Page 83 of Forced Alpha Bride
“Did you all agree on this?” Kit asks.
The other elders exchange guilty looks.
“I did not affirm or deny,” Norman says, almost stuttering.
“Nor I!” Bryce agrees. “I made no such decision.”
“Bryce, you fucking coward,” Cora growls.
“Elder Kyman?” Galen asks, addressing Cora. “You have something to add?”
“I supported Regina,” she says, staring him down. “And so did Mitchell and Ledra.”
Kit looks over at the others. “You agreed to attack?”
Ledra just nods, and Mitchell steps forward with his shoulders squared.
“I supported Regina,” he affirms. “As we all should. After Roderick died, she became the senior elder.”
“So a fire flower was found,” Galen says, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Did you find any evidence of an invader? Any scent, prints, anything?”
Oh, thank fucking God. He’s found something!
I look up at Damon and smile, squeezing his hand to let him know it’s all going to be alright. He looks tense, but smiles back.
I didn’t just text Galen to bring him here. I sent them out to investigate the area of the attack—and he must have found something!
“We did not,” Regina answers. “But we didn’t expect to. Valentine Creek is well-known for their stealth.”
“That’s interesting,” Kit remarks. “Because I had my warriors sweep the woods in the area, and they reported that no wolf has left Valentine Creek in a very long time. No wolf in the world is good enough to leave no trace at all, and I assure you,Galen and I had hundreds of wolves search the forest. If there was something to be found, we would have seen it.”
“What about the attack?” Regina barks. “We have just laid our friends to rest in the earth, brave warriors who died when Valentine Creek came to finish what they started. Alpha Damon must pay for this!”
“Like I said,” Kit answers, “we found no sign for miles that any wolf had left Valentine Creek. We combed the forest thoroughly, Regina.”
“That isn’t evidence!” she snaps. “It proves nothing.”
Warriors from Quartz Key and Cyan Lock begin to flood in from the trees, crossing the plain to ring the circle. Galen gestures to someone in the crowd, and I see Nico come forward with a bundle tied around his neck.
As he stops in front of his father, he shifts back to his human shape, catching the bundle in his hands. I’m struck by how grown-up he looks and the sense of power that emanates from him.
Let no one forget, he is a witch and a wolf as one. He could probably decimate Gryphon Eyrie by himself.
“Thank you, son,” Galen says, bowing slightly. “I was in a hurry, so I had Nico bring this in after the area was fully searched.”
“What area?” Regina asks with a note of uneasiness.
“The place where the attack happened,” Galen says, staring at her with a furious expression. “It was a brutal assault, I have to say. There was blood and bone scattered over a wide area. And it looks like there was only one attacker who moved with stealth and took them by surprise, one by one.”
Regina swallows and steps backwards, bumping into Mitchell. He holds her in place, a suspicious look in his eyes.
“What is that?” Regina asks, gesturing at the bundle. Galen unwraps it carefully.
“In a pool of blood belonging to a member of your personal guards, we found this.” Galen opens the bundle to reveal a silk handkerchief with fire flower stems and petals inside.
Mitchell raises his head and sniffs, his face going white with horror. “Regina, that’s your handkerchief—and Rafe’s blood!”
“It proves nothing,” she says, crossing her arms. “Except that Rafe was a traitor, too.”
