Theo laughed and told him I had a whole room dedicated to books and art in his house. Alpha Trissur smiled and walked over to the wall, reaching for two books from a high shelf. They were weathered, and the spines were fragile.
“These are some of my favorite human books. They’re from long before the exchange of power,” he said as he held them affectionately. Most of the wolves I encountered referred to the time when wolves took over as “the exchange of power,” so it didn’t surprise me when he did the same. “I’ve read them so many times I could probably recite half of it back to you right now,” he said chuckling. “Why don’t you hold onto them for me?”
I looked in surprise but quickly averted my gaze in respect for him. Alpha Trissur and Theo both laughed boisterously.
“Margo, you don’t have to lower your gaze.” Theo touched my cheek as he spoke. “As my mate, you have as much authority as I do.”
I continued to keep my head low as Alpha Trissur handed me the two books. I settled myself into a large, tub chair and gently caressed the frayed spines of the books. Theo and Alpha Trissur took seats close to me with a small table between them.
I was so intrigued by the books I didn’t catch the first half of their conversation. I remembered things like, “Porter’s demands,” and “half the territory.” It wasn’t until Theo called my name that I honed in on their talking.
“Your previous Alpha, Dorian, he invaded a neighboring territory, correct?” Theo questioned.
“I believe so. I was only thirteen or fourteen when it happened, so I don’t remember all the specifics.”
“Do you remember if he was reprimanded?”
I shook my head, no. “I have no idea.”
“I can’t lose any more territory, Theo. I lost good ground to the north a few months back from a bad storm, and we have yet to rebuild. If I release this land to Reed Porter, it will force me to relocate my pack members, and I simply don’t have the funds for that right now,” Alpha Trissur admitted to Theo. The wrinkles in his forehead folded with concern.
“I know, Duncan. It’s not right for him to demand this of you. His pack isn’t growing enough to even consider an expansion of territory, let alone take yours from you.”
“What will he do?” I whispered quietly to Theo, not wanting to upset Alpha Trissur further. Theo bent down to my ear.
“He’s threatening to attack. Duncan has a large pack, but it is smaller than Reed Porter’s, which would most likely result in the destruction of his pack altogether.”
“I have an ally to the west that would fight alongside us. Francis Alban,” Alpha Trissur said optimistically.
“That might work to our advantage,” Theo nodded quickly. “We will meet with him in the morning. If he still does not concede, you may need to contact Francis.”
Theo and I returned to our room, debating on drawing another bath, but I settled for a hot shower. I undressed in the bathroom and stuck my hand in to feel if the water was hot enough. Theo knocked on the door, and I quickly hopped in, letting out a squeal when the cold water hit my back.
“Do you want some help?” he called suggestively through the crack he had opened in the doorway.
“No,” I said defensively. “I’m doing just fine without you.”
“Water still cold?”
“How do you know that?” I peeked outside of the shower curtain.
“A guard just came by to tell me that the room hasn’t been used recently and that we should let the shower run for a few minutes to allow it to warm up.” I heard the teasing in his voice.
“That would have been nice to know beforehand,” I grunted.
“Aw, do you want me to come warm you up?”
“No,” I said, standing at the far end of the shower in attempts to hide from the cold.
“Are you sure?” His hand ruffled the outside of the shower curtain.
“Theo, get out of here.” He chuckled. “I mean it.”
“Okay, little wolf, put your claws away. I’m leaving.
“I’m not a wolf,” I reminded him.
I swear I heard him mutter, “not yet.”
I finished my shower and joined Theo in the massive bed. He was sitting up reading something on his phone. I slipped in next to him and began reading on the books Alpha Trissur had given me.
“Are they any good?” Theo murmured into my ear, startling me. I turned and found him reading over my shoulder.
“They’re amazing.”
“Really?” He smiled down at me. He didn’t seem too surprised. “What are they even about?”
“Romance, society, ethics, mystery, all sorts of things,” I rambled on. “This one is full of short stories about human days. It’s amazing we got anything done with all the betrayals and love triangles.”
“Things are simpler now.” Theo pressed his lips against my head and turned over to go to sleep. I stayed up until I finished half the book and then curled myself opposite of Theo.
Prey
“Margo.” My eyes flashed open, and I gulped in a huge breath. Theo was close to my face, out of bed, and standing next to me, fully dressed.
“Why do you never wake me when you first get up?” I grumbled unhappily. Theo laughed loudly and flipped the covers off me.
“Dress warmly. Try not to show a lot of skin. We’re going to pay Reed Porter a visit this morning.”
I got dressed in warm clothes and joined Theo at the small bistro table near the window where someone had delivered out breakfast.
“I want you to stay by my side today,” he said with a bite of toast in his mouth. I nodded. “The only way I know you’ll be safe is if I can have you right next to me. Not that I don’t trust Duncan’s pack, but if it came down to a choice of
