Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 18

Remus

Several Miles from the Claw Mansion

Woodward County, Oklahoma

Luna pushed away and it felt like a veil had been lifted. I blinked, stunned. What was that? I had taker control over the majority of this territory, but the former alpha hadn't submitted to me - and I hadn't I watched the she-wolf swim away, raising my fingers to touch my lips. It felt like electricity was still da What the hell was that?I thought again, still flummoxed I had been drawn in at all. Sure, I had followe have turned away and let her do....whatever it is she was doing. Swimming, maybe.

She had been beautiful though, wading into the water. Despite the falter in her step. Despite the dusk when she realized I had been watching her. Maybe she hadn't noticed. Maybe she hadn't cared. She ha I shook my head and inhaled deeply, gathering my wits back about me. You aren't here for some roma The sound of splashing caught my attention, and I turned my head, gaze finding Luna once more. She novels, visit FindNovel.net

"Where's Marnet?" I asked, voice still gruff. I needed to get this situation back on track. I needed to ge "What?" the she-wolf replied, blinking those silver eyes. They seemed cloudy again. Her voice was bre She seemed distracted. I glanced over my shoulder, but there was no one else here; it was only us. Ma nice swim in the middle of bumfvck nowhere. "Where's Marnet?" I asked again, not moving towards he It didn't matter. Luna ground her jaw shut and shook her head. "I don't know." She turned her back to matter. Alphas had a natural sort of charisma. Even other alphas weren't immune to it, though we ofte Luna clambered onto the banks, and tugged clothing haphazardly back on. Her back was positioned to My wolf's hackles rose, his ears starting to flatten as his fur threatened to bristle upwards. Was that a

he-wolf down to the edge of the forest because I was hoping she would guide me to Marnet. That was all I wanted. That was what I needed. I had wrested him, either. Marnet had to give up his leadership (one way or another). Until then, my plan was not complete.

over my skin. I had kissed dozens of women and I hadn't experienced a single k!ss like that. Not a single one.

ecause I hoped she was working off a memory; once she stripped out of her bloodied dress, it was clear it wasn't Marnet she was running towards. I should

es that hadn't been entirely erased by her shift to her lupine form. Luna was beautiful regardless of all that, or maybe because of it. She hadn't shied away eason to be anything but proud; a lesser wolf would have folded long before now.

etaway, Remus. You don't even do romantic getaways, period. Get a grip!

veral lengths away from me now, somewhere between me and the shoreline. Our gazes locked. Was she shaking? Why was Luna shaking? For more free

If back on track before this spiraled any further. almost distant. Far away.

e liked the kiss, too, my traitorous mind whispered. My upper l!p curled at the thought. No. Focus, Remus. I had come out here for a purpose, and it wasn't a urther.

vimming briskly towards the shoreline as if she couldn't get away quickly enough. I frowned; I didn't usually have that effect on women - or anyone, for that an to posture once we got within a certain proximity of one another.

me, even if she was watching me over her shoulder.

desire? Or both? He was tired of this game, whatever it was, and was not satisfied or pacified by simple kisses. That was a human thing; that meant nothing to him. He needed answers or desire or loyalty or any combination of the three. Before I really put any thought into it at all, red was coloring the peripheral of my gaze. Luna flinched as soon as I began casting my alpha. She wanted to look away, I could see that even if I wasn't casting on her yet. She shook her shoulders, not unlike a wet dog, but it did nothing to wrest my hold; it didn't matter than Luna hadn't bound herself to me and the Silverstreak clan yet. I was a particularly powerful sort, and she might not have been weak, but she-

Sh!t.

Something cold bubbled up in my gut, uncomfortable and foreign. It took several moments for me to realize I did know that sensation, even if I tried very hard to ignore it. It had no place in running a business or a pack. Guilt. It was guilt.

