Page 169 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

AUDREY

Quinn packed up her beauty supplies looking exhausted and emotionally raw. Doing my hair and makeup had been a slight reprieve from her worries, but only that. They weren’t going to go away until she knew Zavier had pulled through.

“You’ll have to tell me about the party tomorrow,” she said with a weak smile. “To distract me.”

“I will,” I promised. “Are you going home to rest?”

“I’m going to try,” she replied, but she was probably going to toss and turn for a few hours then go to the hospital and try to sleep in the chair beside Zavier’s bed. “Bishop said he has to schmooze and couldn’t escort you, but he promised he’ll stick by your side the entire night.”

That was a relief.

Although I still wasn’t sure how I was going to handle being in a room full of powerful people and not give in to my urges to shrink in on myself or find a way to slip away.

Quinn left and I sucked in a deep breath to steady my nerves. Bishop and Knox loved me and Bishop believed in me. That, and I’d just killed two grimalkins. I could face the dignitaries and aides.

They at least, wouldn’t be trying to rip me to pieces.

With my back straight and my head held high, I marched down the halls inside the Residence to the grand front entrance and the main doors to the ballroom.

Standing at the threshold between the hall and grand entrance, I couldn’t see into the ballroom, but I could hear the voices of people as well as soft music coming from inside. Before me, tiny rainbows shimmered on the thick, red rug, reflections of the bright lights in the crystal chandelier, and the grand staircase framed the doors to the ballroom. It started split at the bottom, curled up to a landing, creating a balcony, before splitting again to rise to the next floor.

But my gaze stalled on the landing and didn’t follow the curving stairs all the way to the top.

Finn, looking tired and pale from his battle with the grimalkins, stood at the top of the stairs staring at me.

I squared my shoulders. He and Velora were the two betas who’d accused me of seducing both Knox and Bishop to gain the power and privilege of being a pack alpha, and I’d essentially taken control of his body with my alpha power, something that probably pissed him off even more.

Well, fine.

Finn could yell at me all he liked for using my alpha power on him when he was a beta and I wasn’t really an alpha, but I refused to feel bad or even guilty. I’d done what needed to be done to save those children and everyone else in the smithy, and just like how I’d stood up against Cyrus for saving those children after the first grimalkin attack, I’d stand my ground against Finn now.

What I didn’t want was to be reamed out in front of the doorway to the ballroom where all the dignitaries and aides could see me.

I pulled my attention away from him, about to hurry inside. After the day I’d had, I didn’t want to have to deal with his or Velora’s shit. Surely Finn wouldn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone.

Except he called out my name and hurried down the stairs.

Shit. Did I rush to find Bishop? He’d said he’d meet me in the ballroom. Or did I look for some place more private?

But the thought of being alone with the big beta made my insides churn. It didn’t matter that I’d been able to control him with my alpha power. My power wasn’t predictable. I might not be able to summon it to protect myself since all the times it had manifested was in defense of someone else.

I also wanted witnesses. In my old pack, it wouldn’t have mattered if someone watched one of the betas yell at me, but here it did. Here, I had people willing to stand up for me and protect me.

I strode toward the ballroom.

“Audrey, wait.” Finn’s power snapped over me but wasn’t enough to stop me. “Alpha,” he added as he leaped over the railing eight steps from the floor to land in front of me.

“Beta,” I replied, uncertain if he’d called me alpha or someone in the doorway who I now couldn’t see because of his broad frame.

“Alpha, please.” He dropped to his knees in front of me and lifted his chin while tilting his head, baring his throat in full submission to me. To. Me. The weakest shifter?—

No. Not anymore. My power might only come out when I needed to protect someone, but I wasn’t weak. Not anymore.

Behind him, the people in the doorway noticed, and a hush fell over the ballroom. My stomach churned with all the attention but I held my ground. If I wanted to win over those reluctant to accept me as an alpha, I needed to act like one.

“I beg you, alpha, forgive me. I was wrong to suspect you were anything other than a gift from the Sisters to our pack,” he said as he clasped his hands behind his back. “I treated you unfairly and am ashamed to confess I didn’t keep my feelings about you to myself. You shouldn’t have had to prove yourself to me, and I didn’t deserve your kindness when you saved me.”

