Juno’s POV
“So, Elton said with a slight sinile, ‘you never invited me to that party you promised.”
I smiled apologetically. “A lot has happened since then.”
‘I can see that,” he replied, his expression growing serious. “I respect what you’re doing, Juno. If not for you, I’d probably still hate Levenston. But now understand he was as much a victim as I was.“.
Your ex–husband explained everything.” Elton said. ‘In great detail. I almost became a pawn in someone else’s game against Levenston.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “Do you think others in the resistance might be like me? Manipulated by someone with an agenda, not realizing they’re victims too?
“That’s… actually a brilliant observation,” I said genuinely impressed. ‘We’ve been so focused on finding the person giving orders that we haven’t considered how many people might be unwitting pawns.”
“We still need to find who attacked my pack,” Elton said firmly. “If we find them, we can trace back to whoever gave the orders.”
I nodded, opening the tablet and logging into Augustin’s email account. I quickly found the email from Delta Stefan with the attached photos.
For nearly an hour, we examined the photos carefully. Elton identified several men who had attacked his pack, many of whom had died in the battle.
I think the attack on Riddick pack was their last mission, I thoughtfully. Whoever sent them probably had them eliminated to cover their tracks.
Finally, Elton pointed to a man in one of the photos. “That’s him. He led the attack.
I looked at the name: Atlas Vasquez.
My breath caught. Vasquez? Like Francis Vasquez, the spokesperson for the Council of Elders?
I quickly checked Atlas’s profile. He had replaced Theron Caudill in his position, with an unusually rapid rise through the ranks.
“Are you absolutely certain this is the man?” I asked Elton carefully.
His eyes hardened with a fury born from painful memories. “I’ll never forget his face. He’s the one who threatened me, who hurt my people.”
“Did he say anything specific to you?”
Elton’s hands clenched into fists. “He said he was sparing my life because he wasn’t ordered to kill me. That this was just to show what would happen if I defied the Alpha King again.”
The pain in his eyes, his people sacrificed for someone else’s agenda.
That’s evil. Using people like that, sacrificing them for your goals… it’s wrong.
Augustin’s POV
I stared at the threatening notes spread across my desk, my jaw clenched so tight I could feel a muscle twitching beneath my skin. These weren’t the first threats I’d received as Alpha King of Clifflands, but they were the first directly targeting my mate, my Berry, the woman carrying my child.
Fenris paced restlessly in my mind, a low growl rumbling through my consciousness. We will find who threatened what’s ours, he snarled. And they will suffer.
The timing wasn’t coincidental. These threats had arrived just as Juno was making progress in her investigation, right before our meeting with Alpha Elton about identifying the attackers who’d targeted the Riddick pack.
What frustrated me most was that despite all my power as Alpha King, despite all my resources and connections, I still couldn’t connect all the dots. And now they had directly threatened Juno and our unborn child.
1/3
Chapter 234
I making a decision I never thought I’d make. I needed to speak with Kieran Halloway, my enemy for years, and Junot rejected lated mate
The irony wasn’t lost on me. Asking for help from a man who had every reason to hate me, especially over the woman we both loved. But Kieran varla never want harm to come to Juno, regardless of where her heart lay.
And Matthew Harrington, Juno’s former husband. Another man who still loved her..
Burying my nose in Juno’s neck, I inhaled deeply, letting her scent wrap around me. This was what I needed. My mate. My child. My future.
I almost regretted asking Harrington and Halloway to escort Elton here, but I knew it had been necessary Elton needed protection after the attack on his pack, and these two were among the strongest Alphas in our territories.
As I approached, I couldn’t help but notice how Kieran’s eyes kept drifting toward Juno. The longing in his gaze was unmistakable, not just the pull of a rejected mate bond, but genuine desire. He wanted what was mine.
Just like Matthew still did, I realized, noticing the former Luna’s ex–husband watching her with similar intensity when he thought no one was looking
Interesting. Both men had lost her, and both clearly regretted it. Matthew had chosen Isabelle, his fated mate, over Juno. Kieran had never had the chance to choose, Juno had rejected him outright.
And I… I had chosen Juno over Cassandra, my own fated mate.
The three of us made an odd triumvirate, connected by our feelings for one remarkable woman. In a world where encountering a fated mate was increasingly rare, all three of us had been given the chance.
I didn’t fully understand how the mate bond worked. I only knew that Juno was mine now, regardless of what fate had originally intended.
I turned to Matthew and Kieran.
“Gentlemen, shall we speak privately?”
Neither looked particularly enthused by the prospect, but both nodded and followed me toward the private meeting room.
Then I instructed Bryloch and Adryx to investigate the threatening notes.
I sat first. Matthew sat to my right, appearing relatively at ease despite the tension in his shoulders. Kieran took longer to sit, his wolf clearly rebelling against the idea of being enclosed with me.
When he finally took his seat, I could see the effort it cost him to appear relaxed. We had never been face to face like this before. Despite all the stories Kieran had told about defeating me in battle, we both knew the truth, we had never directly fought. I had kept his secret, not out of kindness, but because had no interest in destroying another Alpha’s reputation unnecessarily.
‘It’s been a long time, Matthew,” I began, deciding to address the easier conversation first. “How are things in Forestvale?”
Matthew shrugged. “Recovering. The wounds your invasion left are still healing, but we’re managing.”
I nodded, accepting the subtle rebuke. “And your mate? Isabelle, isn’t it? I understand she’s expecting.”
Matthew’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t quite identify, pain, perhaps, or regret. He said nothing in response.
Turning to Kieran, I offered a smile. “We missed you at the games, Kieran. I had hoped you might participate.”
Kieran’s lips quirked into a smile that mirrored mine. “It was a last–minute decision to attend at all.”
“Yet here you are,” I observed.
“Here I am,” he agreed, his eyes hard. We both knew why he had come for what.
Finally, I decided to cut through the posturing. “I asked you both here because we have someone we all care about who may be in danger.
Chapter 234
*bed the breezing threatening notes. Death threats.”
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