SWNOVELS Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Briggs
I wasn’t surprised when I ran into Alpha Kingston on the way down to the lobby, but I didn’t know how the interaction would go. Ever since Theo used my name to get onto Sablemane lands, I knew there was a chance he would hold a grudge against me. I doubted he would do anything about it here, but it could make things difficult for Mina. I would hate to see that happen.
We ended up taking the elevator together. There was some tension in the air, but he didn’t say anything.
“Alpha Kingston,” I broke the silence, “I want to apologize for Alpha Theo’s actions. I didn’t know he got Pierce’s number or that he would use my name. I tried to stop him from going in the first place.”
“It’s fine, Beta Briggs,” he replied, his tone was tight. “I won’t pretend I was happy to see him. In fact, I was pissed off just to find him in her office. Even more so when he accused her of more so when he accused her of theft and pressed charges against her.”
He did what? Theo, you’re such a damn idiot.
“But in the end, I think it gave Ayla some closure,” Kingson said. “She’s moving
Shit. That didn’t sound good. I didn’t want to cross Alpha Kingston. But my best friend wanted his mate back, and Kingston was in the way of that happening.
“So she’s here with you?” I asked.
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“She is,” he said. “Speaking of, I hear congratulations are in order. She ran into her cousin, Mina, earlier. They’re downstairs.catching up. I’m glad to see you’ve found your
mate.”
“Thank you.”
I had a feeling they had run into each other when Mina hadn’t come back to the room yet. She had left to see if she could find Ayla. I’m glad she had. She had been eager to see her and was going a little crazy not knowing if she would be here or
not.
We stepped off the elevator, but before we got far, Kingston stopped me.
“I have a feeling the incident didn’t have the same effect on Theo,” he said. “Whatever he may be planning, I suggest you put a stop to it. I’m not letting him near Ayla this weekend.”
“Theo’s not here,” I informed him. “He had an urgent matter to attend to. Luna Grace and I are here on his behalf.”
“And you brought your new mate with you,” Kingston stated. “Who also happens to be Ayla’s cousin.”
I knew what he was implying. And while Luna Grace did have some kind of plan, she wouldn’t tell Mina or me what it was. As much as it felt like I was betraying Theo, we all needed Kingston to remain accepting of Mina in Ayla’s life.
“Mina isn’t exactly a fan of Theo’s either,” I said, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. “She’s aware of what has happened between them. She just wants to see her cousin safe and happy.”
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“Good,” Kingston said with a nod. “Then she’ll be glad to see that I make her happy.”
I highly doubted he would just demonstrate to Mina how happy he made Ayla. When we joined them in the lounge, he made a show of being close to her. I did my best to hide the tension I was feeling. I hated to say it, but she did seem happy with Kingston.
But I believed she could be happy with Theo, too. And my loyalty was with my Alpha and my best friend. So, when we were back in our suite later that night, I wasn’t sure what Mina would say.
“So, how was Ayla?” Luna Grace asked. “She’s been the talk of the evening. I hear she looked quite lovely.”
“As beautiful as always,” Mina said.
“She seemed content,” I replied, unable to hide the sadness and concern in my voice.
“I’m glad to know she isn’t struggling,” Luna Grace said genuinely.
“Kingston really cares about her,” Mina said. “I’m still not sure about going through with this. I like Theo. I do. I’m glad I’ve gotten to know him, but Kingston has been good to her from the start.”
Luna Grace grabbed Mina’s hands gently. “I understand your reservations. But you’re not going through with anything. You‘ re asking your cousin to take part in an important event in your life. And I’m hiring her for a job. Neither will stop her from being with Kingston if that’s what she wants.”
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Despite being Theo’s mother, Luna Grace really did want the best for Ayla. Theo had mentioned there was some kind of relationship between his parents and Ayla. None of us knew the nature of the relationship, but it was enough for Luna to accept that she may not be able to fix this for Theo.
My phone started ringing in my pocket. I knew it had to be Theo. I answered the call as I walked toward the balcony for some privacy..
“Hey, man,” I said.
“Any news for me?” he asked.
“She’s here,” I informed him. “Mina was able to spend some
time with her.”
“How is she?”
“She’s doing good,” I said. “Her leg is all
- ed.
And she’s
apparently made quite an impression.”
“That’s not surprising,” he said. I could hear pride in his voice. It made my heart ache because I knew there was pain there.
too.
It took a lot for us to convince him not to come this weekend. He had been a different person ever since he ended things. with Kylee. He had been less stressed about pack business, quickly becoming more efficient and organized. He started to rely more on his ranking pack members to help keep things running smoothly rather than trying to take everything on himself. He was finally settling into the Alpha role the way I thought he would.
He had even taken the time to get to know Mina. Not just
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asking about Ayla, but really trying to get to know her. It meant a lot to me and was also important for her. She was moving back to Greytooth territory so we could be together. It made sense for both of us with me being the pack Beta, and she was born a Greytooth. She was happy to be rejoining her mother’s pack. So it would be important that she and Theo not only got along but actually liked each other.
“I bet Mina was excited to see her,” Theo said, breaking through my thoughts.
“Yeah, it was good for her,” I said with a smile.
“I sent you an email with a couple more things to address in the meetings tomorrow,” he informed me. “I know the Gatherings can keep you pretty busy, but try to keep me posted.”
“I will,” I said. “Your mom will be with me for the first two, but she wants to attend the afternoon Luna session. But I should,
be fine without her.”
“You’ll be just fine,” he assured me.
“Thanks, man.”
“And Briggs…”
“Yeah?” He seemed hesitant.
“Could you… could you tell her I’m glad she’s healed?”
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