Luke looks over at Audrey, his wolf sensing her anxiety and anger. She's dressed to kill with short shorts and two form fitting tank tops that showed off all of her curves and her long legs. Her legs are folded in front of her and her foot is bouncing, indicating she's either annoyed or nervous. From what his wolf is telling him, he guesses both.
"Audrey," He starts and she turns to look at him.
"Don't." She stops him, her blue eyes turning zaffre shade. Letting out a sigh, he nods and turns back to the road. He finally got the car keys to the blue Camaro he won from Nathan Moore and his first ride in it is tense with Audrey next to him. Behind him, Leon's black Ford follows closely with Nathan in the front seat and a brunette in the back. Luke keeps glancing the mirror to see Nathan getting more and more pissed off. At the same time, Audrey isn't calming down either and he wonders if there's a connecting reason.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He looks at her. Her voice was soft but that only told him she was angrier than she looks. "Tell you what?"
"Your activities behind my back?" He gulps, already dreading this conversation. "When were you going to tell me?"
"Audrey," He starts, blinking at her from the corner of his eye. "You know as well as I do that we need a leader and not just any Alpha will do. It's you or your brother and we both know he won't do it. He hates socializing."
"That doesn't explain-"
"Simon contacted me." He interrupts and turns to look at her. Her eyes are wide and she stares at him with an open mouth, her words freezing on her tongue. "Someone is moving against us, Audrey. And they want you and your brother dead."
"T-That's impossible."
"Simon told me. Somehow, someone knows who you are. I have to get your supporters together and I have to build defenses around you. Ralph knows too and he's got his own people. But you - you're the one that's important here. Simon is out there looking into everything he can."
"But he didn't tell me." She mutters, turning to face the front seat. "Why didn't he tell me? It's more dangerous than before then. If something happens to him..."
"I've already talked to him about it." He assures her, taking her hand in his. He can hear her heart racing and her leg is twitching again but he knows this time its from nerves. The ride is silent for the new few moments. His wolf paces in his head as he carefully watches Audrey. She's taking it all in slowly and thinking hard and he knows that it won't be good to try to distract or interrupt her.
"What about Nathan?"
He frowns. "What about Nathan?"
"He doesn't know. My being with his pack puts them all in danger. Being near him puts him in danger."
Luke stares hard at her. Her hand is squeezing his and panic is written all over her face. She's muttering to herself, her eyes keep blinking and he knows that panic is not the write word to describe what she's feeling. She's feeling fear.
"You've grown to accept him?" He can't help the teasing tone his voice has.
She blinks up at him, again looking lost and bewildered. A flash of hurt crossed her features but it quickly turned to anger. "No. But Luke, our family was destroyed and the Holt clan was too. I can't let anything happen to the Moore pack simply because I'm there."
"Then do you want to leave?"
"After tonight. I need to talk to Ralph. It'd be best if we both left this area. If we stay too long, both packs will be in harm's way."
"You can't leave, Audrey. At least not the Sullivan pack. They are all supporters of you and all know."
Audrey hisses. "They know?"
Luke can't help but chuckle. He doesn't know if it's because of how easily he let it slip and how quickly she reacted or if it's because he hadn't heard her hiss at him in a long time - not since he got hurt protecting her back when she was with his cousin. She pulls away from him and turns in her seat, glaring directly at him.
"Luke, why the hell do they know?"
"Melissa and Gavin thought it was best. When they heard what Simon found out, when they heard who was coming, she wanted them all to-"
He didn't get to finish. Audrey, for the first time in a long time, let her wolf out and a loud, bone chilling snarl escaped from her lips. Luke momentarily jerked the wheel and then steadied himself, keeping his mouth and his alpha pride locked up. His inner beast whimpers and he feels himself overcome with power.
Silence follows after and Audrey falls back against her seat with a thump. Her leg is bouncing again and she's having a hard time controlling her anger. Slowly, she reels in her wolf but in the meantime, Luke can hear her grumbling growls and can feel her alpha force pushing on his shoulders. It isn't just ordinary alpha force which he normally would be able to brush off like it was only a drop of rain. Hers is stronger, more powerful and he knows that the wrong move will set her off.
Luke pulls off of the highway and onto a back road. Leon follows after along with one more car that held some other Moore wolves. The rest were running through the woods or patrolling on the Moore borders. His eyes drift to his rear view mirror where he sees Nathan and Leon looking ahead with confusion on their faces. They didn't miss the way Audrey reacted with him. It's obvious that she's angry and he wonders if Nathan can feel it with the distance or not.
