Page 72 of Half Wolf Mate
Then chaos erupted. But it wasn’t everyone attacking us as I’d expected. Instead, much of the crowd was shouting for Cole to stay.
Cole gazed at them wide-eyed. I bet he didn’t expect their reaction, either. He swallowed hard as a series of emotions flickered across his face— shock, relief, and then happiness. He didn’t even try to hide them. His people still loved him. It said a lot about his capabilities as a leader.
Hope filled my heart. Maybe things would work out for Cole. I’d be happy if he didn’t have to give up everything he’d known his whole life for me.
Chapter 30 Sydney
“This is incredible,” Violet whispered. She stared at the crowd wide-eyed, just as I did. It was amazing to see so many jumping to Cole’s defense. By the look of it, most of the pack was still on his side. The elders didn’t seem pleased… Well, three of them. Caleb looked ready to burst a blood vessel. He scowled at the crowd with his fists clenched at his sides.
The other two, Anton and Victor, wore sour expressions, too. I bet they didn’t expect their plot to disgrace the Alpha in front of the entire pack to take this turn. The elders called Simon and Jasper seemed pleased by the crowd’s reaction. Although, I could be mistaken.
“Enough!” Caleb shouted.
Victor stomped down the steps to stand by Caleb’s side. “It doesn’t matter what each of you thinks. Cole must stand trial for his actions. He lied to all of us—put us in danger to consort with a hunter.”
I almost rolled my eyes in frustration. Each time one of them referred to me as a hunter, it grated on my nerves. I’d been running from hunters who wanted me dead since day one, for goodness’ sake.
“Have you all forgotten that?” Victor asked. “He harbored our enemy, protected her. Mated with her!”
“He might have killed two of our own,” Anton added. “Sebastian and Micah never made it back. We haven’t heard from them since—”
“Since you sent them to kill my mate and me,” Cole roared, his eyes glowing amber. “And I wish I had killed them myself.”
There was a collective gasp from the pack and from the two elders who hadn’t been staring at Cole and me with hatred. Caleb, Anton, and Victor went quiet. They practically oozed guilt.
Simon sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He glanced at Jasper, who watched Caleb, Anton, and Victor through narrowed eyes. “You send two of our own to murder their Alpha?” he asked with disbelief.
“And his mate,” Alex snarled. “They betrayed our Alpha. They should be the ones on trial.”
“They should be punished with death,” Damian added, glowering at the three elders.
When the crowd didn’t protest that suggestion as they had Cole stepping down, Caleb sputtered, “This is ridiculous! I… we… Cole brought the enemy right into our camp, and you all take his side. You all should—”
“That’s enough, Caleb,” Jasper sighed. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed the grudge you’ve held against the Alpha since the day he took over.”
“You didn’t like my father either,” Cole said. “I’ve had you figured out for years, Caleb. You’ve resented losing out on the chance to be Alpha. You were my grandfather’s Beta, and even then, you itched to be Alpha. But my father was born, another true Alpha, and you had to serve him, sitting at the back as one of his advisors. Then you had to serve his son.”
My eyebrow elevated at the revelation. Caleb was a sore loser.
“When I was born, your chances of ever leading this pack dwindled to zero percent,” Cole continued. “You’ve been looking for ways to push me out since I took over: you and your lap dogs, Anton and Victor. You’ve done some underhanded things that I’ve hidden from the pack in the name of keeping the peace and showing an old goat like yourself mercy. But you crossed the line when you came after my mate.”
Silence reverberated through the compound. The pack members stared at Caleb as if they were seeing him for the first time. Jasper and Simon didn’t look the least bit surprised by Cole’s revelation. They were there behind the scenes, witnessing everything, after all. They should have done more to protect their Alpha from their fellow elders.
Caleb inhaled sharply, his pale gray eyes flickering with malice. “Your mate is the daughter of a hunter. My only regret is not killing her myself when I discovered she was alive.”
I went stock still as I processed the conniving elder’s words. I had questions, but Cole verbalized them before I could.
“What the hell does that mean? Are you implying you knew about Sydney before I did?”
The conversation I’d had with Adam weeks ago played in my mind. My aunt’s husband must have been the one to tip off the hunters about me, but what if it wasn’t just hunters he’d contacted? Was it possible Uncle Sam tipped off my mother’s old pack, too?
Caleb clammed up. “That is beside the point. You’re the one going on trial, not me.”
“Caleb, answer the question,” one of the two decent elders demanded. “Did you know about the half—” Cole glowered at him, and he changed his tune “—Sydney before she arrived at our compound?”
Nostrils flared and red-faced, Caleb admitted, “Her relative sent a message that Sophia’s spawn was still lived. The message was meant for the Alpha, of course, but I intercepted it. I didn’t say a word to any of you because I knew none of you would have the gall to get rid of the girl.”
My jaw dropped.