Page 14 of Never Submit (Bad Wolves #2)

Chapter 14

Dax

M athis stands across from me, arms folded, his jaw tight like he’s chewing on glass.

“Torin actually agreed,” he says after a long silence, the words strained. Almost like he can’t believe it. Like he expects me not to believe it either, or to go off the goddamn rails.

I let out a sharp bark of a laugh, though there’s no humor in it. “Of course he did. Torin would love nothing more than to crush our pack into dust. Prick.”

Mathis scowls, his gaze darting toward the window. “He’s willing to combine forces temporarily. That’s what matters.”

“But at what cost?”

There has to be a catch. There’s always a catch with Torin and the fucking Steel Claws.

They’re disconnected from the core of what it means to be a damn wolf. They wouldn’t know the minute changes of the forest or the hint of seasons on the wind if their lives depended on it.

Unfortunately for us, our lives depend on them .

My gut sinks.

“From what we spoke about, we’ll be two packs working together. Weren’t you paying attention?”

“It’s bullshit,” I spit. Torin being reasonable? He might make the claim, but can he back it up? “There’s no way it’s going to be that easy.”

Mathis crosses his arms over his chest but his gaze is distant. “Maybe he understands how crucial things are right now—how we can help each other.”

I snort.

“Dax, his pack has the resources we don’t. Andras is a threat to both of us,” he says. “We are stronger together.”

“He’s going to want something for his help. He’s not doing this out of the kindness of his heart." He simply hasn’t been honest with us yet.

He hasn’t named the price.

It’s coming. I feel it in my gut.

“And if that happens, I’ll deal with it,” Mathis insists.

“You’ll get yourself killed,” I burst out, tone sharp. “If Torin wants to absorb us, he has that right. There can’t be two alphas in a pack, Mathis. Under the law, he can take you out. He’ll play dirty.”

I know Mathis better than he knows himself. He’s not thinking straight. He’s blinded. He’s too wrapped up in what’s in front of him to see the details of the big picture.

What the hell would he even do without me?

I clench my jaw tight, my mind threatening to fracture. The way it always does in this type of shitty situation.

Keep it together .

“I understand,” Mathis snaps. “But what choice do we have? You think I like groveling to him? If we stay here, Andras will tear through us. At least with the help of the Steel Claws, we have a fighting chance.”

I open my mouth to argue, but the door creaks open and Flora walks in, balancing a tray of sandwiches. She sets it down on the desk with a determined air, ignoring my low growl.

She brushes hair out of her face. “You both look like you haven’t eaten all day, and you’re not going to do this pack any good if you starve yourselves.”

Mathis gives her a tight smile. “Thanks, Flora.”

Her intelligent eyes linger on both of us, taking in more than she should.

“So? What’s the big plan? I heard something about Torin.”

“You were listening at the door, omega?” I ask.

But Mathis cuts me off with a raised hand. “We’ve made the arrangements,” he says carefully. “The pack will be moving to the Steel Claws’ territory. Temporarily.”

Flora’s brows lift. “In the city?”

“It’s safe,” Mathis says.

“It’s a trap,” I mutter, grabbing one of the sandwiches. I shove it between my teeth and chew, mouth open, to stop from saying more.

Flora glances between us, clearly sensing more beneath the surface. She picks up a sandwich but doesn’t eat it. Instead, her gaze sharpens. “And what about the girl?”

Both Mathis and I freeze.

“The girl?” he repeats.

“Ren.”

“What about her?” I ask, my tone clipped.

“You care about her. You both do.”

My hackles lift and I let my wolf shine through, just as unhinged and eager as I am for a fight. Flora's discussing things she has no business discussing. And listening to more than she should .

“The little omega needs to learn her place,” I grind out.

Flora continues to ignore me. “Well, she is the Moonstone now, right? You had said it sort of…absorbed into her?”

Mathis shifts uncomfortably, but I snarl. “That’s what she told us, yes.”

“If that’s so, you know what that means, right?”

Mathis and I exchange glances. I know what it means because I saw the half-shifted animal she turned into. Something happened on the top of the mountain to make Red like us. My wolf had sensed something special inside her before, but it would have recognized another wolf.

Like it does now.

Flora studies Mathis, her instincts clearly picking up on the emotions he’s trying to bury regarding Ren and the devastating news we both got. “The Moon Goddess has chosen her for some reason, so she’s important. She’s marked.”

