The Shadow Alpha

Chapter 40: Relent

River

"No." I say in a low and even tone.

I cannot fucking argue about this. Not now, not at this stage in the game. We attack in a little over 24 hours from now...There is no way she can be asking me to make this kind of decision right now. To be asking me this at all is nearly unthinkable.

"River!" she protests, pulling away from me, a flash of anger and hurt in her gaze. "I am not asking! We're equals, you and me!" she gestures to us both animatedly. "I am Luna and you are Alpha and we are both entitled to make our choices as we see fit."

I take a step toward her, my voice still low as I speak.

"We are not having this conversation right now, Holly. Not with you like this." I say, shaking my head before I turn to hang up my jacket.

"Why not?" Holly asks, advancing toward me. "Because it isn't convenient timing for you, Alpha?" she enunciates the last word with that defiant tone of challenge, the one that causes my wolf to stir, driven by the need to assert himself, to remind her that I'm in control.

I round on Holly, but she doesn't even blink, and I'm surprised at how much more sober she seems to have gotten. Perhaps her anger has woken her up from her drunken haze.

"Actually, yes. It isn't convenient timing." I say, still keeping my voice from rising, clenching my jaw. "We are in no position to change all of this up at the last second!" I brush past her and into the kitchen, looking to pour myself a stiff drink.

Hell, if she's going to have this argument buzzed, I might as well be too. Level the playing field, or some shit. I don't care.

Holly follows in after me, as I expected, her eyes blazing with that stubborn, incredibly sexy, anger.

Fuck, why is it that her being angry at me is probably the single-most attractive thing she can do? Why does her challenging me as her mate, her Alpha, act as the most intense drug for me?

"That is absolute bullshit, River, and you know it." Her voice reaches me, flat and yet sharp enough to pierce your skin.

I pour my scotch and then down the whole thing in one gulp, turning to face her as I pour another. She stands before me with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed, and lips pursed.

Fuck.

I love when's she's angry at me. It's so sexy how confident and fearless she is, how she doesn't give a damn about me and my title because she knows her word is worth something anyway. She's going to make sure she's heard, and she's going to fight.

But God damn it, not about this—why about this? I thought this was settled, decided, over...And now she wants to re-open it all?

One of the few things keeping me sane over these last few weeks of planning has been the knowledge and peace in knowing that Holly would be well out of the way, with little to no threat to her personal safety.

Group C hardly sees up-close action, they almost always just end up acting as perimeter guards for any stragglers who escape the initial waves of attack. And once seeing how outnumbered they are, the escapees surrender without challenge pretty well every time. No harm, no fuss, no danger.

She would be out of the way; she would be safe.

I look back to the woman before me—her eyes still fiery with determination, her stance planted and powerful, arms still crossed. She's not giving this one up easily, that's clear.

"It's not bullshit, Holls—" I try to start but she cuts me off.

"Yes, it is!" she cuts me off, tone full of exasperation. "What will moving me—one person—do to the entire greater formation? Do you not think I could hold my own? Not be able to keep up with the others? After facing off against Kyra? You don't think I've proven what I can do already?" she asks me, her eyes wide and tone incredulous.