Chapter 44: Chapter 44

NOAH

Having Evie home for Fall break was a distraction like no other. Trying to concentrate on work or pack matters while she was somewhere in the pack house was a challenge.

The fact that she was unmarked and spending time with other unmarked males made it even harder. I trusted my wolves, but convincing Remi of that was a different story. I had Sawyer keep a closer eye on her, constantly checking in through mind-link.

On a Wednesday evening, an unexpected visitor arrived at my gate. I was growing weary of people thinking they could just stroll into my pack whenever they wanted. We weren’t usually so welcoming.

~“Sawyer.”~ I mind-linked my gamma the moment I found out about the visitor.

~“Yes, Alpha?”~ he responded.

~“Take Evie to our room and guard the floor,”~ I instructed.

~“Yes, Alpha. Is there a threat?”~ he asked, urgency in his tone.

~“I’m not sure yet, but there are vampires at our gate.”~ I informed him.

He didn’t respond, but I could sense his heightened alertness.

By allowing Sawyer to protect Evie in my absence—especially when vampires were around—he must have realized how much I trusted him. Vampires were our oldest and most formidable enemies. Even though we hadn’t had a conflict in generations, the animosity between our species was still palpable.

There was hardly any reason for them to be at my doorstep. Dexter, Tatum, and Lucas were on patrol duty and escorted the vampires to my office. I instructed them to guard the door while the backup patrol took their posts on the border.

I mind-linked Greyson to join me in the office and Jack to guard the top floor, providing additional protection for Evie.

“What brings you here?” I asked the three vampires who entered my office.

There were two males and a female, all with sleek black hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. They looked like they could be siblings.

“I am Gabriel, son of the vampire king, and the crowned prince. This is my brother, Gideon, and my sister, Gena. We represent our father,” the older male introduced.

“Okay.” I responded, unsure of what their father could possibly want from me or my pack.

I knew the vampire king resided in the bayou, an ideal hideout for his kind. Vampires were scattered across the country, even the world, but the North American vampires all answered to the vampire king, whose name was unknown.

Like many supernatural species, he had originally settled in and around New Orleans, and his headquarters remained there.

“He proposes an alliance,” the younger brother, Gideon, revealed.

“I wasn’t aware we were enemies,” I retorted.

“Our father believes our relationship is uncertain. He wants to eliminate this uncertainty by officially declaring us as peaceful allies,” Gabriel explained.

“Werewolf law forbids alliances among the species,” I pointed out.

“We know you’re not one to follow werewolf law, considering you’ve chosen a human luna,” Gena interjected, speaking for the first time.

I shot her a glare.

“What does my luna have to do with this?” I growled.

“Nothing, Alpha Noah. We’re just pointing out that you seem open to new ideas,” Gabriel quickly tried to defuse the situation.

I wasn’t convinced.

“I don’t think my pack will be open to an alliance with vampires,” I grumbled.

“Would you consider proposing it to your pack?” Gideon asked.

~Anything to end this conversation.~

“Fine,” I snapped.

Just then, Greyson burst through the door.

“You took your time.” I glared at my brother. But he wasn’t looking at me; his gaze was fixed on the princess, Gena.

~Oh no.~

“Don’t even think about it, ~dog,~” Gena hissed, her fangs starting to protrude from her gums.

~”Mate!”~ Greyson yelped at the vampire princess, who was quickly shielded by her brothers.

“Stay away,” Gideon warned.

“Greyson, seriously?” I snapped at him, but I knew it wasn’t his fault. You don’t choose your mate. “This is my beta and brother, Greyson,” I grumbled, introducing Gena to her apparent mate.

Vampires, much like werewolves, held a belief in soulmates and could sense them. Their bond with their mates was akin to ours. But from what I gathered, they referred to their mates as predestines and could identify them through a unique glint in their eyes, visible only to the mates themselves.

Gabriel was in denial. His eyes were rimmed with red, a sign of his vampire instincts kicking in.

He was pointing back and forth between Gena and Greyson.

“You don’t get a say in this, vampire.” Greyson’s voice was a low growl.

“No, the decision is mine, and I reject you.” Gena’s voice was cool and collected as she glided out of the room, her exit barely audible.

“We’ll take our leave. Here’s a card for you to reach us.” Gabriel’s voice was stiff as he placed a business card on my desk and exited the room as quietly as his sister. Gideon trailed behind him.

“A vampire, Greyson, ~seriously?~” I grabbed Greyson’s arm, pulling him away from the door.

“It’s not my fault!” His voice was filled with distress.

“I get it, Grey. It’s a tough break.” I sighed.

“She rejected me.” His voice was barely a whisper.

“I know, but you didn’t accept it. You can still pursue her if that’s what you want,” I offered.

“You’d be okay with that?” Greyson asked.

“Absolutely, Brother. I’m not one to judge who your mate is, and I would never stop you from being with her. Do what makes you happy.” I shrugged.

“This is complicated,” Greyson stated.

“It’s all complicated, man—all of it,” I muttered.

“You should go see Evie. She’s probably upset about being grounded,” Greyson suggested.

“Shit, you’re right.” The thought of my mate believing she was grounded made me groan. I knew I was in for a tough conversation when I went upstairs. “Let me know if you need anything,” I told Greyson before rushing upstairs.

“Everything all right?” Jack and Sawyer asked in unison as I jogged down the hallway to my bedroom.

“Yeah, you guys should go check on Greyson,” I suggested.

“Why? What happened?” Jack asked, concern lacing his voice.

