Page 33 of Ruthless Reign

However, I knew it wouldn't be an easy task. With two mates already, it wasn't as simple as reaching out to the alphas to say,"I think your mate might also be mine. Could you bring her to my territory to check?".

So, the next best plan was to bring her to me. Unfortunately, that wasn't a trouble-free task either. I knew the only way I'd get her here without an entourage was to drag her here.

I never claimed to be perfect. Sometimes, we have to improvise with unorthodox methods. I figured once she was here, we'd sort it out. If she wasn't my mate—no harm, no foul. But if she was—like she is—well, that's where the problem lies.

Any minute now I'm going to have an army of wolves storming into Silverpine Meadows, demanding my head. And sadly, time is once again not on my side. In an ideal situation, we'd have longer to get to know each other, and hash out the details together, without other alphas breathing down my neck.

Oh, well. It is what it is. I got my answer. We'll play it by ear as to what happens next.

In the meantime, Nyx needs some space to cool off. I've given her a lot to consider, and her starting to go into heat is yet another obstacle for us to overcome. Thankfully, Marie is a Goddess-send with her abilities. Along with her magic to mask things, I know she provides the females with medicinal blends to help with their discomfort. I've also sent Annabelle to befriend Nyx—perhaps having a friendly face will help ease her mind andthe belief that I'm going to drag her by her hair to the cells downstairs.

I hear footsteps approaching and I can already tell it's Sawyer based on the sound. When the door pushes open, confirming what I already know, he waltzes in, a manila folder in his hand.

"Here are those documents you wanted," he says, passing them over.

"Cheers. Have you briefed the others on our new guests?"

Sawyer nods, giving me a sharp look. "Have you decided whether you want us to watch the boundary line?"

I drop the folder on the desk, leaning back in thought. "Yes—have Ezra and Matteo stand guard out of sight. They will be able to identify them, so we know it's definitely their packs and no one else. But see if Marie can hide their presence. It's likely they will be on the lookout for wolves. I'm expecting the three packs to arrive together, so I'd hate for our men to be outnumbered and attacked."

"You realize the alphas will absolutely attack without waiting," he points out.

"Well, we will need to mitigate that," I say simply. "Tell Marie we'll need her. She should be able to disarm them if they try anything—at least until I'm able to speak to them directly."

Sawyer snorts. "She's not going to like that."

I shrug. "It's either that or we attack back. I won't let them harm my family. I'm sure she doesn't want that either."

For someone who claims to hate wolves, she makes no effort to leave our town. I'm certain that has a little something to do with the fact her son is a member of our pack. Apparently, not even witches are completely immune to the charms of other supernatural beings. Though, she assures me it was a one-time deal—but nevertheless, she ended up with a child from the encounter. Even though it wasn't in her plans to be a member ofa wolf pack, she believes that everything happens for a reason… even if she doesn't like it.

"Very well," Sawyer answers. "I'll have Ezra mind link you once they have a visual. Where would you like the rest of us stationed?"

I stand, rolling up the sleeves of my business shirt. "We'll greet them once they emerge from the trees. I'll have Annabelle escort Nyx over once we know they are nearby. If they see her standing with us, it might deescalate the situation."

"She'snot going to like that either."

"Probably not," I smile. "But I have no doubt she'll be happy to see her mates."

Sawyer pauses at the door, giving me a look of concern. "I think the chances of her hightailing it out of here as soon as they arrive are extremely high. She doesn't appear to have warmed up to us at all."

"We didn't get enough time, no," I agree. "But we've done what we can. At least we know the truth now. I'm hopeful that perhaps I can have some kind of meaningful discussion with Alpha Lex and Alpha Maverick."

He gives me a small nod, clearly not as optimistic as I am.

In all honesty, I don't know how this will go. It could be the start of peaceful banter—they are long overdue about unrelated matters—or it could end in a bloodbath. I'm prepared for both.

"I'm going to go speak with the others," I say, walking out from behind the desk. "For the sake of being prepared, give Kyani the heads up that we may have some guests staying tonight. At least that way she doesn't rip my head off when I send a dozen guests her way."

Sawyer laughs quietly, nodding as he turns and leaves the office. I follow him out, heading to the dining room as I run through all the possible scenarios that could eventuate in my mind.

Hopefully by the time I cross paths with Nyx again, she'll be calmer and happier. The last thing we need when the alphas come barreling out of the woods is to see her punching me in the face again, complaining about being whacked over the head with a rock.

Chapter Fourteen

Nyx

Annabelle is surprisingly nice—almost too friendly, if I'm being honest.

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