Page 51 of Brutal Alpha's Sold Mate
She tears her gaze away. “No, you wouldn’t have. You’re too fixated on your own war. I wanted to spare myself from seeing you destroyed, if that’s where you’re heading. Bringingmy pack in is the only thing I could think of to save you from yourself.”
Damien clears his throat pointedly. “If you two want to keep yelling, do it somewhere else. The wolves in my territory don’t appreciate brawls in the street.”
I glare at him, then exhale, trying to collect my scattered thoughts. My eyes flick to Kai. “So you’re leaving. For East Hills. For good?”
Her hesitation is minimal. “I don’t know. I just know I can’t watch you march to your death. But if you want to talk, if you want to consider a real alliance with East Hills, we can find a middle ground. Come with me, Damien.”
I blink, taken aback by the invitation. It sounds a little crazy—just me, following her like a puppy, showing up on the doorstep of a pack I’ve never even met. Yet, a sliver of my heart jumps at the idea of getting to know her better, outside the walls of Black Cauldron. Maybe I’ll discover things about her that I never would’ve imagined, and maybe she’ll see things about me that surprise her.
“What do you say?” she asks softly, looking hopeful.
I look at her, then Damien, who shrugs, impassive. “It’s not my choice. This is your family’s mess, Theo. Your call.”
I stare at them, weighing the risks. Then, slowly, I nod.
“All right,” I grumble. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 19 - Kai
I can feel my pulse kicking like a startled animal as we cross into East Hills territory. For all my bravado and tough talk, I’m flat-out nervous about bringing Theo here. It’s one thing to confess I’m from this pack and another thing entirely to parade him through the front gates, especially when he’s been on such a volatile track with his own brothers. Add to that the secret I kept from him, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
He walks beside me with his hands jammed into his pockets. It’s the quiet that bothers me more than anything, the silence that feels loaded with everything we haven’t said since we left River Valley. The look in his eyes tells me he’s hurt, maybe even furious that I kept so much hidden. I haven’t exactly done a great job explaining myself, but I wanted to do it in my home territory, where I can prove I’m not just spinning a tall tale.
As we enter the outer circle of East Hills, wolves on patrol recognize me. Their faces flash with shock, then relief, then outright confusion when they notice who’s at my side. One woman drops her cell phone, staring open-mouthed. I give her a short nod, trying to look composed, even though my insides feel like they’re churning.
Theo keeps his gaze forward, clearly on high alert. He probably expects an ambush the moment we move too far in.
We pass a set of stone arches that mark the official boundary, and I see the watch post on the right. A pair of wolves I recognize from childhood stand there with their crossbows slung over their shoulders. The second they spot me, they let out startled gasps.
“Kai?” one blurts, nearly dropping his crossbow. “We thought you were dead.”
I open my mouth to respond, but a familiar voice booms from the left. “She’s very much alive, apparently.” My brother Quincey steps around the corner, muscles tensed, wearing his well-worn beta armband. His gaze locks on me. In two strides, he’s in front of me, grabbing me by the shoulders. “Where the hell have you been?”
My attempt at a smile feels wobbly. “Nice to see you, too, Quincey.”
“We’ve been combing every lead for months. Our witches tried spells to locate you, but they never pinned you down. You just vanished.” His grip tightens on my arms. “I thought you were gone forever. Do you have any clue what that did to me? To the pack?”
My throat constricts. “I know, and I’m sorry. Things got complicated.”
“Complicated doesn’t cover it,” he snarls. Then his gaze shifts past me, locking onto Theo. “Who’s that?”
Theo lifts his chin but doesn’t speak. This is exactly what I dreaded: two strong men posturing. I place a hand on Quincey’s wrist to remind him I’m right here.
“This is Theo,” I say carefully. “He—he’s from Black Cauldron.” I sense Theo tensing further when I don’t elaborate that he’s their alpha… sort of. I glance at him, hoping he’ll let me handle the introduction. “He came here with me, willingly.”
Quincey looks from me to Theo with open suspicion. “Why would you bring a stranger into our territory after disappearing for months? Did he kidnap you? Force you to run with him?”
At that, Theo scoffs. “I never forced her to do anything. Even though I have the absolute power to do so.” His voice is low, laced with anger.
I can practically see Quincey’s hackles rise. “He speaks for himself. Great. I’d love to know why my sister was missing for months and then shows up with some random wolf. Start talking.”
I step between them, hoping to head off a confrontation. “Quincey, calm down. Theo didn’t kidnap me. Malcolm and Wiley did that months ago. Remember the mission that went wrong? After that, I ended up in Black Cauldron, and… it’s complicated.” I’m not sure how else to tell my brother that the wolf standing beside mepurchasedme from said assholes, so I just go with that.
“Complicated,” Quincey repeats, eyeing Theo like he wants to tear out his throat. “I’ll bet. You vanish, and suddenly you’re running around with a wolf from that pack? Smells suspicious to me.”
Theo tenses again, likely biting back a snarky remark. I hold up a hand to stop him. If he says the wrong thing, Quincey will snap. And if Theo snaps, too, we’ll have a brawl in the middle of East Hills, which I absolutely don’t want.
“I came here because I need your help,” I tell Quincey. “There’s trouble brewing with Theo’s brothers, Jacob and Reed. It’s about territory and fights that might escalate. I figured we could—”
