THE ROGUE ALPHA’S FORSAKEN MATE

Chapter 13

Garrett Voss arrived at the Ashford Pack the next morning.

I was in the clearing with Kael when I heard the commotion. Raised voices near the main gate, the sound of hurried footsteps. I stood and looked toward the pack grounds.

"What is it?" Kael asked.

"I don't know."

We walked back together and found a crowd gathering near the elders' hall. Garrett stood in the center of it, flanked by two wolves I didn't recognize. His expression was calm, but there was something in his eyes that made my stomach tighten.

My father stood in front of him, his posture stiff.

"Garrett," he said. "This is unexpected."

"I apologize for arriving without notice," Garrett said. "But I've heard some troubling rumors, and I wanted to address them in person."

"What rumors?"

Garrett's gaze moved across the crowd until it landed on me. Then it shifted to Kael.

"I heard the stranger who marked Nova is still here," he said. "I heard the elders are considering recognizing the bond."

My father's jaw tightened. "That is a pack matter."

"It becomes my matter when it involves the woman I intend to marry."

A murmur ran through the crowd. I felt my hands clench at my sides.

Garrett continued, his voice calm but carrying. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to remind everyone of the agreement that was made. My father, Roland Voss, approached the elders months ago about an alliance. That alliance was accepted in principle. Nova was promised to me."

"She was never promised to you," I said.

Everyone turned.

I stepped forward, my heart pounding but my voice steady. "I was never promised to anyone. Declan was supposed to claim me. That was the only arrangement that ever existed."

Garrett looked at me with something that might have been amusement. "Declan failed. And now you've been marked by a wolf with no pack, no territory, and no standing. You can't seriously expect the elders to accept that."

"The elders will decide what they accept."

"The elders will do what is best for the pack." Garrett's voice hardened. "And what is best for the pack is an alliance with my family, not a bond with a fallen Alpha who has nothing to offer."

I opened my mouth to respond, but my father stepped between us.

"That's enough," he said. "Garrett, you are a guest here. You will not speak to my daughter that way."

Garrett inclined his head. "My apologies. I meant no disrespect." He paused. "But I would like to speak with you privately. About the alliance. And about what happens if the bond is recognized."

My father hesitated. Then he nodded. "Fine. But Nova and Kael will be present."

Garrett's expression flickered. "That's not necessary."

"It is non-negotiable."

Garrett was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled. "Very well."

We moved to the elders' hall. The room felt smaller with Garrett in it, the air heavier. My father took his place near the head of the table. The elders who were present watched in silence. Kael stood beside me, his presence steady.

Garrett spoke first. "I'll be direct. If the bond between Nova and this stranger is recognized, it will be seen as an insult to my family. My father has already invested considerable resources in this alliance. He will not take rejection lightly."

"Is that a threat?" my father asked.

"It's a fact." Garrett's smile didn't waver. "Roland Voss is not a wolf to be crossed. He has allies. He has influence. He has a long memory. If Ashford chooses to align with a fallen Alpha instead of my family, there will be consequences."

The room was silent.

I looked at Garrett, really looked at him. His posture was confident, his words measured, but there was something underneath. A tension in his shoulders. A flicker in his eyes. He was not as calm as he pretended to be.

He was afraid.

Not of me. Not of my father. Of something else.

I thought about what Kael had told me. About Roland Voss. About the meeting between Alphas. About the rumor that someone inside Thornwood had betrayed Kael's pack.

And suddenly, it made sense.

Garrett was afraid because Kael was more important than anyone realized. Garrett knew who Kael was. He knew what Kael represented. And he knew that if Kael found out the truth about Thornwood, everything his family had built could fall apart.

My father was speaking, but I barely heard him. I was watching Garrett, reading every small movement, every subtle shift in his expression.

"…will take this under consideration," my father was saying. "But the decision belongs to the elders, not to you or your father."

Garrett's jaw tightened. "Then I hope the elders make the right choice."

He turned to leave, but stopped at the door.

"Nova," he said, looking back at me. "I meant what I said. I always get what I want. You should keep that in mind."

He walked out.

The room stayed silent for a long moment after he was gone.

Then Kael spoke quietly. "He's afraid."

My father looked at him. "What?"

"Garrett. He's afraid." Kael met my father's eyes. "He came here to threaten you because he's afraid of what will happen if the bond is recognized."

"Why would he be afraid?"

Kael was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Because he knows who I am. And he knows what I could reveal."

My father frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Kael looked at me. I nodded.

"There is a connection between Garrett's family and the destruction of my territory," Kael said. "I don't have proof yet. But I believe Roland Voss was involved. And I believe Garrett knows it."

The room went still.

My father stared at Kael. "You're accusing Roland Voss of destroying Thornwood?"

"I'm accusing him of being involved. I don't know the full extent." Kael paused. "But Garrett's reaction today confirms it. He knows something. He's afraid of what I might discover."

My father was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "If what you're saying is true, then this is much bigger than a marriage alliance."

"Yes."

"And you have no proof."

"Not yet."

My father rubbed a hand over his face. He looked older than I had ever seen him.

"I need to think," he said. "This changes things."

He walked out, leaving Kael and me alone in the hall.

I turned to Kael. "You saw it too."

"I saw it."

"He was afraid."

"Terrified." Kael's voice was quiet. "He came here to threaten us, but he's the one who's scared. That means we're on the right track."

I took his hand. "What do we do now?"

Kael looked at me. "We find proof. Before Garrett decides to stop us."