The Goddess has a twisted sense of humor. Noble, that awful, entitled, wimpy bastard, is her mate. What the hell did Nobie do to deserve a mate? Let alone a mate like Red? Rage blankets me, twisting my mind. Impossible to ignore.

My beast struggles for freedom against my iron control and my back hunches forward with the pressing need to shift.

To escape.

Only Flora's presence gives me the strength to curb it because like hell I’ll lose control in front of an omega. Even one as tolerant as her.

After a moment, she brushes sandwich crumbs from her hands, purposely not looking at me. “Well, then,” she says brightly, “I guess I’d better tell the rest of the pack we’re moving to the city.”

“Flora, it’s a little soon—” Mathis starts .

“They need to know, Mathis. You have fifty wolves left, and they’re scared out of their minds. My Owen says it’s only a matter of time before they come back and take more women. If this girl is how we can stop Andras and bring our people back?—”

“Flora, please.” Mathis walks over to her, gently putting his hand on her elbow to lead her back to the door. “I’ll make sure we get all of them back. You have to trust me on this.”

If they’re still alive. To distract myself, I take another massive bite of sandwich. Extra ham and cheese on rye.

As if he can see my thoughts, Mathis looks back at me with a silent warning not to say shit.

Hard to talk with your mouth full.

Before leaving, Flora places a hand on Mathis’s cheek and offers him a tender smile. “You’ll understand one day, when you have your mate and a family of your own. How horrible the fear can be.”

Something like pain flashes across Mathis’s eyes, and I know it’s because we’re thinking of the same person whenever the word “mate” comes to mind.

Goddamn Noble.

But, in true alpha fashion, Mathis’s pain is quickly replaced with a show of confidence.

When Flora leaves, he shuts the door behind her with a soft click and trudges back to his desk. No lock. He refuses to put one in on the off chance someone needs to talk to him.

No boundaries, this one.

He sinks back down in his chair, the leather groaning under his weight, and tips it toward the wall, scrubbing a hand over his face. For the first time, I notice the lines etched deep into his features, the gray hairs at his temples more pronounced than I remember.

Well, fuck. He looks older—like the weight of this pack is grinding him down, aging him faster than it should.

The dude has always had more energy and stamina than anyone I know.

The silence between us stretches, heavy, and I shift, the tension settling into my bones. My wolf growls softly, uneasy, but for once I listen to my human instincts.

It’s tough, though. I’m not used to it.

Maybe I should help him. If I can’t ease his burdens, I can at least rip the Band-Aid off about Red.

I finish the last bite of my sandwich and wipe my hands, steeling myself. “She’s Noble’s mate, Mathis,” I say finally, my voice even. “She can’t belong to either of us now.”

The words land like a fist to the gut. Mathis freezes, his shoulders stiffening as his head snaps up to stare at me. “I know.”

I cross my arms, my tone firm but not unkind. “He felt the bond. It’s done.”

Mathis stares at me, the words hanging heavy in the air between us. For a moment, he doesn’t speak, doesn’t move, but I can see the exact second they hit him. His expression shifts—just a flicker, a crack in the alpha armor he wears so well.

“I’m still trying to process it,” he replies softly. “I actually thought…”

I nod, watching him closely.

His hands grip the edge of the desk, his knuckles whitening as the tension ripples through him. Then his shoulders sag, the fight draining out of him like air from a punctured tire.

“I don’t understand how it’s possible. She’s a human. ”

“Not anymore, remember?”

A single nod, that’s all he gives me but it says a lot. “Nothing we can do about it now. Wolves have one mate. Even not-so-wolves like Ren.”

I shrug. “Noble had mentioned it in the woods when he found us, but she didn’t seem to know what it meant. Maybe there’s room for interpretation.”

I fucked her, after all. The lure to anyone other than your mate is not supposed to exist in a true bond. Right?

For a few seconds, the room is quiet except for the faint hum of voices in the hallway and beyond.

“Flora was right. You care about her,” I say, not an accusation, just a simple truth.

Mathis’s head lifts, and his eyes meet mine. There’s no denial, no attempt to mask it. Just that same flicker of raw, unspoken pain that I saw from him before. “I do,” he admits, the words barely above a whisper. “I…did.”

I want to say me too, but the words stick in my throat. I like fucking Red— really like it—but Mathis clearly feels something more for her. He must have been hoping he’d be in Noble’s place.

