Page 71 of Forced Alpha Bride
“Winnie!” she yells, racing across the room and throwing her arms around me. Breath blasts out of my lungs as she squeezes me, almost lifting me off my feet.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, dragging me into the library. “How have you been? Is he a total beast?”
“I’m here for the meeting,” I say, ignoring Krista’s other questions as I sit down in front of the roaring fire next to Krista’s mother. “It’s nice to see you, Isla.”
“And you, too, dear. I’ve been so worried.”
“I’m fine. I’m more worried about this horrible conflict than anything else. I don’t want more people getting hurt.”
“I agree,” Isla says. “This is a terrible situation. It would never have happened if Roderick were still alive!”
“Why?” I ask, keeping my tone light.
“Because Valentine Creek was afraid of him. He pushed them back into their boundaries years ago and dealt with anyone who came out with lethal force. He kept warriors in constant watch and executed a group of young wolves that tried to escape. He did it in full view of the town, and no one has tried to leave since then.”
“So he kept a force of warriors around the town itself?” I ask. “And the wolves he executed, what was their crime?”
“They left the borders,” Krista says. “That was bad enough.”
Her words sink into me, and a sick feeling of horror rises in my guts.
Those young wolves could have been going anywhere in the Range. Who says they were coming for the Eyrie?
“So, you’re saying that Valentine Creek knew Roderick died, and that’s why they attacked?” I ask.
“When Roderick died, Regina became the council’s strongest member,” Isla says. “She sent reinforcements to the warriors around the Creek. The alpha challenge was supposed to be a brief meeting. A debate and a vote, nothing more. No one expected Damon to show up, let alone win.”
“But why let him fight at all?”
“We could not refuse him,” Krista says. “His mother’s line is from the first families. She was the last of them, and when she died, we thought Damon would never return.”
“He also has a loyal group of fierce warriors,” Isla continues. “He could have forced a battle. No one wanted that. The first thing he did after winning was recall warriors and have everyone stand down. When our sentries left the forest, Valentine Creek would have known we were vulnerable.”
“And you think they moved on us because of that?” I ask.
“I think it’s awfully convenient that the attack happened right after Damon ordered an end to hostile maneuvers with the Creek,” Isla says.
“But if they are so poor, then how could they launch the attack in the first place?” I point out. “It’s not like I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but the reports say the town is very small, and they are simple people.”
“That’s exactly why they’ve always attacked us!” Isla says furiously. “Because they have nothing. The only way for them to survive is to steal from others, and they think nothing of taking innocent lives if anyone gets in their way.”
Before I can ask another question, an alarm sounds, and people start screaming. There is a terrible howling coming from the back courtyard, and the three of us run through the house to get out there as quickly as we can. When we pass the parlor, I see Damon and the elders ahead of us.
We follow them through the back doors and out into the open courtyard where the party decorations are still set up, wilting in the cold breeze. All around us, injured men are being dragged in, and wolves bay and howl up and down the valley as if they are warning of an incoming attack.
A horrible wailing sounds from the back of the yard, and I follow Damon towards it. When I see Regina clutching a young man to her breast, screaming as she strokes his hair, horrible fear and grief almost stop my heart in my chest.
“Rafe!” she cries. “No! My boy… no!”
Damon stares down at her, his face white with shock. Regina sits up and points her finger at him, still clinging to Rafe with her other arm.
“You did this! You’re responsible for the deaths of all of these boys! Rafe was like a son to me! When we sent out scouts to bring in our warriors, we found them being attacked by assassins from Valentine Creek!”
“Regina,” Damon whispers. “I’m so sorry.”
“This didn’t have to happen!” she screams. “If only you had sent out warriors when we told you to, all of these young men would still be alive!”
“Where are my scouts?” Damon asks. “Do they have a report?”
