Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
Corrine stepped aside to reveal a woman standing a few feet behind her.
Alice looked up, and there before her, no longer a child, stood the girl from the brothel. The one she had met over and over across the years. The one she had held and comforted. The one in whose hands she had placed a knife and told to make a choice.
Alice swallowed.
She saw the look in the woman’s eyes. She was nervous and concerned.
Alice smiled.
“Hello, Sofia.”
Sofia’s eyes widened for just a moment, and she took a deep breath through her nose. She walked forward to Alice.
“You remember me?” she asked.
Alice smiled and gave a brief nod.
Sofia licked her lips and looked away.
“How did I break my arm in Autumn?” she asked.
“You didn’t,” Alice said. Sofia looked back at her with a fiery gaze. “You tried to protect one of the girls younger than you from someone you knew was dangerous. He broke your arm.”
Sofia swallowed and sniffled.
“What did you give me that last time I saw you?” she asked, holding Alice’s gaze.
Alice looked away.
“A knife,” she said.
Since recovering her memories of Sofia, Alice had wondered about their last interaction. Wondered if she had done the right thing. She wanted to give her a choice in her life. But perhaps all she did was force her to draw blood.
“Wrong,” Sofia said, her jaw clenched and her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
Alice looked at her with honest confusion.
“You gave me a chance to be free,” Sofia whispered.
She closed the distance between them. Hugging Alice tightly.
“I’m so glad to see you again,” Sofia whispered. “I’m so glad you remember me.”
Alice took a shaky breath and smiled. She hugged Sofia like she had done so many times before.
“Me too, sweet girl, me too.”
***
An hour later, Axel returned home, and a surprise guest was with him.
“Good to see ya again, Summer,” Jonas grinned as Alexander walked through the office door.
Alexander paused and glanced at Axel, who was pouring drinks with a hidden grin, then Jonas. He let out a chuckle.
“You too, Jonas.”
“You’re a terrible liar, kid,” Jonas laughed.
“It actually is, surprisingly, good to see you, Jonas,” Alexander smiled, sitting beside him on the couch.
Axel brought over a tray with a drink for each of them.
“So, we really gonna make a deal with rogues?” Jonas asked.
“Not rogues,” Alexander corrected. “Nomadic Wolves.”
“Yea… technically speaking, there aren’t any rogues left to make deals with,” Axel sighed.
“What do you mean?” Jonas asked.
“I mean, reports from scouts all over the territories say that rogue encampments have been abandoned. The last confirmed sighting of actual rogues was weeks ago.”
“Shit,” Jonas sighed. “So you’re telling me Roman’s already got ‘em, right?”
“That’s the most likely scenario,” Alexander confirmed.
“Man, that little bastard moves fast,” Jonas sighed. “At least three more smaller packs have been pushed out of their territory by fire and attacks. We need to get on this. We gotta start fighting back.”
“I agree,” Alexander said. “But we need to know where they are first. Most of our scouts haven’t been able to pinpoint the Autumn wolves until it’s already too late.
“Attacking Autumn directly might not be our best option. We know Spring is their ally, and we suspect they might be involved with the fae resurgence. A direct assault would require a full invasion, leaving all our lands open to attack.”
“True, I agree. A direct assault is not our best option yet,” Jonas said.
“I honestly expected you to argue with me on that,” Alexander said with surprise.
Jonas chuckled.
“If it were just my pack I spoke for, I would. But the others, they need consideration.”
“That is why this alliance with the nomads will be such a huge benefit to us all,” Axel said. “They go places none of us have ever been, and they move so quietly none of us even knew their numbers until recently.”
Jonas and Alexander nodded.
“Securing this alliance, and distributing the weapons from Burning Ember, could be the turning point for us.”
“I hear your mate brought both to us,” Jonas smiled.
Axel cleared his throat.
“She… had a hand in it,” he said, trying to keep from smiling.
“Oh boy, look at the pride on this one!” Jonas laughed, slapping Axel’s shoulder. “Finally found himself a good woman, and now he’s all grown up.”
“They’ll do that to you,” Alexander grinned, taking a sip from his glass.
“That they will,” Jonas smiled. He grabbed his glass and lifted it up. “To the good women in our lives.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Alexander said, lifting his glass.
“Me too,” Axel added, also lifting his glass.
The three clinked their glasses and took a drink. As Jonas took his swig, he grimaced. “What the hell is this?”
“What?” Axel asked.
“Is this some kind of tea?”
Alexander took a sip.
“Jonas, it’s whiskey.”
“My foot, that’s whiskey,” Jonas grumbled. He stood up from his place on the couch and went to a bag that sat against the wall. “Lucky for you two, I come prepared.”
Jonas unzipped the bag and reached in to pull out an unlabeled bottle.
Axel furrowed his brow.
“Jonas, you know Winter produces the best mead in all the territories, right?” he asked.
“Yes, I do know that, which is why you should feel real awful about that piss water you just tried to pass off as whiskey.”
Alexander and Axel both laughed.
“Now, this right here, this came from the Ravagers. They may be bastards that chose the wrong side, but they know their whiskey.”
Jonas set the bottle down on the bar and returned to take the glasses from Alexander and Axel.
“You two just sit all pretty right there. Papa Jonas will set you right.”
“Papa…Jonas?” Axel laughed.
“I’m not saying that….” Alexander stated. “Ever.”
“Just you wait, boy. When you taste it, you’ll be thanking Papa Jonas, alright.”
Axel laughed, watching Jonas walk away to prepare the drinks.
Alexander smiled and glanced at Axel.
“You keep surprising me,” he said.
Axel turned his attention to Alexander.
“I admit, I hadn’t thought to invite him,” Alexander said, pointing his chin at Jonas.
Axel glanced back and then looked at Alexander.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?