Chapter Twenty-Six

Seth

A smirk tugged at my lips as I strolled into the pack house. Olivia was a whirlwind, and I had no doubt she’d have Ellie looking her best for our ceremony. If Ellie had her way, she’d probably show up in cut-off shorts and a tank top.

Not that I’d mind, but I wanted this day to be memorable for her.

Clayton had gone all out to make this happen on short notice. The least Ellie could do was dress up a bit. Olivia, with her love for fashion, would make sure of that.

I shook off my thoughts as I made my way to Clayton’s office. Gabriel should have arrived by now, along with this Jason guy.

I wasn’t thrilled about his presence, but if he could provide us with valuable intel on our enemy, it would be worth it.

We’d know if he was lying or if he was a plant by Joel. I didn’t think he was, but I still didn’t fully trust him.

The way he’d looked at Ellie when he first arrived. If he dared to hurt her, I’d kill him.

I knocked lightly and stepped inside.

Clayton was behind his desk. Gabriel was on the sofa, with Jason next to him. Murdoch sat on Jason’s other side.

I moved to stand next to Clayton.

Gabriel looked my way.

“Where’s Ellie?” he asked.

I grinned.

“She’s been whisked away by Olivia…to find a dress for our ceremony tomorrow.”

Gabriel chuckled and rolled his eyes. Then his smile faded.

“It’s probably for the best. She won’t like what I have to say.”

He glanced at Clayton and then at Murdoch.

“I doubt any of you will, when I tell you what I plan to do,” he finished.

I frowned, but kept quiet. If he was planning to put himself in danger, I’d try to talk him out of it. If not for the pack, then for Ellie.

Even though we were about to move in together, he was still her father. If anything happened to him, she’d be devastated.

Gabriel looked at Jason.

“Go ahead, Jason. Tell them what you told me on the way here.”

My gaze shifted to Jason. He swallowed nervously, then started to speak.

“Shortly after Alpha Gabriel left…I mean, was taken, the whole pack felt his absence. We couldn’t sense his wolf.

“His father called a pack meeting, saying he’d gone to look for Ellie in the human territory. He claimed the humans probably killed him.

“No one disagreed, except maybe Jasmine. She couldn’t sense his wolf either, but she didn’t feel the familial loss.

“Everyone agreed that one werewolf against several humans wouldn’t stand a chance, but Jasmine wouldn’t hear of it.”

Jason ran his fingers through his hair nervously. Gabriel gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, encouraging him to continue.

“I should have asked more questions, but I didn’t. Instead, I prepared to oversee Elijah’s training. As the only descendant of the alpha family, he was expected to take on the role. But Joel had other plans.”

Jason sighed heavily and shook his head.

“Joel went to the council. Claimed I wasn’t fit to train the next alpha of such a large pack. He insisted on taking over as alpha and training Elijah.

“Of course, they agreed. Joel had a lot of sway with the council.”

Jason rolled his eyes.

“This war they’re waging is proof of that.”

Gabriel handed Jason a glass of water. After a sip, he set the glass back on the coffee table and continued.

“After that, I didn’t see much of Elijah. He practically disowned me. That was his grandfather’s doing. He probably filled the boy’s head with his hatred of humans, and of me.

“That was one thing he and the council had in common—the desire to wipe humans off the face of the earth.”

Jason shook his head.

“I could never understand it. If I’d been able to raise and train Elijah, none of this warmongering would have happened.”

Jason looked at Murdoch.

“Once Murdoch and Emma defected, and Gabriel vanished from the dungeon, Joel must have figured out where they’d gone.

“He already knew Ellie had come this way. He even told the whole pack she’d murdered Samuel.”

I couldn’t help but growl at this last comment.

Jason looked at me and raised his hands in a mock surrender.

“I know now that was a lie. I’m sorry for everything I said when I first saw her.”

He looked at Gabriel.

“She’s turned into a fine young woman. I just wish Elijah could have seen past his hatred.”

