Page 4 of Her Wolf's Demands
“And what if we allow her to live in order to build our pack?”
What now?
Malone’s deep tones set my teeth on edge. And not in the fuck-me-now type of way I was accustomed to. It was one thing not confessing his undying love. Okay, reacting slightly, but still, I was his mate.
He should’ve been pressing our bond a little harder, even if he wanted to reject me. And according to him, he had given up rejecting me on the night the witches had kidnapped us. Bastard man didn’t know what he wanted.
“When we rescued you,” Manual interjected, “shewaskickass.”
The others watched the floppy haired lothario, their eyes narrowing on him. If one of the pack spoke up for Malone – and technically me by process of connection – they were more likely to agree. Not that I wanted them to agree to something I hadn’t even agreed to.
“We need to return to the glory we used to enjoy, dare I say it, before my father ruined our pack.”
A few hisses were interspersed with affirmative grunts. The pack really was split between the old and the new. Malone held back, his strong dominating energy not quite asserting itself. That had to change if he wanted them to agree.
Biting my lip, I clenched my hands into fists. Why should I want him to succeed? The bastard had just offered me as a weapon of some sort. How did he expect me to help attract more pack members? I couldn’t win over the current puppies, let alone anyone else.
“We’re being picked off, one by one.” Malone’s voice rose. “Our enemies, amassed at the height of my father’s rule, are bearing down on us, determined to eradicate the Brighton Pack into extinction. I will not let that happen. Do you want that to happen?”
Most of them shook their heads and hummed a negative response.
A young woman with long wavy hair and eye make-up got to her feet, coming to stand beside her alpha. “So many people want our lands, and Malone is right, they’ll destroy us to get them. We were great once, before the male patriarchy got out of control. It’s time to be more inclusive. If you can accept me, a transgender female, why do you find it so hard to accept a hybrid-witch?”
My heart pitter-pattered, my chest squeezing as I smiled a thank you at the woman. She was the first of the pack to speak out for me, asking for my acceptance.
Wow, it took guts to challenge the men. By talking about their prowess and lands, she was using what they knew to remind them why they had fought to keep the pack thriving. If I was allowed to stay, I would seek her out to show my gratitude.
“Exactly. Nicely put, Evie.” Malone nodded his thanks as she sat back down, her grin wide when our gaze met.
A warm fuzzy feeling spread inside me, reminding me that I could feel something good. I just knew that I had a new friend, regardless of what happened next.
Malone gazed around, studying those who doubted him. “The last week has been an experiment. I’ve bowed down to your request to stay away and give you the time you need to come to terms with our… predicament.”
That was putting it lightly.
“However,” Malone went on, “I will never be banished from my own pack again. Della is my mate and you either accept that, knowing what her power could bring us. Or you leave to find a new pack.”
Rochelle scoffed, tossing her red hair and crossing her arms over her waist. “You really expect us to bow to you now?”
Malone’s muscles tensed as he held his arms by his side, his gaze narrowing on the she-wolf. “Yes, I do. That’s how this…” Swirling his finger around to indicate our surroundings, he raised his eyebrows. “…works.”
A quiet confidence radiated from the alpha, pulsing from him. My stomach knotted as Rochelle broke eye contact with him, scuffing her boots on the dried earth beneath her feet.
It was a side to Malone I’d never seen. His calm strong powerful energy was so compelling, I couldn’t help but stare at him, impressed despite the fury that rolled in my veins.
“I did wrong…” Malone held his hands up in surrender, “…I admit that. It’s a mistake I’ll never rectify in the way you expect. Our pack is divided, the old and the new colliding. My mate…” Pointing at me, he shrugged, as if he were resigned to the fact. “…is a hybrid witch. No one could’ve foreseen that. But, let’s take advantage of what has transpired by using her magic to defend ourselves and make our pack great again.”
The silence was compressing as I dug my fingernails into my palm. It took everything within me not to lunge forward and swing at the alpha, punching him straight in the nose. How dare he disregard my feelings by proclaiming me the answer to their wolfy woes? I was a person, goddess damn it.
“As much as I adore our laws,” Manual spoke up, “I’m prepared to try a new way. As long as you don’t stray too far from our way of life, Malone.”
Shaking his head, the alpha relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders as others started to murmur. “I’m my father’s son,” he called, drowning out the chatter. “I respected his devotion to the pack. I loved the man, for fuck’s sake, even though he was a bastard.”
A chuckle rumbled through them, a shared knowing drawing them together.
A teenage lad stood up and punched the air, pretending to box. “He taught me to fight, but his advice about the ladies was terrible. Totally archaic.”
“He knew how to throw an incredible party,” an older man yelled, taking a swig from a beer bottle. “We haven’t had one since he died.”