Chapter 14

[ 1,449 words ]

Alpha orders

14: 14.

Alpha orders Theo

The dining hall smells like roasted meat, garlic, and tension.

Mostly tension.

I lean against the kitchen counter, arms folded across my chest, watching the doorway as the sound of footsteps echoes down the hall.

My wolf paces beneath my skin.

She knows now, he mutters.

Yeah.

She does.

The image from last night flashes in my head again—Aria standing in the doorway of the interrogation room, eyes wide with horror while four wolves tore at each other.

Nd to have it happen right after being attacked by wolves.

In my worst imagination, she looks upon me with revulsion and fear.

The door opens.

Aria walks in first.

Behind her are Liam and Kade.

Her scent hits me immediately—confusion, fear, anger… and exhaustion all wrapped under a warm, tart, caramel.

She looks like she hasn’t slept a minute.

The pink under her eyes makes her eyes appear more grey than blue.

Not surprising.

Finding out monsters exist tends to ruin a girl’s night.

She stops just inside the room and looks straight at Kade.

“I want you to take me back to The Pine Crest.”

Her voice is steady.

Too steady.

Kade closes the door behind them and scratches the back of his neck.

“Yeah… about that.”

Aria’s brows knit together.

“What now?”

Kade gestures toward the long dining table.

“We’ve got a few things to discuss first.”

She blinks, pressing her lips together in a thin line.

Liam shifts awkwardly beside her.

The guilt rolling off him is strong enough to choke on.

Aria notices it too.

Her eyes narrow.

“Why do you look like someone just told you Santa isn’t real?”

Liam rubs the back of his neck.

“Because this conversation isn’t going to be fun.”

My wolf snorts.

Understatement.

I push off the counter.

Time to redirect before Ronan gets here and starts issuing Alpha orders like thunderbolts.

“Hey,” I say casually.

Aria looks at me.

“Are you hungry?”

Her stomach growls immediately.

Loud.

The room goes quiet.

She closes her eyes in humiliation.

I grin.

“Well, that answers that.”

Kade chuckles.

“Food first,” I say.

“Existential crises second.”

Aria sighs.“It’s not like I have a choice.”

She walks over to the table with Kade and drops into one of the chairs.

Liam hesitates.

“I’m going to grab Barric.”

I shake my head.

“Don’t bother.”

He pauses.

“Why?”

“Ronan’s in the office,” I say.

“Barric’s with him. They’ll be in here soon.”

Liam nods slowly and takes a seat across from Aria.

My wolf nudges me.

Feed them.

Hungry humans get stabby.

Good point.

I head into the kitchen and start bringing out plates.

Most of the meal is meat—steak, roasted chicken, and sausages.

Shifters eat like carnivorous monsters.

I toss in a few starchy sides to keep things balanced: potatoes, bread, and a couple of sauces.

When I set the platters on the table, the smell fills the room.

Aria’s eyes widen slightly.

“Is this a feast or lunch?”

“Lunch,” I say.

“We tend to burn more energy than humans, so we eat more as a result.”

She leans closer to the steak platter.

“Guess that explains all the protein. I’m surprised you cooked it.”

I smirk.

“We do enjoy the occasional raw steak.”

“Eww,” she shudders.

We all start filling plates.

I glance at Liam.

He’s staring at the food like it personally insulted him.

“So,” I say, sliding into my chair.

“How did the meeting go?”

Liam exhales slowly.

“Not how I expected.”

Aria glances between us.

“What he means to say is that Mom left us a mindblowing parting gift. One that takes us up several tax brackets.”

He nods.

“She left us more than I thought.”

“How much?” I ask.

“Enough that we don’t have to work again,” Liam says.

“Oh, and a business each.”

My fork pauses halfway to my mouth.

“…what?”

Aria plays with her fork.

“That’s what I thought.

We never had money, though, even at the end, we barely had enough to keep up with the bills.

I don’t understand it.”

Liam rubs his temples.“Apparently, she invested in several companies years ago.

Tech, real estate, logistics.

What I can’t figure out is why she would choose to struggle?”

“Well damn,” Kade huffs.

This is odd.

Ever since I’ve known them, there has never been a reason to believe their family was anything other than working-class people.

His mother had two jobs, worked most weekends, and impressed upon her children the value of making a dollar stretch.

But to have this amount of money at your disposal at any given time… It’s confusing to say the least.

Liam’s scent is marred with anger and confusion.

“I don’t understand why she never told us.”

“That’s a lot to hide.” I lean back in my chair.

“But not exactly nefarious.”

Liam looks up.“It feels like it.”

“Maybe,” I admit.

“But there’s probably a reason.”

“Maybe she wanted you to live normally,” Kade says.

“Maybe it has something to do with your father.”

His eyes flicker.

“We can find the answers,” I add.

“Money leaves trails.”

He nods slowly.

My wolf grunts.

Solve later.

Eat now.

I stab a piece of steak and finally take a bite.

Around the table, plates start filling.

