Staring at the dark feed screen on the far wall, Viktor held the phone up to his ear. “What do you want?”
“Did you really think we wouldn’t find out that you went to Solbourne Tower the moment you got off the jet? Are you fuckingstupid?”Andreas’s tone was outright gleeful.
“Did you really think I washidingit?” Viktor didn’t bother to smooth out the annoyance in his voice. “Obviously you weren’t listening at the meeting yesterday,Ruben,or you would have heard me disclose my personal relationship with the Solbournes — thebenefitI bring to the Alliance.”
“You were running back to your masters like a fucking lapdog,” Andreas sneered. “Which is exactly what I told them you would do, and what I saidagainwhen I showed the council the video of you leaving the Tower.”
Viktor checked the time and inwardly cursed. “I don’t have time for this. If you think I didn’t know you had someone watching the Tower, thenI’mnot the stupid one. Furthermore, I don’t give a shit if the council knows I visited the Solbournes. I’ve been clear about my relationship with them from the start.”
Did he think it might tip the scales if they knew he was pursuing a very elvishunionwith Camille? Yes. But seeing as Theodore, Margot, and Camille herself were the only people who knew that, he didn’t back down or waste energy worrying about the council knowing of his visit.
One of the very first things he did when applying for the Alliance was disclose his relationship with the Solbournes — as well as his pack’s history of autonomy despite living in the very heart of the elvish territory. They were no elvish lackeys, no matter what Andreas thought.
“Do you really think they’ll let you into the Alliance now that they’ve seen proof of you running back to—”
“Ithinkthe alphas on the council will make up their own fucking minds on the subject given all the facts available to them,” he snapped. “Ithinkthat if you really had the case you wish you did, then you wouldn’t be calling me to shake me up right now. And Ithinkthat you can shove this weak intimidation tactic right up your ass,Alpha Andreas.”
“You want intimidation?” Andreas snarled. “If you think I’m going to let you bring elvish poison into the Alliance, you’re dead fucking wrong. Your father didn’t think you were worth the effort of getting rid of, but I’m not him.”
“You’re right,” Viktor coolly replied, “because he’s dead.”
Andreas’s voice dropped into an icy growl. “I’m going to fucking—”
Viktor pulled the phone back from his ear and ended the call. Whatever threat Andreas wanted to deliver wasn’t worth his time. Until he decided to actually work up the guts to challenge Viktor to a fight in the circle, it was all hot air and not worth his time.
Checking the time again, Viktor blanched. He didn’t have time to calm down from the call, nor to overthink things. It was time. Biting his lip, he reached for the controller and, after a moment’s hesitation, hit thecallbutton.
It rang once. Twice. A third time.
Viktor felt the tips of his fingers shift into claws with a familiar burn. The razor sharp tips dug into the tops of his splayed thighs as he watched the screen, unblinking.
On the fifth ring, the feed screen lit up.Call accepted.
Camille appeared and his breath froze in his lungs. Every muscle in his body tightened as all of his focus narrowed into a pinprick — shifting to her.
She sat in an opulently furnished living room swathed in sophisticated shades of gray and deep blue. Perched on the very edge of a velvet couch, his mate sat with her back ramrod straight and her chin set in a stubborn angle.
Camille had changed her clothing since he saw her in the green corridor. Instead of her soft white sundress, she wore a sleek black number with white piping, emphasizing every delicious curve and giving her an austere, sophisticated look.
For a taut moment, they simply sat there, staring at one another on the other side of the feed screen. He wondered if she felt the same way he did — almost surprised that she showed up at all.
Well, if she expects me to back down from a challenge, she doesn’t know shifters well,he thought, a slow grin spreading across his face.We love to chase.
Despite the fact that they were separated by miles, Viktorfelther suspicion, the wariness his grin inspired.
“Well?” Her voice was an icy whip through the speakers. Damn if the sound of it didn’t make him hard even when she was pissed at him. “I’m here. Are you just going to keep looking at me like that, or are you actually going to participate in this farce you’ve strong-armed me into?”
“Can’t I just admire you for a minute?”
“No, you may not.”
Viktor sighed, but it wasn’t an unhappy sound. He didn’t bristle when she snapped at him. Certainly, he would have preferred it if she wasn’t angry with him, but he also felt… comfortable. Nostalgic, even. This was, after all, the place from which they began their relationship.
Chest aching, he leaned back into the cushions. In a soft voice, he asked, “Do you remember when we met, Cam?”
Immediately, her annoyed expression shifted into outright wariness. “That is not what a union negotiation is about,Alpha Hamilton.” Her reply was stiff, uninviting. Nothing about it or her expression encouraged him to continue.
He did anyway.