Audrey still doesn't acknowledge him. Her anger has calmed down but she's completely shut herself off from him. He and his wolf are freer now but even with the constant glances and the guilt hidden in his mind, Audrey doesn't spare them. His wolf doesn't like to displease her and this silence is killing him. When they pull up to the Sullivan pack house, Luke turns off the car and waits to see if Audrey has anything else to say. Behind him, Leon and Nathan get out and Melissa and Gavin comes out to greet then. Next to them, a Moore wolf follows after and the group of them get together to talk. From his left side view mirror, he can see the curious glances they give the Camaro.
"I'm going to kill Simon." Audrey finally says. "I get why he told you and I get why you did everything like you have and I'm grateful for it. But I should've known about this first."
"Audrey, you know we wouldn't keep anything from you." Luke soothes, turning in his chair to face her. "We just know that you have a lot to deal with getting settled back with the packs and with Moore as your mate. We didn't want you to feel fearful."
"Still," She sighs. "I'm the one at the center of it. Asides from Ralph, it's me. Everyone around me is at risk. If I had known, I would've never gone to the Moore pack. I would've never put Nathan in harm's way and I would've never stayed longer than I needed to."
"No one is blaming you for you who are. Simon, Ralph, Melissa, Gavin and I are all aware of what the risks are. Nathan will too if you decide to tell him and I'm sure you know he wouldn't let anything happen to you and he takes care of his pack very well. Why else am I handing over mine? And they all support you too."
He watches her sigh and she shakes her head and opens the door. He follows her out and watches as she instantly runs into Ralph's waiting arms.
Audrey grips his shirt tightly, her wolf howling with happiness along with his. He grips her waist and then sensing her stress, pulls back to look at her.
What's wrong?
Audrey shakes her head and glances up. Melissa and Gavin smiles at her and she hugs the two of them too. Nathan growls lightly next to her but the presence of Henrietta draws her attention away. She didn't actually think he'd listen to her.
Taking her place next to Luke who lightly rested his arm on her shoulders, she sighed.
"So, were there any problems?" Gavin asks her, folding his arms over his chest.
"No, everything was set up properly." She assures them and Melissa smiles at her.
"Did you tell them about the tunnel?" A mischievous glint is in her eyes and Audrey knows exactly what she's thinking.
"Yes, Leon and Alpha Moore know about your secret tunnel."
Melissa just laughs while Luke squeezes her next to him as if wincing himself. Gavin even looked like he flinched and from the corner of her eye, she can see Leon backing away slowly along with their other wolf, Lance Pagan, who can finally return to the Moore pack house. She ignores them and looks at the Sullivan pack members and Luke.
"We need to talk."
Visibly, they all flinch except for Ralph. He only chuckles.
"I'd like to see this."
"You're in trouble too." She snaps at him and he blinks at her. She can sense his wolf letting out an amused snort but hers growls right back at him and Ralph laughs.
"Alright, fine." He waves his hand and Luke lets her go to follow after him.
"Wait," Leon calls out, blinking between his alpha and Audrey. "What's going on?"
"Strictly pack business." Melissa replies with a haughty smirk, thoroughly enjoying the look on Nathan's face. He still hasn't taken his eyes off of Audrey since she's gotten out of the Camaro.
"We're allies. Shouldn't we know what's going on if it includes Audrey?"
"Shouldn't I know what's going on if it includes Audrey?" Nathan sneers.
Audrey realizes Melissa and Gavin aren't going to say anything. They know it's not their place to and her brother is too amused with the situation to interfere. That leaves her and Luke to say something. While her mind is racing with things she wants to say, she avoids Nathan's eyes and Luke ends up beating her.
"Why? She isn't marked and she hasn't been initiated into the Moore pack."
Nathan snarls and Audrey hisses back. The group draws back a little, eyeing the two with nerves. Ralph stays still, letting out a low chuckle.
"Moore," He interrupts them, capturing Nathan's attention. "Let her go. She'll come back."
"Ralph," Audrey argues but Ralph growls lowly at her.
Trust me.
"Audrey and I just need to talk. The rest will lead you to the party. Enjoy it." Ralph tells them and takes his sister by her arm, dragging her towards the woods in a secluded area. Behind him, she can hear Leon and Gavin address the treaty finality and Melissa teasing Nathan. Luke joins in and snarls echo but Ralph and Audrey don't stop.
"He'll be good for you." He starts off and Audrey stomps on his foot. Letting out a shout and hopping on one foot, he glares at her. "What was that for?"
"She'll come back? Really, Ralph! Nathan is not my keeper!" She scolds, folding her arms over her chest.