The mood shifts slightly.

But the tension never leaves.

Because everyone knows what’s coming.

Everyone is waiting.

For Ronan.

Aria senses it too.

Halfway through the meal, she stops chewing and looks around the table.

Her eyes narrow.

“Okay.”

Silence.

She points her fork at all of us.

“What are we waiting for?”

I blink.

Impressive.

Humans miss things like this all the time.

But she picked it up immediately.

My wolf huffs.

Sharp little thing.

The door opens right on cue.

Ronan walks in.

The room tightens instantly.

Alpha presence is a real thing.

You can feel it in your bones.

Aria straightens in her chair.

Ronan takes the seat at the head of the table.

He doesn’t eat.

He looks directly at her.

“We need to talk.”

Her shoulders tense.

“I figured.”

He folds his hands together.“I’ve made a decision.”

My wolf groans.

Bad start.

Ronan continues.

“You’re going to stay with us.”

Her scent spikes instantly.

Anger—sharp and biting.

“You decided that, have you?”

“Yes,” Ronan says calmly.

She sets her fork down slowly.

“I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you don’t get to decide where I live.”

Ronan’s eyes flash.

“In this case, yes, I do.

You’re not going back to the city.”

“I absolutely am.”

“No.”

Her chair scrapes as she leans forward.

“You cannot order me around like that.”

His voice hardens.“There is more to my decision than your feelings. And for once, you need to listen instead of mouthing off about things you know nothing about.”

My wolf winces.

Oh, that went poorly.

Aria’s eyes blaze.“Then tell me!” Her voice rises.

“Give me one reason to consider your poorly worded suggestion!”

Ronan’s jaw tightens.

“There are no suggestions.”

Ah.

Damn it.

I cut in quickly before Ronan’s Alpha side escalates this into a full dominance display.

“That’s not the point.”

Both of them look at me.

“What Ronan means,” I say carefully, “is that you’re human.”

Aria glares.“Yes.

I noticed.”

“And now you know our secret.” Her expression flickers.“That alone gives the Assembly reason to follow up on you.

To eliminate you if they believe you’re a threat.”

Her eyes widen.“Like the wolves from yesterday.”

“Exactly.”

The room falls quiet.

I gesture toward Ronan.

“But if Ronan takes responsibility for you…If you’re with our pack, they can’t touch you.”

Aria slowly turns to look at Ronan.

Disbelief fills her face.

“And why is that?”

Before Ronan can answer, another voice speaks from the doorway.

“Because Ronan is the most powerful shifter on the continent.”

Barric steps into the room.

Aria stares at him, and some of the defensiveness leaves her.

Ronan notices and shoots a questioning look at Barric.

Aria shifts her attention back to the Alpha.

“You’re joking.”

Nobody laughs.

Her heartbeat speeds up.

“That’s why they can’t do anything to him. Why do they respect our pack’s boundaries more than others? The Assembly may have power, but if it comes to a challenge, Ronan would win,” Barric says.

“That’s why they’ll send an envoy instead of an army,” Ronan interjects.

The room goes very still.

Aria sinks slowly back into her chair.

She looks overwhelmed.

“But my job,” she says weakly.

“My apartment. Hazel. I can’t just up and leave.”

Ronan finally picks up his fork.

“You can quit.”

She stares at him.

“You can’t be serious.”

“The leasing agency can handle your apartment,” he continues.

“They can pack your things and rent them again.

Plus, you dont have to work, thanks again to your Mom.

It will be an easier adjustment than most.”

“How did you…right super hearing,” she mutters

He clears his throat.

“And the Assembly has already reached out.”

Liam stiffens.

“They have?”

Ronan nods.“They’re coming for Jasper and Henry,” he looks at Aria, “And to speak about you.”

Aria’s hands tighten around the edge of the table.

“What does that mean?”

Liam looks at Ronan.

“What if they try to take her?”

Ronan turns his head and meets Liam’s eyes directly.

His voice drops.

Cold.

Absolute.

“Aria won’t be stepping a single foot off this land.”

The words carry weight.

Authority.

Power.

An Alpha’s vow.

Even my wolf straightens at it.

Aria looks between all of us.

Still trying to process everything.

Ronan continues calmly.

“That being said…Theo will take you to get your things and check you out of The Pine Crest.

I want you on pack land before nightfall.”

I nod.“I’ll get her set up.”

“When you come back,” Ronan says, “we’ll speak about you meeting the rest of the pack.”

Aria freezes.

“The rest of them?”

“Everyone,” Ronan says.

Her unease is obvious.

“That sounds like… a lot of wolves.”

My wolf grins.

It is.

Ronan shrugs slightly.

“It’s best if everyone can work together to keep you safe. Plus, I don’t hide things from my pack.”

The room falls quiet.

Aria looks down at the table.

Thinking.

Processing.

Finally, she stands.

Her chair slides back.

She looks at me.

“Okay.”

My wolf lifts his head.

“I’m ready to go, Theo.

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