Chapter 13 The Alpha’s Demand
“What kind of problem?” Lycian asked.
“Marcus Blackthorn just left my office. He’s not happy about your little declaration this morning.”
“That’s not my concern.”
“It is when he’s threatening to pull Blackthorn Industries’ funding from three of our pack businesses.” Thaddeus’s voice was sharp. Cold. “That’s twelve million dollars annually, Lycian. Money we can’t afford to lose.”
My stomach twisted. This was my fault—all of it.
“He’s bluffing,” Lycian said.
“No. He’s not. I’ve known Marcus for thirty years. When he makes a threat, he follows through.”
“Then let him pull his funding. We’ll survive.”
“Will we? The Riverside development depends on Blackthorn Capital. Without it, we lose everything we’ve invested. And the pack loses jobs. Homes. Security.”
Lycian’s jaw clenched. I could see the muscle jumping under his skin.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked.
“End whatever this is with the human girl.”
I flinched. The human girl. Like I wasn’t even a person. Just a problem to be solved.
“No,” Lycian said.
“This isn’t a request.”
“I don’t care. She’s my mate.”
Silence. Heavy and thick.
Then Thaddeus laughed. Sharp and bitter. “Your mate? She’s wolfless, Lycian. The bond doesn’t work that way.”
“It does. I felt it. The moment we touched.”
“What you felt was attraction. Curiosity. Not a mate bond.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Am I? Tell me, can you sense her emotions? Can you feel her through the bond when she’s not in the room? Can you communicate without words?”
Lycian didn’t answer.
Because he couldn’t, all the things his father was describing were part of a real mate bond. And we didn’t have any of them.
“That’s what I thought,” Thaddeus continued. “You’re confusing physical attraction with something deeper. It happens. Especially at your age.”
“I’m twenty-two, not a child.”
“Then stop acting like one. Marcus is offering a very reasonable solution. His daughter is an excellent match. Strong bloodline. Good breeding. She’ll be an asset to the pack.”
“I don’t want Madison.”
“What you want is irrelevant. This is about the pack. About our future. About responsibility.”
“My responsibility is to my mate.”
“She’s not your mate!” Thaddeus’s voice rose. Actually rose. I’d never heard him yell before. “She’s a distraction. A pretty human who spilled champagne on you and somehow got under your skin. That’s all.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Prove it. Right now. Tell me you can feel her through the bond.”
Lycian’s hand tightened around his phone. He looked at me. Something desperate in his eyes.
I shook my head slightly. Don’t lie for me.
“I can’t,” he said finally. “Not yet. The bond is new. It takes time to develop.”
“Or it doesn’t exist at all.” Thaddeus’s voice went cold again. “You have until Friday. Three days. Either end this thing with the human or I will.”
“You can’t make that decision for me.”
“I’m the Alpha. I can make any decision I want.” Papers rustled on his end. “And speaking of decisions. I’ve already arranged for the girl’s scholarship to be revoked. Effective immediately.”
My blood went cold.
“You can’t do that,” Lycian said.
“I just did. The vote happened an hour ago. It was unanimous.”
“I’ll appeal it.”
“On what grounds? She destroyed valuable property. She’s been the subject of multiple complaints. She’s proven herself to be a liability.”
“Those complaints were fabricated by Marcus.”
“Prove it.”
Lycian’s eyes flashed gold. His wolf was close to the surface now. I could see it in the way he held himself. Tense. Coiled. Ready to strike.
“If you do this,” Lycian said quietly. “If you take her scholarship. I’ll leave the pack.”
Silence.
I grabbed his arm. “Don’t.”
He shook his head. Kept his eyes on the phone.
“You’re bluffing,” Thaddeus said finally.
“Try me.”
“You’d throw away your birthright? Your responsibility? Your family? For a human girl you barely know?”
“Yes.”
The word hung in the air. Absolute. Final.
My chest felt tight. He couldn’t mean that. Couldn’t actually be willing to give up everything for me.
“You’re making a mistake,” Thaddeus said.
“That’s my choice to make.”
