“I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a long time.” Desdemona studied me. “ThelegendaryLeviathan Cross.” She squatted down and picked up a pebble at her feet, tossing it back and forth. “Is it true you devour virgins like they say? Do you at least fuck them first?”
“Those stories are bullshit,” I said. “I’m not a monster. Unlike you and yourmen.” I sneered the last word, recalling the intentions of the group that had cornered June.
Her smile vanished in an instant. “Yes. I heard about that,” she said, standing tall again and tossing her stone away. “The men who returned looked like they’d seen a ghost. They’ve been handled. No need to worry about them.”
“Handled? What does that mean?”
She shrugged. “When they were pressed aboutwhythey’d gotten that close to Hidden Grove without permission, it was revealed that they were…how should I say it…looking for some fun. If you think I will suffer rapists in my pack, then you areverymistaken, dear Leviathan. They knew they’d fucked up. Honestly, I’m surprised they even came back. Perhaps they thought I’d be lenient. Not to worry. They died screaming.”
A chill spread from my stomach down to my balls. This was a hard woman. Harder than many men I knew or had ever known. There was no pity in her eyes.
“What do you want to talk about?” I didn’t want to extend this any longer than I needed to.
She stepped close enough that I could smell her soap and put a slender, shot-nailed finger on my chest, sliding it down to my belly button. I pulled away, but my captor held me tight. Desdemona grinned at my reluctance to feel her touch.
“As you well know,” she said, her tone firm and direct, “your pack is made up mainly of women. My pack is almost exclusively male. What I want, Leviathan, is something that benefits us both. I want to merge our packs. With you as my mate.”
I blinked in confusion. “Excuse me?” I finally managed to say.
“It’s simple,” Desdemona said, then gestured around at her huge group of men. “Our packs occupy a similar space. This forest is our haven, but as we both grow, we will eventually come to have further interactions. As you may recall, in the past, that hasn’t gone so well. There’s tension here. Your people are afraid of us. My people, as much as I try to change their opinion, envy you. Electric lights? Indoor plumbing? You’re living the high life in Hidden Grove. That tension will increase. If you wish to stop that before it becomes too strong, then the only way is to merge the packs.”
“Are you out of your mind?” This wasn’t going at all how I’d anticipated, and the disorientation had me struggling to focus.
“I’m not,” she said, chuckling and shaking her head. “I’m a pragmatist, that’s all. I understand what is necessary for the health and survival of these two packs. You have to see it yourself, don’t you? Both of us hiding away in these woods, away from thereal—” she made air quotes with her fingers. “Packs. If we join together, our numbers would be almost that of Black Creek pack. We’d be over half the size of Idlewild. We wouldn’t have to hide anymore. We could be anactualtown. Fuck them if they’re mad some petty criminals and rule breakers have joined up with a bunch of romantic rejects. We’d be strong enough that they’d have to acknowledge us.”
From the way she spoke, I could see she’d been thinking about this for a long time. Her plan, if that’s what it could be called, made it seem easy.
“No,” I said, voice calm and assertive. It didn’t matter that over a hundred sets of angry eyes were glaring at me. If Desdemona was upset, her face didn’t show it.
“No?” She drew the word out. “Is that your final answer?”
“Yes,” I said. “I am the alpha of Hidden Grove, and I’m not binding myself to you. Even if I wanted to, I already have a mate. This conversation is over. Either let us go, or kill us. Just get it over with.”
“Easy with the killing there, pal,” Rainier muttered. I ignored him, keeping my eyes on Desdemona, preparing to fight to the death if need be.
“This is a tough decision,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “Why don’t you take some time to think about it?” She waved a hand at the men holding us, and to my surprise they both let go. “Go back home and roll my offer around in that handsome head of yours.”
Part of me thought that it must be some sort of trick, a ploy to get us to drop our guards. I grabbed Rainier by the scruff of his collar and dragged him backward, my gaze locking on anyone within striking distance. No one lunged for us, though. They were obeying her orders without question. The hold this woman had over them was astonishing. She had to be an incredible fighter and powerful alpha to command this kind of respect.
“We’ll talk again,” Desdemona called to us as we backed out of the ring of men. She winked at me. “Count on it.”
“Come on,” I hissed, pulling Rainier into the forest.
“Oh, Leviathan?” she called before we’d gone more than a couple steps.
“Yes?” I snarled the word through gritted teeth.
Desdemona gave me another patronizing grin. “Don’t wait too long. I know what I want, and if I don’t get an answer soon, I’ll assume it’s a no.” She lifted an eyebrow. “And then, I’ll just take what I want. With your help or without, I’ll have your pack and your land. It’s up to you if we do this the easy way, or the hard way. See you soon.”
The only acknowledgment I gave was a single nod and a growl. We continued to walk backward, keeping our eyes on thepack until they were fully obscured by the foliage. The moment we were clear, we shifted and bolted. I took the lead, pounding through the forest at breakneck speed. We didn’t even bother being careful. Once we’d gotten a few miles away, I shifted back, dropping down on one knee to catch my breath.
“Holyfuckingshit,” Rainier panted once he’d collapsed beside me. “What the hell was that?”
I shook my head, wiping sweat from my brow, my breathing hissing out in cloudy steams against the cold. “No clue. Not what I’d anticipated. That’s for sure.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” he said. “What are you gonna do?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I gave her my answer, and it’s not changing. I don’t give a damn what kind of threats she wants to use. Come on. Let’s get back home.”
