SWNOVELS Chapter 20 by Ebony Woods
Reuben POV
“Alpha, it’s good to have you back!” One of the guarding pack members at the gate offers me his welcome back into my grounds, but I can’t even muster a small smile. I think I actually only gave him a grunt when rethinking my arrival as I pull up to the alpha home.
My mood was sour, a mixture of anger and resentment at Evelyn for letting me believe she had been dead for four years. 1
“Alpha?” Nate, my beta, pushes on my mind-link having no doubt heard of my return.
“Nate, I need a meeting in thirty minutes!” I command through the link before cutting it. I needed to take a shower. I hadn’t returned into the hotel room for long, I just grabbed my bag and left. I still had traces of mud on me from hiding in the woodlands. I needed to get on the road, I needed to
get as far away from that pack as possible, from her.
I had called a meeting where Nate and some of my most trusted warriors were invited to attend. I had forgotten all about Vicky until she knocked on the office door, surprised to see I had returned. My mind was stewing on Evelyn’s resurrection that she was all I could think about on the drive
home.
“Alpha?”
“Reuben, what is going on?” Both Nate and Vicky ask me for an update at the same time. I had
called this meeting but hadn’t spoken yet.
A part of me was warning me not to announce Evelyn still being alive and a member of the Silver Moon pack. She must have begged for sanctuary to raise her and Noah’s daughter together.
Leaking my secrets in the process.
“The Silver Moon alpha refused to meet me. But I was able to penetrate their border and learn of their security arrangements.”
“Why wouldn’t he meet with you?” Nate presses for more information.
Because he knew who he was shielding.
“He was unavailable but I met his son.”
“Is he of age?” Nate continues to asks all the right questions. It’s me that is struggling to give
definitive answers.
“No he is only four, which means the alpha is young. Perhaps of similar age to me.”
“What do you want us to do Alpha?” One of my warriors asks.
“Nothing, I want to wait. I want to see what game he is playing.” I need time to also adjust to Evelyn being alive and what that means for us. She was still my wife and still the Luna of the Red Stone pack as I haven’t accepted her rejection.
After the meeting I let my wolf go for a run around the pack boundary. My recent experience in breaking a well devised security system at the Silver Moon pack put my own security detail at the
motiont of my mind.
I let my wolf run for as long as he needs, sniffing for scents he doesn’t recognise, looking for possible hiding places in the distance but deep down I don’t think it’s the security that is
annoying me.
“You should have challenged him..” My wolf growls at me.
“They have a child, they are mates.”
“Doesn’t matter she is ours and we have a contractual agreement.”
He was right, our marriage was arranged by my father who was at least useful at meticulously planning contracts between packs for his own better gain. He most likely had a loop hole in our marriage contract that I could use to make this alpha come out of hiding.
My wolf races us back to the alpha house where he calls upon Nate through the mind-link to join
us in an hour’s time.
“Reuben?” Vicky struts towards me down the hallway outside my office. She is wearing a bright pink shirt opened exposing her ample cleavage, a black leather skirt and pink high heels.
“Not now Vicky, I’m in the middle of something.” I’m short with her I know but I need to look through a lot of paper work before Nate comes. I need to focus.
An hour later and Nate is now with me. I’ve found our marriage contract between the two packs.
The alpha will claim that as the previous alpha and luna are dead, the contract is void but I want to use it as a ploy to coax him out of hiding. Would he risk a war for her?
“Nate, I want you to take this letter to the alpha of the Silver Moon pack. He won’t greet you, but
that’s fine. Make sure you put it in the hands of a head warrior called Donnie, he’ll make sure it
reaches the Alpha.”
“Yes Alpha.” He nods in understanding, taking the sealed envelope from me.
“I want you to go immediately, alone and not inform anyone of where you are going. Do I make myself clear?” I let my aura roll off with my demand, letting him know the seriousness of my task
for him.
“I understand Alpha.”
It was the following day and Vicky must be pissed at me because she was keeping to herself.
I needed to visit the Blue Moon pack, I wanted to know exactly what they were offered to tip them over to favour the Silver Moon pack over my year’s of protection.
“Alpha Reuben…this is a surprise.” Alpha Ivo greets me, slightly anxious from my unexpected visit. I didn’t expect to be granted access, but I was all but waving the white flag at the gates.
“Alpha Ivo, I appreciate you granting me access at short notice.” I’m as polite as I can be to the prat that has sided with my new enemy.
“Could we talk in private?”
“Erm…”
You have my word, I’m not here to cause trouble!”
“Very well, please step into my office.” He gestures for me to enter the alpha house and I head directly into his office.
“How may I be of assistance?” He asks as he sits opposite me at his desk.
“I need you to tell me all you know of the Silver Moon alpha?” I get straight to the point.
He considers my question for a moment, figuring out whether I am here to trick him.
“You must have visited them? To have taken the time to investigate who you left my alliance for?” I quirk my eyebrow starting to find his pondering annoying.
“No, my beta went on my behalf!”
“I want to talk to him, bring him here!” I command.
“He is off pack grounds today.”
“Then I want to talk to Candice…”
“She didn’t…”
“Don’t lie to me Ivo, a beta would take his mate along. Don’t forget her transfer to you is under a -contract, are you certain your beta wouldn’t follow her if I called her home?”
He stares at me, his eyes narrowing until they glaze over.
“Alpha Reuben! What are you doing here? Michelle hasn’t left you as well has she?” Candice enters the office a few minutes later having been mind-linked by Alpha Ivo. She tries to hide her nervousness with slight humour. (1
“Hello Candice, no not at all. I wanted to ask you about your recent visit to the Silver Moon pack
with Beta Milo?”
Her eyes snap to her alpha and I can already hear her heartbeat quickening at my question.
“Alpha Ivo, perhaps we could have a word in private…” Basically fuck off so I can interrogate
Candice one-on-one.
His eyes glaze over, as do hers before he exits the room with a short nod to me.
“So you went?”
“Yes Alpha.”
“Now, imagine my surprise when I find Evelyn has been hiding all these years under the security of the Silver Moon alpha, mated to Noah and with a child.” I growl lowly.
Her eyes widen in shock at my admission before her eyebrows furrow.
“How could you not tell me?” I whisper, she may not be a pack member now but her family still
were.
“Alpha, it’s not that simple…”
“You saw her? My wife I thought was dead for four years?”
“Yes…” Her shoulders sag and her head drops to look at the floor.
“You spoke to her, you met her daughter?” Again her eyebrows furrow at my question.
“Yes…”
“And her mate, you saw Noah.”
“No!” Her head whips up, her eyes looking directly into mine.
“You didn’t see him too?”
“No I saw him, but what I mean is they aren’t mates..”
“Yes they are, they have a child together.” I correct her.
“No, did you not check her neck…they aren’t mates, they haven’t marked one another.”