Page 69 of Forced Alpha Bride
I experience a brief moment of panic where I assume she means I’m thinking about throwing her down on the table and kissing the sweet syrup right off her lips.
“Oh?” I ask, trying not to show how excited I am.
“You’re thinking that Valentine Creek could be innocent, and it would be unfair to hit them, but if you make any more excuses, the elders will assume you’re against them.”
“Yes,” I reply, relieved she isn’t truly reading my mind.
“We need to hear from the other scouts,” she says. “The ones the council sent out. I don’t think anyone knows the complete truth here, but the more voices we hear, the more intel we have to make a solid decision.”
“It would be good to hear from someone in Valentine Creek,” I reply. “But I can’t see anyone just walking in there. Even Uncle Leroy wouldn’t do that. Since my father was killed, he didn’t feel safe there.”
Winnie sighs. “That doesn’t fill me with confidence.”
“Me either,” I admit.
We finish our pancakes and coffee, then head out to the manor to meet with the elders. Winnie seems quiet and thoughtful, but with nowhere near the amount of anxiety she had yesterday.
I have to figure out what’s going on in her mind. I want to be with her, no matter what. If all this other bullshit wasn’t in the way, I’d still want her. She needs to know that I treasure her for who she is, not for the power she gives me.
When we arrive at the manor, the other elders are gathered in the parlor, waiting for us. All of them look somber, but Regina’s face is a mask of barely concealed fury.
“The scouts have returned—” she begins.
“I know,” I answer. “I recently spoke with Austin. He told me that there was no evidence Valentine Creek had crossed the boundary—”
“No evidence?” Regina snaps. “Really?”
She stands up and walks towards me, a folded cloth in her hands. I feel a sense of doom opening up at my feet, a future of brutal, violent deeds I can’t escape.
And I thought power would bring me peace.
Regina stops in front of me, opening the cloth. Inside is a dried flower, lily-shaped with pale petals and a dark stem. The bright orange pollen scatters across the cloth with a bright, golden glimmer.
“It’s a fire flower,” I say after a moment.
“Yes, it is,” Regina says. “And they only grow in one place. Valentine Creek.”
Chapter 21 - Winnie
Silence rings through the room, a singing note of tension that feels like the pause right before an explosion. Damon stares at the flower on the cloth, his face twisted with conflict.
“Warriors have been assembled,” Regina says sharply. “They are out in the courtyard, waiting for your order. Will you lead them, Damon?”
He takes a deep breath, slowly raising his head to look Regina in the eye.
“No,” he states.
The elders start shouting, all of them getting up to hurry over and say their piece. Damon waves his hands, roaring for them to shut up.
“Regina,” he says, and the ruckus settles. “You can’t show me a dried flower and expect me to go into a full-force attack. You haven’t even given me any context. Who found it? Where? Give me all the information. I wouldn’t be a very good alpha if I didn’t fully investigate this before putting our wolves at risk.”
Well done. She can’t argue with that.
“Rafe, a member of my personal guard, found this flower in the hills nearby,” Regina says. “There was evidence of a small group camping there and the remains of other flowers, too. These can be made into an explosive liquid, as I’m sure you know.”
“Yes, I do,” Damon answers.
“Hex, one of my most loyal men, has taken samples of the burned buildings, and he is certain fire flower syrup is the incendiary. What more evidence do you need? Take our warriors out, now!”