Damn it, seeing him like this—raw and broken in a way Mathis never lets anyone see—makes me hate Noble even more.

I clear my throat, forcing the tension down as Mathis grabs one of the sandwiches for himself and leans back in his chair. “This is going to get messy,” he says, his voice heavy with resignation.

I snort. “It already is.”

The elevator groans as it crawls upward, steel and cables clanking like some mechanical beast swallowing us whole. My eyes dart to every corner of the tiny, confining box.

Can’t breathe here. Can’t move.

Can’t do shit other than swallow the panic.

Cameras. Four of them. Each one watching us like we’re specimens under a microscope.

I hate this. My wolf hates this.

“This place is a fortress,” I mutter. “Cameras on every floor, armed deltas, and who the hell knows what else hidden in the walls.”

It’s like Torin and his shitty pack expects an attack any day now.

Mathis stands next to me with his arms loose at his sides. He looks calm, but I feel his tension—his wolf is as uneasy as mine.

“That’s the point,” he says, not looking at me. “Get it together. I can’t have you lose it now.”

I huff out a ragged laugh but my lungs burn and my throat tightens. The red lights flicker up one floor after another and mark our rise, but fuck, I’ve got to get off this thing.

Flora, standing between us, raises a brow. “Maybe you should be grateful for the security instead of grumbling about it. If we had half of this, maybe I wouldn’t be the only omega left at Grey Valley.”

She insisted on coming. We couldn’t fucking leave her behind when she crept up behind Mathis on our way to the car.

I glance at her, irritated and grudgingly impressed. Most omegas would have kept quiet or stayed in the foyer with the rest of the pack while Mathis and I met with Torin again. But not Flora .

She’s as edged as a knife and has grown even more bold with her latest pregnancy. It doesn’t help that Mathis has a soft spot for her, so when she demanded to join us in our meet-up, there was no push back from him.

“It’s overkill,” I grumble. “Makes my skin crawl. Will the whole place blow if they catch a fly on their security feed?”

Flora rolls her eyes. “Overkill can keep the pack and my pups alive. And that’s all I care about.”

The elevator dings, and the doors slide open with a smooth whoosh. We step out on the top floor into a wide corridor lined with glass walls and polished metal. Everything about this place screams wealth and power, from the pristine black-and-silver decor to the subtle hum of technology running beneath the surface.

I spot more cameras. Three along the hallway, one trained on the elevator, and two near the double doors at the end. My wolf bristles at the constant surveillance.

“I don’t like this,” I mutter under my breath. “Not one fucking bit.”

“You’d better heel, Dax,” Mathis warns. “I don’t want bloodshed. We came here peacefully because we need Torin’s help. It matters.”

I know. And I hate it, too. The last place I want to be is surrendering to the Steel Claws with our tails between our legs. But Mathis is my alpha, and what he says goes.

That doesn’t mean I’m going to let my hatred for everything Torin and the Steel Claws stand for be in doubt.

Following the instructions we were given downstairs, we push through the heavy doors into Torin’s office, and the air changes.

Torin sits behind a massive desk, the city skyline sprawling behind him through floor-to- ceiling windows. He looks every inch the alpha of a pack like this—tailored navy suit, calculated smile, and the kind of eyes that see everything and trust nothing.

“Welcome, Mathis,” Torin greets smoothly, his voice like polished steel. I hate him . “Dax.” His gaze flickers to me, then lands on Flora. His nostrils flaring, taking in her scent, he hesitates. “And…an omega?”

Flora steps forward before either of us can speak, her chin lifted. “Flora. My name is Flora.”

I choke back a laugh, half expecting Torin to snap at her and put her in her place, but his expression shifts into something close to amused curiosity.

“Flora,” he says as he drums his fingers on his desktop. He glances at Mathis. “I wasn’t aware an omega was needed in our negotiations.”

“She insisted,” Mathis says. “You try arguing with her. I’ve given up.”

Torin smirks. “Of course you have. You don’t have the balls to stand up to your own pack mates.”

“I’m only here to make sure you stick to your word,” she says to Torin. “With my home and my pack taken by Andras, I need a safe place for my pups and my mate. If it takes my being here for you to understand it, then I don’t mind tagging along.”

Torin’s gaze drops to her swollen belly. “I see.”

“Family first,” Flora insists. “Always.”

Torin and Mathis meet eyes, and something passes between them.

