MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 197: Don’t Sit On Thrones

Chapter 197: Don’t Sit On Thrones

Two days later, Reana set out for her journey to the Alpha council. The meeting was not held in any of the packs. Rather, it was held in neutral territory known as the Moonstone Valley; an ancient, sacred land protected by ancient laws where no violence could be committed without divine punishment.

The journey was long. It was supposed to take her four days on horse, but she took the carriage this time. And that was because her man chose to go with her.

Inside the carriage, the two sat facing each other.

"You stripped them off their ranks without explanation. Your pack members are not pleased," Ryder broke the silence.

"What would you have me do? Allow imposters to take important positions in my pack? How fair does that sound to you?" she glared at him.

Ryder smiled, a lazy tilt of his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Fairness isn’t the issue here, Luna. Politics is. You’ve shaken the nest, and now the hornets are buzzing."

Reana leaned back, arms folded over her chest. "Let them buzz. I won’t apologize for protecting my people."

"They don’t feel protected. They feel betrayed. Stripped of trust. You’ve removed two Zetas, and your Second Scout Captain—"

"Because they were lying to me," she cut in sharply. "You too, lied to me."

Reana’s jaw clenched, her gaze flicking to the passing forest outside. The trees blurred, but her mind remained sharp, burdened.

"Or, do you prefer I tell them the truth? They’ll believe once the truth is revealed, don’t you agree?" she turned and their eyes locked.

He chuckled, "Whatever you decide, My Luna. Whether you expose them or not, your pack members cannot hurt mine in the least."

"Is that a threat, Alpha Snow?" She narrowed her eyes on him.

"Of course, not." He laughed. "I’m saying, before your pack members take up arms, mine would have long escaped into the night. My pack members are ghosts, Reana. Trained to vanish, to survive. You may strip them of titles, but you won’t catch them."

Reana’s lips curled, not quite a smile. "Then perhaps it’s time ghosts were dragged into the daylight. I don’t want a war, Alpha Snow, but I won’t rule with snakes whispering in the dark."

Ryder leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "You already are. The question is; are you prepared for the bite that comes after?"

A silence stretched between them, taut and simmering. The wheels of the carriage clattered over stones, echoing the weight in her chest.

"I didn’t ask you to come," she muttered.

"No. But I came anyway. Not for politics." His voice softened. "I came for you."

Reana stared at him, eyes narrowing, searching. "And yet, you defend them."

"I defend peace," he said simply. "Even if it means standing in front of your fury."

A muscle ticked in her jaw. "Then you’ll bleed with them."

Ryder smiled, this time without warmth. "Maybe. But I’d rather bleed beside you than against you..."

"Reana..." Ryder shook her gently.

She blinked slowly.

"What’s wrong? You were lost in thought."

"Was I?" she snorted and looked away.

Ryder chuckled. "Yes, you were." He took her gloved hands into his, "What were you thinking about?"

"Imagining how hypocritical you’d be if I stripped your snakes off their titles and tossed them to my pack members to be butchered and hung upside down."

"I’m sure it would be... fascinating." He laughed, but she scowled at him. Seeing she was serious, he cleared his throat. "Well, it’s their fault. I didn’t tell them to take up any position of power. You can discipline them for that."

"Of course, starting with their Alpha, I presume?"

Ryder arched his brows, lips curled into a charming smile. "You can’t punish an innocent man, My Luna."

"An innocent man who wants the Alpha seat?"

"But that’s not what I want..."

"Mating with me automatically makes you the Alpha, no?" she sneered when he had no words. "Not so smart now, are you?" she clicked her tongue. "So, tell me, Alpha Snow, will you unify all the packs or kidnap me to the Southern islands once we are mated and you snatch another man’s right to be the pack’s Alpha?... Or, are you only interested in my pack members only?"

Ryder’s eyes twinkled with mischief, "Tempting."

"Which is tempting?"

"All that you mentioned." He grinned like a fox and shook his head, "I’m not interested in anything but you, My Luna. You can decide what you want and how you want it..."

Reana blushed and a soft smile tugged at the corner of her lip, but she tried hard to maintain her cold facade.

But none of that went unnoticed by Ryder’s smiling sharp eyes. "Besides, I don’t sit on thrones, I rule from the shadows."

Reana cleared her throat and leaned forward, her eyes like sharp daggers. "Then stay in them. Because the moment you step into my light with hidden fangs, I won’t hesitate to cut you down."

Ryder held her gaze, unwavering. "Then I hope you aim for the heart, My Luna. Because that’s where you already live."

She looked away again, she was blushing and her wolf was purring. Even her lips were twitching, wanting to smile, but she pressed her lips tight, refusing to give him that smile.

She’d been thinking of what to do to Marcus and the others. Suddenly stripping them off their positions would cause a protest. Those guys were good at what they do, there was no denying that, but she couldn’t let them maintain their positions. They were imposters and those positions they occupied should belong to her pack members.

Exposing them would solve the problem, but Reana didn’t want to go down that route. She’d be shooting herself on the feet.

Lost in thought again, she felt the seat beside her dip and Ryder’s presence enveloped her.

"I told you not to seat beside–"

Her breath caught in her throat when Ryder gently tugged off one of her gloves and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

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