Page 80 of Protected Promise
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Who the hell are you?” Tobi countered.
Soon others emerged. There were seven women in all.
“Hey, I’m Cadence. Are you here for the Challenges too?”
My stomach dropped. Of course I knew they were here, but Landon was working on getting us exempt from the Challenges. I shouldn’t have come here.
“There aren’t going to be any challenges,” Tobi informed them.
I scowled at her. The last thing I needed was for her to provoke a pack of she-wolves hellbent on taking my pack position.
“How exactly do you figure? Challenges are tradition and our right,” the first girl asked as she tossed her curly brown hair over her shoulder.
“He found his true mate,” she blurted out.
“Tobi, be quiet,” I muttered under my breath.
Cadence sighed.
Another girl nodded. “He’s invoking the true mate clause other packs have been adhering to. I mean, good for him. We should probably pack up and get out of here then. I’m sure his new mate won’t be happy having us hanging around.”
“Shut up, Abby. There’s no such thing. It’s all just a myth used to scare off strong prospects,” the curly haired one said.
“I don’t think so, Mallory,” Cadence said. “It’s a real thing now.”
“Well, I’m not backing down. This is my chance to be a Pack Mother. I’m taking it.”
She jumped down and approached us. I could feel her aggression spiking. I didn’t dare make any sudden movements even though everything within me screamed to turn and run far away. My chin lifted in defiance, and I knew the second I did it that it was a mistake.
“You,” Mallory said.
“Her?” one of the other girls asked.
“Yes, it’s her. You’re Landon’s mate, aren’t you?”
I held my ground. “I am,” I confirmed.
Even to my own ears it sounded like a dare. I couldn’t take it back though. I could sense a threat and I was intuitively responding.
Tobi pushed me behind her protecting me from the girls.
“Oh look, she can’t even fight her own battles,” Mallory taunted me.
I let out a menacing growl of warning. She was too stupid to heed it.
“Has the Grand Council been informed?” one of the others stepped up and asked.
“Maria, no,” Abby said.
The girl gave me an eerie smile. “They haven’t. I can tell by the stupid look on her face. Jasmin, Clover, hold her down.”
“No way. I’m out.”
“Clover, you’re such a goody-goody,” Mallory said. “River, do it.”
The two girls approached me from opposite angles.
