Chapter 540 – Marry the princess, and give me Sera
Voren’s mind raced hard and fast through every angle he could see. For as long as he could remember, he had never really cared about the King title until he saw the behavior of his fellow Alphas.
It was enough to bring his attention to the fact that a big problem awaited the packs in the future if certain things were not put in place.
Sadly, the werewolf council had failed them and now that Blood fang was calm and not grumpy as before, Voren’s attention was drawn to many things that made him realized that effective tonight, his focus would center largely on pack matters than the affairs of the human world.
King Jaron was the first Alpha King, a procedure Voren wasn’t completely abreast with but as soon as Corvine showed interest in Athaliah, he wanted to use every means to get the title to his pack, especially when it was becoming painfully clear there was far more buried underneath the whole thing than he had ever realized.
His father had to know something, and the second he got the chance, he was going to demand every last answer.
For the moment though Killian still stood right in front of him, and Voren intended to squeeze every scrap of information out of the man before he let him walk away.
"All I want to know is why you’re so damn desperate to bring every pack together."
Killian answered with a bold, confident smile that sat too easy on his face. "Alpha Voren, the target is inside your pack, but it isn’t you."
His eyes gleamed with a surety that made Voren’s blood run colder. Targeting someone from the Grimroot pack? For what?
Voren did not get the chance to ask when Killian continued to speak. "And since you want the power that comes with the crown so badly, why don’t you marry the princess, and give me Sera?"
Killian never saw it coming. One second he was standing tall and talking like he owned the ground under his feet.
The next second, an invisible force slammed into him with enough raw power to send him crashing hard onto the frozen ground, the air rushing out of his lungs in a sharp, shocked burst.
He stared up at Voren in pure horror. The Alpha hadn’t even lifted a hand. A chill far colder than the snow around them settled deep into Killian’s bones as images of Alpha Flex and Cage flashed through his mind. Both men were still on admission at the pack hospital for provoking Voren with a permanent loss of a manhood and the other without an eye.
Panic exploded inside Killian like a bomb going off. Without wasting another second, Killian shifted, bones and muscle reshaping until his wolf stood in his place, and he bolted full speed into the white distance.
He didn’t care about the car he’d driven or the belongings he’d left behind. All that mattered was putting as much ground as possible between himself and Voren.
Why did he have to reveal that the target was in the Grimroot pack and mention wanting Seraphine? Now he knew that Voren would surely come after him.
The moment Voren climbed into the SUV, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message. ’There is a coffee-brown Alpha wolf on the loose. Don’t stop him. Just follow him and report every one of his movements.’
The reply came almost immediately. ’On it, Alpha Voren. We’ve spotted the target. I’ve already dispatched my men to track him. Only after reading the response did Voren put the phone away and turn toward Seraphine.
"Change of plans." His voice stayed calm as he started the engine. "Let’s pick up the kids. I think Espe will be safer with us."
Seraphine’s heart skipped hard in her chest. As Voren pressed down on the accelerator she turned toward him, anxiety flooding every line of her face. "What happened?"
This time Voren answered without taking his eyes off the road. "I couldn’t get much out of him, but I’ve got a feeling Espe has been exposed." Remembering the information, he had from Noelle and Chuck as well, Voren’s mind was piecing things together.
Killian had claimed Voren wasn’t the target. Instead, he’d asked for Sera. Knowing Seraphine was already his wife, Voren felt certain Killian had only thrown that out to throw him off the real scent. That left only one possibility—Esperanza.
"Voren..." Seraphine’s voice trembled as fear gripped her heart tight. Just saying her daughter’s name made the terror sharper. Esperanza was her greatest weakness, and she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her.
Voren drew in a slow breath, trying to calm the storm building inside him before he spoke. "I already have someone investigating Killian. The moment I learn anything, I’ll tell you, but right now, this is just my instinct." His grip tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles went white. "I’ve got a bad feeling, Sera. Something isn’t right."
A few minutes later he pulled up in front of the pack house. Both of them climbed out of the SUV, and without hesitation Voren wrapped Seraphine in his arms, his voice softening as he looked into her eyes.
"King Jaron wants Athaliah married before the Blood Moon Festival. I think we should give Corvine some time to court Athaliah the right way. No matter what happens, I won’t let Killian beat him."
Before Seraphine could ask another question, excited voices echoed from the safe house where other parents had already arrived to pick up their pups.
Jasmine stood nearby with both Esperanza and Bryan. Bryan broke into a run and threw himself toward Seraphine, and she immediately bent down to catch him in her arms.
Esperanza, though, stayed where she was for only a second before she hurried straight to Voren, reaching up for him with both small hands. "Daddy, are we going home?"
The innocent question pulled a smile onto his face despite everything weighing heavy on his mind. Then her tiny face turned serious. "An old man wanted to take me..." She pointed back toward the safe house. "But Grandpa stopped him."