Page 58 of Rejected Bullied Mate

Scott huffed, looking almost offended. "I care because I actually give a damn about this alliance, and I don't enjoy knowing that you think of me so poorly that you'd believe I'd take your Omega."

"You were just the obvious choice at the time."

Scott laughed. "Do you really believe that I have time to go kidnapping other Alphas' mates? I have enough to do with my own pack, and you should know better than anyone that a pack doesn't just run itself."

Joe grunted, apparently bored with this conversation. "Can we just move on already? We're all tired of this."

I sighed. Joe was right. "I just don't trust him. It's that simple."

"Well, would it strengthen your trust to know that I did a little digging, and I have concrete proof for you that it was Mason's hired hands that attacked you and Kiera that night at the lookout?"

I looked at Scott, startled. "Proof?"

Scott pulled a ziploc bag containing a blood-covered, cracked phone from his pocket and tossed it across the table. "Since you oh so kindly left my pack to deal with the warehouse cleanup after your daring rescue, I took the opportunity to swipe any valuables they were carrying. All the information is there, in the texts."

"Shit," I said simply, all of the fighting going out of me. "Can I give this to Nayeli? She's my tech guru."

"Have at it. But just know—I have nothing to do with anything negative that happened to Kiera. Full stop. And I want you to drop it."

I nodded. "It's dropped. But...that doesn't mean we're friends."

Joe snorted. "You two are impossible."

"Yeah, but that's what keeps this interesting." Scott quipped. "What's next on the agenda? Oh, that's right. I have more news to share with you two."

Joe sighed, long and hard. "Scott, what have you gotten tangled up in?”

"It's not what I've gotten myself into," Scott said, "It's what our new neighbors have gotten themselves into. There's a new pack in town, and they don't seem very friendly. They're taking over the area to the north, bordering my territory and Samson's, but it doesn't touch yours, Joe."

"Do you know who they are yet?" Joe asked, all business.

Scott shook his head. "No. They're a little more...secretive than the packs we're used to dealing with. Very closed lips. I don't like it, and I want to know if the three of us are on the same page."

I nodded. "We are. Do you know anything else about them?"

"Just that their Alpha is a strong one. I've never seen him myself, but I hear things." Scott looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's probably a good idea for us to approach him together when we finally meet."

Joe and I both nodded in agreement. It was a hard pill to swallow, especially for me. I liked to think of myself as a strong wolf and a stronger Alpha. I didn't need help or protection. I didn't want it. But Scott had a point.

"They're not exactly threatening us," Joe pointed out, "So we could probably go on with life as usual."

"But we shouldn't let our guards down." Scott leaned forward in his chair, looking between us both. "I mean, we shouldn't just sit around, waiting for an attack. I have a lot of unattached women in my pack, and I don't need strange wolves encroaching on my territory and trying to steal them away."

Last year, I would have nodded right along with Scott, but things had changed. "So train them to protect themselves."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Oh, great idea, Saltfang. I'll just go train them right now."

"I'm serious," I snapped. "Why not train them? Why should we be the only ones allowed to defend ourselves?"

Joe frowned at me. "We've never done it before, Samson. That's...not how things are done."

"Yeah, well, maybe things need to change." I glared at both of them. "Look. I'm not saying we change all at once. But if these strange wolves are going to be a threat, why not prepare? Why not help our women and our Omegas learn how to defend themselves, too?"

The other Alphas looked at each other, clearly unsure.

"Unity is going to be important going forward, and unity is about how we lead. We only grow stronger if our women are just as capable as our men." I sighed, leaning forward in my chair. “You still run your packs like they’re old-school. Hierarchy, dominance, always looking down on the weaker wolves, the women. That’s what I’m seeing. That’s how we’ve all been taught to lead. And yeah, maybe it worked in the past. Maybe it got us by. But it doesn’t work anymore. Not for me.”

Joe hummed thoughtfully. "I agree with you, Samson, but it's not that simple."

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