Page 38 of The Alpha's Heir

Lydia and Amber walk into the packhouse, and Amber returns a few minutes later, just as the council officials start arriving.

“I am Alpha Aiden Goldrick. You have not been invited onto my lands. State your business now or I will instruct my army to attack.”

The gauntlet has been thrown down. I stand shoulder to shoulder with Alpha Aiden and will fight alongside him.

“I am Elder Esme. I am an Investigating Officer with the Control of Dangerous Beasts Bureau. I have been sent by the Werewolf Council in response to a complaint that has been made.”

“What is the complaint?” Beta Preston asks bluntly.

Elder Esme shuffles her papers and pulls one out. “The complaint is that you failed to report a dangerous beast- “

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence as Aiden growls and bares his teeth at the vermin that insultingly refers to his mate as a dangerous beast.

“Watch your mouth or you’ll lose your throat, mutt,” Aiden spits out at her. His pack members all growls and snarl, they are all wound tightly, ready to pounce on their prey. He has trained them well.

“The charges are that Evangelina, daughter of Xavier Woodward and fated mate of Aiden Goldrick, has a dangerous beast in the form of a manifested wolf. We are here to remove her from your pack. She will be imprisoned at the bureau until we have excised her wolf. If she survives, she will be free to return to you.”

“She is going nowhere. My daughter is staying right here where she belongs with her mate,” I tell them through gritted teeth. I want to rip their heads off.

“This will result in a war and trust me, Alpha Xavier, I have back-up arriving any moment now. Turn over the werewolf with the Dire Wolf and no-one else will be hurt.”

“Never!”

The ground starts to rumble and tremble, and I am not sure if it will be our enemies or our allies. It doesn’t matter either way: we will never hand Eva over without a fight and they refuse to leave without arresting her.

It looks like a war is the inevitable outcome.

*** Aiden ***

They’ve got to be kidding. The only way I’m going to let them take Eva is over my dead body. To my relief, Xavier’s army and the thousands of his allies turn up just in time. Thousands of warriors have turned out to defend the honour of my little mate, and my heart swells with pride. The council will have a hard time overpowering us.

“My daughter is going nowhere, Esme. Now back the fuck off before you start a war. There is no need to spill blood here today. Evangelina is no threat to anyone, and we will ensure that her Dire Wolf is dealt with once she whelps her pup.” Xavier takes the lead, and I am grateful, since I am close to losing all my restraint. I am terrified for my mate, our little girl and our teeny tiny pup growing inside her. I am powerless and without any control and I don’t like it, not when it involves my family, the people I love and, most importantly, when it comes to Eva’s safety.

“And how do you propose to keep the Onyx River Pack safe from your Luna? Dire Wolves are uncontrolled beasts.” I start towards her; I've already fucking warned her that I would rip her throat out, but Amber and Preston pull me back.

“Don’t you dare refer to my mate as an uncontrolled beast. Luna Eva will not be leaving our territory. At this moment in time, she is in our cells, where she will remain until her confinement is over. We will revisit the issue then.”

“Who sent her to the cells?” Esme asks as she frowns at this new information. Her papers flap about as she attempts to record the information.

“She imprisoned herself when she realised her wolf had manifested. She wants to remain in the cells here at her own insistence. There is no threat to our kind, the problem is being dealt with,” Beta Preston tells her.

“It’s not just a matter of keeping her locked up, her wolf needs to be removed and destroyed so it can’t hurt the werewolf community,” Esme patronisingly tells Preston.

“Have you ever seen a Dire Wolf, Elder Esme? Do you have any knowledge of how they manifest and how to reverse it?” Preston demands of her.

“… Well, no, not personally. But I’ve read a couple of books and- “ Preston cuts her off and I’ve never wanted to congratulate him more. He’s always been far more astute and diplomatic than me, and it shows right now when I need him most.

“I have. I, therefore, have more hands-on experience of dealing with Dire Wolves than you do. I will personally seek a resolution to this issue for my Luna and friend. I believe I have found a way to reverse the manifestations without harming anyone, especially Eva and her Wolf.”

Preston pauses to let this information sink in.

“By her own hand, my Luna sent herself to the cells because she wanted everyone else to be safe. She has been responsible and selfless and not one of us will allow you to move her. We have never felt safer than we are right now with Luna Eva looking after us all.”

“This is most irregular.” Elder Esme is flustered now, she shuffles her papers again like they will give her the answers.

“I’ll tell you what is most irregular: sending a council official to detain a Dire Wolf when she’s never even seen one. What was the council thinking?” Xavier is challenging the council now, and he has a point. If we have more experience and expertise at hand, why should they take her? “I propose that Luna Eva stays here in her self-administered containment, and we will consult all the healers we can with experience of dealing with a Dire Wolf.”

Elder Esme has no option, not if she wants to avoid bloodshed. “I want to speak to Luna Eva, our officers will need to examine the suggested holding cell and she would be under house arrest. I will come back every Friday to meet with Eva and discuss any issues there may be.” She paused. “Would that be to your satisfaction?”

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