Clayton stood up and leaned forward, his hands flat on the desk.

“No Jason, that’s not on your son. He wouldn’t have been able to resist Joel’s Alpha command.”

Jason nodded and continued.

“Just like Gabriel, the whole pack felt Elijah’s loss. This time both Jasmine and I felt the loss when he died. Jasmine was inconsolable, she insisted on finding out what had happened.

“We were too far away for me to try and mind-link Joel, and he almost always had a block on my connection with him.

“When I neared the border, I kept a low profile. I saw some of our pack members, but stayed out of sight. I overheard them talking though.”

Jason sighed and shook his head.

“The normal practice when an alpha dies is for the beta to take control. I should have known Joel wouldn’t let that happen.

“He threatened to challenge Elijah’s beta if he didn’t hand over the alpha title to Joel. The kid wasn’t stupid. He knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against Joel.

“Joel might be older, but he’s still strong and powerful. It would take a strong alpha to beat him.”

I sighed. Ellie wouldn’t be happy to hear this. The man who’d caused her so much pain and heartache was still in power. He seemed untouchable.

That’s why I was surprised when Gabriel stood up.

“Joel needs to be taken down a peg,” Gabriel declared, his voice steady and sure. “That’s my plan. I’m going to challenge him for the alpha spot.”

His gaze fell on Jason.

“Jason, you’re going to use your mind-link to issue the challenge. We’ll duke it out at the ford.”

I couldn’t help but step in.

“Gabriel! There’s got to be another way. If you lose…”

My voice trailed off, the words hanging heavy in the room.

Gabriel just looked at me, a confident smile on his face.

“I won’t lose,” he said simply.

I let out a sigh, shaking my head.

“But if you do…what about Ellie? She’d be shattered if she lost you. She’s not going to be thrilled about this.”

Gabriel nodded, his gaze steady on me.

“That’s why you’re not going to tell her, Seth. Let her enjoy tomorrow. I won’t challenge my father until after your mating ceremony.”

I sighed again, a heavy weight settling on my shoulders. I knew I couldn’t change Gabriel’s mind.

My eyes flicked to Jason.

“And him?” I asked, my voice gruff.

“He’ll stay with me. We’ve got a guest room. Once I’ve dealt with my father, he can go back to his mate,” Gabriel answered.

I stared at him, shaking my head.

“No way,” I growled. “I’m not having him in the same house as Ellie…I don’t trust him.”

Jason started to speak, but Gabriel raised his hand, silencing him.

“I get it, Seth, you don’t trust him. But I’d never put Ellie in danger. You should know that by now. And Jason…he’s the one who found Ellie when she was just a pup.

“He saved her life. Without him, she probably would have bled out in the woods.”

I let out another heavy sigh. I hadn’t known that, but it didn’t change the fact that a lot had happened since then. I wasn’t about to start trusting a member of the pack that was gearing up to attack us.

Clayton crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me.

“So what’s your plan?” he asked.

My first choice would be to toss Jason in the dungeons until everything was sorted out, but I knew that wouldn’t fly. My second choice was a lot more appealing, at least to me.

“Jason can stay with Gabriel…but Ellie stays with me,” I said.

Clayton chuckled, shaking his head.

“That’s not going to happen, Seth. I know she’s your mate, and the ceremony is just a formality, but Ellie is half human.”

He smiled, a knowing look in his eyes.

“So the ceremony will have some human elements…like a wedding. One of their traditions is that the groom doesn’t see the bride before the ceremony.”

I rolled my eyes. What a ridiculous tradition.

My gaze landed on Murdoch, who had stood up.

He smirked. “Ellie can stay with Olivia and me tonight. Olivia can help her get ready in the morning.”

He looked at me, his gaze pointed.

“That way, you won’t see her before the ceremony, and you won’t have to worry about Jason being in the same house as her tonight.”

I nodded, resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t be with my mate until after the ceremony. But it would be worth it. Ellie was definitely worth the wait.