CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & EIGHTY EIGHT
Talia’s POV
“I am starting to get a bad feeling about this, like Jason might come to Silverfang himself,” Della said after Leslie folded the note and put it back in the folder.
The thought of seeing Jason again put my whole body on edge. My wolf bristled within me, snarling as the memory of seeing Jason shattering the last chance we had to save my father came to mind. Every instinct in me told me to hunt Jason down by any means necessary. If my father only had a month left, then Jason would have less than that.
Nolan’s fingers laced through mine. He squeezed once and his Alpha aura washed over me, not to control me but to calm me down. Through the mate bond, he said, “Breathe, my love. You’re getting worked up.”
Solon’s eyes flashed with anger and he said what I was feeling. “If that bastard dares set foot in our territory, I’ll tear him apart myself.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Leslie snapped, her voice cracking like a whip.
“Leslie, I will not have that bastard here,” Solon growled.
“No one likes the idea of that, but you will have to deal and think about others instead of your own feelings,” Leslie scolded. “This is the worst place to start a war with a pawn of the Rogue King. Too many innocent people would be harmed by that. Use your head, Solon. We’re all upset about this but do not let your anger consume you and make the situation worse.”
Solon’s jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grinding. “I’ll make sure Silverfang is safe,” he bit out. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect our people. But if Jason shows himself…I’ll do the best that I can to maintain the peace.”
“I’ll reinforce the patrols along our borders,” Marco advised. “The guards have already been doubled at the entrance. We’ll know Jason is coming before he even gets close enough to cause problems.”
“The other Alphas also know that Jason is wanted. He would be a fool to show up here. If he does, he underestimates how many packs hate rogues,” Henry added.
“But we also shouldn’t underestimate him. We’ve done enough of that already,” Leslie pointed out. “I will
make sure the hospital is on full alert.”
Della nodded, her fingers drumming on the table. “I’ll coordinate with the warriors, make sure everyone is on high alert and ready for anything. We can’t afford a single mistake. Thank you for looping us in Talia.”
“What you said a few days ago was correct Della. We all have to be on the same page,” I told her. Vigilance is our only defense now. The other Alphas will start arriving soon for the Harvest Gathering, and we cannot show a single crack.”
“Is the Alpha King going to be on board with this? You know how he is about appearances,” Della said.
1/3
CHAPTERS WITHERE NO ANTY FIGHT
+25 Bonus
“We spoke with Father this morning. He’s agreed to make only a brief appearance at the opening ceremony tomorrow before retreating to rest. I’ll handle the rest of the event. We will say it is good practice for the day I take his place as Alpha King,” Solon explained.
Leslie frowned and said, “I wish you had told me about this ahead of time. Your father making an appearance may be too much for him.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Without that medicine, he can only manage an hour outside the hospital, maybe less. We’ll need to plan the entire ceremony around that limit, down to the minute,” Leslie stated.
I tightened my grip on Nolan’s hand until my knuckles ached. “Then that’s exactly what we’ll do. We will give Father as much as painkillers to numb him enough to make his appearance.”
By the time Nolan and I finally made it back to our room, exhaustion was weighing on me. Every step was a struggle. I left my clothes on the floor before slumping down onto the edge of the bed. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed.
‘Rest, Talia. We will take it one day at a time,’ my wolf whispered. Even she sounded tired.
‘I am trying. I just feel like we are not ready for this,‘ I told her.
‘You will have to trust and believe that this will work out. Worrying about it will only make yourself sick,‘ my wolf said.
The mattress dipped as Nolan got into bed and settled beside me. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
“How everything got so bad so fast,” I replied.
Nolan pulled me into his arms and held me against his chest. I listened to the steady drum of his heart. I was still upset with him for not listening to me, but I couldn’t ignore the mate bond and how having him this close was comforting.
“Don’t push yourself past your limits, Talia,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my forehead. “You’re no good to anyone if you collapse. Least of all yourself.”
I turned my face into the warm curve of his throat, breathing him in. “I know. I know. Things are moving so fast I am barely keeping up. I just…I can’t fail him, Nolan. I can’t fail any of them, especially not now”
Nolan’s arms tightened around me. “You won’t,” he said. “We won’t. We’ll find a way to get through this together.”
“And you will trust me this time,” I said.
“Yes, I will. And when it’s over, when your father is back on his feet and Jason and the Rogue King are nothing but bad memories, we’re taking a vacation, just you and me. Somewhere no one can find us.”
Despite the fear and the exhaustion, a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “I’m going to hold you to that, you know.”
2/3
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & EIGHTY EIGHT
“Good. I’m counting on it.”
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