Page 24 of Forever Mates

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that I’m not the biggest fan of Ryker’s pack council.

I can’t really blame them for standing by and watching as their Alpha rejected me in front of them. Actually, I should give them credit for not interfering when I went a teensy bit feral and jabbed my claws into his chest. It was a tussle between the future Alpha couple, and until Ryker made that final declaration that I was nothing—all because he was still trying desperately to protect my secret for me after I recklessly showed off that I was a female alpha—they stayed back. Of course, after that, a couple of them tried to stop me anyway, but I made it out in time to disappear in Muncie.

Know what I can blame them for? Their ridiculous idea that, if I was going to refuse to give their Alpha another chance, they were going to force me to. Like, really? Those dumbasses went so far as to poison me, then toss me at a near-feral Ryker. The seven remaining pack members all made their apologies to me in some way or another since the Luna Ceremony, but… yeah. Still not a fan.

The same afternoon Patrick delivers Walker’s invitation, Ryker tells the council he’s hosting another meet. I don’t miss this one. I get a few curious looks as the council members file in to discover me sitting behind my desk that same way that Ryker’s behind his, but they’re smarter now. They greet me with as much reverence as they do my mate—something that mollifies my bristling wolf—before filing out the den.

Because this is my show, Ryker lets me take the lead in addressing the pack.

He’s not happy, a fact that the rest of the council picks up on, but he stays silent as I tell the council about our visitor from earlier that morning. Jace curses under his breath, Duke’s body seems even bigger as anger pulses off of him, and Benjamin mutters to Grant that we need to think about pulling in some other packmates to increase the patrols. With barely a look over the group, they go quiet again.

I continue. “Without an installed Beta… and I thank Warren for stepping up before, and wish him well on returning to retiring as a gamma… Ryker can’t go with me. I’m okay going alone, but my mate is right. This could be a trap.” Could be? It most likely is. “So, if you agree that it’s worth taking a quick trip to California to get our packmate back, I’ll go. I’ll even take a couple of wolves with me if there are any volunteers—”

The second the word is out of my mouth, Duke’s hand is up. “Tell me when you’re ready to leave, and I’ll be there.”

“Me, too,” chimes in Jace. “We won’t let any harm come to your mate, Alpha.”

Ryker nods. Okay. Looks like I have my volunteers.

Bobby, Dorian, and two other wolves drop their paws.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I figured my personal guards would be the wolves quick to offer—the only reason I was willing to accept taking a couple of packmates with me in the first place—but it’s still a little annoying how nearly the whole council is quick to treat me like I still need to be protected. Weren’t they there when I nearly ripped Ryker’s heart from his chest?

Whatever.

In a way, I see their point. To them, I’m not just a female alpha—I’m their Alpha’s mate. Taking care of me is another way to show respect to Ryker.

Eh. Pack life. It’s not for everyone.

Ryker clears his throat. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Gemma. We called this meeting to ask the pack council to give us their perspective on this.” Shifting in his seat, leaning forward to address the seven wolves giving their Alpha their undivided attention. “I’m willing to find another way to bring Trish home. Gemma says she’d rather make a move now while we can. She’ll walk into the Wolf District with a few volunteers, and she’ll walk out with Trish.” He pauses. “At least, that’s her plan.”

“It’s a good plan,” I pipe up. “What’s the worst that can happen? He can’t keep me there.”

He could try again later, but that’s another reason why I should go. All the intel we have on Walker is pretty outdated. Wouldn’t it help to let him think he’s gotten what he wants all while I get what I want?

I already explained that point to the pack when I first proposed my idea to them. The fact that Ryker didn’t argue against it tells me that, logically, he agrees with me. The pack Alpha understands that this is our best chance to nip this issue with an enemy pack in the bud. My mate, though? He’s probably wondering how pissed I could really get if he locked me in his basement to keep me out of harm’s way.

Hey. Good chance he still has that set of chains down there...

And I get it. I do. If our roles were reversed, I don’t know if my wolf would be happy to stay behind while he walked into such an unknown situation. It was bad enough when I had to watch him fight the Alpha challenge with Shane. At least, then, I knew the rules. I knew the traditions.

Now? All I have to go on is a written promise by a male who threatened to drown me when I was barely a year old.

That’s not going to stop me.

Poor Ryker. As his mate, I’m his priority. But this is a pack issue. If I’m willing to stand between Accalia and the Wicked Wolf, how can he really justify putting his paw down and telling me I can’t go?

He knows I’m right. I know he does. And if we weren’t still in the honeymoon stage of our mating, where his possessive urges overrule his duty to Accalia, he’d realize what he’s doing. The way I see it, I have no choice. The invitation with my birth name was just the last straw.

When he mated me, I became a member of the Mountainside Pack. I became the Alpha’s mate. I can’t just stay inside of our cabin, waiting for my deranged sperm donor to attack because he suddenly decided after all these years that he wants to play daddy.

I don’t really have any clue what Wicked Wolf Walker wants with me. Not really. I mean, I know it has everything to do with being a female alpha, but I figured he would take a hint once I chose Ryker. He can’t force me to bond with another wolf just so he can control me, so why is he playing this game? Giving me an open invitation to visit his territory, knowing that an Alpha’s word is their bond. Even for a bastard with Walker’s reputation, if he broke his word, the whole Alpha collective could make him pay. He’d never risk losing his stranglehold on the Wolf District.

Of course, all that tells me is that he has a plan, but I won’t know what it is until I go.

At this point, we’ve already been discussing the matter for almost an hour. I’ve said my piece, Ryker’s said even more with his stony silence, and the council members are obviously reacting to the rising levels of dominance in the small den.

“Ryker?”

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