~Third Person~
Anna’s red face and flaring nostrils were one thing, but her wolf stepping up on the verge of shifting caused even the Alpha to rise quickly to his feet. His hands reached out in front of his body, and he took slow steps toward the she-wolf that would, without hesitation, challenge him in his own home. To defuse the situation, Danielle attempted to reconcile the event in which Anna had caught them.
“Nothing happened. There is nothing going on between us—” she said as she stood next to Kade.
“Shut up, you whore!” Anna growled, and her eyes began to glow. She was mere seconds away from her bones breaking and reconnecting into a beast that would rip apart the door frame in which she stood.
“Anna,” Kade said lowly. His feet moved as slowly as possible, and his eyes tried reasoning with her.
“You do this to Layla? She’s my best friend. You drive her away only to wallow in self-pity and beg me for forgiveness, and then you go back to that bitch?” Anna growled as her canines extended and her shoulders raised to her ears.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you need to keep your damn voice down,” Kade warned. He didn’t want to do it, but she left him with no choice. If Anna shifted and her wolf challenged Alpha Kade in a house full of witnesses, the outcome was fearful.
Kade shook his head and closed his eyes as he cursed himself for what he was about to do. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing in a bright yellow, with the iris narrowed to a slit as he looked at Anna. She was heaving as she stepped into the conference room. Kade raised his head and mentally stepped aside to give his wolf free rein. The wolf of the Alpha, especially when that Alpha was Kade, held a power so strong that any member, friend or foe fell to their feet in submission. No matter the tight grasp of hatred and anger, one couldn’t fight the Alpha’s dominance. Once his walls were fully down and his power surrounded exuded freely, one had no choice but to fall before him.
Anna was no exception.
Her eyes turned back to their normal green, and her legs began to shake as they buckled underneath her. She fell to her knee, and her head lowered as Alpha Kade forced her and her wolf into submission.
Kade walked over and squatted in front of her. He tilted her head back and looked shamefully into her now glossy eyes. Their eyes locked in an intense gaze with a sea of emotions swirling between them.
“I’ll never forgive you for this,” she murmured under her breath in a broken but sincere voice.
Kade fell back on his feet with his mouth agape as though he’d been punched in the solar plexus. Air that flowed so easily suddenly stopped mid-way, and he couldn’t take a breath. Anna stood strong and bowed her head, but when it rose, and her eyes met the Alpha’s, he feared what he saw in them.
~Kade~
Anna turned around and stormed out of the conference room. Behind her hair, which swirled as she took a sharp turn, I saw my mother staring wide-eyed at Danielle, Mason, and me.
“What is happening in here?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked and cleared my throat as I pushed the chairs under the table. She walked in with quick and determined steps and grabbed my arm.
“Everyone felt it, Kade. Why did your wolf step forth?” she hissed.
I looked at her changing orbs and saw how they swirled into slits like when I was mischievous as a child.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” I placed my hand over my mother’s and carefully removed it from my arm.
She turned and looked at my brother before her gaze slid over Danielle.
“Why are you here?” she asked Danielle, who was taken aback by the question.
She was, however, quick to come up with a response.
“They were discussing the Emberclaws, and Kade assumed they would want to see one in action.” It was a good effort from Danielle, but knowing my mother, she would be coming to find me later and ask why Danielle had lied to her face.
“Well then, I’m glad that at least one thing got sorted out. Kade, I will see you later,” she said and glared at me, a knowing look that further proved my previous theory.
My knowledge of my mother would soon surpass the one she had of me.
“I want you all down in the dining room. Dinner is on the table,” she said and left.
Mason threw me a knowing look, and Danielle pursed her lips.
“She didn’t buy that, did she,” Danielle said and looked where my mother had walked off.
“Not even a little bit,” Mason said and walked out.
We sat with the other Alphas around the table. The house was empty. The warriors were at practice, and the Omegas were off on their break.
The food stood warm on the plates, and everyone had started digging in.
“Alpha Kade, what show you put on earlier,” Malik gleamed.
“Sorry?” I said as I took my seat opposite him.
“We all felt your wolf, your strength. I am starting to understand the stories, though I’ve never been fortunate enough to experience it first hand,” he said and smirked, clearly joyful to be here now.
I grabbed the glazed ribs with the tongs and placed a pile on my plate.
“If you’ve never been the recipient of my power, consider yourself lucky, not unfortunate,” I said lowly. His smirk vanished, and he nodded, but a glimmer of resentment rested on his face.
Gathering all of these Alphas was not my first choice, but it was the only one with merit. Now, I would have to see it through and hope that, in the end, we all did what we could to protect our people. The biggest problem with gathering power-hungry, dominant Alphas was that you never knew which side they were on until the gift broke out. By the looks of it, only a few were standing beside me; the rest, I would have to wait and see. My eyes glanced over at Malik, Tristan, and Matthias. Gabriel was the only one where my mind was free from doubt.
I saw a shadow from the corner of my eyes and turned to look at the open doors. Anna stood there with a dead gaze, watching us.
“Anna, sweetheart, I’m glad you got my message. Come sit. You need food,” my mother said and pulled a chair next to her. Anna smiled and walked over. She sat down and smiled fondly at my mother, who brushed Anna’s hair back.
When she turned her head and her gaze fell on me, it hardened. This time, I wondered what the damage control would look like.
“Is everything all right?” my father asked when he saw her cold glare.
Anna smiled and nodded.
“Everything is fine,” she said.
“We’re very glad to see that your son has his mate back,” Malik said and looked at my father. His brows furrowed in confusion, and his eyes immediately darted to me.
“I don’t—” he began to say.
“Yes, it’s wonderful,” Danielle said before my father had a chance to finish. Her hand slid over mine, and they were on display on the tabletop.
My skin burnt under Anna’s glare. My parents were watching the exchange with silent judgment and a million questions.
Danelle’s soft skin warmed the back of my hand, and her fingers relaxed around my own. My eyes stared at the delicate rose ring on her index finger. It glimmered under the lamp’s light, and her hand fell heavier the more she relaxed in her seat.