"Like you aren't interested," He snorts. "Don't think I didn't notice the tension. You're pissed at him but even I know you'd still accept him."
"Well, that's not happening." She mutters, leaning against one of the trees. He frowns at her and steps closer to keep their conversation as quiet as possible.
"What happened? Do I need to tear him apart?"
She shakes her head. "Just forget about it. When were you going to tell me about Simon?"
"Luke told you?" He rolls his eyes. "Wimp."
"Ralph."
"I'm still getting some information together, Audrey. Simon is too. I didn't want to tell you anything until I know for sure what's true and what's not. Someone's coming after us, to kill us off. That's nothing new. We've been hiding ourselves for a reason anyway - you more so than me. We just don't know who's going to get to us first."
She frowns at him. Simon's a thorough person. He'd see to every end of every trail and he wouldn't dare keep anything from her brother - not after the threat and beating he took after he made a blood bond with her. Beatings wouldn't affect her and so she only winced when it happened. If Ralph had killed him, her wolf would've been weak for a few days but luckily she managed to stop him before that happened.
Despite Simon's thorough personality, Ralph's words suggested there are more than just two sides to this. He suggests that there's a third party and Audrey isn't sure if that's a good thing or not.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't worry about it right now. I'll tell you when it comes to it. I can't say if it'll come at all." He explains. "We need to establish a strong defense and offense for you if you want to stake your claim. And you're needed, Audrey. Soon, you will have to come out with it."
"Sure, but Ralph, you know this puts everyone at risk. If someone's coming after us like they came after us before, everyone is in danger."
"That's war, sis. We're already in danger from the constant threat of it. That's why I'm training these pups so hard. We don't know when the next wave will hit. This enemy coming? They're nothing. We already have our guards up and we're all willing to face the consequences."
Audrey looks towards the Sullivan pack house. She can see the backyard from here. Alice James has outdone himself with the music again and the lighting is perfect. The smell of food drifts towards her and she knows Grandmother Rose has cooked up her best again. She can't help but look over them all. They're smiling and laughing and she can see Janice and Lucy nervously twitching in the corner, looking over as the Moore wolves joined the celebration. Her eyes trace over Carlos. She really needed to catch up with him but at the moment, he seemed preoccupied with another she-wolf. Audrey smiles and then her eyes find Leon and Nathan who are both standing sternly off the side, ignoring what Gavin and Melissa talk about. Nathan's eyes find her and he doesn't falter to look away. Audrey feels the familiar tug on her heart and she knows that no matter what she says, she cares about him.
"Ralph, I can't let anything happen to them." She tells her brother, looking at him with fear in her eyes. "If something happens..."
Ralph easily reads her. "Do you think Nathan and his pack are that weak? He can take care of them and he can take care of himself. If you really want to protect them, telling him would be best."
She blinks. "Do you think I should?"
"He's your mate, Audrey. And by the looks of it, he isn't going to let you go so easily." He retorts, looking back at the alpha. Audrey turns back to Nathan and watches as Henrietta stalks towards him. She runs her hand up his arm and leans to whisper something in his ear. His eyes stay on Audrey and she can feel her wolf growling.
Ralph chuckles at how easily Audrey got worked up. "Who's the chick?"
She shakes her head. "I got mad at him when he told me he didn't want me to see Luke anymore. In retaliation and out of a little hurt, I told him I'll take Luke as my date and he can take Henrietta."
Ralph laughs. "What a dumb ass. He should know to never listen to a woman when she's angry and tells him to do something."
"Speaking of telling," She turns back towards him. "Why did Melissa and Gavin tell the entire pack?"
Ralph shrugs. "They might have been under some influence..."
"Ralph," She starts. "You didn't actually pull the royalty card, did you? What if the pack didn't accept it? What then? It would've been liability and it would've caused problems for the pack."
He laughs. "Audrey, you've spent too long with the Moore pack. Sullivan is a lot more loyal than that lot."
"Still, you couldn't have possibly known they would." He snorts.
"Who do you think I am? I do things just as thoroughly as Luke or Simon! I wouldn't have blurted it out without insurance first. Melissa and Gavin knows that too." He smirks at her and then looks back at Nathan Moore. "What are you going to do about him?"
Audrey watches her mate for a moment. Henrietta has her arms around his neck and is leaning forward to talk to him but his arms are crossed in front of his chest and he stares over her head towards the crowd. His eyes flicker towards her and they hold her in a long gaze. She lets out a long sigh.
"I don't know."
"You only have tonight left. You need to make the decision if you want him as your king or not, sis."
She blanched. She didn't think of it like that.
Nathan Moore as king?