“I’m not sure what I expected, to be honest.”
“I’m an alpha, Sara. The council won’t treat me like a common criminal, and I won’t abuse their trust by behaving like one.”
Sara wanted to scoff at his arrogance. She was pretty sure the only reason he had such freedom was that there were twelve other alphas around the building. He’d be extremely foolish to try anything, and that would also be the end of his alpha status. Him playing the docile alpha was totally self-serving.
He gestured to the large sofa taking up most of the back wall. “Shall we sit?”
The idea of being so close to him, after what he’d done, made her teeth ache. She ran her tongue over her canines, suddenly far sharper than they should be. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You sit, I’ll stand.”
“Suit yourself.” He sat and lounged back against the cushions as though he was totally in charge.
Sara’s hackles rose.
“So,” he said, “have you come to beg my forgiveness?”
“Your forgiveness?” she spat.
“Yes. For going against my orders and seeing the Tregarrak girl despite everything I said. You’re lucky I didn’t—”
“Stop.” She roared, the sound reverberating around the room. “You tried to kill her. You almost killed me. And you haven’t even asked if I’m okay!” She trembled with barely contained rage, and he had the audacity to look surprised at her reaction.
“Alpha Cornell informed me that you’d woken up, and you’re obviously fully healed…” He shrugged, and for a second she couldn’t find the words.
“And so that’s it? I’m okay now, so no harm, no foul? And no fucking apology either?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Remember who you’re talking to. And no, I won’t apologise. I told Tregarrak and his daughter what would happen if she tried to see you again.” He held his hands out in a “so what do you expect” way, and Sara fought the urge to leap at him.
She let her claws slide out. The tips cut into her palms, and she welcomed the pain. Needed it to help her focus.
If her father smelt the blood in the air, he didn’t comment.
“I’m sure you’re aware by now, that neither I nor Rachel instigated these meetings. We didn’t break your stupid rules. Your reasons for attacking Rachel Tregarrak are in fact based on incorrect assumptions on your part. And the council know this.”
He fidgeted in his seat but didn’t correct her.
“And there will be no punishment for Rachel. She was protecting her mate, which is allowed under council rules.”
Gallen shot up off the sofa, fists clenched and eyes blazing. “You are not mates!” he snapped. His voice cutting through the air like a whip. “I refuse to let you bond—”
“It’s not your decision to make!” she snapped back, unflinching at his tone when a few days ago, she would’ve backed down immediately. Her trust in her alpha, her respect for him, had gone, wiped away when he’d attacked Rachel.
He sneered at her. “I’m your alpha.”
“Not for much longer,” she shot back.
It stopped him in his tracks; his surprised expression almost made her laugh.
“What?”
“I’m going to petition the council to let me out of your pack. You attacked Rachel, Dad. You tried to kill her and ended up injuring me instead. Did you think I wouldn’t care? That I’d come running back to you as though nothing had happened?”
“I—” He stopped, for once seemingly lost for words.
Sara shook her head in disbelief. “You did, didn’t you?”
He seemed to regain some of his composure. “It’ll take time to petition the council. You won’t be able to complete the bond without consequence until you leave my pack—and even then I doubt Tregarrak will have the balls to go against me. By the time it’s all sorted out, your potential to bond will hopefully have faded.”
Sara stared at him, seeing him in a whole new light, and wondered how she’d never seen it before. Then she smiled at him, cold and calculating. “I don’t think any of that’s going to be a problem.”
