“So talk.”
“It involves your mate.”
“No shit, Luke. I already figured that much out.”
Tricia gripped my hand tighter.
“Should I be paranoid now?” she asked me.
Staring at her, I’d nearly forgotten all about Thomas and Luke standing right there. She was afraid. Had I let her down? I didn’t think so. I trusted them, but I was transfixed by the fear in my mate’s eyes. All I wanted to do was sweep her up into my arms and runaway or stake my claim on her as mine right here for the whole Pack to see.
Mine,my wolf growled in my mind, and I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face. I winked and she started to relax just a little.
“What’s wrong?” Tricia asked me, ignoring the Alpha and Beta surrounding us.
“Something’s happened. We need to talk,” Thomas said, and I felt my wolf jerk as Alpha power surrounded me.
My eyes widened and the griping betrayal I felt was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
“What the hell is happening?” I demanded as James stepped into the room and came up behind Tricia while Luke shut the door behind him.
We were trapped.
“Everything’s fine, Brady. We just need to talk,” Luke assured me. “Thomas, your powers aren’t necessary. They aren’t a threat to us.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Tricia’s eyes locked with mine and I could sense fear welling up even stronger within her.
“Come on. We’re all friends here,” James said. “Let’s just take it down a notch and have a little talk so we can figure this all out.”
It wasn’t a request. Tricia and I had been summoned to the Alpha house and I had no clue idea why.
“What’s going on? Why are we here? What do you want?”
I wanted to console her and tell her whatever I thought we both needed to hear, but the truth was that I was terrified. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew it was bad, like really, really bad.
They never had to use force or even Thomas’s Alpha powers. Tricia and I had come peacefully to hear them out. Why were they acting like this?
My wolf was calculating every escape route possible.
I knew in that moment, that if they threatened my girl, my one true mate, that I would do anything in my power to stop them. I might not be as strong as Thomas or Luke, hell maybe even James, but I would damn sure give my life to fight them all if it meant protecting Tricia.
A growl escaped me at the thought.
Thomas sighed. “Simmer down and take a seat.”
Luke directed us to the two chairs across from the Alpha’s desk while he and James sat at the table behind us. Hesitantly I sat and Tricia followed my lead.
“I’m sorry. I know this wasn’t handled well. I just need to ask your mate some questions.”
“Fine then, ask me. But you don’t need him here for that, do you?” Tricia spoke up, as her chin defiantly rose just a hair in his direction.
“There’s no way. . .”
“Relax. Everyone.”
Thomas’s words were punched with a kick of Alpha powers.