Page 13

13

Marilyn

Suppressing the snarl rising inside me, I glare at the incompetent omega who has just spilled my soup. She mumbles out apology after apology to me as she quickly moves to clean the spill with the paper towel on my table and kneels beside the chair I am sitting on.

“Guards!” I call out, my words ending in the snarl that escapes my lips. “Have this stupid bitch punished for ruining my meal. I’m carrying the future alpha of this pack, and this omega can’t even feed me properly!”

The dining hall goes quiet at this, all eyes on me, as two men step forward and drag the omega away. She is kicking and sobbing, begging for forgiveness, while two others step forward, bow to me, and continue cleaning the mess before disappearing. My stomach growls in hunger, and I snarl at them. How dare these idiots keep me from eating?

“My love, what has you so upset?”

Looking up from the table, I find Ramos approaching me. His graying black hair is slicked back, and his eyes are focused only on me. I smile when I see him, stand from my chair, and rush to his side.

“One of our omegas spilled my soup. I’m starving, and so is our baby,” I complain, wrapping my arms around him. His eyes darken as anger slips through his calm facade. I find myself hiding my enjoyment at how easy it is to manipulate him.

“Has she been taken care of?” he asks with a low growl.

“She has,” I confirm with a smirk.

“Good. Anyway, I have some good news.” Ramos’s voice is filled with tenderness as he leads me back to the table. Another bowl of soup is quickly placed before me, the evidence of the spilled one gone from view.

“Eat. You and our pup need the nutrients. I’ll tell you the good news while you focus on eating,” Ramos states. He leans back in his chair and watches me, his eyes sparkling with happiness. I fight the urge to roll my eyes and bring a spoonful to my mouth.

“You know Shadow Moon has undergone a significant change, right?”

Pausing my spoon, I look to Ramos with a questioning glance, shocked that he would bring this topic up. I’d been furious when I learned from one of our spies that there had been a rebellion inside Shadow Moon—that Jordan had been killed before he could mark and claim that whore Kaylee. What’s worse is that good-for-nothing Titus became the next alpha and instantly revoked alliances with Oak Fur and Blood Oath.

“Why are you bringing this up?” I ask, annoyed, dropping my spoon into the bowl with a plop.

“I’m bringing this up because our contacts around the Shadow Moon pack learned that Ivory Fangs took in Kaylee,” Ramos explains patiently, his smile growing. This captures my attention, and I motion for my soon-to-be mate to continue his explanation.

“After thinking things over, I realized Shadow Moon and Ivory Fangs are still growing. Due to that, neither pack will attend this year’s Annual Assembly of Alphas. So, I called two trusted warriors into my office a week ago and asked them to become rogues to spy on the two packs.”

Ramos has me in suspense, and I slide my chair closer to him as a giddiness builds inside me. For nearly three months, we’ve been unable to infiltrate Ivory Fangs, and many Oak Fur and Blood Oath wolves have disappeared without a trace in their attempts to do so.

“With these two wolves agreeing to go rogue and join Ivory Fangs and Shadow Moon as our spies, we’ll soon learn what’s happening inside. Also, if Kaylee is in Ivory Fangs, Lucas will join to be with her. If we play our cards right, we should be able to kill these two thorns in our sides without needing to shed blood. I see your mind working, my love. Have you figured out my plan?”

“I have, Ramos. How long until our men join Ivory Fangs and Shadow Moon?” I ask, picking my spoon back up. I continue eating my soup, and the food tastes better than ever with this good news.

“They should be joining within a week. They’ll be under scrutiny until our wolves are initiated into their assigned packs. Still, within a month, we should know more about the alpha of Ivory Fangs and why Titus canceled our alliance.”

Ramos looks quite pleased with himself, and I can’t help but think he’s only acting this way so that I can praise him to my father. Ramos is a fool if he thinks I’m with him because I love him—a power-hungry fool who thinks my father will continue to back him well after our pup is born.

On the contrary, as soon as I know my pup’s spot as future Alpha of Oak Fur is secure, I will poison this idiot and take over the pack. I’ll play the role of a caring Luna for now, but soon, I will show Ramos, Lucas, and Kaylee my claws as I slice their throats open.

“I’ll let my father know about this plan. I’m sure he would love to help with it,” I manage to say sweetly, finishing my bowl of soup and smiling at Ramos. His excitement is as clear as day, and I feel disgusted by him. I just need to make it to the end of this pregnancy, and then I will be rid of Ramos.