Page 41 of Lycan Prey (Little Secrets Duet #1)

· King Soren ·

Bree will be furious at me for going through her bags for that birth certificate; it was the only ID I found, she must have her wallet on her. But the sooner she registers, the sooner I can get my brother off my back.

Falling into my desk chair, I click the link with a sense of annoyance, the digital chime echoing in my office as the screen flickers to life. Rhett’s face appears blurred at first, then sharpens into that all-too-familiar visage marred by a frown.

The room behind him is shadowed, giving nothing away, just like the man himself.

He is nothing like his father, and if it weren’t for him, I would let Alpha Jefferson destroy his pack.

But I was good friends with his father. And was devastated when he passed.

Unfortunately, Rhett is driving his pack into the ground.

“Rhett,” I greet, my voice even, giving no hint of the irritation simmering beneath the surface. “We need to discuss your debt.”

He shifts uncomfortably, eyes darting off-screen for a moment before locking back onto mine. “King Soren, I’m aware. It’s just… there’ve been complications.”

“Complications won’t appease the council or fix the alliance you broke; I can’t allow you the permits to cross over the pack borders until it is paid; I have Alpha Jefferson breathing down my neck; he wants your pack dissolved,” I state flatly.

My fingers tap an impatient rhythm on the desk, a silent drumbeat counting down the time until this alliance could crumble into dust. “The money you owe isn’t just currency; it’s a promise, a truce between packs. Without it, there’s no alliance. And soon, the council will step in.”

Rhett swallows hard, the bob of his throat betraying his stress. He runs a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture I remember from when we were both much younger and far less entangled in the messy politics of our kind.

“Look, I’ll have it sorted. I just need time,” he insists, but time is a luxury neither of us can afford. He has had too many extensions.

“Understand this, Rhett,” I lean forward, the camera capturing the intensity in my eyes. “You need to settle your debt with the Alpha and the council. No money, no alliance. And without the alliance…” I let the implication hang between us, a heavyweight neither of us wants to carry.

“If you step over those borders without the appropriate paperwork, the council will not intervene if Jefferson decides to attack. Until you pay the council fines, I cannot reestablish your pack for business in the neighboring cities; by not paying your fees and fines, it put him out, and you both nearly lost those import contracts. Jefferson wants me to cut you out now. His company is capable of handling the imports alone.”

“That is my pack’s main source of income running those docks,” he argues.

“I know, which is why the council gave you the extension in the first place.”

“Listen, Soren,” Rhett begins, his voice steady despite the clear signs of strain., “I was close to settling things with the council. We had an arrangement in place, or so I thought.” He pauses, frustration etched into the lines of his face. “But it fell through; I lost the initial down payment.”

“The money I lent you? So that makes three outstanding debts, and don’t try to sell me a pack member again.

I was appalled the first time you offered; your father would be rolling in his grave if he knew you offered up a pack member to settle a debt.

What do you take me for? I’m not running a brothel or interested in having any werewolves on staff,” I remind him. I lean back in my chair, arms crossed.

“I can have the down payment for the council today. I just need an extension on the debt owed to you, which I can’t pay without the licensing and contracts for the docks. How do you expect me to pay it back when I can’t earn it? All our shipments go out through those docks.”

“Is that right? Well, that’s one less worry on our kingdom’s ledger.

Pay the council down payment today. I mean it, Rhett.

” He sighs and leans back in his chair, scrubbing a hand down his face.

“You said you need the licenses and contracts opened to earn money, so how have you come across the down payment?” I ask him.

“My mate’s parents gave it to us as a wedding gift,” Rhett says, and I nod.

“Travel rights are a privilege granted by alliances, not a right you can claim without one. And until you’re allied with Alpha Jefferson, those privileges are off the table. I can’t risk igniting a pack war over this.”

Rhett shifts uncomfortably in his seat, the image flickering for a moment as his connection wavers. “I know, Soren. I’m sorry. It’s just… there’s been so many complications.” He hesitates, then exhales deeply. “The money you lent me was stolen. By a member of my pack.”

“Stolen?” My brow arches in suspicion. Thievery within a pack is a betrayal of the highest order. “Do you need help with this thief?”

He shakes his head, a flash of pride or perhaps stubbornness crossing his features. “No, I have it under control. I just need to find the person responsible first, which was the second deal I offered Alpha Jefferson; our pack issue is a personal one.”

“A deal? And what exactly did you agree upon with the Alpha in the first place?”

