Page 14 of Her Cruel Alpha

Paul and Tray were the most relaxed of the group, but they held blank expressions. Neither giving away what they were feeling. They, much like Aaron, seemed more down-to-earth and understanding, which might have been why they were paired with him. Austin and Olivia were sitting next to them. Every meeting I had with them was quick and to the point. Olivia, a lot like Willow, was cold and held a pissed expression. Cris and Hannah, who were designated for Jone’s pack were two that I couldn’t seem to put my finger on. They always said little during meetings, even now I couldn’t read them.

I swallowed because I was in deep shit with twelve pairs of eyes staring at me like they wanted me dead.

“Katie Armstrong, you have been caught running from your job and the responsibility you signed and agreed upon in your contract.” Ralph broke the silence, tapping his fingers on the table.

I tried to find my words and think of anything I could say to make this better, but before I could, the door behind me wasthrown open. I heard them slam against the wall and bounce off, the sound echoing all around us. I looked over my shoulder and spotted Henrik walking into the room. He looked fuming as he marched toward us.

“Henrik, you were not asking to attend this meeting,” Derrick spoke up in a forward tone, sitting up slightly in his chair. “Please leave.”

But Henrik’s eyes weren’t on any of us, but on Marty, who stood next to me. Henrik was shorter than Marty, but he didn’t seem to care as he wound up and punched Marty square in the face. Marty stumbled back a few steps and looked ready to hit back. Henrik bared his teeth and growled at him. “If you even think of fucking touching her the way I have you on camera again, I will happily send you straight to a fucking jaw specialist to fix what will come next.”

My eyes were wide as I watched Henrik turn his gaze from Marty to me. His eyes softened slightly before he looked towards the Council. His gaze darkened quickly. “And this meeting concerns me because I recall you asking me to fetch her and bring her to you.”

I looked at the Council, and Ralph leaned back in his chair. He ran a hand over his white hair, looking annoyed. We did, and you decided to hide her rather than bring her to us right away.”

“You also sent an animal after her as well rather than trusting me to get the job done. This could have been handled better.” Henrik waved a hand at me. “You have her tied up, for fuck sake!”

Jennisa waved her hands, and Marty moved to untie them. Once my arms were free, I rubbed them, feeling theywere going to bruise tomorrow. I was going to feel everything tomorrow.

“She agreed to a contract, Henrik, and we caught her red-handed running from it. This part doesn’t concern you.” Jennisa said in a sharp tone.

My heart sank, and I swallowed, trying to think of what I could say. I couldn’t deny it because I had. Everything they said was true.

“And you think rather than asking what’s going on to just drag her ass back here? You didn’t even ask questions before you accused her.”

“You should know that signing a contract is binding, Henrik. You have your own.” Steve spoke up calmly. “You know the repercussion.”

I looked at Henrik and suddenly questioned if all the Alpha’s had signed contracts. I shouldn’t be surprised. The Council made all the shots.

“Katie was caught running from her job and her duty as the next paired member of an Alpha,” Derrick said, his eyes dropping on me, and I saw it. The disappointment. Steve and he knew I was paired with Henrik, and instead of accepting it, I ran.

Henrik’s eyebrows went up at this news. Ralph leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. “She was paired with you, Henrik. And instead of facing it, she ran.”

Henrik looked at me and then back at them. He suddenly seemed to realize why they asked him to fetch me.

“We take this role very seriously, and you both need to accept the roles you were given. The packs need an alliance rather than a rebellion right now. We are already hanging by threads, let’s not pluck at them.” Olivia spoke up, foldingher hands together.“Everyone has duties they don’t enjoy. That doesn’t mean you get to just ignore your responsibilities. Either get in line or be prepared to face what comes next.”

A shiver ran down my spine. I didn't want to know what came next. I heard how they just made people disappear.

“Then her mistakes are mine. If you want to blame anyone, you can blame me.”

I looked at Henrik, shocked. He couldn’t be serious, just wanting to take the blame for everything I did.

The Council was quiet for a moment before Ralph sighed. “We will have a meeting with you to discuss how we will handle this moving forward. So, why don’t you focus on getting married and getting her in line? Maybe we will lessen the repercussions.”

“This isn’t his fault,” I snap out. “I did this. This..” But they weren’t listening to me. Ralph waved a hand, dismissing us. I looked at Henrik, who looked defeated.

Henrik grabbed my arm, softly turning us and taking us out of the room. Once the doors were shut, he let go. He frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I stammered for words, still shocked at the outcome of everything. I then frowned. “Because it’s not your mess.”

“It is,” he growled at me. “You should have told me.”

“And you told me you didn’t want to waste any more time with me.” I snapped back angrily. “Do you honestly expect me to just run to you when I found that we were paired up!”

He looked hurt and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, either way, we need to get married to settle this.”

“They made that very clear.” I crossed my arms. While they may have stated we had to get married, that didn’t mean Iwas just falling in line. “We may be married, but that will be all it is, Henrik. We will not kiss. We will not sleep in the same bed or the same room. And we will not have sex.”

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