Page 8 of Their Shared Mate
“You don’t believe your own guards?” Kai jeered. “Mywolves don’t lie to me. I can guarantee that.”
Kai’s attitude was starting to abrade, but Alex wasn’t quite ready to throw him out on his argumentative ass. He was an alpha after all. Every alpha deserved some measure of respect. “I wasn’t implying that the guards lied. I have no doubt they reported what they saw. I’m just concerned that what they saw was intentionally misleading.”
“They said at least one of the attackers had wings,” Caden, alpha of Bloodstone pack pointed out. “That sort of shift can’t be faked.”
“Birds were among the attackers,” Alex conceded. “The question is who sanctioned the raid and where were the females taken.”
“You think the cats are working with the birds?” Caden’s brows scrunched up over his nose. He didn’t look convinced, yet he hadn’t dismissed the possibility either. “Is there any evidence of an alliance?”
Before Alex could answer, Drake, head of Aspen pack responded, “Gabriel has never been interested in our war with the cats. Why would he risk bloodshed now?”
“An alliance is one possibility. Another is the cats framed the birds. It has been obvious from the start that the cats want all the females for themselves. I don’t have enough information to determine the truth.” Alex, Caden, and Drake were cousins, so Alex was relatively confident in their support. Still, if he didn’t solve this quickly, one of them might be the first to challenge him. “Give me twenty-four hours. I’ll find out where the females were taken and who sanctioned the attack.”
“We can’t retaliate until we know who attacked us,” Drake agreed.
“We’ll meet again tomorrow,” Kai stated as if he’d made the decision. “You better have answers by then or we’ll find someone more capable of leading this village.” He shoved back his chair and strode from the room, leaving the door open for effect.
“What an asshole,” Caden muttered, and half the table laughed. The other half continued to stare disapprovingly at Alex.
“He’s an asshole,” Rhys agreed, “but he’s also right.” Rhys led Silverthorne pack. He was the oldest of the alphas and his pack was the backbone of the lupine village. Without his support Alex was doomed. “This needs to be resolved, and it needs to be resolved quickly.”
“And the only resolution we’ll accept is the return of all the females,” one of the others stressed.
“One step at a time,” Drake said firmly. “Alex asked for twenty-four hours to investigate. It’s a reasonable request.”
Alex was grateful for the support, but answering for him made him look weak. “I’ll update everyone tomorrow.” He’d meant it as a dismissal and most of the alphas took it as such.
Drake and Caden remained.
“How can we help?” Caden wanted to know.
Drake just stood by his chair and assessed Alex silently.
Not wanting to reveal too much, he hesitated to ask the next question. “Do either of you have a contact inside the feline village? I’ve inherited Elias’ web of spies, but I don’t trust them.”
“You need to replace them with your own people,” Drake agreed. “But for now, you don’t have a choice but to use them. Make sure the bribe is rich enough that they won’t be tempted to flip on you.”
“Understood.”
“I know a few of the birds, but I don’t know anyone in the feline village,” Caden explained.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got people up on the mountain as well,” Alex said. “I’ll figure it out.” He shook his head then sighed. “It’s not like I have any other choice.”
Claire spent a restless night in another unfamiliar location. The bunkhouse was warm, the bed surprisingly comfortable. True to his word, Raphael provided food, clean clothes, even toiletries for his ‘guests.’ So, Claire’s hair was washed, her body freshly scrubbed, and her belly filled when she went to bed. She was grateful for the improvements, but she’d been shuffled from place to place ever since arriving on Rydaria. Her life was no longer under her control, and she was emotionally exhausted.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and bent to tug on her boots. She’d expected some sort of uniform when Raphael promised the women clean clothes. But Victor returned with a large cart filled with jeans, khaki pants, T-shirts, and sweaters. The women took turns making selections until all the clothes were gone. Claire ended up with two new outfits, a luxury unimaginable a few days before.
After running a comb through her hair and refreshing her deodorant, Claire ventured downstairs. Again, she was struck by the similarity between the bunkhouse and the lodge. The lodge was much larger, but both were rustic, A-framed structures constructed of stripped logs. The bunkhouse was noticeably warmer than the lodge had been. She wasn’t sure if it was simply because the bunkhouse was smaller, and smaller buildings were easier to heat, or if the eagles had a more efficient means of climate control. Whatever the cause, she was enjoying the comfort.
Breakfast had been laid out buffet style and three oblong tables had been set up so the women could sit down and savor their meal. Judging from the number of people already eating, Claire was one of the last to arrive. She filled her plate with items she recognized, not in the mood to explore the local fare. Lastly, she filled a mug with the hot beverage the Rydarians called coffee. It tasted nothing like real coffee, but the flavor was rich and pleasant.
“I was about to come check on you,” Heather said as Claire sat down across from her. She wore a burgundy sweater that set off her blonde hair to perfection. The purple smudges beneath her blue eyes were nearly gone. She looked well rested and relaxed.
“It took forever for me to fall asleep last night,” Claire explained. “I’m glad you didn’t wake me.”
“Victor was here a while ago asking about you. Do I sense a crush coming on?” Heather teased with a bright smile.
“He can crush all he likes. I’m not interested.” Claire picked up her fork and began to eat, but Victor’s image formed in her mind. With sculpted features and sensual lips, he was undeniably handsome. A lot of the males had let their beards and hair grow long. Victor was clean shaven, and his hair was neatly styled, giving him a sophisticated elegance. Especially while surrounded by mountain men. His amber eyes revealed his avian DNA, but she found the contrast with his olive-toned skin striking. And more important than his physical appeal, he’d been helpful and compassionate. He seemed genuinely concerned while others just leered at her.
