Chapter 126: Chapter 125

Zane “What the hell did we just do?” | asked as | threw myself onto the bed.

“We almost f ucked Katie...aka Mason’s mate,” Xander said, blowing out a big breath of air.

If Mason had walked in five minutes later, who knew what kind of position he would’ve found us in.

| couldn't tell if | was more relieved or disappointed that things hadn’t escalated when he caught us.

Probably more disappointed than anything.

Now Mason was raging, and Katie probably wouldn’t go near us again anytime soon.

An intense wave of need pulsed through me just at the thought.

We'd gotten so close to touching her, and now it was all crashing down around us.

“It's for the best that it didn’t happen,” Xander said, though | could tell he didn’t even believe his own words.

It was less complicated, yes, but now the thought of never being that close to her again was physically painful.

“Where do you think she went?” | asked.

“Let's hope she’s just out for a short run. We can only cover for her for so long.”

We'd told Gabriela that we'd found Katie stumbling down the hall after a migraine hit suddenly and that we’d brought her up to bed.

Gabriela agreed to look after Stella until Katie was feeling better, but we only had a couple of hours before she would go up there herself to check on her.

And if Katie wasn’t there, all hell would break loose.

“G od s, can this day get any worse?” | said, pinching the bridge of my nose Aknock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Xander instructed.

Maxim stepped through the door, a troubled look on his face.

“You have visitors,” he said solemnly. “Gregory and Lucas. They're downstairs waiting with Monroe.”

Xander cut his eyes at me. “F uck you, man. You cursed us. Those are the last as sholes | want to talk to today.”

We hadn’t seen Gregory and Lucas since we announced Alice’s death and they accused us of killing her.

very much on the Council’s bad side.

“S hit. What business do they have coming here?” | asked.

“| don’t know.” Xander shrugged. “But | guess we’re about to find out.”

We walked downstairs slowly, dreading coming face to face with those disgusting oafs again.

they w “Alpha Xander, Beta Zane.” Gregory nodded when we walked into the great room where waiting. on the large couch. “We have something urgent we need to discuss with you.”

“If it’s lies and slander, then | don’t want to hear it,” Xander said, waving his hand at them dismissively.

We both sat in armchairs facing the couch, giving us a good view of the other two men. They looked more rough and weathered than they even had on the day of the mating ceremony. | supposed the last few months hadn't been very kind to them, either.

“It's not slander, it's concerns,” Lucas said through gritted teeth.

Oh, great. Here we go.

“Go ahead,” Xander said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Tell us what these so-called ‘concerns’ are.”

“We know you've brought another young she-wolf to the mansion,” Gregory said, a self-satisfied smirk popping up on his face.

| glanced sideways at Xander “How the f uck did he know that?” | asked.

“No f ucking clue,” Xander said. “But | don’t like the sound of this”

“She’s the mate of a visitor,” | answered simply. “And it’s none of your concern.”

“Forgive us,” Lucas said. “We just wanted to make sure this one doesn’t wind up dead, too.”

Xander growled and lunged out of his chair. | stood and dived between him and the two men.

Anything Xander or | did could be used as fuel to fan whatever flames of doubt they were trying to plant in our pack’s heads about our sanity.

“Where the f uck do you get off playing protector of she-wolves?” Xander growled. “You really think anyone would buy that after the way you tortured your own mates?!”

Gregory laughed mirthlessly.

“You don’t have any f ucking clue what you're talking about, Alpha,” he said.

“We weren't the ones who hurt our mates, Xander,” Lucas said. “That was your father.”