Chapter 428 She Kissed the Wrong Mate

Chapter 428 She Kissed the Wrong Mate
"I'm coming with you."
Valduz stopped his sister outside the packhouse.

Ansley stopped walking and turned to face them.

He had come back the moment Crazy sent him a devil emoji.

"I'd like to come too, please."

Zenep raised her hand politely.

"If that's okay."

She smiled brightly.

"Hi, Ansley."

"I missed you."

Ansley's expression softened.

"Hi, Sweet Baby."

She smiled.

"Why don't you go inside?"

"You can't come with us this time."

"It's going to be very dangerous."

Zenep pointed at Valduz.

"More dangerous than my daddy?"

Ansley nodded.

"Dangerous enough that I need him."

Zenep thought about it for a second.

"All right."

"But only because Mel is coming home tomorrow."

"I'll tell Mommy you left."

Ansley chuckled.

"It's okay."

"The three of us are going to tell her together."

"Sweet!"

Zenep beamed and reached for Ansley's hand.

Ansley rolled her eyes as she took it.

"This one should've been Hope Elara the Second."

She looked at Zenep.

"Do you know where your mom is?"

Zenep nodded.

Instead of answering, she quietly led them toward the stairs.

She stopped outside the study.

"That was easy," she whispered as she pushed the doors open.

Hope Elara looked up from her computer.

Perry stood beside her.

The second they walked in, Perry's hands flew across the keyboard before she quickly stepped back.

Nothing looked suspicious.

Hope Elara didn't seem surprised to see Valduz and Ansley together either.

Still...

Both of them had the exact same mischievous sparkle in their eyes.

"I told you it was him," Hope Elara said with a grin.

"They even smell the same," Perry added with a shrug.

Ansley narrowed her eyes.

"What are you two up to?"

"Nothing," they answered together.

Ansley looked at Perry.

"Can we have a moment alone with our mate?"

Perry rolled her eyes.

"She's going to tell me later anyway."

She looked at Zenep.

"Do I take the kid?"

"Yes."

Valduz nodded.

"She's staying with you."

"I'll say hi to you and the baby later, Mommy!" Zenep squealed as Perry scooped her up and threw her over one shoulder.

"Oh, no!"

"Elsa!"

"Put me down!"

"Never, Anna."

Perry started tickling her.

"You need to stop sneaking out of the castle."

Zenep burst into laughter.

The moment Valduz closed the door, Hope Elara looked between them.

"Am I in trouble?"

"Yes," Ansley answered before Valduz could speak.

"First, you're going to tell me what you were looking at on that computer."

"Then we'll tell you why we're here."

Hope Elara crossed her arms.

"Then nobody gets answers."

She shrugged.

"You two are leaving?"

Ansley walked over to the computer and tried to unlock it.

"Password."

Hope Elara blinked.

"The computer is already unlocked."

"That's just a mirror of Perry's tablet."

"I don't know her password."

She looked at them more carefully.

"Are you two okay?"

"Is the information we gave you out of date?"

"Drop it."

Valduz laughed.

Ansley folded her arms.

"Fine."

"The information is still good."

"We just came to let you know..."

"The two of us are going together."

Hope Elara frowned.

"I don't want to go wherever you're going."

"I'll cry."

She said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And while I'm crying..."

"I'll call your dad."

"He'll get here in half the time it takes you to come back."

"It's happened before."

"It has," Valduz admitted with a smile.

"And you're not coming with us, Angel."

He gently took her hand.

"When she says we're going together..."

"Is that really smart?"

Hope Elara frowned.

"I don't think that's a smart idea."

"You'll both be in the same place at the same time."

"Without your usual shadows."

"I have a huge problem with that."

She pointed between the two of us.

"You know who else would have a huge problem with that?"

"Your parents."

Ansley laughed.

"You can't threaten to call my father every time we do something you don't like."

I sighed.

"She won't call him right away."

"But somehow..."

"It'll accidentally slip out at the most convenient time."

I looked at Hope Elara.

"What will it take for you to keep this to yourself?"

"Nothing."

She answered without hesitation.

"This is about your lives."

"There isn't a single thing on this planet you could offer me that would change my mind."

She folded her arms.

"And before either of you tries to steal my phone..."

"This room is voice-activated."

Ansley scoffed.

"There is nothing angelic about her."

"She's gorgeous as sin..."

"And just as devious as Artemis."

Hope Elara smiled.

"I've been trying to convince him of that."

"But he just thinks I'm cute."

She looked between us.

"This is actually fun."

"I love that there are two of you."

Ansley shrugged.

"Very well."

"I'll stay married."

Hope Elara's silver eyes flashed for the briefest moment.

Ansley watched her carefully.

"Would you like to know what our marriage contract says?"

"I wouldn't do that to her," I warned.

Ansley ignored me.

"The contract renews after five years."

"If both parties survive until then..."

"The marriage must be consummated."

"We're required to have a child."

"That child inherits the union of both packs."

She leaned back.

"That deadline is in two months."

"That's why that idiot disappeared."

"He knew I'd try to kill him before that happened."

She looked at me.

"With Nathan there, we can make sure he never reaches the meeting point on the fifth anniversary."

"We go in."

"We clear the house."

"We leave."

"We'll be back before morning."

"No one knows where we're going."

"And until now..."

"No one knew we'd be going together."

Hope Elara narrowed her eyes.

"You're making that up so I won't call Mr. Valduz."

Ansley shrugged.

"Call him."

"Ask him yourself."

"There is nothing my father would love more than seeing Zoey inherit his throne..."

"Instead of some idiot's child I'd be forced to hand over."

"I don't even want the child."

"Or the father."

She smiled without humor.

"So I wouldn't just be doing this for my pack."

"I'd also be doing it to spite you..."

"For not letting me kill him now."

That...

Was a cheap shot.

One I could never have taken.

Neither of them spoke.

They simply stared at each other.

On the surface, they looked completely calm.

I sat down and watched Hope Elara slowly reconsider.

If my father got involved...

Everything would become a spectacle.

He'd make a grand speech about how he'd been right all along.

He'd bring half his forces to Yellowstone.

Anyone standing in his way would die.

That was how he'd always done things.

Loud.

Proud.

I hated it.

It was one of the few things Ansley and I had always agreed on.

Hope Elara finally sighed.

"You have to take Perry with you."

She pointed at both of us.

"And I hope you enjoy the next two months of your lives."

She stood and walked over to me.

Without a word, she settled onto my lap.

She glanced back at Ansley.

Then she leaned over and kissed me.

I wasn't about to waste a chance to hold my mate.

Especially when she was being such a vindictive little menace.

She smiled sweetly as she stood.

"I'll see you later, Valduz."

Then she walked out of the room.

Ansley frowned.

"What the hell does that mean?"

I couldn't help grinning.

"It means you're in the doghouse, bro."

I stood up.

"I'm really glad you're here."

"She isn't abusive..."

"But she can be mean as hell."

I headed toward the door.

"Come on."

"Let's go say goodbye to the pups."

"I've missed them."