Page 62 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
“Rex,” Celeste cuts me off, taking my hand. “Stop.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, surprised.
“Don’t make trouble with Eccles,” Dorian says. “I know you want to do your job as alpha, and that’s great, but we need to embrace the treaty.”
I frown. “What are you—”
“Come now, Rex,” Galant says. “Spreading a closing net to the south? Scouts on the high ridge and the edges of the gully? Obviously, you’re expecting an ambush from Eccles.”
“Look,” I say, sighing. “I know what you’re thinking, but I know these guys. I want us to keep an eye on them, that’s all.”
“You don’t know them any better than I do,” Dorian says. “We only spent one night there.”
Shit… they don’t know I lived there for a year!
“Okay,” I answer. “I hear you. “But there has been movement from them—”
“No, Rex, there hasn’t,” Cody interrupts. “We combed the forest and found nothing. I’m afraid that our movements are going to look hostile now.”
“But…” I think carefully about what Brad told me.
He said they were using stealth to get closer, but it sounds like they’re actually… invisible.
“Rex,” Galant says, patting my hand. “Your father would be proud of you for being such a protective alpha. But you have to scale down these movements, or it will look like an attack. Eccles is dangerous, but we finally have a treaty in place, and we need to trust it.”
A treaty they have no intention of keeping.
“Look, I’d just feel better if we kept a presence in the woods,” I say, putting some force behind my words. “I’ll change the tactics a little so it looks more like a training exercise, but I have a bad feeling, and I don’t want to be caught unawares.”
“That sounds fair,” Celeste says. “You are the alpha, and we trust your instincts. I’m glad we worked out a compromise.”
“Me too,” I answer, getting up. “I have another meeting I have to run to, but I’ll text you later, Cody. We can go over those details.”
“Sure,” he says, nodding. “I’ll wait for your orders.”
“In the meantime, we’re planning the fair!” Celeste says with excitement. “Won’t it be wonderful when Eccles finally join us?”
“Yes, it will,” I agree, giving her a kind smile that fades instantly when I turn to leave the café.
I wish the situation were as innocent as they perceive it to be. Not being able to explain the danger is so frustrating, I’m practically foaming at the mouth here!
I text my secure code to Brad, and he responds immediately. We mark a meeting point directly to the north, and I drive straight out of town, leaving my car and phone to shift and race into the thick forest.
My car, my phone—everything can be tracked these days. My wolf can still go completely undetected, and our changing location means we can’t be set up!
When I arrive at the clearing, Brad is there with a tall, older man with long gray hair.
“Malcolm?” I ask, shifting so I can shake his hand. “Is that you?”
“Sure is, boy,” he says in that distinctive drawl. “Good to see you.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with anything more than a buzzcut,” I remark. “What happened to your hair?”
“After I retired, I went feral for a bit. Let my wolf take over and run through the forest. Brad left scent markers for me, and I made my way back in without even realizing it.”
“Nice work, Brad,” I laugh.
“It was hard work,” Brad emphasizes. “I had no idea where the old bastard was. I was pissing on trees halfway to Vegas.”
