Page 21 of Arranged Bullied Mate
“This ends now,” I snap. “Jacob, take Emily to the house to stay with Ava, we’ll go—”
“I don’t think you’ll find him,” Emily interrupts. “When Jacob turned up, he told me he wouldn’t wait for an ambush; he’d be doing this properly. I don’t think he’ll stay in town for you to find him.”
My eyes snap to Jacob, “And you let him just get away?”
He dips his head slightly but answers with conviction, “My priority was Emily. She was distraught over it all.”
I’m pissed, but I know he’s right, so I nod, mulling over my options. “Ok, I’ll take Emily back to the house. You call the elders for an emergency meeting. This all but counts as a challenge, and I’m going to accept.”
Emily bursts into fresh tears, and I pull her into an embrace. “I’m sorry, kid, I know you liked Maddox, and—”
She shakes her head against me, “I don’t, not like that. I thought it might work, but it wasn’t going anywhere,” she says. “I don’t think he cared about me either. I think he just wanted me to be his luna. To make it seem like there was a family connection or something.”
“What a fucking idiot,” Jacob mumbles with a passion he rarely shows.
I drive Emily back to my house, not trusting the situation with Maddox for her to be alone right now, and watch her walk up the porch steps. I wait until she’s safely inside with Ava, glad that they seem to get on so well, and I’m sure it will do Emily good to have someone to talk to about Maddox. Then I start the truck and head for the pack hall.
The parking lot is mostly empty by now, but I see Jacob’s truck is already there. The hall is quiet, and I hear the voices echo down the corridor as I let myself in. The elders are already assembled, three of them at the battered old table at the end of the room, another perched by the coffee machine. Jacob stands off to the side. I can’t help but smirk, knowing that the elders are probably the only thing in the universe that makes Jacob nervous. There’s something electric in the air, and I know it’s coming from me—my wolf is pissed.
I square my shoulders and walk toward them. Jacob breaks off from the wall as I enter, his posture nearly as stiff as mine.
“Ronan,” Elder Wilde’s voice is hoarse but carries a familiar tone I’ve grown up respecting and occasionally dreading. “Your beta says there’s been an incident.”
I look at Jacob, who gives me a slight nod, then I turn to Wilde. “There has. Maddox approached my sister tonight, tried to recruit her into an alliance where they would be the alpha couple. When she refused, he threatened her, saying she was either with him or against him. It’s a clear challenge, even if he hasn’t gone by the book.”
Wilde’s mouth tightens, his gaze flicking to Elder Schultz, who’s already reaching for the battered legal pad they use torecord the minutes of these meetings. “He’s left town?” Wilde asks.
“He’s not at his home, and his phone’s off. He told Emily he’d do this properly, not wait to be ambushed, so he’s probably gone to ground, waiting for me to make a formal move.”
“Or gather supporters,” Wilde adds thoughtfully.
“Quite,” I say through gritted teeth, a moment of doubt creeping in as I consider how many supporters Maddox may find. My betas and I have been working over the last few weeks to confirm and build support. I can’t believe all those wolves would lie to my face about not wanting anyone else, but I’m not so naive as to think Maddox hasn’t made inroads with anyone.
Wilde drums his knuckles on the table. “You’re sure about this?” he asks, his tone a clear warning—an offramp.
I don’t hesitate. “Absolutely. I’ll not have Maddox preying on my sister or undermining the pack from the shadows. If he wants a challenge, he’ll get one.”
Wilde nods, and the other elders exchange glances. Schultz clears his throat and says, “You understand, Ronan, that once we notify the pack, there’s no walking this back. This is a fight for blood, for death.”
“I do,” I say. I’m already set. The violence of it doesn’t scare me. In fact, it’s a relief to finally have the next step in front of me, clean and simple.
I’ve tried to reason with Maddox and deliver the vision my father had for his place within the pack. I’ve tried to honor the memory of Maddox’s father, and I’ve wanted to be seen as fair and balanced. I’m comfortable with the steps I’ve taken. This is on him, and I have no hesitation in taking control of the situation.
The question is, does Maddox really have the courage to face me instead of bitching from the shadows?
Chapter 14 - Ava
I slide a cup of hot chocolate over the counter toward Emily, my heart clenching at how sad she looks. When Ronan dropped her off earlier, she’d walked through the door and instantly dissolved into a flood of tears. It breaks my heart to see someone who is usually so upbeat and positive broken like this by a foolish wolf who is going to throw away his life and position in Starcreek.
I’ve seen that play out with my own family. Frankly, they were lucky to be banished and not killed for their treachery.
I reach out and put my hand on hers. “Have a drink, it will help.” I try to sound encouraging even though I know a hot sugary drink isn’t going to fix this.
“It’s all my fault,” she says quietly, clearly trying to fight back fresh tears. “If I hadn’t agreed to go on those dates with him, he might not have thought he could try this.”
I shake my head emphatically, “No, none of this is your fault,” I tell her. “He would have done this anyway. It sounds like he was hoping that with your approval, he could pretend it’s what your father would have wanted. He wanted you to legitimize his stupid plan.”
A couple of stray tears roll down Emily’s cheeks, and she wipes them away quickly. “And now there will be a challenge…one of them will die. Maddox won’t win, will he?”