Page 56 of The Enforcer’s Rejected Mate (Red River Rejected Mates #1)

“I think we don’t know enough about her but that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.”

“And why is that?”

“You’re alpha,” I say and look back to Ronan. “If you trust her, then that’s good enough for me.”

Ronan’s eyes go to the portrait on the wall. Amara. Cordelia’s mother. “She’s special to me. She’s not a spy.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so,” Ronan says and returns his attention back to the map.

“Take a group of Defenders. I want you to go west, as far Oak Fast but no further. Spend some time in the area before you go north to Red River. I’ll send word to Moonshadow that we’ve noticed some of their pack members taking liberties with the boundaries, a most concerning occurrence with the ferals in the area.

Their Alpha will answer to me formally on what his pack members are doing but in the meantime I want you leading the Defenders. ”

Thank Luna. This is the direction I needed to get my feet back under me.

Some space will do me good. As much as I might want to be near her, I can’t defy an order from my Alpha.

I’ll be forced to put space between us. It’ll be for the better, I tell my wolf but he’s pissed.

He snaps his teeth before he turns his back on me like a petulant teen.

Fucking immature ass wolf.

“I’ll gather a group of six. I reckon we’ll be out for a week.

We can split into two groups and cover both Oak Fast and Red River at the same time for a few days before we push towards Moonshadow to see if we pick up on anything.

We’ll leave now.” I turn to leave the room but I don’t even get a half step before Ronan stops me.

“You can’t be gone a week and you can’t go now.”

“Why not?”

“For one, we have our pack meeting tonight. Cordelia will be announced and sworn in officially. And two, the Autumn Festival is happening, and everyone will be in attendance at the dance that Morgana has made her mission to drive me into an early grave over.”

A pack meeting? That surprises me. “I thought the meeting wasn’t for another few days?”

“Decided sooner was better than later with the way she’s getting attention. A meeting will put the pack’s mind at ease and give Cordelia the rank she’s owed.”

He means the damage the gossips have done has gone far enough. I can’t argue with him there, especially not since Lucian banned me from handling it my way.

“Staying for the pack meeting makes sense, but with all due respect, Alpha, a dance is not the most important concern our pack has.” The dance is an annual occurrence, held to mark the proper start of fall. Only a few days away now.

“And with all due respect, Enforcer, I know that. It’s a problem when my Beta is losing her shit over the fact that she can’t keep Cassidy here because a certain Enforcer won’t have her.

Now, seeing as our pack hasn’t been one for arranged marriages for, oh, I don’t know a hundred years, this is the best I can do to smooth that over. ”

I want to throw the table across the room but I take in a deep breath and look up at the glass ceiling overhead. The night sky opens up above me and it calms me some. I take in a deep breath and then another before I speak again.

“You’re saying this whole thing is because of me. On account of me not having Cassidy.”

“Not in so many words.”

I grit my teeth and rake my fingers through my hair. “I won’t have anyone . Everyone knows that.” Anyone that isn’t Cordelia, that is.

“That may be but the Beta get things in their head when their young is involved.”

I open my mouth to tell Ronan he’s crazy if he thinks I’m going to let myself be forced into attending the dance but then I remember Lucian’s words from earlier.

“If you don't, the other alphas will.”

If I don’t go to the dance I know what will happen. The image of Cordelia dancing with another faceless, idiot, alpha flashes through my mind and my wolf snarls. The first alpha that touches her is going to regret it.

Ronan mistakes my wolf’s outburst as anger. “I know this isn’t ideal, but do me this favor and I will owe you.”

A favor from the alpha isn’t to be taken lightly. Ronan isn’t in the game of owing favors which means whatever is going on with Mograna and this infernal dance, there’s more to it than he’s letting on.

“Any favor?” I ask.

Ronan winces but nods. “Any favor. You ask me and I will deliver. Think of it as a magic wish.”

“I don’t like magic.”

“Not many shifters do.”

We’re both silent, regarding each other for a long moment before I give him a nod.

“All right. I’ll stay for the pack meeting and I’ll be at the dance but my attendance is the only guarantee.

This isn’t going to be a debutante ball where Cassidy gets to force me into humoring her.

I’m done with that shit.” The little scene between the two of them today plays in a loop for me and it’s enough for me to know I’m going to have to put my foot down.

When I do take Cordelia as my mate, I’ll not have Cassidy challenging her. She’ll learn her place now.

“Your presence is all that is required. I will take care of the rest. This will be the last Morgana pushes for you to be…coupled with Cassidy. I promise you that.”

Where Cassidy’s fixation with me began, I’ll never know.

She was always underfoot, the only daughter of Morgana and eight years younger than me.

It makes sense that Morgana would coddle her daughter in a pack that experienced so much loss, and lost so many of its young to the war by way of kidnapping.

But even still, I’m not the pawn to play with when it comes to giving the Beta’s little princess her heart’s desire.

“I’m going to hold you to that promise. I’ll go touch base with Lucian and get preparations for the scouting party underway.”

Ronan nods. “I expect you’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“If not tonight.”

He shakes his head. “Tonight is too soon. Meeting might run long and I need you all rested and well prepared. The days ahead will be rough. Tomorrow morning,” he says and I know there’s no pushing the departure time.

I’m not hard-headed enough to push the issue—not when there’s a favor with the alpha in the mix. My wolf howls, I know what he wants.

Who he wants. I want her too.

I grit my teeth and force myself to nod. I don’t give a damn what my wolf wants, he’s wrong this time. We both fucking are.

“Tomorrow morning,” I concede.

“Travel safe, Enforcer.”

“Always, Alpha.”