Luna was still injured, even if the shift had helped her recover some strength But more than that, she looked tired. No, exhausted. Exhausted and paralyzed. "You have to pick a side, Luna," I said, forcing the alpha red back down. My wolf growled unhappily but made no attempt to surge back forward. "I started this fight, and I am going to finish it."

The she-wolf stared back, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"This is my territory now," I said.

"I know," she replied, silver eyes never leaving my gaze.

I scowled. What is with this wolf? Couldn't she see there was only one way this was going to end? "If I have to canvas this entire state, I will find Marnet Claw. It could take a month. It could take a year. But make no mistake, I will find him."

Luna slowly folded folding her arms over her chest. She said nothing. anything, the line of her lips only grew thinner. This is going nowhere.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I swam towards the shoreline with powerful strokes. I wasn't going to waste any more time. If Luna refused to lead me to her former alpha, then I had other matters that needed my attention. My bare feet hit the muddy shoreline moments before I allowed my wolf to surge back to the surface.

I strode away from the waterline and shook out my light pelt, lifting my snout to stare up at Luna. She did not shift, not right away, but I wasn't going to give up so easily. She might be stubborn, but she hadn't grown up with Fiona Silverstreak - two could most certainly play that game.

About a minute later, Luna gave a deep sigh and held her arms out to the side. "Fine," she growled, perhaps to me - perhaps to herself, and stepped away from me. Half a minute after that, a dark brown wolf stood where the woman had moments ago, her ears airplaned out to the side as she regarded me with flat gray eyes.

Great.

We made it back to the Claw mansion without any further incident. It was for the best that Luna seemed in a hurry to get back, because my mind wasn't exactly all here. What the hell had possessed me to k!ss Luna?

I mean, it wasn't as if I wasn't attracted to her. That was a stupid notion. Her silver eyes were arresting; I hadn't really been able to get them out of my mind since our gazes had met at the beginning of the week. Her hair was soft and dark, and fvck, her spirit. It took some serious willpower to confront an alpha, and damn if that wasn't a bit s3xy.

Seriously, though. Just because I found her s3xy didn't mean I needed to drag her into a k!ss. She was supposed to be bringing me to Marnet, and if she had been considering that notion, she certainly wasn't now. My mother always accused me of planning to the point of being anal - where the hell was that right now? That was definitely not part of any plan I'd considered.

I growled under my breath. By the time we had both shifted and I had made sure Luna made it back to her room safely, I was feeling downright ornery. I stormed down the hallway of the upper floor and paused right outside the master. "Don't let anyone bother me," I snapped to the shifter standing guard. Without waiting for a response, I ripped the door open and slammed it shut as I strode into the bedroom, ignoring the way the mirror rattled against the wall.

That cannot happen again.

It didn't matter if Luna was pretty or not (she was certainly very pretty). It didn't matter if she was available or not (I was going to kill Marnet anyways, so it was a moot point). It didn't even matter if I liked her (I didn't, I didn't go around liking women - I liked Tala, but that was different, she was my cousin, I could be friendly with her and never have to worry about the relationship going sour because of 'mixed signals' or anything equally as inane).

I inhaled slowly and tried to steady my pounding heart as I leaned against the door. My shoulders slumped. I stared up at the ceiling, scowling as I realized that that, too, was decorated with ornamental touches. Maybe I didn't like everything about this damn place. You are a grown-a's man, Remus. It was one stupid k!ss. There is no reason for it to be anything other than one stupid k!ss, either.

I stared across the room towards the ensuite. A new plan started to formulate. I would take a shower; I could use a wash anyways, after paddling around a pond in the middle of the woods. I'd find something new to wear. If there was nothing in the closet that didn't stink of Marnet, I would send Bane into the city. If there weren't any worthwhile clothing stores in Woodward (I wouldn't even kid myself and hope for a tailor, I'd seen how Marnet dressed off the rack), then Oklahoma City wasn't that far away. Was it? We weren't at Silverstreak Motors. If anyone from the company needed me that urgently, they had my number - I could have my mother on the private jet within the hour to take care of anything.

