Jordan’s eyes glint at my answer, and he smirks. “Then you, Harry and I will have a plan to think about. Forest and Rosea need to go.”
“We could fuse the pack with yours,” I muse, before pretending to startle. “Sorry, I was just getting ahead of myself. I—”
“I like how you think, Martin,” he says, squeezing my shoulder. “I can’t wait to have you on my team.”
With that, he finally leaves me and heads to his guests. I make sure to hang around for a bit longer, having one more drink and chatting with some regulars I now know, before finally,finally, I’m able to leave this shithole.
Once outside, the cold night air hits me, waking me up a little. At last, I can go home. Part of me just wants to erase this from my mind and never think about it again, but I know it’s not an option. In fact, this is the biggest chance we have had in a while to finally get both Jordan and Harry. Besides, there are so many innocent girls in there who deserve to be saved.
The cool air has calmed me down a little, my senses sharper again. When I hear footsteps behind me, I don’t think much about it at first, until—“You!” A voice hisses.
I know that voice. Wait a moment…
Turning around, I am met with a fist, punching me so hard it knocks me over. Fuck! As a beta, that shouldn’t have happened to me. Before I can get up again, the guy kneels above me, punching me again. I have not been training with Forest for nothing, though. Grabbing his legs, I shift us both over, successfully getting him off me. What I didn’t consider, though,was the small hillside next to me, causing both of us to roll downhill until we come to a halt on a patch of grass right next to a stream. My bones ache. Fuck this guy.
forty-three
A Rough Start
*MARTIN*
“How could you?!” Rory hisses at me, about to scramble to his feet. The look in his eyes is deadly. “I followed you around, and of all places, you came here. Even meeting with Jordan, that psycho! You useless piece of trash. I won’t have anyone betray Rosea again!”
My ears pick up footsteps in the distance. The last thing I need is someone discovering me now. With Rory of all people, and amidst such a drama.
I let my wolf come forward, rolling above Rory and pinning him to the ground with an angry growl. I press my hand to his mouth. “Shut up, you fool,” I hiss. “I am not betraying anyone. Now hold your fucking tongue, or you will ruin everything.”
I don’t know what it is, maybe the anger, maybe the frustration, maybe something in my eyes, but Rory stops struggling. We stay still until the voices and footsteps are gone. Then I let go. “I am on a secret mission,” I whisper. “Both my alpha and luna know what I am doing. They are in on it.”
For a while, Rory just stares at me. “That’s why you are here?” he mutters the question.
“Yes,” I huff. “And you were so close to ruining it! Just imagine if Jordan or one of his men had seen you attack me!”
“Fuck, sorry,” Rory breathes out. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! I went into anger mode the moment I saw you.”
“What were you even doing here?”
“I went for a walk, spotted you and then followed you around,” he says, refreshingly honest.
“You really have issues,” I mutter.
“I do, very obviously so.” He pauses. “Are you okay?”
I touch my face. My nose and left cheek feel a little raw, but nothing is broken. Rory hands me a tissue, and I wipe the blood off my nose.
Rory groans. “Man, I am really sorry. I thought you were another one on the list to betray my cousin.”
I sigh a little at his miserable expression. “I get it. But I am not betraying them. I’ve been on this mission for a couple of weeks now, obviously with Alpha and Luna’s approval. The only reason you didn’t know about it is that there was no time to fill you in yet.” I look around with a frown. “Let’s get away from here. We should really talk somewhere else. I’d hate for someone to see me now. Are you here by car?”
“No, I walked.”
I stare at him in shock. “All the way, from the pack?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, that’s some dedication,” I mutter. Dedication or mistrust… toward me.
“Did I mention I am sorry?” he asks. “I think you being the pack’s beta might have triggered me a little.”
