Page 52 of The Alpha's Mates

He grinned and stepped inside. “I brought a few pledges with me. I hope you don’t mind.”

She bit her bottom lip. “Uh, no. Come on in.”

Person after person entered her home. Some she knew, some she had no clue where they came from, but each of them handed her a pledge application. She found Victor sitting on the couch with Hayden and Raquel. His relaxed posture and amiable smile unsettled her.

“I have a way to raise the money,” he announced. “I’ll pay for it.”

“We don’t have to. I have the money. Well, technically, I will have the money. Jackson is giving it to us.” Bell held onto the applications while the new pledges looked around the house. “Where did you find all of them?”

“Here and there. What you have here are the rejects. For whatever reason, whether it’s their mixed shifter race or the fact they’re pure human, they aren’t good enough for the fraternities or sororities here. They want to belong so badly, but no one will give them a chance.”

“We will.” Bell glanced at Hayden, who nodded. “Okay, girls, let’s go meet our new pledges.”

As they began tours and introduced themselves, Bell stared back at her mates. Maybe now they could relax a little, feel confident their plans would work out. Now all they had left to do was meet Rapier at the designated place and time to do the exchange.

Christoph and Jackson stepped outside while Bell, and Hayden laughed about something with their new recruits. The relaxed atmosphere of the house had been a novel experience. Everything had been so out of whack for the longest time. Not having anything to worry about really showed just how fucked up things had gotten since the games and the gala.

Rapier and his crew huddled around their worktable. The hum of their conversation not more than a whisper. Already, the house looked brand new. Fresh stucco and a coat of paint along the trim took ten years off the house. The inside of the pool where they’d broken out the old leaky concrete had been resurfaced. Several hundred gallons of water already filled the enclosure.

With purposeful strides, Christoph with Jackson at his side cut a path through the yard and came up behind Rapier when they broke apart to get back to work. Bell’s father turned and scrutinizing them for a moment. There was no doubt in Christoph’s mind Rapier would scent their mating and, standing in front of him with the physical marks of it, intimidated the hell out of Christoph.

“You went and did it.” Not a question.

“Yes.”

“Bell?” He crossed his arms.

“She’s fine.” Jackson stepped forward. “I give you my word we’d never harm her.”

Rapier pointed to his cheek. “Your mark?”

He nodded. “It’s the mark of a dragon’s mate. Christoph and Bell wear one.”

He cocked his brow at Christoph. “Interesting. Well, I’m glad you could make it. Everything is in place.”

“Good.” Christoph shook his head. “It’s time to move Aislinn. The minute my father finds out I have mated with Bell and Jackson….” He struggled to get the words out. He still wasn’t too sure about the whole thing between them. However, they had time, and eventually, they’d get where they needed to be. “Her father will hurt her. I am certain of it.”

Bell’s father nodded. “I agree. Rashid and Wy are ready. Saber has gone ahead to meet them at the state line. They’ll be in a rental van. They will drive in, so they can stay on state routes and roads only we know about. From there, Kee and Dani will drive her and Isaac home with Jace and Lucas as lookout.”

“I can get a message to her. She’ll know it’s me. I’d like to have her out of here before the end of tomorrow.”

He grunted. “Like cutting it close, don’t you, kid?”

He was. He knew if he waited any longer, someone would flub up and make a mistake. If they left tomorrow under the cover of darkness, he could easily deal with his father. “Well, I plan to confront my parents after she and Isaac are safely on the road. I won’t be worried about anything else.”

“You should be worried about Bell,” Rapier replied. “You better hope nothing happens to her.”

“I’ll protect her.” Jackson smirked. “Can’t let the both of you have all the fun. Don’t fret, she’ll be safe and sound.”

The door opened, and Bell stepped outside. The expression had been a mix of relief and worry. “I have some good news and some not-so-great news. I also have some skanky news.”

“Bell.” Rapier cocked a brow at her. “Where did you learn to talk like that? Where did my precious princess go?”

“Oh, Daddy. I’m only speaking the truth.” She handed the letter to Christoph, who snarled. “We have a meeting on Friday. But, this is the good news.”

“What?” Jackson wrapped his arm around her.

“First, I have all of my pledges I need to keep the house. Second, the condemned notices are all fake!” She giggled. “Fake. Fake. Fake.” She laughed again. “Criminally, I don’t think we can do anything to Laney, because the information was found in not so legal ways. However, we are taking it to Dean Ames.”

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