Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 188

"Okay, I get it now," I say. "I do, but what does this have to do with the plan?"

He looks like he wants to pull his hair out. "Listen. To. Me." He points wildly at Onai and Ethel's name. 'You can't ask them shit because the brothers will know immediately. They're too close.' He points towards the short distance between their names. 'You have to ask someone who's a complete third party. Someone you simultaneously trust but whose mind isn't probed daily. Someone over here.' He gestures towards the large expanse of white space all around the words 'The Silvermoon Pack.'

I let the idea simmer for a moment. It makes sense, but... 'So my informant has to be someone the brothers don't really know, but who has enough social standing to know the answers to my questions in the first place?' I ask.

"Exactly," he says. 'Depending on what your questions are of course. If you think they're ones that anyone in the pack could answer, then it doesn't really matter does it?'

'It does,' I type. 'Half the pack wants me dead.'

"Good," he chuckles.

I raise an eyebrow.

He points at Mr. Reynolds' nickname. 'You saw it yourself with him. It's people who hate you, people like him, who'll tell you the truth.' He draws a box around the old man's name. Then he hesitates before drawing a box around Suzie's. 'Maybe her too.'

I give him a look. How. Dare. He.

"Hey," he puts his hands up in defense. 'She's supposed to be the key advisor. I'm just saying to let her advise you.'

My soul rebukes those words. Maybe I didn't make it clear enough why I hate her? All the legitimate reasons I have to hate her? I mean, Isn't he supposed to be on my side? Some brother.

He keeps typing. 'Hear me out. You said you have to win her favor back for the good of the pack? Well maybe asking her this'll show her that you trust her now. Kill two birds with one stone.'

'Well I don't trust her,' I text. 'And if I asked for her help, she'd just use it against me with Carson. Then the brothers would know everything anyway and it would've all been pointless.''

"Well..." He looks at me. 'Do you know if the old man's still alive?'

'No.' I frown. 'And even if I he was, I couldn't be sure he wouldn't try to kill me. So he's out of the question.'

He chuckles.

My eyes bug out. "You think that's funny?" I nearly scream.

"No," he laughs louder. "But you're acting crazy in a way I never thought you would. Over a guy no less." He gives me a strange look before leaning back. "What happened to the Mia who said fighting over men was stupid?" He crosses his arms behind his head and lays down.

"I'm not fighting over a guy," I say, not breaking eye contact with him. "It's her."

"It's her?" He echoes, shaking his head. "Jesus. You used to get so mad too at the girls in the movie who said that exact line." He puts his hand on his chest and heightens his voice. "I'm Mia, and if a guy ever wanted to leave me for another girl, I'd call the taxi for him. He'd be paying for it of course."

I hate to admit it, but I do remember saying that line a million times. There's no denying it, those words came right out of my own mouth, but... But that was before! I wasn't in this situation myself then. Now it feels like it's just her. Like if she'd just stop coming up in conversations. If I could stop seeing her in the halls. If I could stop wondering if Carson really doesn't talk to her anymore.

"But she's so..." I ball my fists, just trying to tell him in a way he gets it. I'll never forget the way she had the audacity to touch Carson's arm in my presence. I nearly severed it like a walker had bitten him. As far as I was concerned, that arm was infected flesh. "She's just so mean." It's a complete understatement, but it's the best I can do.