The Rejected Wolf and Her Three WereMates

Chapter 5 : Two weeks

MASON

~~~

The mahogany desk in the middle of the Conclave was large and spacious enough, but it felt like a cage as I sat there, listening to the leader of the council, Vance, speak in a low monotone.

I leaned back in my leather chair, steepling my fingers as Vance pushed a thick folder onto the center of the table.

To my left, Ryder was aggressively tapping a silver pen against his knee, his inner wolf practically clawing at his skin from sheer boredom. To my right, Dallas sat perfectly still, his sharp, calculating eyes tracking every micro-expression of the twelve elders facing us.

"The proposed alliance with the Black Oak Pack is our most logical next step, Alphas," Vance spoke, his raspy voice filling the tense room. "With their warriors absorbing into our outer perimeters, our borders will grow twice as powerful. We will finally establish a definitive line of defense."

"We don't need their warriors to protect what's ours," Ryder growled, his voice a low, threatening rumble that made the councilmen shift in their seats. "The Donovan name is defense enough."

"Ryder, drop it," I muttered smoothly, not looking at him. I locked eyes with Vance. "The alliance is necessary. Not because we lack strength, but because of the recent rogue attack on our eastern flank."

Dallas leaned forward, his voice cutting through the room like a scalpel. "The rogues targeted our supply sectors. We lost a significant portion of our livestock, agricultural reserves, and secondary shelters. While it's a miracle no lives were lost, the structural damage is severe. We need to rebuild, and we need Black Oak's timber reserves to do it quickly."

The councilmen nodded in agreement, scribbling notes. For an hour, we mapped out the logistics of the borders and the rebuilding phase.

Just when the pack meeting was close to ending, Vance closed his ledger and sat back, his expression turning heavy.

"Securing the borders are one thing, Alphas," he murmured, speaking like someone about to deliver bad news. "But a pack cannot survive on territory alone. It requires continuity. It requires an heir."

The air in the room instantly dropped ten degrees. Ryder stopped tapping his pen. Dallas's posture went rigidly cold, and I resisted the urge to growl in annoyance.

"You three took the Alpha title by bloodright," Vance continued, ignoring the aura bleeding from the three of us. "But you are expected to officially bond with a female, mark her, and mate with her to ensure the next generation of Donovan Alphas."

"It has been five years since you rejected the other girl..." Connor, another councilman, began, but a feral growl from me shut him up.

I leaned forward and flattened my palm on the desk. "She has a name, Connor. Don't test me."

Connor visibly gulped and lowered his eyes. "I apologize, Alpha. But what we're trying to say is this; the Moon Goddess has not granted you three a second-chance mate. It is required you choose a suitable mate to secure the Alpha line."

"No," I said. The word was quiet, but it hit the table like a lead weight.

"Alpha Mason..."

"I said no," I repeated, feeling my eyes shift into a piercing, feral gold. "We made a mistake five years ago, one we are currently trying to correct. Harper belongs to us. She will be ours, and no other female will bear our marks or our heirs."

Vance slowly sat up, a grim smile touching his lips. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a parchment bearing the gold wax seal of our late father.

"We anticipated your refusal," he said, sliding the document across the desk. "Which is why we must remind you of the decree made by your father, the former Alpha, before his passing."

Dallas snatched the document, his eyes scanning the script rapidly. I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch violently.

"What does it say, Dal?" Ryder snapped, leaning forward.

"If my Alpha sons fail to secure a true or chosen mate one year after the sixth Moon Festival," Dallas read, his voice tight, "the Alpha title and all territorial assets will immediately be forfeited and passed to the next eligible blood relative."

What the actual f**k? This couldn't be true.

"Jon?" Ryder spat, the name of our arrogant, power-hungry cousin leaving his mouth like a bad taste.

"The sixth Moon Festival is in two weeks, Alphas," Vance continued, his voice dripping with triumphant satisfaction. "Once the festival concludes, the one-year countdown to bear an heir begins. If Harper continues to refuse you, or if you refuse to take a chosen mate like Ruby, who has served this pack faithfully, you will lose everything your family built."

I slammed my palms onto the desk, standing up so fast my chair flew backward and crashed into the wall.

Ryder and Dallas rose with me, our combined Alpha auras exploding through the council room with such violent, suffocating pressure that the councilmen instantly lowered their heads.

"We are the Alphas of Black Pine Springs," I growled, the walls of the Conclave vibrating with my voice. "And no piece of paper will ever strip us of that position. This meeting is over."

Without waiting for a response, I whirled around and strode out of the room. My brothers followed, flanking my sides as we marched down the corridor, leaving the trembling councilmen in our wake.

The drive back to the pack house was dead silent. I threw the black SUV into gear, tearing down the winding mountain roads.

Ryder was in the passenger seat, staring out the window, his chest heaving with suppressed rage, while Dallas sat in the back, silently typing away on his tablet, tracking the pack's financial recovery.

"Two weeks," Ryder finally spat, punching the dashboard. "Two weeks until the clock starts ticking. And Harper won't even look at us without wanting to rip our throats out."

"She will change her mind," I said, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I met with her last night."

The SUV suddenly swerved as Ryder whirled around in his seat, his eyes wide and wild with a mixture of shock and fury. "You did what? Without us?"

"You went to her alone, Mason?" Dallas's quiet voice from the backseat held a threatening, dark edge.

"I had to," I shot back, keeping my eyes on the road. "I just wanted to ensure she was safe, and to remind her of what she's fighting. The bond is still there. She nearly gave in to me."

"You touched her?" Dallas roared.

"If you touch her without us, Mason, I swear to the goddess..." Ryder snarled, his fangs extending.

"I didn't touch her!" I snapped, shooting Dallas a glare through the rearview mirror. "I gave her the twenty-four hours we agreed on. She's stubborn, but she's smart. And right now, she has no choice but to face us."

Ryder drew close and frowned. "What do you mean she has no choice?"

I spun the wheel and took a turn sharply before answering him. "I had the locks of the Lodge changed at dawn. She should be at the pack house already, furious and ready to negotiate."

Ryder let out a low chuckle, his anger instantly dissolving into anticipation. "Sneaky bastard. She's going to raise hell."

"Good," Dallas murmured, a rare smile crossing his face. "Let her fight. It only makes the surrender sweeter."

I pulled the SUV into the driveway of the pack house, switched off the engine and got out. I fully expected Harper to storm out, her beautiful eyes shooting flames, and demand answers.

Instead, the moment we crossed the threshold, a young maid name Ellie rushed towards us. She looked pale.

"Alpha Mason!" she cried out, throwing herself to the floor at my feet. "Thank the goddess you're back!"

I frowned, exchanging a confused look with my brothers. "Ellie, get up. What's wrong?"

"It's Harper!" she gasped. "She came here looking for you. Lady Ruby got into an argument with her. Harper attacked her, and Lady Ruby ordered the guards to arrest her!"

The air completely left my lungs.

"Down where, Ellie?" Ryder hissed, grabbing the girl by the shoulders and pulling her up. "Where is Harper?!"

"The dungeons!" Ellie wailed. "Lady Ruby had her dragged to the lower cells! She said Harper needs to be punished for attempted assault!"

In a fraction of a second, the civilized, billionaire facade I wore completely shattered, giving way to the beast inside me.

"Ruby," Dallas growled, and the sheer, quiet promise of murder in his voice was terrifying.

We moved at the same time, storming down the hallway towards the dungeons. Ryder ripped the iron cellar door completely off its hinges and I plunged into the dark, echoing depths of the dungeons.

If a single drop of Harper's blood had been spilled, Black Pine Springs was going to burn.