Alpha Nocturneâs Contracted Mate by A E Randell Chapter 219 Reinforcements Adam and Allenâs faces were stony as the door closed to the cell, and Lexi was still fuming about Linusâs comments.
âDonât let it get to you,â Ann said gently, âThose comments were meant to infuriate and provoke us into a reaction. Most likely so that he can claim mistreatment at our hands.â she continued with a grimace. âHeâs a disgusting piece of s**t. How can an Elder hold such a high position and still live by those archaic standards? Itâs people like him that make the world such a horrendous place for people with mixed heritage to live inâ¦â She fumed before pausing and turning to Ann with a sigh of regret, âI wish youâd have let me rearrange his face just a little bit.â
Ann smiled wryly and raised an eyebrow at her as Lexi smiled half-heartedly at her.
âI would have settled for choking him until he passed out, you knowâ¦â Lexi offered as Allen looked at her with a mixture of pride and horror.
âNo, you wouldnât.â Ann laughed, âYou and Maeve seem to be cut from the same cloth. You both make it incredibly hard for me to respond rationally and calmly when I have you both baying for peopleâs blood constantly.â
âItâs not their blood Iâm baying for⦠itâs mainly their balls.â Maeve interjected with a smirk, âCastration is incredibly effective in softening the maleâs attitude.â
âMaeve, thatâs horrific.â Ann admonished, âPeople can change given enough reason, but you have to give them a reason to change They arenât likely to do that if youâve mutilated them, youâve only given them a reason to hate you.â
âLike I give a shit.â Maeve snorted, âIâm merely saving future generations from having to deal with their bloodlineâs stupidity. Stupid shouldnât breed.â
Ann pursed her lips and turned back to Lexi with a helpless look.
âIt appears I stand corrected. Maeve wants them castrated⦠you want their blood.â
She shrugged as Lexi sniggered.
âCome on, now thatâs out of the way, we need to catch up with Bartholomew and see how many people are actually attending this afternoon.â Ann grinned as Adam threw his arm around her and they made their way out of the cells.
They set a relaxed pace, chatting seriously amongst themselves about the council meeting later that day and discussing the arrangements for the planned trial on the next day.
As they turned the corner into the corridor that housed Bartholomewâs office, they could hear the distinct tone of raised voices emanating from the officeâs direction.
Picking up the pace they hurried towards his door and pushed their way in, only to see Felix and Grayson involved in an intense argument whilst Bartholomew looked on with a troubled expression. The arguing paused as they turned towards the newcomers, and quickly attempted to compose themselves. âWhatâs going on?â Ann asked warily as they entered and shut the door behind them. âYou do realize that we could hear the commotion from down the corridor?â
Both menâs faces were set in grim expressions as they bowed toward Ann and greeted her stiffly. âOur apologies, my Queen, thereâs been troubling news from the border, and within our territories too, it seems,â Bartholomew explained with a troubled smile.
âNews? What news?â Ann asked with a frown, her heart hammering in her chest in a painful mix of anxiety and fear.
âIt seems that the rogues have launched another attack along our border. Theyâve taken the town of Elwood along our shared border and sent the head of the Alpha wrapped in a pretty little box.â Felix fumed as Annâs face fell. âIt was handed to my wife over lunch by an unsuspecting Omega as it was addressed to her.â
âIs she okay?â Ann asked before rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, âIâm sorry. That was a stupid question.â
Felix grimaced as he ran his hand through his shock of hair.
âSheâs a little shaken, but thankfully thatâs all. She has a strong stomach.â
âThatâs not all, your highness, one of the hidden containment facilities notified us of the towns close by being attacked and requested reinforcements early this morning and⦠well⦠thereâs been radio silence since then.â Grayson interjected as Annâs mind whirled with possibilities, but in her heart, she was positive that the attack at the containment facility had something to do with Narcissa.
âHave reinforcements been sent?â
âYes, your highness, they were dispatched within half an hour of receiving the distress call. Two of our rapid response teams have been sent and will report back when they arrive.â Greyson answered stiffly as Ann paced slowly. âHow far out is the site?â Adam asked with a troubled expression.
âHalf a dayâs travel at least.â Greyson answered quickly, âThe only issue is weâre down to two rapid response teams within the capital, and releasing them to the villages on the border will leave us with a shortage of specialists and relatively unprotected here.â
âSo, youâre going to leave those people to their fate and allow those fâ****g rogues to take another town and kill more innocents?! For all you know there are women and children still alive within that village that need saving!â Felix argued.
âFor all you know, we could be playing right into their hands with this! What if itâs a trap?â Greyson argued back.