The Alpha’s Prophesied Mate

Chapter 13: Revenge

Evercrest Estate. The Wood Residence

"So… can we consider this a settled agreement?"

"My word has been given, and I've accepted yours. To me, that carries more weight than any paper."

"Perfect, then. Tomorrow we'll go to your lawyer and settle everything."

"I hope so."

"Thank you for your time, Alpha Alexander. And for understanding… it was not our inten—"

"Ethan, walk them out."

"Un...until later. Alpha… Beta Dominic."

Alexander watched them leave his office alongside his brother in silence. He sat down and sighed in irritation once he heard the door close behind them. This meeting hadn't been any different from the last one, and that one hadn't been different from the rest. They were all a slight variation on the same thing. Explanations, apologies, and veiled lies.

"So now it turns out nobody knew what they did to our father, but somehow everyone benefited from it one way or another."

Alexander looked at his brother and saw his rage and frustration reflected on his face. Also his exhaustion. "That sums it up correctly."

"The good news is those were the last treacherous bootlickers who requested a meeting to explain themselves and try to get in your good graces. The bad news, though, is that the three who took the most land still show no interest in doing that… or returning it, for that matter."

"We knew they wouldn't. Unlike the others, they weren't casual allies looking to gain some benefit from the fallen alpha. They're still Damon's partners today."

"Ones who probably didn't take it well, learning that on top of legally demanding restitution, you decided to reclaim your position. I imagine they must be complaining to their partner. That wasn't part of the plan."

"But maybe it should have been from the start," Alexander said, looking at the documents the DarkPine pack representatives had brought. "How many weeks have we been here, and how much have we actually accomplished in recovering what's ours? But look now. One chance encounter and a conversation lasting less than five minutes, and within twenty-four hours of establishing the pack, we had representatives from those damn thieves requesting meetings to give back what, until the day before, their lawyers refused to let go of."

"Alexander…" Dominic sighed. "…you had every right not to want to put yourself in this position. And except for Sebastian, and to some extent Ethan, the rest of us were fine with that. Why wouldn't we be? In theory we have everything, and we could start over, leaving what happened behind, thanks to Dad taking the necessary precautions so that neither Damon nor anyone else could take what's yours… But none of us could have been happy if we hadn't gotten back what they divided up among themselves as a reward for not coming to help their ally, for turning their backs on him."

And celebrating his death… Alexander was careful to keep the thought to himself and nodded slightly. Whatever he used to think, or stupidly believed before, no longer mattered. Now he knew he'd never really had a chance at a different life. The only thing he could do was build one in a way that kept the people he loved protected and out of reach of anyone who wanted to hurt them… which would be especially hard when his siblings were the only ones he trusted, and they'd be the ones leading and in charge of everything alongside him.

Speaking of which…

"Everyone's settled in. 67 adults, 23 children, 8 elders. It's not perfect… but it'll do for now," Eleonor said, walking into the office, her siblings behind her.

"And the DarkPine people already left the property," Ethan reported, walking toward the couch. "Along with the two trucks that were hiding, waiting for them."

"Ha! Those idiots practically wet themselves when they saw we're not as alone as they think, and the protection they brought turned out to be nowhere near enough… Beta's words, not mine… And they're gonna be shitting themselves, because more are coming."

"As graphic as ever, Sebastian."

"What can I say… it's just how I express myself. I've got the soul of an artist."

"An artist? What you've got is—"

We'll be working until 10pm tonight. If you're still up… 11?

Alexander smiled inwardly, watching the message light up his phone screen. Setting aside the last exchange between Eleonor and Sebastian, he picked up the device and typed a quick reply: I will be… okay. He also sent her the picture of the garden, where Margaret thought the tables would work best. Nothing captivating or remotely romantic, but he'd come to understand that with Evelyn, less was more. He didn't want to overwhelm her, he just wanted to be present in her mind, to carve out a place in her life… And for her to be by his side in his, but for that, he needed to make sure he could actually keep her safe.

"Let's get started," he said, drawing his siblings' attention. "We have decisions to make, and the sooner we're all on the same page, the better. Dominic?" he added, handing the floor to the one he knew could explain things best.

"Okay. As far as the packs are concerned, our situation is the same. Take possession of what's been returned to us and watch our backs with those who still refuse to recognize Alexander as Alpha. Especially because of their connection to Damon… As for the people who've been arriving so far, according to Margaret, they all have some connection to Dad's pack, either former members who refused to join other clans, ones who did and now want to be with us, or loners who were allowed in certain areas of the territory as long as they followed the rules. She knows most of them, and they're telling her there are a lot more interested, already on their way back. Everyone sees Alexander as our father's continuation. And they remember a better life under his protection."

"But…" Ethan pushed. "Because there's a but here, right? Your faces say not everything's fine, and Alexander doesn't look happy about getting an instant pack, as much as we need it. And it's not like we don't have work or a place to offer them now."

"It's that I don't trust them," he said honestly. "It's one thing to have the enemy outside, and another entirely different thing to have them living under your roof. We already know how that ends…" Sighing, he added, "It doesn't matter how powerful we are, or think we are, there are 5 of us… 6 with Margaret. If we don't have the loyalty of our own people, we're an easy target."

"So then?"

"I'm not saying we won't accept them, or that we won't offer them protection in the meantime, just that we need to make sure of their intentions first."

Alexander... Come. The Shadowclaw people tried to get onto the property. A group of ours managed to chase them off, but they threw a package with your name on it at the entrance.

The moment Margaret's words flashed through his mind, Alexander and his siblings were on their feet, heading for the house's main entrance. The Shadowclaw were one of the packs loyal to their father, so their presence couldn't mean anything good, much less that they'd leave a present.

Shit… he thought when he got his first glimpse of the bundle wrapped in gift paper, lying on the ground. For a second he considered leaving everyone there and going to Evelyn's café… because exactly this kind of thing was why he'd been staying away these past few days, afraid of exposing her to those who now saw him as a threat. Still, he put one foot in front of the other and approached the figure, tearing off the note attached to it.

WE HEAR YOU'RE GETTING BACK WHAT'S YOURS AND DIDN'T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT, it read, ending with a mark telling him to turn the page. When he did, he felt his body freeze. This couldn't be true. Dropping the note, he knelt beside the body and started tearing at the paper until he managed to uncover the face… and despite the swelling and the bruises, he recognized it, just as Eleonor did, breaking into tears, and Sebastian, kneeling beside it to help free the body. He didn't know where Dominic and Ethan were, probably calling for help. They knew a couple of doctors had arrived. He did know, however, where Margaret, his aunt, was. So he was there to witness the moment she approached, picked up the note he'd stupidly dropped, and read its contents.

In slow motion, he watched every emotion cross her face, before the most gut-wrenching scream he'd ever heard drowned out everyone else's voices and seemed to stop time itself. Unable to keep watching, he looked one more time at his cousin's bruised face, the one he'd spent years believing dead, only now realizing he'd been a prisoner all along. And he swore revenge.