“Is it? Because from where I’m standing, you’re letting your dick make decisions your brain should be handling.”
“Enough.” Lycian’s voice dropped to a growl. “I’m done with this conversation.”
“We’re not done until I say we’re done.”
“Actually, we are. Because I’m the one who gets to choose my mate. Not you. Not Marcus. Not anyone else. Me. And I choose her.”
He hung up.
The silence in his apartment was deafening.
I stared at him. “What did you just do?”
“What I should have done from the beginning. Stand up for what’s mine.”
“You can’t leave your pack. That’s insane.”
“I can and I will if that’s what it takes.”
“Lycian, no. This is too much. I’m not worth…”
“Don’t.” He turned to face me. His eyes were still gold. “Don’t say you’re not worth it. You are. You’re worth everything.”
“You barely know me.”
“I know enough. I know you work two jobs to take care of your sick aunt. I know you’re smart enough to get a full scholarship to an elite university. I know you’re brave enough to stand up to people who could destroy you.” He stepped closer. “I know that when you look at me, you don’t see the heir to the Valor pack. You just see me.”
My throat felt tight. “This is crazy.”
“I know.”
“Your father is going to make our lives hell.”
“Probably.”
“And Marcus. And Madison. And everyone else.”
“Let them try.”
“You’re going to regret this.”
“The only thing I’ll regret is if I let you walk away.” He cupped my face. That electric spark raced through me. Stronger now. Almost painful. “Stay. Fight with me. Let me prove this is real.”
I wanted to say yes. Wanted to believe this could work.
But reality was a cold, hard thing.
“My scholarship is gone,” I said. “As of right now. That means I have until the end of the semester. Maybe less.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“How? Even if you claim me, that doesn’t give me tuition money. That doesn’t let me finish my degree.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“No.”
“Elowen…”
“I said no. I’m not becoming your charity case.”
“It’s not charity. It’s us taking care of each other.”
“By me taking everything and giving nothing?”
“You give me everything just by being here.” His thumb brushed my cheek. “Please. Let me help.”
The word yes was right there. On the tip of my tongue.
But before I could say it, someone pounded on the door.
Hard. Aggressive.
Lycian’s eyes flashed gold again. “Stay here.”
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know. But they smell angry.”
He went to the door. Looked through the peephole. His whole body went rigid.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s Marcus. And he brought Madison.”
More pounding. “Open this door, Lycian. I know she’s in there.”
Lycian looked at me. “Do you trust me?”
“I don’t know you well enough to trust you.”
“Fair. But right now I need you to pretend you do.” He pulled his shirt over his head. Tossed it aside. “Take off your sweater.”
“What? No.”
“Elowen. Please. I need Marcus to think we’ve already bonded. It’s the only way to make him back off.”
“We can’t fake that.”
“We can if you trust me.”
The pounding got louder. “Lycian! Final warning!”
I looked at the door. At Lycian standing there shirtless. In the impossible situation we were in.
Then I pulled my sweater over my head.
Dropped it on the floor next to his shirt.
“What now?” I whispered.
He pulled me close. So close I could feel his heart hammering against my chest.
“Now,” he said quietly. “We put on a show.”
He messed up my hair. His fingers are rough and quick. Then he grabbed my wrist and rubbed it against his neck. His scent flooded my nose. Pine and something wild.
“Your turn,” he said.
I hesitated. Then pressed my wrist to his neck. His pulse jumped under my touch.
“Good,” he breathed. “Now remember. We’re bonded. We’re together. No matter what he says.”
He went to the door. Opened it.
Marcus and Madison stood in the hallway. Both of them look ready to kill.
Marcus’s eyes swept over Lycian. Shirtless. Hair messed up. Then pass him to me. Also missing my sweater. My hair is wild.
His face went red. “You claimed her.”
“Yes.” Lycian’s voice was steady. Sure. “She’s mine now. Publicly. Officially. In every way that matters.”
Madison made a sound like a wounded animal.
Marcus’s hands clenched into fists. “You stupid boy. Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”