Forest leads me to the entrance door, where a concierge is going through the list of names. He ticks us off before opening the door for us to enter.
Time to shine.
The way into the hall feels like an out-of-body experience. It was a calculated move to dress the way we did, one I was hoping would work, and fortunately, it does. Forest holds my hand tightly, walking next to me, and he looks so strong and secure that he sweeps me with him.
“Forest, Rose!” Tristan walks over and greets us. He is the first to do so; the others just stare at us open-mouthed. “It’s lovely to see you.” He lowers his voice, “You look like you are ready for battle.”
“That’s because we are,” Forest mutters.
“Your weird message got me curious. To be honest, I have no idea what you are plotting.”
“There is no way you would be able to guess,” I say. “We can’t deny that it’s probably going to get messy.”
Tristan looks at us, intrigued. “I hope it will be.”
“What?” Forest snorts. “You hope there will be a mess?”
“Yes, these events suck. Jordan and his goons are here, which means it’s the usual pissing contest. So, if it gets messy, I am there for it.”
Two alphas and their lunas, whom I recognize from last time, catch his last words and nod. “Jordan, that ass,” one of them mutters, gripping his luna’s hand tightly. “As if I would ever…”
“What happened, Nico?” Forest asks.
“He told me he was interested in an alliance,” the alpha, named Nico, spits. My mind goes into overtime until I can put his name to a pack. Right, big pack, Jordan always wanted a deal with them. “My pack is rather big, but my father hated Jordan. Said the former alpha was good, but that as his successor, he sucks. However, Jordan called me a couple of times. He wanted to invite me to a casino night.”
I raise my brows. “Oh, did he?”
“Yeah. When I told him I was not betting my money, he said to use my pack’s.” He frowns. “And when I told him I wouldn’t do that, he said I could offer my mate.”
Forest and I exchange a look. “Excuse me,” I say. “What?!”
“Right,” the guy exclaims. “That was my reaction, too. What a psycho.”
“As if any of us would ever,” Tristan says. “Not that he is interested in me.”
“I bet he would be,” I say. “You have a strong pack. But he knows it’d be in vain trying to pull you into his web. He knows you wouldn’t buy it, so you are not worth the risk for him.”
“She is right,” Forest muses. “You would never follow him, and he knows it. He was never interested in me, either.”
“He was,” I say. “I am pretty sure hewasinterested. After seeing your pack and learning what I know now, I am certain he wanted an alliance with you.”
At that, the others stare at me. “Luna Rose,” one of the men mutters. “Jordan, he…” a pause. “He was terrible to Forest.”
“I know, but that doesn’t say much,” I point out. “It was part of his strategy.”
“Wait a moment; humiliating and ignoring me was part of his strategy?” Forest asks. “He always talked to Lissa instead?”
“Yes, he probably wanted to destroy your confidence.” I smile at him. “He has no idea he doesn’t stand a chance with you.”
Forest pulls me into his arms. “That fucker!”
“It makes sense what Luna Rose says,” one of the other lunas agrees. “I have heard him talk down to two other newer alphas, as well. And they follow him like lost pups.”
One of the guys grimaces. “So, itisa strategy.”
I am sure about it now. I didn’t realize it sooner, but seeing this event and talking to these people made a light bulb go off inside my head. Negging Forest, crumbling his confidence, humiliating him, is exactly what Jordan would do, both out ofcruelty and to make him dependent on him. “It’s definitely how he treats his women,” I say.
Tristan has stayed quiet, but now he looks at me curiously. “You know a lot about him, Rose.”
