Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“They knew at first sight that they were mates, but Nick walked away. I know he had his reasons and she later forgave him. But seeing that you did the opposite when you found your mate … well, it might bring back Shaya’s hurt.”
Fuck, he hadn’t thought of that.
“Not that that’s your problem, and I truly don’t think Shaya would make it yours. She’d hide any pain she felt so that she didn’t ruin this for you. I’m just hoping that what Nick did isn’t still a sore spot for her, or she’ll later be upset with herself for letting her own pain interfere with how happy she is for you.” Zander tipped his chin at the rear-view mirror. “We have movement.”
Moments later, Nick, Shaya, and Bracken were sliding onto the rear passenger seats—Shaya looked smug, Nick was grinding his teeth, and Bracken wasn’t bothering to stifle an amused smile at what was no doubt Nick’s expense.
Zander switched on the ignition. “You all ready?”
“Ready,” Shaya confirmed, flicking her red spiral curls away from her face.
The tires crunched as Zander drove along the dirt path that ran between tall, regal, claw-marked trees. Once they crossed the border of their territory, he asked, “What do we know about Ignacio? I’ve never met the guy.”
Nick hooked an arm around Shaya’s headrest. “He’s a cougar. A few years back, he left the Buxton Pride and mated the daughter of the Rotunda Pride Alphas. It was mere months after the mating that her parents stepped down from their positions and made Ignacio and Dahlia the new Alpha pair.”
“I heard it was an arranged mating and that Dahlia’s father, Glenn, promised Ignacio in advance that he’d make him Alpha,” said Eli.
Nick nodded. “Donovan, who has a contact within Ignacio’s pride, told me the same thing.”
Zander frowned. “Why did Glenn choose Ignacio as a mate for his daughter? Arranged matings are often political. From what little I know of Ignacio’s old pride, it’s small and has very few alliances.”
“True,” said Nick. “But what Glenn needed most in a son-in-law was someone who wouldn’t be whatsoever bothered by Dahlia’s sidepiece. Said sidepiece is a submissive cat she’s been sleeping with for years; a cat too quiet and subdued to run a pride. The only way she could be Alpha female was if she mated with someone strong enough to run the pride alongside her, but she wasn’t willing to give up her lover.”
“Ignacio obviously decided he wouldn’t care that the mating would basically be a façade,” said Shaya. “Then again, becoming an Alpha meant he could give his old pride the alliances it needs to survive in the cutthroat world of shifters. It’s understandable that he’d find that so important.”
“I initially thought that was why Ignacio agreed to the mating,” said Nick. “But when he met with Glenn’s allies to be sure the alliances wouldn’t be broken by the change in leadership, Ignacio requested that they each sever their alliance with his old pride.”
Shaya’s head jerked back. “Why?”
“Ignacio said it was weak and rotting from the inside,” Nick replied. “Said it was only a matter of time before a more powerful pride came along and tried to take it over. He didn’t believe his old pride was worth going to war for.”
“Is it rotting from the inside?” she asked.
“According to Donovan, yes. It’s full of alcoholics and drug addicts, and the members are constantly fighting among themselves. They’re not a unit anymore. The Alpha lost most of his alliances because he refused to back them up in battle, claiming his pride was so small it wasn’t needed. But the real reason he refused is that he doesn’t have enough control over his members to force them to fight. And why would a bunch of drunks, addicts, and assholes care to fight for another pride?
“Donovan’s contact also revealed that Ignacio’s father, Reeve, is the Buxton Alpha’s younger brother. Reeve was allegedly always jealous and bitter that his sibling had the position of Alpha. By all accounts, though, Reeve is too weak to ever rule. He also likes to smack around his mate when he’s drunk. Reeve also used his fists on Ignacio. The rest of the pride turned a blind eye to it all, even the Alpha.”
“That explains why Ignacio hates them,” said Shaya. “They all sat back and did nothing.”
Nick nodded. “It gets worse. Ignacio’s mother tried to suffocate him when he was just a baby. Said she was trying to save him from Reeve, certain he’d hurt the baby just as he hurt her. She never tried to harm Ignacio again after that, but she also didn’t stand up to Reeve and protect her son.”
“So Ignacio didn’t just want out of his pride, he wanted to be an Alpha so that he could lord it over his father, who’d always wanted that position. It also enabled Ignacio to cut the pride off from their alliances, leaving them vulnerable the way he was vulnerable growing up,” Shaya surmised. “I have to feel sorry for the kid he once was. But the adult he’s become? Dealing drugs, delivering torturous punishments, messing with our Casey? Nah, I got no love for him.”