We reached the highest point of the ridge, overlooking the valley below. From here, I could see our pack lands stretching toward the east, and beyond them, the territories of neighboring packs.
“What’s your plan for Ronan?” Xander asked, bringing me back to the matter at hand.
“Let him believe he won,” I said. “For now.”
“And when he comes to claim the land?”
“He won’t,” I said confidently. “Not once he realizes what it would cost him.”
Xander frowned. “I don’t follow.”
“Ronan values his reputation above all else, especially with the power tussle he’s facing in his pack. The mighty Alpha who has never lost a challenge,” I explained. “What happens to that reputation when word spreads that he barely defeated a drugged female? That even with ketamine flooding her system, she nearly beat him?”
Understanding dawned on Xander’s face. “His authority would be questioned.”
“Exactly. Better to delay, to find excuses not to finalize the transfer, than to admit he won by default.”
“And that’s why you’ve been ignoring his calls,” Xander nodded slowly.
“I need him anxious, uncertain. The longer he waits, the more he’ll doubt himself.”
We began walking back to the pack house, the patrol guards keeping a respectful distance behind us.
“You mentioned we needed someone to track the rogue wolf that’s been spotted near the eastern border?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yes,” Xander nodded. “The one that’s been evading our patrols for weeks. We’ve had no luck tracking it.”
“I want Clara to handle it,” I decided.
Xander looked surprised. “You think she can find what our best trackers couldn’t?”
“I saw her fight,” I said simply. “Her instincts are… exceptional.”
“Will she agree to it?” Xander asked. “After you drugged her?”
I smiled, remembering our encounter in the infirmary after everyone had left. The fury in her eyes that had turned to passion. The way her body had moved against mine, demanding and giving in all at the same
time.
“She’ll agree,” I said confidently. “Clara understands power plays. She won’t hold the drugging against me any more than I’d hold her deception against her.”
Back at the pack house, I headed straight to my office. Reports had piled up during my absence, and the pack needed its Alpha’s attention. Supply requests needed approval. Border patrol reports needed review.
1/2
CHAPTER 56
Pack disputes needed resolution.
Three hours later, I set the last document aside. It was time to speak with Clara about the tracking assignment.
+25 Points
I tried to send her a mindlink, but I remembered she’s not yet a member of my pack. Sighing, I sent a mindlink to an omega to summon her to my office, expecting her to arrive promptly.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. But she was still nowhere in sight, which was unusual.
Clara was many things, but disrespecting the pack hierarchy wasn’t one of them unless she was deliberately making a point.
I checked the training grounds first, finding them empty except for a few younger wolves practising basic combat forms. The main hall was quiet, and the dining area was nearly deserted between meal times.
Passing by her quarters, I caught her scent but found the room empty with her bed neatly made.
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