I didn’t think I’d been particularly kind to Finn during the fight with the grimalkins. I’d needed his help and had forced him into action, but I also wasn’t going to argue with him.

“I failed as a beta and the Watch Commander,” he continued. “I can recommend a few good men and women who can replace me. I only beg you let me remain in the pack.”

Replace him? Remain in the pack?

What the hell?

I wasn’t going to kick him out or try to convince Bishop and Cyrus to replace him. It wasn’t my place to make that kind of decision… or was it?

I was pretty sure calling me alpha was a courtesy because I was mated to Knox and Bishop. I didn’t want the responsibility of leading the pack?—

Except I did want to protect it. I wanted everyone to know their loved ones would come home at night, and I really wanted every child to feel safe and loved.

Did that mean I wanted to be alpha?

Knox and Bishop were already my mates and a part of my soul was certain Cyrus was too — despite us having sex three times now and still not forming a mating bond like I had with my other mates.

“Finn,” I said softly, my instincts screaming to stop drawing attention to myself because that had been my reality all my life until a few months ago. “A suspicious Watch Commander isn’t a bad thing. I won’t asked Bishop or Cyrus to replace you. But you also need to realize that kindness and understanding are not weaknesses. You should have tried to get to know me before making up your mind.”

He frowned. “I asked you questions.”

“You interrogated me and made accusations.”

He dipped his head forward, his expression contrite.

“Yes, I didn’t want to tell you about my origins. I was afraid,” I continued. “If you’d shown me kindness, I would have opened up more like I did with Bishop.”

I probably still would have been hesitant and he would have needed patience, but I’d become more comfortable with Nova, Deacon, Eloise, and Kira and they’d easily seen that I was scared and lonely.

“You also didn’t take into consideration your alphas’ opinions about me before making up your mind,” I added.

“I promise, I’ll do better,” he replied, his volume just as low as mine.

“I know you will.” I offered him a soft smile. It was still going to take a while for me to trust him, but I didn’t like the idea of him being afraid of me. I wanted allies not enemies.

Cyrus strode out of the ballroom and placed a hand on Finn’s shoulder.

“Beta,” he said, his gaze locked with mine, his expression soft and strange until I realized he’d heard our conversation with his enhanced shifter hearing. Then the strange expression sort of looked like pride? “Time to get back to work.”

“He’s still recovering,” I blurted out.

But Cyrus didn’t snap back at me. There wasn’t even a flicker of his power indicating I’d upset him. Instead, the probably-pride shifted to something else, something strange and hard.

“No, the alpha is right,” Finn told me. “Deacon and I haven’t fully confirmed all the grimalkins are dead.”

Finn ducked his head and hurried back up the stairs.

I turned my attention to Cyrus. “He looked tired and pale.”

“He’s not doing any hunting, just coordinating,” Cyrus replied. “He’ll be fine. Everyone who can needs to step up.”

He raked his gaze down my body, and a flash of dark hunger filled his eyes before the hardness returned.

So, he craved me, but was going to tell me it could only be sex. That was what he wanted to talk about.

I raised my chin and swallowed back my disappointment, even as my insides heated at the memory of him pounding into me.

“You have a job to do, too,” he said with a pointed look, his voice gruff. “Come on.”

Right. Eavesdropping on the merchants and other members of the alliance.

Cyrus stepped aside, gestured for me to enter the completely quiet ballroom, and my heart pounded. Everyone stared at me and it took everything I had not to shrink in on myself.

It’s not like my old pack. They aren’t staring, waiting for me to be humiliated ? —

Although from Velora’s barely veiled death glare, I was sure she was waiting for the right moment.

She hadn’t been happy when Bishop had told her we were mated, and she was furious when she realized I had two mating marks. That proved Bishop and I hadn’t just mated with promises. We’d actually completed the rare, sacred vows and sealed our bond with a bite.

And it didn’t matter that neither of us had said the vows to create the magical bond between us. She didn’t need to know that.

Especially since she wouldn’t recognize that we were fated mates like almost everyone else did. She’d argued that I’d manipulated Knox and she’d argue again that I manipulated Bishop in the same way.

I heaved my attention from Velora, knowing I needed to ignore her and be brave… and, if I was smart, remember to keep my guard up.