Page 3 of Alpha Bride

All thiscooperationalso means that I’ve been seeingheragain. I’d avoided running into Emily ever since she bewitched me in the forest two years ago. I was younger then, a new alpha, and clearly too soft. The magic was undeniable. The moment I held her, my wolf was powerless against her. Old Ralph was a sick bastard, but he’d been right about the witches—I was lucky to escape then, and I won’t make the same mistake again.

It’s frankly galling the way Callum and Ava have practically rolled out the red carpet for her. She and Ava seempretty tight these days. I’ve made my feelings pretty clear, but Callum seems happy to let that woman close to his family. He even claims she has no practical magic, which I know from experience is an outright lie.

“Looks like we’re late to the party,” my beta, Ryan, mutters as we reach the small stage that has been constructed near a large central bonfire.

My brothers are both already here with their betas. I spot Callum talking to Ava and nod in greeting as we move through the small crowd. I also spot several of the witches that have been invited to attend milling around, my eyes scanning the crowd until I find her. Emily. I just knew she’d be here. Her red hair dazzles in the sunlight, and I watch as she laughs at something one of the other women from Callum’s pack says, her whole damn face lighting up. She has her feet well under the table in his pack now. She’s helping with their rune updates and trialing new spells. Plus, she seems to have made friends with Ava and some of the other women.

Can’t say I didn’t warn him.

Tearing my eyes away from Emily is physically difficult, so much so that I sometimes wonder if some of her bewitching magic has lingered.

I force myself to turn toward Ryan, who is scanning the crowd, too. He was ambushed by rogues a few weeks ago on patrol. His scars are healing, but I can see he’s more tense than usual. “There’s no party without us,” I tell him. “Why don’t you grab some beers, and I’ll meet you at the stage. Got to say hi to Aiden.”

He nods and heads off for the drinks, looking pensive. These damn rogues operating under Malik’s control are taking their toll on everyone. I’m frustrated. Witches and their runesare holding the majority of attacks at bay, and certainly blocking Malik from entering too deeply into our territories, but it’s not enough. Nowhere near enough. We need to take him out. But we’re no closer to figuring out how.

I know my brothers share my frustrations, as apparently do the witches who demanded to be part of this meeting. Aiden notices my approach and jumps down from the small stage to greet me with a brief hug. The past couple of years have seen his youth and exuberance tempered and refined into something far more worthy of a leader. I’m impressed with how he’s running the mountain pack. His only downfall appears to be how much trouble he causes with women. Though perhaps I’m only jealous because ever since that bewitching, I can’t seem to find it in myself to look at anyone other than that conniving, beautiful redhead.

I shake the thought away and clap my younger brother on the back. “Sorry, we’re late,” I say. “Ready to get started?”

Aiden laughs. “I’ll let you off if you can bring this crowd to order. Just need Callum and Marian.”

I roll my eyes at the high priestess’s name. She’s a royal pain in the ass. “Seriously, I don’t know why we’re involving them to this degree,” I snap as Aiden rolls his eyes. “I know, I know, their magic is helping. But at what cost? We’ve always lived separately, and it’s worked fine.”

Aiden scoffs. “Sure. We’ll just ask them to supply their magic and then go back out into the forest to fight off Malik and his growing hoard of rogues all on their own. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help.”

His sarcasm grates, but I don’t bother replying because Callum and Marian are already walking over, deep in conversation. I’ll never understand why Callum doesn’t seethe truth about them. Ralph had so many stories about how duplicitous they were growing up. He wasn’t right about many things, but everything I’ve seen of the witches tells me he was spot-on about them. Callum was always so determined to be nothing like our father that he’s blind to it.

“Good to see you, bro,” Callum says as we bump fists.

I turn and nod politely at Marian. Whatever my personal views, I can still be diplomatic to a point. “Let’s get this show on the road,” I say as we take to the stage.

Aiden was right; getting a crowd from three packs and a bunch of witches under control is a challenge, but soon enough, a hush falls over the clearing, and I begin to outline why we’ve called the alpha council. Too many rumors persist about which packs are doing what, what our progress is, and what we plan to do next. The council affords each alpha the chance to be publically transparent about their recent experiences and any progress in finding Malik.

Turning slightly to gesture toward Marian, I add, “And the witches can speak on their progress. I’m sure we all look forward to that.”

Marian clearly doesn’t miss the ice in my tone as she glares almost straight through me. Her almost white blonde hair and green eyes create a magical contrast that sets my nerves on edge even more than her deathly stare.

“Quite,” she replies with a smile that looks as sincere as my own.

Aiden clears his throat. “So,” he starts. “Let’s begin with the recent attacks. I’ll go first.”

We all listen to Aiden recount that the mountain pack has suffered a few minor attacks along their sea border, but nothingcritical. It does raise the issue that the number of rogues appears to be reinforced by strangers coming in from the mainland. Hired fighters or devoted followers, we’re not sure. I bite back a growl as I listen to Aiden and consider how under threat our island sanctuary really is.

Finally, it's my turn. I force myself to keep my voice level as I speak: “Our pack was attacked three nights ago. We lost two good men, including one of our oldest betas, George.” The silence that falls over the clearing is like ice water as everyone processes what I’ve said. Even Marian looks genuinely saddened for a moment before schooling her features into something more neutral.

“That’s terrible news,” Callum says, and I can hear the concern in his voice. He steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder in sympathy. It's a small gesture, but it means a lot. “George was a good man. Any loss is terrible.”

I nod, grateful for his support. “We’ve found no trace of Malik yet, but we continue to scour the forest. We’ll gladly take the fight to him rather than wait.” I pause for a moment. “Now, about the witches…” I trail off, daring Marian to interrupt me.

But she surprises everyone by speaking first. “Some of our youngest have vanished,” she says quietly. Her voice is filled with thinly veiled anger. “We fear they’ve been taken captive. Not killed. Captured.”

The air around us seems to thicken with tension so palpable you could cut it with a knife. I find myself instinctively scanning the crowds for the familiar red hair. She’s deep in conversation with Ava and her other friend. Somehow, I can always seem to read her like a book, and right now, she looks on edge.

“Captured?” Aiden echoes, his voice deeper than usual with barely concealed outrage. “By rogues?”

Marian shrugs delicately, her expression unreadable as ever. “We don’t know,” she says quietly. “But we do know that the vulnerability of our sisters, even within the shifter towns, has not gone unnoticed.”

I look at Callum, expecting him to look as frustrated as I feel, but his expression is carefully schooled, and I have the unmistakable feeling I’m about to be blindsided. Nothing should surprise me where the witches are concerned. But Callum? I don’t want to fall out with my brother, but I will.

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