CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & SEVENTY SEVEN
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & SEVENTY SEVEN
Talia’s POV
“So, tell me, Alpha Nolan,” Jason said, his voice carrying sarcasm clearly through the bars. “Can you really accept that the Bloodmoon pack will never have an heir?”
He leaned forward, gripping the iron bars as if he wanted Nolan to see the satisfaction on his face. “Or does that not bother you,” he continued, “knowing your line ends with her?”
Jason’s laugh scraped at my nerves. I had truly thought it was Viki that had swayed how he felt about me, but I was wrong. As soon as Jason thought I was barren, he didn’t care about me at all.
Nolan did not answer right away which made my stomach twist. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Did he agree with Jason?
Noticing my discomfort, Solon gripped my wrist. His touch brought comfort and I began to slow my breathing. Then, it felt like my heart jumped out of my throat when Nolan roared.
The echo of it seemed to be even louder. It vibrated through my chest and Jason’s laughter cut off instantly. Nolan’s hand went through the bars and gripped Jason’s neck.
“You shameless bastard,” Nolan snapped. “You are not only a disgrace as an Alpha. You are a disgrace as a male.” He slung him backward and Jason barely managed to keep himself from falling back on his butt.
Jason’s face twisted with fury. “You think you are better than me?” he snarled. “You don’t get to judge my decisions. I did what was the best for my pack.”
“And look where that has gotten you. You have done more damage to your pack by abandoning her,” Nolan said, his voice hard.
Jason had no rebuttal. It was true. By trusting Viki, his pack was on the brink of ruin.
“I do not believe Talia is barren and even if she were barren, that was never her fault,” Nolan continued. “You were her mate. You should have stayed by her side. You should have protected her. Instead, you abandoned her like she was nothing.”
I felt relaxed when hearing his words. I didn’t realize how stressed I was about Nolan’s opinion on the matter. At least I knew if I was barren, Nolan would not have betrayed me.
I glanced toward my father. He was watching Nolan closely. My father nodded in approval. Solon also looked pleased with Nolan’s response.
Jason slammed his palm against the bars. “Do not pretend you would have done any different,” he snapped. “An Alpha needs an heir.”
“An heir does not have to be by blood,” Nolan snapped, “you simple minded fool.”
“The Elders would never…”
“Fuck that! An Alpha needs to make his own decisions and stand by them,” Nolan snarled, cutting him off. “An Alpha needs honor, something you never had.”
Jason scoffed. “I made the right choice.”,
“You were never worthy of her,” Nolan said firmly. “And the Moon Goddess will never grant you another mate I believe.”
“You do not know that,” Jason responded.
“I do,” Nolan said evenly. “Because the Moon Goddess already chose again. Yet, you have no one and will never have anyone again.”
Colin’s hand closed gently around my shoulder. “We should go,” he whispered. “Before he realizes we were listening.”
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & SEVENTY SEVEN
+25 Bonus
I hesitated. I wanted to continue to listen. I wanted to see Nolan continue to berate Jason, but I knew it was only a matter of time before we were noticed.
I allowed Colin to guide me away. We left the dungeon and went straight to my rose garden to debrief. I sat down on the nearest stone bench as I needed a moment to process what I heard.
No one spoke at first.
Finally, I looked up at Colin. “Was this your idea?”
“Partly,” Colin answered.
“And when were you going to tell me about this?” I asked.
“You weren’t supposed to know,” Solon chimed in.
“Solon….you said you respected my choice!”
“I was worried,” Solon admitted. “I did not know if Nolan would truly put you first. I spoke with Colin about it and we came up with the plan to test him.”
“Do you know how bad this could’ve turned out if he caught us?” I asked.
“Yes,” Colin said quietly. “But we both needed to know how he would react when it mattered.”
“You should have trusted me,” I said.
“You can’t blame us for being worried though. After what happened with….” Solon didn’t finish his sentence after receiving a glare from our father.
“After what happened with Jason…that’s what you were going to say, right?” I sneered.
“I understand why you are upset,” Father interjected. “And you should also understand our concern. We did not want you to go through the same thing.”
“Nolan is NOTHING like Jason,” I said firmly. Nolan had gone out of my way to save me twice and never took advantage of me. I knew even though I was nervous about him, I did feel like he wouldn’t betray me. I just wanted him to claim me properly.
“I know,” Father said. “Seeing how Nolan defended you tonight made me more confident entrusting you to him.”
I looked at him in surprise. “You already knew I would choose Nolan?”
I looked between Solon and Colin. Colin quickly said, “I didn’t tell him.”
Solon nodded. “Alright. I told Father.”
“Solon!” I exclaimed.
“Hey, you did not tell me Nolan was your second chance mate,” Solon added, turning toward me. “Why would you keep that from me?”
“I was worried you would fight with him,” I said honestly. “You are both stubborn.”
Solon exhaled through his nose. “That is fair.”
I reached out and squeezed his hand, “I know you were trying to protect me. I appreciate it and I promise I will help you keep Leslie.”
“Deal,” Solon said, flashing his usual smile.
“Solon, go confirm the arrangements for tomorrow’s ceremony,” Father said, turning to me with a gentle gaze. “We’ll make everything perfect for our princess.”
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