After a brief pause, Rhett relents. “The same pack member who robbed me was caught stealing from him. In exchange for resolving the cash issue, the new Alpha has offered to take her into his pack.”

“Taking a thief into his own ranks?” I muse, skeptical. “That’s a risky move. What would he want with a thief?”

“He wants the thief because she is his daughter.”

“So this is what caused the initial rift between the packs?”

He nods and sighs heavily. “Yes, she abandoned her family for her mate, who was a member of my pack. I didn’t know whose daughter she was when she was presented to me.

Anyway, they both ran off together after robbing him and then me.

He agreed to cover my debt if I returned her.

But when I couldn’t, he filed for sole ownership over the contracts my father and he had shared for decades. ”

“So you have no clue where they went together?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “I thought her parents were hiding her at first, trying to double dip to get her back and the payment. Until I went there.”

“I didn’t even know Jefferson had a daughter,” I muse aloud.

“Neither did I until I met her. It seems he kept her on a tight leash.”

I nod; most Alphas try to covet their daughters, not wanting to make treaties and agreements with marriages, so I don’t say I blame him; he would have been doing it to protect her.

Plus, given her status as his daughter, she would have had a target on her back.

Being an Alpha’s daughter, too, he would have been none too thrilled to learn his daughter’s mate was a typical wolf.

Rhett leans back in his chair, the tension in his jaw easing for a moment. “Before we conclude, Soren, did my wedding invitation find its way to you? The ceremony is in two months.”

“Of course,” I reply. “It’s been received. I’ll be there.”

Inside, though, my thoughts churn with distaste.

Rhett—this insufferable man who fancies himself a leader yet can’t manage his own pack’s finances.

I loathe him, not for what he is now, but for how he pales in comparison to his father.

That man was a true Alpha, noble and commanding respect effortlessly.

Rhett is nothing but a shadow desperately trying to cast itself against the legacy left behind.

“Good, good,” Rhett nods, blissfully unaware of my internal contempt. “My mate will be excited to meet you.”

I nod, wanting to end the call. “If you’re finding it challenging to locate this thief and the Alpha’s daughter, my resources are at your disposal if it ends this war between your packs.”

“Thank you, but no.” Rhett waves a dismissive hand. “I’ve got it handled. This doesn’t concern you. It’s an internal matter, and I will resolve it.”

“Very well,” I answer, though a part of me wishes to see this elusive pack member who has caused such a stir.

A thief bold enough to steal from their own Alpha might prove interesting, but to also steal the money he owed to her own father for their shared fines and the council is bizarre.

For now, I hold back, letting Rhett believe he holds all the cards. “Just know the offer stands.”

I lean back in my chair. Fingers steepled in front of me as I observed Rhett through the screen.

“Rhett,” I begin, my voice measured and calm. “I understand the weight of the circumstances you find yourself under. And though I may not agree with the… methods you’ve employed thus far, I acknowledge the importance of your upcoming nuptials.”

He looks up, a glint of hope igniting in his eyes. It’s almost pitiful how eagerly he awaits my words, like a pup seeking approval.

“Given the significance of the event,” I continue, “and the longstanding ties between our packs, I will speak with the council, and they’ll speak with Alpha Jefferson to get the lift removed off the docks.

He won’t hand those contracts back; I don’t blame him.

So consider those contracts and deals as severed and now owned by Alpha Jefferson.

But you’ll be allowed to operate. I’ll ensure you are granted grace for the debt repayment until after your wedding.

This should give you ample time to resolve your internal issues and locate the thief, as well as give you enough time to sell the exports your company has in holding to someone new.

Maybe if you locate his daughter, he’ll allow you to negotiate the initial contracts, but I won’t ask more of him.

He paid the council for his part in that incident. ”

“Really?” The word escapes him, laced with relief.

“Yes. Except make no mistake, Rhett. This is not a pardon, merely a postponement. The council will expect your due, in full, once the celebrations have concluded. Do not see this as an opportunity to slacken your efforts.”

“Of course, Soren. I am grateful for your… understanding.” The gratitude seems to claw at his throat on its way out.

“Good.” My gaze doesn’t falter as I fix him in place with a look that brooks no argument. “Then we are clear. Your debt will be settled, and the alliance can proceed without further hindrance.”

“Thank you.”

With a nod, more to myself than to him, I prepare to disconnect the call, knowing full well that while today’s agreement might pause any pack wars for now. It’s the actions that follow that will decide if these two packs ever come to an alliance again.