So, no. There was nothing that needed me urgently - if Marnet reared his ugly head, I wouldn't need clothing for that, either. My mouth rolled up in a smirk. No, he'd have to deal with my wolf.

My wolf rumbled, clearly pleased with the idea. Once we finally eliminated Marnet, there would be no reason for any of the Lupus Claw wolves to hold out - including Luna. Fvck, I could still feel the sting of her nails on my skin every time my shirt shifted; every time I took a step. I could still see those clever silver eyes staring up at me every time I closed my own. My c**k stirred, interested by the mere memory of Luna's naked form and open gaze. Remus! Get. In. The. Shower.

Before I could peel myself off the door, there was a knock right behind my back. It did nothing to quell what was threatening to become a raging hard-on. My desire quickly morphed to something red hot and violent. I snarled and whipped around. "What part of 'leave me the fvck alone' do you not understand?" I shouted at the door.

"I understand," Bane's muffled voice replied. I heard his sigh even if I couldn't see him. "But there's been an emergency."

Of fucking course there's been an emergency.

I all but wrenched the door out of its frame.

To his credit, Bane didn't so much as bat an eyelash. Red wasn't flooding my gaze, but it was a damn near thing. The look on my beta's face was one I had rarely seen him wear, but it told that he'd been quite serious when he used the word 'emergency! Whatever embers of desire had been burning were doused as if I'd stepped into a frigid shower.

"What is it?" I asked gruffly.

He simply tipped his head and handed me a tablet. I snorted, eyes glancing over the screen.

"We have maintained our control over the territory," Bane reported, pulling his phone out. He typed on his screen, sending additional files to my tablet. "But the borders are heating up."

"Borders?" I prompted, not pleased by the plural.

The man nodded. "Yes. We've had skirmishes on the borders of New Mexico, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Nothing...dangerous." I could tell Bane was picking his words carefully now. "But I would consider the actions to be shots across the bow. Several of them. From all directions."

I exhaled sharply. "Louisiana too, huh?"

Arkansas shared a large stretch of border with Oklahoma. New Mexico shared some, however small - but Louisiana abutted Texas, not Oklahoma. Louisiana was Black Thorn territory; that was Gith. That meant this trouble wasn't strictly about Marnet. My l!p curled up. "You were right to interrupt me," I said through gritted teeth, eyes flicking back to the screen.

"The situation hasn't blown up."

We both knew what Bane was leaving out. Yet.

The Oklahoma territory had become a powder keg, and we had to defuse it. Immediately. I thrust the tablet back in Bane's direction. "We're meeting with the alphas."

"Now?"

"Yes. Now." I stepped back into the bedroom long enough to change my shirt and smooth out my hair, retying the bun. It wouldn't do to look like this turn of events had ruffled me in any way. Bane waited patiently in by the door, falling into step once I started down the hallway.

He fell into step behind me. "Should I call up Tala or Fiona?" he prompted, already doing something on the tablet.

I shook my head. "No." They each had their own tasks assigned in making sure this went smoothly, including keeping Claw & Co. Construction stable during the transition, and working with the high-ranking pack members who'd already submitted to me to ensure continued cooperation. I didn't want to start messing with a working plan because I was experiencing a hiccup. Frankly, I didn't want to give the other alphas the impression I needed any sort of backup - because I didn't. They were irritating me, and nothing more. When we reached the other side of the mansion, I eyed the armed guards outside of the door. I gave Bane a sideways look. "Has York made any other fool choices since trying to break out yesterday?" I asked.

Bane snorted and shook his head. "He caught a baton to the knee when he got past the first guard he'd cast his alpha over," he replied. "He isn't as mobile. And..." When my beta trailed off, I frowned. "And what?"

"We let him have alcohol," he sighed, already bracing himself. I opened my mouth, and the man held up a hand. "No, it is not ideal, but obviously he has no self-preservation anyways, and clearly has no problem getting himself so skunked he can't manage his own power anymore."

