Reuben POV
I was hot, way too hot. The heat bringing me out of my sleep earlier than I wanted, and I’m not surprised. I wake, chuckling to myself from what I have woken to. Evelyn is spread out on top of me, both of us still naked.
A leg is bent and draped across my upper thighs, her stomach and breasts pressed against my chest and side. Her head nestled into the nook of my neck, her breath tickling my skin with every exhale. I could lay like this with her for hours.
My arms wrap tightly around her, if possible bringing her closer to me. I’m still too warm but I don’t want to move her off me, I’ll take the heat any time.
“Alpha?” I moan at the voice of Nate entering my head. I would have to get up now.
“What’s up?” I respond annoyed that he felt I was awake.
“Our IT team, they’ve confirmed where the fake picture came from. The company is financial but has a link within the shipping network. He’s well hidden behind the shareholder information but it’s definitely his company…” Nate only confirms what I’ve suspected for the past few days.
Fuck!
“You are certain?”
“One hundred percentage, I’ve checked the data myself last night.”
“And you’re telling me now?” I growl with irritation.
“You seemed busy last night, it could wait a night.” Slight amusement in his tone. He had waited up to tell me when I returned last night, but seeing me and Evelyn starkers he clearly decided to wait until now.
“Not really your call to make, was it Nate?” There’s anger laced in my voice that my beta should try and make a decision without my knowledge, no matter how much I needed last night.
“Apologies Alpha, but we’ve traced an address on him. What do you want to do?”
The fake photograph had been sent from a financial firm in the capital. Evelyn may have moved on but I haven’t, how could I? Someone wanted to cause trouble in my life, jeopardise my bond with Evelyn and the twins. I couldn’t let that slide.
“The location?”
“A three hour drive from here. I can go, and report back.” He offers but I feel he would be walking into a trap.
“No, something doesn’t feel right. I want you to go back to the Red Stone pack…make sure it’s guarded.”
“What about the location?”
“Send the trackers but tell them to keep a distance. If they spot him, to report it, I’ll then visit. He has plenty of locations, he may not even be there.”
He was clever at using different names, different IDs and owning a range of properties.
This could very well be linked to him and if my men say it is, I have no reason to doubt them, they are the best. However, it doesn’t mean he’ll be there, he could even be abroad for all I know.
“Yes Alpha. Will you be leaving for the ceremony still?”
Shit! The ceremony was tomorrow… Candice at the Blue Moon pack had pulled ranks to organise it quickly at short notice. I could feel her manipulation through her planning skills. Aiming to get Noah and Cassandra mated as soon as possible to allow Evelyn and I the chance to build on our relationship.
And she was even a friend of Cassandra but once a Red Stone pack member, always a Red Stone member. She had always been one of Evelyn’s biggest supporters.
“I have no choice. Keep me posted. I’ll take the warriors with me. With them, Evelyn’s and Pierce’s warriors, we should be well guarded for the journey.”
“Yes Alpha.” Nate cuts the mind-link as I know he’ll be keen to get ready to leave as soon as possible.
I take a deep intake of air as I look up at the ceiling. What kind of game is he playing? Way would he want to cause trouble for me now, and what does he have against Evelyn… Who he took no interest in, hardly even giving her any attention on our wedding day. My father was an odd man, and he would do things sometimes not of sound mind.
When I took over the pack as Alpha, most of the pack members where afraid of their own shadows. Yes it’s good to hold respect for your alpha but surely to tremble in his presence even when he isn’t commanding is just plan abuse.
I used to tremble in his presence as a small boy. My mother often protecting me from his backhand. He didn’t kill her but his years of torment had a part to play in her early death, her body weakened and her heart broken.
I could see in her eyes that she just wanted him to love her, but he was selfish and only mated with her to conceive me. She lost a few babies after me and where he should have comforted her, she carried the guilt daily of not being able to produce more heirs for him.
By my eighth birthday I could see he had rejected her, her face was gaunt. She had given up. That’s when my first presented himself to me, to protect me from the heartbreak of her death. He stopped mishandling me as I became stronger than him in my teenage years. He didn’t dare mess with the son that loathed him. wolf
The pup he never imagined would grow up to be stronger than him, he started to distance himself as the pup grew into a wolf bigger than his. I never challenged him, that’s a regret I have now I am older, wiser. But he agreed once I married he would give me the pack, hence I married Evelyn even though I really wanted to marry Vicky at the time. How foolish I now feel for ever thinking Vicky was the love of my life.
Mistakes of the boy now seen through the eyes of the man. “Are you okay?” Evelyn’s sweet hypnotic voice whispers into my ear as she stirs awake.
“You’re trembling.”
She starts to kiss my neck, her scent and touch calming my anger from the memories. My true love holding me as I try to ease my boiling blood.
“The photo…”
“Ssshh, it’s forgotten..”
“No listen Evelyn. The photo, it’s been traced to a company, my Father part owns.” a company that
“Why would he send a fake photo to me?” She’ll struggle to comprehend my relationship with my father. Her face only shows the loving childhood she had, that her father would have done anything to protect her. Her marriage to me most likely his biggest regret. I wanted to be that kind of father to Rex and Elspeth. I could never imagine them trembling in my presence.
“I don’t know he’s always had a morphed personality. He was quite friendly with Renard so it could be a way of sticking the knife into me for losing packs to your alliance. My grandfather and father spent decades building the Red Stone alliance, sometimes through aggression rather than networking.”
“Do you want me to stop recruiting new packs, I’ve been putting off signing on new ones for a while now.”
She has? That’s news to me…she’s put the progression of her alliance on hold… for us, for me? Warmth enters my chest at this revelation and I find myself falling even more deeper in love with her.
“No, I don’t want you to do anything like that.”
“But if it puts us in danger…”
“He won’t get to lay a finger on you and the children, I promise. I just need you to be vigilant, and for you and the children to stick close to me at the Blue Moon. Something doesn’t feel right!”
“Reuben, the pack is yours, he stepped down. He can’t just claim the pack back on the grounds he doesn’t like how it is run, how packs have transferred into another alliance…surely his ego…”
“But that’s it Evelyn, he really does have a big ego. He really does think that highly of himself. For you to come and undo is life’s work in four years…it would be enough for him to come out of the woodwork.”
“What do you want me to do?” She cups my face.
“I want you to act as normal, report any odd emails or messages to me. But most importantly stick closely to me. Nate’s going back to my pack but I’ll get some of my warriors to be on close protection detail to the children during the Blue Moon visit.”
“No, they’ve been through enough. Elspeth is already afraid of her own shadow since the rogue attack. I’ll ask Donnie to watch them, they trust him. Having him near them won’t seem odd to them.”
I feel uncomfortable with this as I have no link to Donnie, I can’t communicate with him without drawing attention.
“His mate is on bed rest.” Even though he is a Head Warrior he’ll struggle to leave his mate this close to the end of the pregnancy.
“Then Noah will help, ceremony or not. He won’t let the children be put in harm’s way. The Blue Moon pack is under my alliance now, their warriors will also be on high alert for any unusual activity. I’ll call Candice now and ask for a copy of the guest list, just so I know which packs are coming.” She starts to get up when she pulls the covers tightly around herself. Her serious mood now changing to playful.
“I didn’t realise I was completely naked!” She scowls at me.
“Sweetheart you were so exhausted after our fun in the shower I had to carry you to bed!”
“Mmm maybe I passed out from boredom!” She laughs at her own words, very well knowing that wasn’t the case.
“Right!” I pull the covers over me and sliver under, earning a squeal from her as I pull her under the covers. “Perhaps I’ll just have to remind you.”
