Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“What do your betas do?”
“That is an intrusive question,” I laugh.
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“You’re right. I’m asking because of this,” he points up. “Is what my betas do. They take care of the people and the paperwork.”
“Right, and they send them to the alpha. Me,”
“Do you do regular Luna duties?”
“Yes, I do. I have a schedule,” I nod. “Would you like something to drink? I have juice, pop, tea, water, and milk.”
“Do you want help unpacking some of this stuff?” he counters.
“You want to see what will bring all the black together?”
“I do,” he smiles. “And I want to know where you’ve been. Looks like you enjoy going into some pretty Indigenous tribes.”
“Are you a history major?”
“I was an agricultural engineering major. Minor in anthropology. I like learning about different cultures,” he goes over to the massive bell in the corner by the lift entrance and releases his claws. The tape is broken with a swipe, and the plastic and bubble wrap are released. “I know this is a dinner bell used to call in patrols three times a day in southern Asia wolf tribes. To get one, you must learn certain meditations and live with the tribe for six months.”
“I was twenty-three. Angry and alone. I was making a deal for the chemicals the lab needed for a new birth control in Bangladesh. This is a replica of the massive bell in the Chittagong territories. I stayed with Alpha Ali Biswas and his family for almost a year. His son gave it to me.”
“You dated him?” he asks gently.
“He was fourteen,” I shake my head. “I don’t date. I did once, and I had to put him down. He killed some of my friends, thinking I was stepping out with them. My taste in men isn’t for the soft- hearted, and I didn’t want to endanger Mr. Thorne. Fucker cuffed him to a radiator. He still has the scars on his wrists.”
“You’re in love with a human. It comes with the territory. You would always have to protect him if you didn’t turn him. He’s a human,”
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“A human who has done some pretty ugly shit to ensure his survival as well as his family’s. A human who will probably be turning his attention to me soon,” I admit. He turns around to face me.
“Why? What did you do?” I don’t like the pity on his face. It pisses me off.
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Chapter 23
“It’s not what I did. It’s what his brother did and what I must do to show him what he did was
wrong”
“What did his brother do?”
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The elevator behind the staircase opens up, and some juveniles walk out. Two growls fill the strange silence I created. I turn back to look at the pups.
“Stand down. He’s here with me. Just swapping information,” I try to put them at ease, “Continue your work,”
The two pups stare him down and continue doing what they’re here for. They bow respectfully to me and take the boxes to their designated areas. I marked all of them. He doesn’t pay any mind to their hostility. He doesn’t have to. One of them is eighteen and the other is nineteen. They aren’t shit to him, but with me here. They know we’d be able to, at the very least, get away. Kill him if we’re lucky. I love that they trust me with that and that he sees it.
“I’m waiting for an answer,” he turns back to the bell to finish removing the wrap.
“Justin fucked with my family. Zander doesn’t know that yet, but when he does. He’s going to run behind his brother. I know him. All of them, and I’ve always been the odd one out. Now they have the perfect ammunition to get rid of me.”
“And when his brother is the only thing standing between you and your prey?”
“I have twelve years of leverage over him. My family and I may never see eye to eye. We might try o kill each other occasionally, but that’s what wolves do. They’re not wolves and only I get to make
y father as upset as he was when he lost Wolfe Tech to the fucking Lockwoods.”
his human in particular holds a big part of the city,” he reminds me.
“Yeah, and it’s my name on the paperwork. My presence that’s known. It should be a lot of fun.”
“You’re going to bury him.” The tone in his voice sends chills down my back. The good kind. The kind I’ve never hesitated to give in to in my travels.
“No,” I smile. “I’m going after his brother. When he gets in my way, I’ll make him watch the same way he watched my family burn. I want it to be just as public so everyone knows it was me who fucked the Thornes for everything they’ve got. Then I’m going to give Thorne Labs to Lycan Tech when I become the CEO of their new division here,”
“I’m going to be the CEO of their new division here,” he turns around with a grin.
“No, you’re not. But you’re very welcome to try,”
“You know that I want that position. I sold Jonas the building across from your father’s for a reason,”
“Right. Thank you for that. It’s the perfect place for Lycan Tech to go up. But we both know a multi- billion-dollar pharma company beats real estate. If you like, we can team up. I think it would bring us closer as alphas of our packs,”
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Chapter 23
“Your brother hates me.”
“Don’t take it personally, Alpha Barnes. My brother hates everyone. A feral wolf raised him. It’s in our blood. Like I said. I look like a princess, but I’m no different from my siblings. I just hide it better,”
“I’ll think about it,” he smiles at me the way every girl wants to be smiled at. “What would you have done to me if I stood in your way?”
I laugh, going over to help him pull the wrap off the bell. I like that he understands that I’m not just a pretty face. That I’m not the doormat everyone makes me out to be. I love that I don’t stand out. That’s what most people can say about me: I fell in love with a human and rebelled against my family for him. That I’m a good Luna when required. Polite, quiet, and submissive.
My mother ran this City while the attention was on my overzealous father who couldn’t help make an ass of himself at every turn. She loved it, and her strategy was flawless. She met her death because of my father’s arrogance, but my brother and I don’t have that. We’ve seen how dangerous things can get firsthand. We’ve been placing things into position, and if we can get Alpha Barnes to play with us, things would be much easier.
