Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 82

**Blake POV

After the rough start to my evening with Nora, things had improved greatly. The meal she had cooked was fantastic and the wine we had consumed with it had allowed us both to loosen up a little.

After spending a few hours talking and laughing, we made our way to our bedroom. The memory of her hands on my b*dy was enough to send heat through me. It had been far too long since we had spent an evening entwined.

Maybe that was why I had been feeling so tense? My concern for Nora ate at me, but I had been so busy managing pack business and the situation with my family that Nora’s strange behavior was easy to push off until later.

It was hard to get out of bed without her today. She was resting though, and the dark circles under her eyes were all the proof I needed that my mate needed to sleep in. Whatever was bothering her, it was beginning to take a physical toll.

Still, I was feeling much better than I had in days.

The good mood that I was in after spending an evening with Nora was shattered as Kelly approached me. I could tell by the smirk on her face that whatever she was going to say would pi ss me off.

“Graham wants to see you,”she said smugly.

I glared at her.“And?”

Her smirk fell away and was replaced by a scowl.

“And, he’s waiting for you.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. Did that bastard really send someone to su mmon me to him? The arrogance of it was staggering.

“He’s in the council room,” she said.

She crossed her arms over her chest, then turned and stomped off. I could hear her muttering about Graham sending her to do a servant’s work. I hated to admit it, but I agreed with her on this point. It wasn’t the responsibility of his Luna to carry messages for him.

I was irritated and considered ignoring him, but I decided to head to the council chambers and see what Graham was up to. I needed to let Graham think that I was interested in his alliance proposal, at least until I could figure out what his scheme was.

My irritation only grew as I entered the council chambers and found Graham seated in my chair. I shut the door behind me and didn’t waste time with formalities.

“What do you want?”

“That’s a harsh tone to take, ” Graham replied with aso ur look on his face.

“I don’t trust you,”I said bluntly.“And your entitledbehavior in my home is beginning to wear thin.”Graham looked surprised by my blunt words.“If you are truly hoping to earn your place within the kingdom, you had better adjust your attitude.”

He sat forward and his eyes went wide.“I’m sorry you feel that way,” he answered in a tone that sounded more guilty than he looked.“I only asked you here so that I could check in with you. You’ve

seemed very tense the past few days.”

I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath in through my nose. He was trying my patience, but I couldn’t lose my cool.

“I’m no more tense than any responsible leadershould be,” I replied.

He smiled.“Maybe some of us are just better at managing our stress?”

“The responsibilities of an Alpha are nothingcompared to those of the Lycan King,”I pointed out.

“Right,”he said thoughtfully.“King. That is quite atitle, isn’t it?”

A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. His demeanor was putting me on edge. I opened my mouth to reprimand him again, but he suddenly stood and walked towards me.

“Nora was a beautiful choice for queen,” he said.There was an intensity in his eyes as he spoke that made my hackles rise.“How is she faring under the stress of her responsibilities?”

“Nora is just fine,”I responded tensely.

My voice was firm enough, but I knew my words were a lie. Nora was a mess of nerves and I had no idea why. I suspected that it had something to do with Graham. She had been fine before the Lanecreek delegation had arrived. Their extended stay seemed to be wearing her down exponentially.

The memory of her tears the previous night filled me with guilt.

“You’re lucky to have a mate like her,” he continued.

Chapter 82

His eyes sparkled with interest as he said it. I glared at him. His interest in Nora was obvious, and it infuriated me. He made no effort at all to hide the way he looked at her. It was beyond disrespectful.

“How did you two meet?”he asked suddenly.“Iasked Kelly, but she said that Nora just showed up one day. There must be an interesting story there.”

He looked at me expectantly.

Caleb growled and I had to shut my eyes for a moment to center myself and calm him. The fact that Graham had asked his fiance about my wife was strange, to say the least. No wonder Kelly seemed so thoroughly unimpressed with him.

“How did Kelly end up with you?”I asked pointedly.“You realize that taking her in is technically a crimeagainst the king, don’t you? I did banish her for treason.”

Graham’s eyes went wide and he stared at me mutely for several moments.“I do realize,”he said finally.“Kelly was exiled for her correspondence with our uncle, isn’t that right?”

“It is,”I confirmed.“Because he was responsible fora violent coup.”

Graham nodded thoughtfully.“He was foolish,” he said seriously. All of the pretense of innocence had fallen away from his tone.“Taking power through violence never results in anything sustainable.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,”Ianswered carefully.

He nodded.“My father did the same thing, and in the end, he…”He smiled suddenly and looked up at me.“That’s in the past,”he finished firmly.“We’re

here to plan for the future.”

“We are,”I agreed.“So tell me, what future do youenvision for your pack?”

I hadn’t been able to ascertain what exactly Graham’s goal was, aside from gaining more power and influence. He hadn’t even been able to tell me what his pack produced that may be worthy of trading for.

Graham sighed and crossed his arms.“I want prosperity,”he said.“I want my people to be free to travel through the territory and attend the university. I don’t want to worry about the borders being breached by an enemy force without any warning. I have never known the peace and prosperity that you live in.”

He sneered and turned his back to me, walking back toward the seat that was rightfully mine.

“It’s hard work to gain those things,” I advised him.“The prosperity and peace we have now were hardwon.”

“I thought that Kelly would be more helpful,” hemuttered.“She grew up in luxury. She always had status and she knows how to navigate in high society. I thought that she would be able to help me understand what a powerful pack is really like. But she’s useless,” he growled.“All she cares about is how many people she can impress with her pretty face and expensive clothes.”

“That certainly sounds like Kelly,”I agreed.“Is thatwhy Nora interests you so much?”

He sat down and steepled his hands in front of him. The concentration on his face was so intense that for a moment I thought he may burst a blood

vessel. I could see his right eye twitch.

“We’re done here,” he said with a wave of his hand.

I growled. The absolute gall of the man was beyond bearing. I took a step toward him, ready to show him what happened when people disrespect me, but I forced myself to stop.

I thought of Nora, alone in the castle and vulnerable. I couldn’t risk triggering a fight when I didn’t know where she was.

Our eyes locked, and I could see that he knew what I was thinking. He didn’t smirk, which is the reaction I expected. Rather, his eyes were cold and calculating.

I turned on my heel and walked out of the room. This game had to end as soon as possible. Graham was not what he pretended to be, and I could tell that man was dangerous.