Chapter 477

Chapter 0477
‘Less thantwomonths.‘
‘Feels like forever.‘ He says and I agree.
I go back to the group, grabbing some food and searching for Anders. I see him on the phone, standing away from everyone. WhenIcatch his eye, I don’t like the look I see.
When he hangs up, he nods his head wanting me to join him away from the
group.
“What’s up?” I say, walking over to him.
“Have a seat.” He says. That’s never good.
“I’ll stand. What is it?”
“I found out something about Aaron Raines dealings with Alpha Mahli.”
“And?” I ask, getting a bad feeling in my gut.
“Aaron owes Alpha Mahli a lot of money for a gambling debt.”
“How much?”
“Over a hundred thousand dollars.”
I blow out a breath. “That’s not a debt, that’s a death wish. He doesn’t have the ability to pay that back, does he?”
“No.” He says, pausing before completing his thought. “But you and I both know that Alpha Mahli is looking for a mate.”
I can’t help the snarl that leaves my mouth, Donovan pushing forward and fighting for control. My snarl was loud enough that several of the warriors have stopped what they are doing and have turned to see what’s going on.
“You think Aaron would sell his daughter to get out of gambling debt?” I ask, and if I were speaking to anyone else, they would have cowered at my furious tone. He does, however, put his hands up in a placating gesture.
“I didn’t say that. We don’t know that it isn’t just a coincidence. But I think we need to pull my father into this.”
“Pull me into what?” Alpha Patrick asks, coming out of the shadows. I hadn’t even heard him approaching.
#26 BOMOS
I begin pacing, tryingtoburn off my anger and frustration. “Clint.” Anders says, but I don’t stop. Not until Alpha Patrick’s hand comes down on my shoulder.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning and let’s see what we can do to figure this out.”
I lookatthis man who has been like a second father to me most of my life.He took me in as a son when my parents died, and he has never made me feel as though I wasn’t just as much of a son to him as Anders.
I take a deep breath and start at the beginning. I tell him about finding out that Lily is my mate, her father’s strange aversion to having me date her, her father’s trip to the Blue River Pack this weekend, taking her but not his wife and finish it by telling him about the gambling debt.
“Alpha Mahli is fair, but merciless when a person doesn’t repay their debt. I find it interesting that Aaron didn’t come to me when this started getting out of hand. I would have punished him, but I would have paid the debt so that he didn’t end up in this position. I agree that his actions sound like those of a desperate man. But it’s also possible that he’s merely hoping that Alpha Mahli will like Lily and want her as a mate.‘
“She’s MY mate.” Donovan and I snarl together.
“I understand that. But she doesn’t know that and based on what you just told me, the only ones that do are those standing here right now.” He motions to the three of us. I nod.
“Alpha Mahli would not take an underaged mate. It would bring too much negativity to his pack, and he must know that I wouldn’t stand for it. But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t deciding if Lily is worth his time to pursue as a mate. And it doesn’t mean her father may not try to sway her to take him as her chosen mate.”
Donovan is thrashing around in my head. ‘Do something!‘
“Can’t we move her to the packhouse? Move her away from her father until she turns 18 and sees that I’m her mate?”
“I’m an Alpha, but I don’t overextend my power, Clint. Unless Aaron is putting Lily in clear danger or forcing her into a relationship she doesn’t want, my hands are tied.”
Donovan’s anger is burning so hot that my skin breaks out in fur as I fight to keep him under control.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0478