Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 55

**Nora POV

My eyes were fixed on Kelly as she sauntered slowly down the steps toward us. She s wung her hips alluringly as she walked in our direction. I was unable to react in any way other than staring at her. She shouldn’t be here. She was supposed to be in the Rogue Zone. It didn’t make sense.

Kelly’s smirk morphed into a sly grin.“It’s so nice to see you again.”

She looked me over and scoffe d softly, as if something about my appearance were humorous to her.

Blake growled in irritation and I grabbed his bicep gently to soothe him. He was already so high strung today, I didn’t know how Kelly’s blatant disrespect might impact him. I could feel him relax at my touch, although he remained on high alert.

“What are you doing here?” Blake demanded with alow growl. His disgust with her was obvious in his tone.

It was a very good question. How on earth had she ended up all the way in Lanecreek and engaged to the soon-to-be Alpha? The last time I had seen her, she was being dragged to the dungeon.

I glanced at Blake’s uncle suspiciously. He and Kelly had been in constant contact, their letters proved that. They were allies, although what they had hoped to accomplish together was beyond me. He must be behind her appearance here, but why?

“After I was so cruelly abandoned,” Kelly begancoldly.“I was lucky enough to meet Graham. He took pity on me. Someone like me doesn’t belong in a lawless place like the Rogue Zone. I’m not some common criminal,” she said, emphasizing the word common and shooting a look at me.

“I must have looked so pathetic.”She walked toGraham’s side and grabbed his arm in hers. She clung to him like a child and turned her eyes back to us.“If not for his mercy, who knows what would have happened to me out there.”

Her words were sharp as knives and she fixed her eyes on Blake as she spoke.

Graham chuckled nervously, drawing our eyes to him. He looked down at Kelly.“Oh, my dear, the past is behind us. We invited the king and queen to visit so that we can put this all away. I want a peaceful, prosperous future for the pack. This can be a new start for all of us.”

For a moment, Graham sounded like he really meant what he was saying.

Kelly’s smile seemed genuine as she gazed up at him, but I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t an act. She hadn’t been good at hiding her true feelings before, but time and experience might have changed that.

Graham looked up at us and gestured toward the door.“Please, come inside. Let me show you around.”

Blake looked at the door, but didn’t move. Going inside would put us at a disadvantage if they were planning something underhanded. However, we couldn’t very well remain standing awkwardly in front of the house. We would have to take the risk. We’d already gambled on coming here in person.Blake looked at me and I smiled reassuringly, then glanced toward the door. He nodded slightly and we followed Graham inside.

An older woman with auburn hair was waiting just inside the door. Graham instructed her to prepare tea for his guests and she nodded her understanding before walking quickly out of the room. She didn’t even glance in our direction, which seemed off to me. Surely she was curious about the Lycan King.

Graham turned to us and smiled charmingly. “Would you like a tour of the house while we wait?”

“Fine,”Blake agreed, but it was clear in his tone thathe wasn’t really interested in a tour.

“A tour sounds lovely,”I said quickly in an attemptat recovery.

I didn’t want to seem rude. Graham seemed like a nice enough guy and it wasn’t clear yet whether he was up to anything shady. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that he was really hoping for a fresh start for his pack.

Graham smiled and motioned us ahead of him. I locked my arm with Blake’s and we stepped from the entryway into the main house. It seemed that staying close to Blake was helping to put him at ease, at least a little bit.

The house was quiet, but immaculately kept and tastefully decorated. It was strange to me that the house wasn’t buzzing with activity. The castle was always full of people holding meeting s and petitioning Blake for assistance or advice on some matter. Even in Moonery, the pack house was full of life and movement most of the time. This stillness felt wrong to me.living in the pack house. Maybe there was a reason for that, but it didn’t sit right with me. A pack should feel comfortable approaching their Alpha with just about any issue.

Graham was filling the silence by talking continually. He seemed quite proud of his home. I wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying, but I could tell that Blake was listening attentively.

Blake paused mid-step suddenly, and I looked up at him in confusion. His eyes were fixed on Graham as the younger man continued to talk. I turned to him and focused on what he was saying.

“The pack was in such a terrible state before myfather took over. It’s unfortunate that he had to kill the previous Alpha, but it was necessary. Just like it was necessary to close the borders for a time. We needed to focus only on our people. The distractions and stresses of alliances and negotiations would have stretched our pack far too thin and pushed us further into starvation and debt.”

He shook his head as if to dispel the frown that had stolen over his features.

“But it’s different now,”Kelly said happily.

Graham nodded his agreement. He was standing close to me and I could see the subtle shifts in his expression as he spoke. Kelly’s words seemed to pull him out of a steadily darkening mood. He really seemed to care for her.

“It’s time to reopen our borders and begin the nextstep in our recovery. A pack can’t survive in isolation forever.” Graham turned and motioned to a row of portraits on the wall.“Father is seen as a savior by the pack for bringing them back from thebrink of destruction. I hope that they’ll continue to think of me in such favorable terms.”

I thought the word‘savior’was a little strong, but I didn’t say anything about it. If the man wanted to elevate his late father like that, then it was his business.

I looked around at the empty halls and it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t seen anyone who could be Graham’s Beta. Even if he kept the pack house mostly private, his Beta should still be here.

“Graham, if you don’t mind me asking, who is yourBeta?”I questioned.

Blake nodded at my question, as if he’d been wondering the same thing.

“That would be me,”Blake’s uncle spoke up.

Shock flitted over Blake’s face before he could hide his reaction.“How is that possible?” he asked.

“After my exile, I joined a rogue pack where Ilearned of the great Alpha of the Lancecreek pack.”I frowned. He wasn’t exiled, he was presumed dead. I was having such a hard time following what was going on.“When I learned the man’s name, I knew that I had to risk the journey to see him.”He paused and turned dramatically to face one of the portraits on the wall.

Blake gazed up at the portrait in concentration. I looked up as well. The man in the portrait had slicked back, dark hair and sharp, dark eyes. His features were strong and broad. There was something about him that was familiar.

“Phill*p…” Blake said in understanding.

His uncle nodded and grinned in response.“Phill*p,”I barely contained a gasp of surprise. If Alpha Phill*p was in fact Blake’s uncle, than the claim about Graham being his cousin must be true. If that were the case, the situation just got a whole lot messier.

Blake turned his sharp eyes to Graham and the younger man met his stare steadily.

I wanted to scream and demand answers.

What the hell was going on here?!