I scowled, but York being belligerent was better than the man trying to cast his alpha over my wolves again. Better his drunken foolishness than him being outright dangerous. "And the other two?"

"Smart enough to realize they'd never make it back to their territories if they tried something that idiotic."

"Good." I nodded. I knew there was a reason I liked Seff and Gith more than most of the other alphas. I glanced back at Bane. "Stay here," I told him. "Let me know if anything changes." I expected my beta would likely be listening - that was fine. Saved me from having to relay the conversation back to him afterwards.

I turned the guards at the door. One opened the door while the other flanked me as I stepped inside. "Gentlemen."

The three alphas were in the three far corners, each taking over a different piece of furniture. Seff looked to be asleep, but York and Gith noticed me immediately. The oldest alpha stood, wincing slightly as he unfolded himself from the overstuffed armchair. My guards moved forward; the sound was enough to cause the Red Paw alpha to stir from his nap. He inhaled sharply and rolled to his feet, mouth pressed into a tight line as his gaze flickered between me and my guards.

York was not nearly as compliant. He snarled and took a swig from the dark bottle in his hand, making no move to get off the cushion. The guards stepped around me and walked over, each grabbing one of York's arms. York growled and hissed as they hauled him upright. He dragged his boots across the carpet and made a horrible gurgling sound. For one brief moment, I thought the man had finally overdone his drinking and was about to wretch all over the floor. I took a step back, and not a moment too soon; a large wad of phlegm landed where my shoes had been seconds prior.

"I won't do jack sh!t for the likes of you," York slurred. Even a few feet away, his breath reeked of rum. Rum? Bane must have picked the first bottle he could find in Marnet's bar. Just as well. There was no need to waste the good stuff on York.

I wrinkled my nose. "As soon as business is taken care of here, you will all be free to go," I said, ignoring the face York was making. Sometimes, it was hard to believe this man was several years my senior. He acted even younger than Marnet, and that was a true feat. "I would advise you against staging any sort of counterattack, however." I sized each of them up coolly. I would not underestimate them, not after York had proven brash enough to try and escape, and they would be wise not to make the same mistake Marnet had. York continued to struggle with the guards, clearly trying to take another step towards me. Seff finally moved, laying a firm hand over the York's shoulder. To my surprise, the Shadow Rock alpha actually stilled for a moment, and Seff turned his cool gaze to me. "C'mon, Remus," he said softly, keeping his gaze a degree below mine, careful not to meet mine directly. Careful not to challenge my dominance. "You don't need to do this. This isn't how a disposal should be done."

Before I could answer, Gith spoke up, stringing together more words than I'd heard from him since we'd all arrived in Oklahoma. "This was a big mistake." His voice was hoarse. Must be the fact that the man never used it. "No. Huge mistake, Silverstreak. There are rules for a reason. There are traditions for a reason."

That was probably more than Gith had said all year. I would have been impressed, if I wasn't so fvcking annoyed by the sheer gall. Silly me, thinking they were smarter than York.

"You're lucky I didn't just dispose of you," I snapped. They'd be a lot less troublesome if they were dead. The back of my neck was starting to prickle. If my resources hadn't been spread so thin trying to find Marnet, York would have been in more trouble than he currently was. Frankly, I wasn't sure we could withstand a full-power counterattack - but that was for me to know, and only for me to know.

I straightened my spine a little further. "You have a few hours to get your pack to stand down," I growled. This matter was not open to negotiation. I motioned another guard in with a walkie-talkie. Bane followed with his tablet; he would oversee the matter. "And if we don't?" York snarled, even as the other two remained quiet.

"Then Shadow Rock will go the exact same way as Lupus Claw."

The alpha hissed between clenched teeth. "Is that a threat, Silverstreak?"

I bared my teeth in a wolf's smile. "No. That's a promise."