“I get it,” I muttered, frustrated. “But a heads up would’ve been appreciated.”
“Maybe we should all sit down and talk about it,” Dimitri said slowly, coming to stand between us.
“Maybe you should stay out of it,” Tate sniped, glaring at him.
He turned his cold green eyes to her. “This doesn’t really concern you, sweetheart.”
The snarls and growls that came from Dante and Ryder nearly shook the tent.
“Okay, everyone shut up!” Remy finally roared, bringing us all back to the present matter. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of my neck, almost like an apology or a reminder that I wasn’t included in that ‘everyone.’
“Lulu, right?” he asked, turning to her. “Why don’t you explain what you meant and what you know.”
Lulu sighed. “This hasn’t happened in, like, three centuries. That’s how long it’s been since we knew of a true Alpha pair.”
“Every pack had an Alpha pair,” Katy said coolly. “The Alpha and his mate—”
“That’s not an Alpha pair,” Lulu interrupted. “An Alpha pair means both mates are Alphas. Remy is an Alpha and Skye is an Alpha. Not just that, but they’re bonded. You need those three things for a true Alpha pair. Plus they’re second gens, so that’s a whole new level of intensity.”
“Second what?” Rhodes asked, frowning.
“It basically means that we each come from bonded mates,” I answered him quickly. “We’re each the product of a bond.”
“Exactly,” Lulu confirmed with a nod. “Alphas set the tone for their pack. That’s just a fact.”
“You said this happened before?” I pressed, needing answers.
“Yeah,” she replied. “There was another Alpha pair. When they consummated their bond—”
I could already feel the heat creeping up my neck. Back to the sex angle again.
“—it triggered a bonding wave in their pack.”
“That’s why we had so many people bonded when you were at the Summit,” Larkin mused softly. “It was right after you guys … you know.”
“Neither of us were Alphas then,” I pointed out.
“Remy was close to it.” Lulu shrugged. “And you were always supposed to be one.”
“So, why now? Why did it happen again?” Remy’s voice rumbled through my back, vibrating with his deep tone.
“Because now you’re both Alphas,” Nikolai answered for her, looking at me. “You are the Narodnaya Alpha, along with dozens of other packs in the eastern hemisphere. And Remy just annexed nearly a dozen new packs himself. Your strength is growing.”
“And that strength is being shared with your pack,” Lulu finished.
“Is it over now?” I asked evenly, leaning back against Remy’s chest. “I mean, was this it?”
“Probably not,” Lulu said with a small smile. “I’m guessing that this will trickle out to the pack members not physically here.”
“Meaning?” I prompted.
“Meaning if Narodnaya had a pack run or what used to be Stone Valley had a run, there would be more bonded pairs established,” Nikolai supplemented. “This also means more packs may come to join you.”
“To leech off their crazy bonding ability?” Katy demanded hotly.
“To find stability and leadership, and yes, possibly their mate,” Dimitri countered. He folded his arms over his chest.
Okay, that actually sounded kind of cool. Remy and I just being us could help others find their mate. We could help other people find the same kind of love and acceptance we felt with each other.
“It also means they’re a target,” Alexei muttered darkly, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.
Well, that sounded less cool.
“What kind of target?” Rhodes demanded, the arm he had wrapped around Larkin’s shoulder tightening.
Alexei looked at me alone. “Damien will hear of this. What Skye and Remy are doing threatens the entire system he’s based his assault on. Plus, more packs will want to join Blackwater when they hear of what happened tonight.”
A man cleared his throat at the entrance of the tent, and we all turned to see Kincade standing just inside, his face pale.
“I just received word from a member of my council,” he said quietly. “Long Mesa attacked Stone Valley tonight.”
Remy went rigid behind me, and my hand came up to grab the forearm still locked around my chest like a steel band.
Warren’s eyes narrowed at Remy. “You promised to keep my people safe.”
“You’re right. I did.” Remy exhaled, his hot breath tickling my neck. “As of tonight, Stone Valley is part of Blackwater. What they did was attack my pack.”
“Then what do you plan to do?” Kincade demanded. “All of these bondings are great, but they mean nothing if we can’t protect our packs. Your mate’s mother is proof that the bonds are easily broken.”
Now Nikolai snarled, going to stand protectively in front of my mother. Hesitantly, Mom lifted a hand and slid her fingers down his back. The fierce expression on his face didn’t waver, but his stance relaxed at the slight touch.
Remy let me go and came to stand in front of me, facing Kincade. “We still have Linden Markham here. He’s alive, which means he’s still Alpha of Long Mesa.”
“A situation easily remedied,” Nikolai ground out. “We could send his head back to his pathetic little pack in a box.”
“No,” Remy replied. “If we’re taking down Long Mesa, we’re doing it the right way.”
“Fuck,” Dante muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
Dimitri snorted. “Head in a box still sounds fun to me.”
“We’re taking Linden back to Long Mesa,” Remy said, his tone final. “Once we’re there, I’ll challenge him and take his pack once and for all.”
42
Remy
“I’m coming with you,” Skye announced as soon as the door to my bedroom was closed.
Sighing, I turned. I had expected this fight, but was secretly hoping not to have it. “Babe, no. You’re not.”
Her green eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms under her chest, completely unaware that her defiant pose only served to offer her amazing tits up on a platter. My mouth watered, craving to devour every inch of her.
She tilted her head to the side. “Babe, yes. I am.” She parroted the words back at me with a sharp edge.
“Skye—”
“I get that you want to protect me, Remy, I really do. But this is my fight. If anyone gets a front row seat to the destruction of Long Mesa, it’s me.”
That logic was pretty hard to argue with.
I sank down onto the edge of my bed. “I hate the idea of you going back to that hellhole. I know what happened to you there. If it was up to me, I’d kill Linden and burn the whole place to the ground.”
She crossed the room to stand between my open legs so I had to tip my head back to look up at her.
“Fine. Kill Linden. But I get to throw the match that burns that shit down,” she replied fiercely.