nothin’ yet.”
“I told you guys I’d let you handle it between yourselves, but… I mean, c’mon, Con. This is the pack’s future we’re talking about. My own—ourtown—and my kid. My mate.”
“It’s not just you who has things at stake,” I reminded him. “You’re my best friend, Fen, and I’m not afraid to stand up to you, but don’t forget that Kato once threatened us all in that warehouse.”
I still have nightmares about that day sometimes. I’d wake up hearing that damn gunshot, see Fenrys bleeding out, hear Thalia’s screams at the thought of losing her mate. I shook it off, shoved my feet up on the plate again, and started without him.
“She’s giving nothing up,” I told him abruptly. “I mean, fuck, man, I don’t evenknow—” I grunted, slamming the plate too far back too quickly. “How do you expect me to work with her? She’s a stubborn asshole who only thinks of her pretty little self. She’s a self-centered, obnoxious little b—”
“Conall.”
“What?” I snapped.
Fenrys’s eyes were on me when I dropped my legs from the plate, breathing heavily. I scrunched my eyes closed, pinching the bridge of my nose. I’d been on edge for weeks; ever since that day, Sasha had walked away, leaving me guessing. We’d avoided the topic ever since. We’d avoidedeach otherever since, and it had been slowly unraveling my mind the longer our distance went on.
“What’s going on with you lately?” Fenrys asked. “You’ve been pissy ever since…” He narrowed his eyes. “Is it your brother?”
“No.”
“Is it Aidan?”
“Yes,but not fully.”
“The packs combining?”
“Fen, leave it.”
“Is it Sasha?”
I wasn’t quick enough to lie my way out of it. He saw the admittance I held back flash across my face before I could cover it up.Yes, I thought.Yes, and I want to get her the fuck off my mind and out of my system.
She rejected me in a way that left me questioning so much and made it impossible to feel comfortable approaching her to work together. But I needed to. I needed to get my act together and just bite the bullet whether she liked it or not.
“Honestly, Fen, she knows enough about Kato’s pack. She won’t even answer my texts. Thalia’s been trying to get her to meet with me, but no game. She’s stubborn. Fiercely independent, and I get it, I do. She has no stakes in this except for her best friend. She’s not a wolf; she has no loyalty to us. Sasha doesn’t give a shit about what Kato’s pack could do to Silverlake Valley.”
“I don’t think she’s that selfish,” Fenrys said. I rolled my eyes. Of course, he’d speak up for his mate’s best friend.
“She was complicit in the initial assassination attempt against you,” I said. “Have you forgotten that?”
“No,” he snapped. “I don’t trust her a lot, but I trust her knowledge. I trust Thalia’s forgiveness of her.”
“Yeah but—”
“Figure something out with her,” Fenrys ordered. I wilted under that commanding tone, gritting my teeth. What did that sort of power feel like? I’d had a taste of it while Fenrys was off on his self-assigned paternity leave, letting me take charge of the training regime he’d put together. Those months had given me ataste of everything I was missing out on by being born with the DNA of a beta.
“I’ve been gracious in letting you both figure it out together, but I’m getting impatient, and Thalia’s not sleeping because of her worrying. I’m trusting you, Con. Whatever’s happened between you and Sasha, deal with it or put it to bed.” He met my gaze flatly. “Take that however you want to, but don’t let it get messy. You need to conduct business with her, that’s all.”
“Got it, boss,” I muttered, flicking him my mock salute as I rolled my eyes.
“Good,” he said, ignoring my sass. “Another rep?”
