Page 82 of Wolf Unleashed
“Already agreed. How the hell could they agree? I didn’t even know for sure until I got here.”
“You’re descended from the Bordelon pack. I showed the proof to Agent Gallagher, and he authenticated it. You are officially considered a shifter.”
“That’s why you want her,” Maddox accused, taking a step forward. “Her ties to the Bordelon.”
Alyssa mirrored Maddox’s moves. He was her only cover at the moment. Though the way his muscles tensed, she had a feeling she was going to need a new shield if he ended up attacking his former alpha.
“Yes. She’s my in with Bordelon,” Drake replied.
“I’m nothing to you, Drake,” she announced, leaning her head to the side, so he’d see her and know she wasn’t going to be bullied. “I’m not one of your shifters. Not your bargaining chip. Nothing. I’m my own person. And a U.S. citizen with a birth certificate to prove it. Until a court decides otherwise, I’m a citizen. And even if I weren’t, there’s no way I’m going with you.”
“Then you’ll never see Maddox again,” Drake said.
“He’s coming with us,” she repeated Rafe’s words.
“I can’t, angel. Nothing’s changed for me,” Maddox said in that low, soft voice she knew he meant to soothe her. “I just came to rescue you. It was the only reason Drake let me leave our pack. I haven’t been released from my oath, and I still have cousins I need to protect back home.”
“He wouldn’t retaliate against them,” she said, not very confident in her own words. “Would he? I mean, aren’t they his cousins too?”
Maddox’s expression gutted her.
“No,” she said, stepping back from him, not caring who saw her naked now. “Don’t you dare say you’re going back to your pack. Even if you don’t want to be with me, you deserve better than what you have back there.”
“Oh, the insults,” Drake said, clutching his chest. “Your female has a sharp tongue, cousin. You should do something about that.”
The black of Maddox’s eyes deepened as he gripped her arms. “Don’t you ever say that I don’t want to be with you. I love you more than I thought was possible to love another. I’m going back because there’s no way in hell I’m letting Drake have you, to barter you off, or use you against the Bordelon pack. You’ll go with Rafe and Tiernan and lead a full life.”
The second she opened her mouth, he covered it with his lips, kissing her for what seemed like hours. When the kiss ended, she was keenly aware that they weren’t alone. Drake and his guards waited to take Maddox with them.
“Anderson, you and the scout can come as well. I won’t sell her off to Bordelon,” Drake insisted.
“Your word is worthless, Novak. You’d use her,” Rafe said, adding a growl to his words. “We won’t risk her. She’s coming with me and Tiernan to my pack. So if you ever think of coming near her, you better fucking prepare for a fight against a pack that is much larger than yours.”
“I could just take her now. Six against three. And the scout is not a proficient fighter like my guards.”
“Six against four,” Alyssa said, stepping to Maddox’s side. Her skin flushed as so many males looked over her naked body, but she stood next to Maddox, drawing strength from his and Tiernan’s bonds.
That’s when she realized she couldn’t feel Rafe at all through the bond. His face shone with pride, though, and she knew what he was thinking, even if she couldn’t feel his emotions. Unlike Drake, Rafe hadn’t discounted her when he’d calculated the odds of winning a fight.
“I won’t risk you in a fight, female. I need you. You’re Bordelon. My in with them.”
“Find anotherinwith Bordelon,” Rafe’s voice boomed as he moved to her right side. “She and Maddox are coming with me. To my pack. You want an alliance, Novak? I’ll give you one, but she stays with us.”
“An alliance with Soren’s pack?” Drake said, no longer grinning as if he’d won. “That’s not what I need.”
Drake ran his eyes over Alyssa. To the male’s credit, he didn’t stare at her breasts, but looked her square in the eyes. “You could be a part of a powerful pack. Mine or Bordelon.”
“I’m already part of a powerful pack.”
“Soren’s?” Drake huffed.
“Rafe’s.” Alyssa clasped Rafe’s hand and entwined her fingers with his.
Rafe looked at her, stunned, then composed himself and faced Drake.
She opened the bond to Rafe as wide as she could, so he could read every emotion she was feeling, namely her firm belief in him and what he could accomplish.
“Alyssa going with you was never going to happen,” Rafe said, releasing her hand to step in front of her, Maddox, and Tiernan, putting Drake on notice that he would fight if necessary. “You have a chance of an alliance with a strong pack. Take it or leave it.”
