The Alpha's Other Woman by Vielle Nye (best ereader under 100 txt) 📕

Jason

We jogged through the trees, Carrie keeping up well with my fast pace. Porter joined up with us, along with Krystal, both in their wolf forms.

We arrived at a clearing where we found  Randy and another fighter standing with a tall male who was leaning back against a tree casually. His relaxed but confident posture set my wolf’s territorial protectiveness on edge.

Carrie stood behind me and off to the side, not attempting to get in front of me. I appreciated that she was at least allowing me protect her in one small way.

She might have been willing to stay behind me, but that didn’t stop her active mind. “His clothing looks expensive, even though it’s casual. Not really the sort of thing I’d expect for tramping around in the forest.”

I noted her observation as the vampire stepped away from the tree, his hand extended. I cautiously took the proffered hand and shook it, not taking my eyes off of him for a second.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Nathaniel Hayes, First Secretary to the Ambassador of Hunter Relations. My apologies for inadvertently trespassing on your land.”

I nodded my acknowledgement, but I remained wary. “Alpha Jason Bronson. What can I help you with?”

He nodded and smiled, and I couldn’t determine if it were genuine or not. “What do you think?” I asked silently to my mate and my ranked wolves.

“He didn’t exhibit hostile behaviours, quickly surrendering when we found him,” Randy told me. “I still don’t trust him, though.”

Porter just kept his eyes trained on the potential threat. His presence was help enough, since he was a huge intimidating wolf, the sort that could never be confused with a wild wolf.

Carrie also watched, eyes fixed on the intruder. “I want to know why he was trespassing.”

“What brought you into my territory?”

The vampire met my eyes. “We got a tip about suspicious activity in the vicinity, and since I was nearby on business, I opted to check it out personally. I wasn’t expecting werewolves and especially not what seems to be a new pack.”

Again, I wasn’t sure if what I detected was simple curiosity or something more malevolent. Although I’d had nothing more than brief passing contact with vampires in the past, I’d heard bloodsuckers could be difficult to read, and it seemed to be true. “What were you expecting?”

He didn’t miss a beat. “Possibly rebels against the queen, or perhaps new hunter activity. I didn’t imagine werewolves. We have no record of a pack nearby, and typically the problematic rogues are less subtle than you’ve been. On the surface, this seems like an irregular human community.”

I didn’t like the idea that vampires were keeping records on my pack, or werewolves in general. In addition, my wolf remained uneasy with his presence, so I wanted him off of my territory as fast as possible.

“Are you satisfied with what you’ve seen? I assume my pack doesn’t fall under your jurisdiction.”

The vampire’s smile was easy, as if he wasn’t at all bothered by being surrounded by a snarling wolves. He should have been. Vampires were fast and hard to kill, especially at night, but we werewolves were a lot stronger. “No, of course not. But since I’m here anyway, I’d like to extend the hand of friendship to your pack—what’s its name?”

“We haven’t settled on one yet.” It was proving difficult to find something that encompassed what we were trying to build that the majority could agree on. Worrying about naming was also nowhere near the top of my priority list, languishing somewhere far below security, finances, and building the physical structures so my people would have somewhere better to live.

“Well, no matter. Would you be interested in more close ties with the vampire court? The queen has an interest in establishing new treaties with favourable packs.”

I didn’t have to ask for my mate’s opinion, because she gave it freely. “There’s got to be a catch to that. It sounds too good to be true.” She was probably right, and my wolf urged me to go along with her.

Porter was still staring down the vampire like he expected him to attack at any moment. I was with him, I wanted the bloodsucker off my territory as fast as possible. He was an unexpected variable I didn’t have resources to deal with.

The vampire continued speaking. “Her Majesty is concerned about subversive hunter activity. We’ve observed them becoming more unreasonable in the last half century, and we believe that it would be wise to have closer ties with our other allies in case they decide to break the accords at some point in the future.”

I made our decision, largely influenced by the feelings of my mate and ranked warriors through our connections. None were comfortable with the vampire’s suggestion, and our pack was too new to risk getting involved in vampire politics. “I appreciate the offer, but I believe that the rules laid out in the accords are far more than sufficient for us to interact with your people.”

The vampire smiled, looking neither surprised nor disappointed. “Alas, it is your choice, Alpha.” He shifted and reached into the pocket of his jacket, and my pack warrior growled in response.

I gave him a sharp look to silence him, and he complied, as Nathaniel pulled a business card out and held it out towards me. “If you  change your mind about forming closer ties, you’re welcome to contact me anytime. I’d be happy to hear any information you run across on hunter malfeasance or rebel vampire activity in the future. Her Majesty wishes for nothing more than to increase interkind communication and cooperation at this time. Our kinds may once have been enemies, but we’re stronger when we stand together as one.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Good luck with your young pack, Alpha. I wager it will be a difficult road, so you’re going to need it.” He nodded to the others around the circle, and casually strolled off in the direction of the border line as if he didn’t have a care in the world.