“Ask him.” I brushed past the guys and into the room where my mate was waiting.

They disappeared before I could even shut the door behind me.

“What’s going on, Noah?” Evie’s arms were crossed as she stared at me.

She was standing in the center of the room, and I could tell I had interrupted her pacing.

“We had a meeting with some vampires,” I answered honestly.

“Vampires?” She looked at me skeptically.

“The offspring of the vampire king, to be precise.”

“Vampire king?” she echoed.

“Exactly.” I braced myself for her reaction.

“Is he married to the fairy princess?” Her tone was far from amused.

“I’m not joking, Everleigh. There’s a vampire king who rules over all the vampires in North America. He resides somewhere in the bayou. I don’t even know where his castle is.” I scratched the back of my neck, frustration creeping in.

“What did they want?” she asked, though I wasn’t sure she fully believed me.

“They say they want an alliance, but I think they’re lying,” I responded.

“Why?”

“Different species don’t form alliances—we just agree not to wage war. We stick to our own kind and mind our own business. They’re after something.” I began pacing the room. “And to top it all off, the princess, Gena, is Greyson’s mate.”

Evie’s jaw dropped.

“Vampires and werewolves can mate?” she gasped.

“Humans and werewolves can mate,” I replied, stating the obvious.

“Sure, but aren’t vampires and werewolves like mortal enemies?”

“You need to stop watching Twilight,” I teased her.

“So you aren’t enemies?” She put her hands on her hips.

“Okay, yes, generally vampires and werewolves don’t get along. I told you before, interspecies mating is rare, regardless of the species involved.”

“Is all this normal? The rogues, the elder, and now vampires?” Evie’s forehead creased as her eyes narrowed in worry.

“No, Evie, it’s not normal. That’s why I’m suspicious of the vampires’ intentions,” I confessed.

“You don’t think your father has anything to do with this, do you?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

I halted my restless strides and turned to her.

“Actually, I was suspecting Russell. But now that you’ve brought it up… he does have the elders’ trust.”

“Russell would go to such lengths to get back at me?” she questioned, her voice laced with disbelief.

“He’s a sadist, and he’s angry because I put him in his place. He’s humiliated that he rejected a mate who later became the luna of the most powerful pack in the country. So yeah, I’d say he’s the type to hold a grudge,” I clarified.

“I hate to bring this up but…” Evie hesitated, her gaze fixed on my face. “Could they be in cahoots? You disciplined both of them within a span of forty-eight hours,” she proposed, her eyes drifting away from mine.

“Never hesitate to share your thoughts or ideas with me, Everleigh. As luna and alpha, we need to be each other’s sounding boards.” I gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. “And I think you might be onto something,” I concurred softly.

The thought of my father conspiring against not only me and Evie, but his own pack, was hard to stomach.

Yet, I had to set my emotions aside and logically analyze the recent events.

“What would they gain from all this?” Evie inquired.

“My guess is they each have their own motives. Russell wants to bring me down and weaken the pack, my father wants you out of the picture, and the vampires are out to annihilate this pack.”

Suddenly, everything started to make sense, and I was gripped by a fear for my mate’s safety.

“What’s our next move?” she asked, her eyes reflecting her fear.

“I’ll confront my father first, then track down Russell. You need to stay put in this pack house until we sort everything out. I can’t risk losing sight of you,” I pleaded, hoping she’d understand.

I never wanted to control her, but this was a matter of life and death. To my surprise, she nodded.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she assured me. “Noah?” She held onto my hand before I could pull away.

“Yes, love?”

“I don’t want any uncertainty or weakness between us.”

Her words cut through me like a blade.

“Why would there be any doubt between us?” I held her hands tightly, fearing she was planning to leave me.

“There isn’t.” She quickly shook her head. “But I know you’ve been on edge because of the marking issue.”

“I’ve contacted the witch. She’ll come when she can. It’s okay, Evie, I’m okay,” I tried to reassure her, my hand gently caressing her cheek.

But Evie shook her head again.

“I don’t want to wait for the witch. I want you to mark me. I want us to be completely connected. I don’t want your focus to be compromised because you’re worried about me,” she insisted.

“No, Evie, I won’t mark you out of fear,” I stated firmly.

I wouldn’t let anyone pressure my mate into something she wasn’t ready for, especially something as intimate as marking.

“It’s not because I’m scared,” she argued stubbornly. “Don’t you want to mark me anymore?”

“Ever since I met you, Everleigh, marking you is all I’ve wanted. But I don’t want it to be forced or rushed,” I explained.

“It’s not, Noah, I’m just finally sure,” she declared passionately.

I was torn between my own reservations and Remi, who was berating me for not marking her the moment she asked for it.

“Can we discuss this tonight? Let’s let things calm down a bit and, if you’re still sure, we can talk about it,” I proposed.

She rested her forehead against mine and sighed contentedly.

“I like that compromise,” she murmured sweetly.

“Me too, baby.” I lifted her chin and planted a soft kiss on her lips. “I need to go meet with my brothers and our father. I’ll send Sawyer up here to keep an eye on you. Can you stay here until I return?” I asked, our faces still close.

“I can do that,” she promised.

I gave her one last kiss before exiting the room. I descended the stairs with determination, opting for the stairs over the elevator to burn off some of my pent-up energy.

I was seething with anger, ready to turn the world upside down until I uncovered the truth.

There was definitely something brewing. A scheme was being hatched against my mate, my position as leader, and my pack. I was determined—I wouldn’t find peace until I ensured the safety of everyone and everything I held dear.