“I will do whatever it takes to keep my pack safe,” Torin says, shoulders pulling back. “We have that goal in common.”

“We do,” Mathis replies.

“Then let’s get down to the details. ”

Before we can, the door opens again, and I stiffen as Red strides in with Noble trailing behind her.

“You’re not going to lock me out again when there are important things happening,” she insists off the bat. Her gaze settles directly between Torin’s eyes. “You understand?”

She looks…different. Stronger. Goddamn it, she even smells better. There's a quiet confidence in the way she carries herself that wasn’t present before, as if she found a long-buried piece of her soul.

My wolf bristles, hackles raised, torn between instincts and the bitter reality of what she is—Noble’s mate. But knowing that doesn’t stop the surge of possessiveness that claws at my insides.

I still want her. I half wonder if I always will. My wolf snarls, hating that she’s something it can’t have again. Letting her go won’t be easy.

It doesn’t matter that she’s Noble’s. The bond’s claim doesn’t stop the primal urge that can’t ignore her presence. The way her scent lingers in the air, wild and alluring, wrapping around us like a challenge and a promise all at once.

Beside me, Mathis stiffens, his wolf snapping to attention as well. As his beta, Mathis’s tension is mine, thick and palpable, radiating in waves. He doesn’t say a word but his jaw tightens and his hands curl into fists at his sides. His breathing deepens, his restraint cracking just enough that I catch the faintest growl slip from him before he clamps it down.

Torin’s reaction is more subtle but no less telling. His sharp gaze rakes over Ren, assessing her with a calculated intensity that sets my teeth on edge. His wolf is there too, humming just beneath the surface, its interest simmering like a low growl.

Ren hesitates, her eyes scanning the room and widening slightly when they meet each of ours.

“Oh, I, ah, didn’t realize you guys were here yet. Hi, Mathis…” She breathes deep, nostrils flaring as she draws in our scents. “Dax.”

Her gaze darts between us, like she’s trying to read the room, trying to figure out if she belongs here or if she’s just walked into a den of predators ready to pounce.

“Baby,” Noble says, his voice low and calm, but there’s a warning there, too—one directed at us as much as at her. “I told you this wasn’t the time for interruptions. You’ve got to learn to trust me.”

She doesn’t respond. Not immediately. Her shoulders are stiff, her chest rising and falling too fast.

“I, ah, I’m not sure what—” Red breaks off and rubs her hand over her chest. “I don’t know?—”

Before the tension can spiral, Flora steps forward, her eyes softening. “Let’s get you some air, honey,” she says.

Red blinks, the sound of Flora’s voice pulling her out of whatever thoughts she’s sinking into. For a moment she looks like she might argue. Her lips part in protest.

But then she exhales, and something in her posture caves. Her shoulders sag and she nods. Her eyes are grateful but still clouded with something like doubt.

Don’t go .

She’s here. I want her to stay.

Without another word, Flora wraps an arm around Red, steadying her as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. There’s a surprising tenderness in the gesture and Ren leans into it.

“Don’t follow us, boys,” Flora trills over her shoulder .

They walk out together, the sound of the door clicking shut behind them leaving a silence that’s almost deafening.

Mathis still hasn’t moved. His eyes are fixed on the door, as if staring at it long enough will somehow bring her back. Noble looks like he’s caught in a war with himself, his jaw clenching, shoulders tight, torn between duty and whatever it is he’s feeling for Red.

And me? My wolf snarls in my chest, unsettled, restless.

How has one woman completely upheaved our world? It doesn’t make sense. She doesn’t make sense. Yet here we are, four grown men thrown off balance because of one little woman.

“Yes, well…” Torin’s voice cuts through the tension like a blade, sharp and deliberate. He clears his throat, his gaze lingering on the door before finally shifting back to Mathis, his expression a mask of stone. “Back to our plans with Andras, our packs, and our temporary truce.”

Mathis blinks, dragging himself back to the present, though his shoulders are still rigid. He turns to Torin, his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Right,” he says. “The truce.”

I cross my arms and let out a sharp breath. “Let’s be clear on one thing,” I say. “This truce doesn’t mean we trust you. It just means we hate Andras more than we hate you.”

Torin arches a brow, his lips twitching in what might be amusement—or annoyance. It’s always hard to tell with him. “Trust me,” he says smoothly, “the feeling’s mutual.”