My pack members nodded as I spoke.
I glanced over at Blaine who had a smile on his face as he watched me.
"Ivy and I could take over if you leave." Nolan's voice echoed off the walls of the meeting room.
Ivy's mouth twitched into a smile and she nodded her head. "We could!"
My stomach twisted. "You're joking."
"I'm not." He stood up, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Are you challenging me?" I growled, my hands gripped the table so hard my knuckles turned white.
"Damn it, Sophia!" He slammed his hands on the table. "I'm not challenging you, but you know damn well I would have been chosen as Beta if I hadn't hurt your precious feelings. It's not my fault that you couldn't handle rejection. My father trained me well. I was the best choice, not your sister."
My eyes darkened, and a growl rippled through my throat. "You fucking mutt."
"Stay calm," Blaine whispered into my ear. My body vibrated, demanding to shift. I saw red; I wanted Nolan's blood to spill all over this damn table.
Blaine peppered kisses down my neck, all over my mark as my eyes fluttered and my body melted into him. The matebond was magical. He would always be the one to calm me down so effortlessly, and for that I was grateful.
I opened my eyes slowly before giving a tight-lipped smile. "If I wasn't of Alpha blood, that rejection would have killed me. Wolves have died from rejection. Anyone capable of rejecting their mate and not caring about the consequences is not capable to be high-ranking in a pack. You are in no shape or form qualified to be a Beta and certainly not an Alpha."
"You're just a rejected whore sleeping with someone who isn't your true mate," he snarled.
As soon as those words left his lips, Blaine had him by his throat, putting pressure on his windpipe. His legs dangled as he kicked, trying to wiggle free. But Blaine's grip only tightened as he walked him to the door.
"You're a hypocrite. You were fucking around with her sister even after rejecting your soulmate. We haven't slept together yet, but I promise you, we will fully mate and I will have her writhing in pleasure under me."
Nolan's eyes blazed as Ivy scrambled to her feet and shouted for him to be put down.
"Sophia's my true mate just as much as I am hers. She's mine." Blaine threw him out the door and into the hallway. I heard the sickening crack of his head hitting the floor.
Ivy winced at the sound before rushing out to aid him.
Blaine slammed the door with force and turned around with a smile. "Sorry about that. Let's discuss more solutions to our Lockhart pack problem."
I couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped my mouth. My mate was sexy and powerful.
"Good morning, Darlin'." Blaine's breath fanned against the back of my neck as I stood over the stove.
A smile spread over my lips. "Good morning." I turned around on my tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on his lips.
"About the meeting yesterday..." He trailed off as he scratched the nape of his neck.
I smirked before turning back around. "Don't worry about it. It was sexy." I cracked a few eggs in the bowl to whisk them.
"Thought you'd be mad."
I poured the eggs into the skillet. "Why would I be mad? I appreciate it. Nobody has ever defended me the way you did with Nolan."
"He deserved worse. He completely disrespected you—his Alpha. He should've been sentenced to torture." He crossed his arms, which caused his shirt sleeves to strain from the muscles underneath.
"I know." I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "I should've thrown him in the cellars."
"Cellars?"
"Ah—yeah. My grandfather established them. It's basically a torture chamber that's used for punishment or a death sentence. We don't use it much though."
I shivered. My father only used the cellars a handful of times while he was Alpha. Serious crimes against the Alpha or other pack members was the only time he seemed to use it. He was a generous Alpha, and some called him a pushover. But I knew the reason he was hesitant to use the cellars was because my grandfather over-used them as a punishment for small discrepancies. Though, there were times Dad should've used it and didn't.
"My pack has one. We call it what it is: The Hell Room. I utilize it quite often for disrespect or crimes against my pack." His eyes darkened. "Next time, he will go in the cellars. I won't tolerate my mate, or a fellow Alpha to be disrespected like that. It's against our nature."
I bit my lip. Other packs did much worse to a disrespectful pack member, to go in the cellars would be considered mercy for disrespecting one's Alpha.
"You're absolutely right. He will be sentenced appropriately if he pulls something like that again. I'm lucky I found you," I said.
And I was. The amount of disrespect I had put up with from Nolan and my sister the past two years was embarrassing. I could take care of myself, and I had, but it was nice to have someone else who cared enough to have my back the way he did.
"I'm the lucky one." He gripped my hips, turning me around to face him. "Just look at you, Darlin'."
I peered up at him and couldn't help but smile. After Nolan's rejection, I never thought I would have something like this. Blaine was a miracle sent from
