Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 102

**Nora POV

I was nervous about meeting with Margot. I hadn’t had much one on one interaction with her and the last time I spoke to her directly, things had been tense. She wasn’t expecting me, which I knew would only make the whole thing more awkward.

It didn’t help that the meeting was arranged to take place well after dark. I understood why. It would be easier for Margot to sneak away unnoticed and no one was likely to notice us making our way toward Lanecreek because the roads would be empty.

But I still didn’t like that we were going to unfamiliar grounds in the middle of the night.

Having Maisi e with me helped. Her confidence was almost contagious. I knew that if anything seemed off, she would react to it immediately

and make sure that we stayed safe.

I was glad that Blake agreed to let us go in his place. As much as I trust Blake, I still wasn’t sure that I could trust Margot. Sending him off to meet with her alone was just too much for me to stomach.

I honestly did want to give Margot a chance. It seemed like I had misjudged her and I wanted to know for sure. The only way that I could ever learn to trust her was to get to know her.

Besides, if I could take something off of Blake’s plate, I would. He was doing far too much and he was going to run himself ragged if he wasn’t careful.

We had to stay sharp in order to protect the pack, so it was important that Blake got some rest and manage his stress.

Maisi e had been quiet for most of the trip to Lanecreek. In fact, she seemed almost bored, but as we neared the clearing where we were

supposed to meet with Margot,I saw her b*dy language change.

She sped up her steps slightly to get ahead of me and I could tell by the slight movement of her nose that she was checking for scents. She was scrutinizing the surrounding area to make sure that we weren’t walking into a trap.

I stayed quiet and waited for Maisie to alert me to any danger. We stopped near the center of the clearing. Maisie’s shoulders relaxed slightly. She seemed convinced that we were safe, for now.

“Come out,”she called into thedarkness.

Margot stepped out from behind a tree and cautiously approached us.

“I was expecting King Blake,”shesaid nervously.

“He sent us in his place,” Maisieanswered.“Is that a problem?”

“No, of course not,” she answered

quickly.“I was just worried when I didn’t see him. I didn’t know that anyone else knew…”She trailed off and looked behind us, as if expecting to find someone else lurking in the shadows.

“You aren’t in any trouble,”Iassured her.“We thought it might be safer for everyone if I came instead.”

A small f rown came onto her face as she thought about this, then she nodded.“That makes sense.”

“So, what is it you needed to tellus?” Maisi e asked. There was an accusatory edge to her voice and I could see that it was frightening Margot, so I gave her a warning look.

But Margot seemed to push it aside and gather what little courage she had. She swallowed thickly and stepped closer to me.

“I think that whatever they’replanning is going to happen soon,”she said softly.“The warriors have

been more active than normal lately. I don’t know for certain, but judging by their movements, it seems like they’ve been running drills.”

Maisie’s face was stern and her sharp eyes never left Margot’s face. “What makes you say that?”

“They’ve been moving throughtown before the sun rises and returning after dark. When Alpha Phill*p was in charge, he would only move the warriors in the dark so that any injuries or signs of fatigue wouldn’t be seen.”

I frowned. That was a clever, but manipulative thought process.

“Is there anything else?”Maisieasked.

She nodded and clasped her hands tightly in front of herself.

“I think that they’re planning to useGraham’s inaugural ball as the launching point.” She took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to look at

Maisi e directly.“Kelly has been obsessing over the ball, and I’ve been helping her with the planning. Yesterday, when I was helping her with the centerpieces, I overheard Graham talking to one of the captains. He was telling him to make sure that all of the men were ready to move at the ball. He said they had to seize the opportunity.”

Maisi e nodded as if in agreement. “Right, so we need to find a way toattend this ball,” she said.

“That shouldn’t be a problem,”Ireplied.“I’m positive he’ll invite Blake and we’ll surely be able to bring a few guests as part of our delegation.”

“Just make sure you match Kelly’sdress code,”Margot interjected. “She’ll be furious if anyone ruinsthe aesthetic of her night.”

Her feelings about Kelly had obviously changed, judging by her tone. I didn’t blame her. Kelly seemed to be finally showing her

true nature. I guess it would only be possible to keep up an act like that for so long.

Still, Kelly had seemed to genuinely trust Margot. The fact that she had turned on her apparent friends made me nervous. If they couldn’t trust her, then why should we?

“Tell me Margot,”I startedsuddenly.“How do we know you aren’t setting us up? Why should we trust you?”

Margot looked surprised by my question.“Because this is the right thing to do,”she answered.

“Is it?”I pressed.“What makesturning against your Alpha the right thing to do?”

Margot’s eyebrows shot up in shock and she took a half step backwards. A pained expression passed over her face and she bit her lower l*p.

“This isn’t easy for me,”she saidangrily.“I get no joy out of any of this, but I…”She took a deep breath.

“You what?”I asked more gently.“Ijust need to understand, Margot. I need to know that I can trust you.”

Margot nodded slowly.“When I went to the Lunar Festival and stayed with you for those few days afterwards, it opened my eyes to a lot of things that I had been trying to ignore. I saw what a healthy pack with a caring Alpha and Luna could be. I realized that, although things with Graham were so much better than they had been with his father in control, they still weren’t good.”

“What do you mean?”I askedsuspiciously.

Graham was careful about what parts of Lanecreek we had seen when we visited the first time. I thought of the hauntingly empty packhouse that was so different from every other packhouse I’d ever seen. Was it empty because Graham didn’t want to risk anyone talking to us or saying something he didn’t want us to know about?

“No one was afraid of Blake,”sheblurted out.“I mean, no one seemed to be scared that he might fly off in a rage without warning. I didn’t see any sign that people were avoiding him. And you,”she continued.“People were comfortable approaching you and joking with you. No one was worried that you would belittle or mock them. It was clear that the pack loves you both. I’ve never seen an Alpha and Luna interact with their pack like that.”

“What are you holding back?”Maisi e asked.“Blake and Nora being nicer people isn’t enough to explain any of this.”

Margot wrapped her arms around herself and nodded.“I can’t let the rest of the kingdom suffer the way we have,”she said weakly.“Graham wants to extend his power to all of the neighboring packs, and it’s becoming obvious that his leadership style is exactly like his father’s, only a little more subtle. I can’t let this happen to another

pack, I just can’t.”

I stepped forward and gently took Margot’s hand. Even in the dark,I could see that she was crying.

“You have to understand,”I began.“We don’t know what happened toyour pack under Alpha Phill*p.

What are you afraid will happen if we don’t stop Graham from taking over?”

Obviously, protecting Blake was enough of a reason for me to take a risk like this, but it didn’t seem like enough motivation to get Margot to this point. I needed to know what had her so scared that she was willing to risk her own life.

“If Graham takes over, the kingdomis doomed.”