Chapter 94

Phoenix

"Who gave this to you?" Uncle Luke asks, inspecting the paper in his hand. The words echo in my mind: Things are not what they seem. Your father is being set up. If you want to learn more, meet me at Growlers at 2100 tomorrow.

Once I read it, I told him to meet me in the bathroom, while Loki remained in the dining hall for appearances. I will catch him up later...if I need to. After all, this isn't about the pack—this is personal. My father is far from innocent. He's a monster. We have a shitload of evidence against him, and this little paper is the only thing that claims otherwise.

"Alpha Nathan of the Silver Canines pack," I answer, still pacing back and forth in the small confines of the room. "He passed it to me discreetly, like he didn't want to be seen."

He strokes his beard, his eyes narrowing as he reads the note again. "Hmm. It sounds like a setup to me. Could be a trap."

"A trap by my father? You think he's caught on to the fact that we know?"

That doesn't sound right. I feel like he would've just killed us by now, not set a trap.

"I don't know. But Philip being innocent?" He scoffs. "That isn't possible. We've got evidence tying him to things that go back years—even before he killed your mother. This sounds like bullshit."

I stop pacing, anger coursing through my veins. "So should I meet Nathan or not?"

"Yes," Luke says sharply. "But you're not going alone. You need backup."

I huff. "Wouldn't that make me look weak. I'm a new Alpha. I can't be seen looking like I need protection."

He rolls his eyes. "No, Nix. It would make you look smart enough not to fall into a trap. And I'll go with you. Leave your mate at the packhouse."

I scoff. As if I'd bring my little wolf into this shit.

We don't even know whether this is legit or just a trap.

Luke gives me a pointed look. "You know she's going to fight you on that."

"And she's going to lose," I growl, my tone final. "This is way too dangerous to involve her in."

Yes, Selene is fierce and independent, but this situation is about my father, and he's done some dark shit he'll never want to come to light. I can't risk something happening to her because of me.

Maybe I'll just have to find her a task tomorrow that will keep her busy through the night, and not mention this until after I come back.

Yeah, that could work.

Luke stands from his position against the stall, and hands me back the note. "Look, I'll make sure everything is in place. You and I will go. Loki and Makayla can hold down the fort at the packhouse with Selene. She'll need to understand that you're trying to keep her safe, even if she doesn't like it."

I sigh, crumpling the paper in my hand. "Fine. Let's meet Nathan tomorrow and find out what this fucker really wants."

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I leave the bathroom first, heading over to find Selene at the chocolate fountain with Makayla and Sam. She smiles up at me, but I can feel the anxiety and anger radiating through our bond.

I'm in trouble.

"There you are, Alpha Phoenix. Can I have a word with you?" she asks in a sickly-sweet voice that makes the hair on the back of my neck stick up while simultaneously causing my dick to stiffen in my slacks.

Shit. I must've been gone too long.

She grabs my hand, leading me through the dining hall and out into the cool night air. Once we're far enough away that no one can hear us, she whips around, her expression shifting. "What's going on? Are you already doing shit behind my back?" she snaps, her wolf flashing in her eyes.

I keep my expression blank. "What are you talking about?"

She jabs a finger at my chest. "You know what the fuck I'm talking about. Why did you go to the bathroom and put a block up around your emotions?"

Well, I guess there's no way out of this.

I sigh, handing her the paper. "I didn't want you to feel me worry about this," I admit through gritted teeth, confused as hell about how our dynamic has changed so quickly tonight.

She quickly reads it over before flickering her gaze back to me. 'Who gave this to you? What does this mean?" she asks, her brows knitting together.

"Alpha Nathan. He didn't even say shit, just handed it to me and walked away."

"And you weren't going to tell me?" Her tone is hostile, like she already knows what my plan was.

"I was, but I needed to speak to Luke first to see what my next steps were going to be."

She folds her arms, a fresh wave of fury washing over our bond. "I don't like that, Phoenix. I'm your mate, your Luna. We should talk about things first before you go asking other people, or at least fucking include me. I don't want to be left out of important conversations like these."

Damn. When did she get so demanding?

It's infuriatingly hot.

Before I get any ideas of shoving my dick down her throat to reassert dominance, I take a step back to clear my head. "Okay, I'm sorry, little wolf. Next time I will include you...when we're not at my father's palace where he's watching our every move. That's the other reason I did it in the bathroom."

She exhales, calming down a bit as she searches my eyes for the truth. "Fine. I guess I understand, but still. I just want to be treated as your equal."

I stroke her cheek with my thumb. "And you will always be treated as such," I murmur, trying to reassure her.

"So, I'm coming with you then." It sounds more like a statement than a question.

I let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh, fuck no. Luke thinks it's a trap, and I'd rather get hurt than put you in harm's way."

Her eyes flash again, this time with determination. "I'm going whether you like it or not, so whatever plan you and Luke came up with, scrap it. I'm going to be a part of this too."

My lips part, but before I can say anything, she marches back into the palace. The tension between us crackles, a blend of frustration and admiration. I'm stuck between wanting to argue with her later or fuck her senseless.

I think I'll be doing both.