Chapter 33
Marco’s POV
I look around the room and watch everyone’s jaws drop except for the Alpha's. He’s squatting in front of
Kas, but as soon as Musu announces that this woman Tessa is related to the Santoro family, his head
whips around and a look crosses his face that I ain't seen since I was eighteen and he was nineteen
we served in the military together. I feel my head shaking back and forth and I hear myself whisper no.
He can't seriously be thinking what I think he’s thinking right now.
Beta Milo and Gamma Reggie jump up out of their seats.
“Absolutely NOT, Bronx! Get that look off your face, ” Milo growls, pointing at him sharply, “Just fucking
forget it, right now.”
“Bronx, No. Not an option. No. Stop it. Don’t even think about it,” Reggie yells at the same time.
The women around the room look at us, confused by our reactions.
Bronx stands up. He looks taller and more intimidating than I ever seen him be before. For a hot
second, I'm pretty sure he is glowing purple like Kas does, but that only happens when he is touching
her. He ain't touching her right now. His Beta and Gamma don't look like they're gonna back down, but
he already got it set in his mind.
“Bronx, we are not doing this. We are not taking a prisoner and starting a war with the Golden Mountain
pack,” Reggie snarls, holding his ground against our Alpha, “My team just left their territory. They are
not a normal pack. I haven't given you a report on what we found yet. There are things going on there
that differ significantly from anything we have ever faced before. We have too much to lose. I won't let
you do this to us. To any of us.”
I stand up too, putting my hand on top of Musu’s. If he banishes me, I won't care. I won't be involved in
another war. I'm not a dumb kid willing to risk my life for a thrill anymore. Musu and I can request
asylum with her old pack if it comes down to it, “ Alpha, don't do this. The
Gamma’s right, we got too much to lose. I -I won't support you this time. I can't. I used to be a warrior
first, but I got a family now. I’m gonna be a father. My mate and our baby. That's my priority now. Their
safety comes first for me. I’m begging you. Please don't do this to Blood River.”
“War?” Kas asks in disbelief as she stands up real slow. She's glowing real bright purple. Even her
eyes are starting to glow now. That almost never happens. We can all feel her getting mad. It is such a
strong feeling rolling off of her. Enough that it even makes me kinda nervous. I look around and see
everyone else feels uncomfortable, too. I quietly pull Musu’s seat back and put myself between her and
Kas. Just in case.
“Bronx. No,” the voice that comes out of Kas ain't her voice. It's even more extreme than Lex’s voice.
The tone booms like an ethereal being speaking through our tiny Luna. The room shakes as the sound
reverberates off the walls. I can feel my heart pound in my chest. I can't help but bow my head to her,
even though she wasn't talking to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Musu do the same.
When I look back up, I see Milo and Reggie both lifting their heads back up and taking a step back.
There's a little fear in their eyes as they adjust their positions and stand in front of their mates, too.
Alpha Bronx towers over Kas, but her two simple words in the foreign voice have their intended effect.
He looks down, also bowing his head to her. He doesn't yield his stance, but his face morphs back to
the one we have become accustomed to.
“You will not put that woman in the dungeon. You will treat her with respect until you find out the truth.
And we have no idea if her family is even involved or not. You are not the judge, jury, or executioner
here. We have an Elder Council for that,” she snarls at him. Her purple aura is so bright, she looks like
a firecracker ready to explode.
“Kas, I-” he tries to defend himself, taking a small step back now.
The Alpha just caved? Holy shit.
“Nol” she insists in the ethereal voice again. She lifts her hands up and curls her fingers into a fist. I
blink my eyes and they are gone. Everyone looks around the room, confused.
“Where did they go?” Reggie looks freaked out.
Milo looks around as he tries to figure out what happened, “Shit, Kas froze us. How long do you think
she could hold six of us?”
He looks at me, knowing I’m more familiar with her abilities than anyone else in the room. She had only
frozen me one time before. James and I wanted her to practice it on us, so we understood what it felt
like for the victim. It's a weird feeling. Like, you know what's happening, but you don't and I think if you
don't realize she’s doing it, you can’t really remember much. We asked her not to do it again. There’s
no telling what kind of side effects there are if that happens to a person enough times. The three of us
decided it wasn't a good tactic unless it was a emergency.
“How much of a head start do you think she has, Marco? I don't know what time it was when they
disappeared.”
“Six people? Probably ten minutes. Maybe fifteen. She had a lot of extra energy cornin’ off her just now,
so probably closer to fifteen,” I confirm.
“She wouldn't hurt him would she?” Gamma Ashley asks, looking worried.
“No, Bronx was itching to go upstairs to be alone with her before I made him come to my office,” Beta
Lenora reassures her.
“Yeah, based on his reaction when I knocked on the apartment door, they were in the mood for love,”
Milo winks at us. Reggie rolls his eyes at him.
“Alright, where would she take him with a fifteen minute head start?” Reggie asks, with his hands on his
hips.
“Back to the apartment? Finish what I interrupted?” Milo has a sly smile on his face.
“First of all, she clearly wasn't in the mood to mess around anymore, Milo. Secondly, too obvious,”
Lenora chimes in, “Kas is smarter than that.”
“Blood River?” Ashley asks.
“Nah, that is Lex’s spot, not Kas's,” Milo suggests.
“Oh,” I say, when my brain finally catches up.
“What is it, Marco?” Reggie asks.
“Maybe she took him to the training grounds? Maybe she’s mad enough that she thinks she can beat
him. All the guards that are not on the borders are going to be there regrouping after the lockdown," I’m
starting to feel kinda bad for the Alpha now.
“She seriously wants to beat him that badly?” Lenora rolls her eyes.
“Beta, you have no idea,” I give her a dry chuckle, “Let’s start there. The more I think about it, the more
I'm sure I could bet my Xboxonit.”
“Oh, well that is serious then, Betas, Gammas. Let's go,” Musu stands up.
“Hell no, mi Corazon. You ain’t going out there when the Luna looks like she about to go nuclear,” I put
my hands on her shoulders and gently push her back in the seat, “Please, stay here. Think about the
babies.”
She looks at me for a second before she nods and sits back in the chair looking frustrated.
“Marco’s right, Ash. You stay here with, Musu, okay?”
“But you just got back? You're leaving again already?” she looks like she gonna cry.
“Just going to the training grounds. I will be back before you can miss me. Then we can spend the rest
of the day together. Okay?” Reggie gives her a little kiss.
What the Hell is going on? Since when does Gamma Ashley need a pep talk? She is the queen of pep
talks. I look over to see Lenora and Musu both looking at Ashley with their mouths hanging open.
“Bitch! You didn't say anything?!" Lenora asks in shock.
“We found out the day Reggie was leaving on assignment. We wanted to wait until he got back to make
the announcement,” Ashley smiles. Lenora screams and hugs Ashley around the neck. Reggie accepts
a handshake from Milo.
“Musu, what is goin on?” I whisper quietly.
“Looks like Delilah and I are not the only pregnant ones,” she leans in and explains.
“Alright, you two stay here,” Lenora orders, “Guys, let's go. Marco, any chance you can convince
James to meet us at the training grounds?”
“Oh yeah. He ain't miss in that, Beta,” I shake my head before mindlinking James.
“You bet your ass I’m on the way,” he says in my head when I explain what's going on.
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