Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 91

**Blake POV

The past few weeks were quiet and it made me uneasy. The date of Graham’s coronation was fast approaching and for reasons that I couldn’t fully explain, it felt like I was running out of time.

I hadn’t heard from my uncle since the Lunar Festival. His silence was dangerous. He was not the kind of man that kept a low profile unless he was doing something that he wanted to keep hidden.

In the weeks before his blood soaked coup, he had withdrawn completely from his social obligations. It had been strange and he had offered no compelling explanation for the behavior.

The fact that he hadn’t been seen in public or made himself known since the Lunar Festival filled me with dread. Something was coming. I could feel it in my bones and it

drove me mad that I couldn’t do anything to prevent it simply because… well, because I had no proof.

They gave me nothing to go off of. And I wasn’t sure if that was worse.

Caleb had been on edge just as much as I had. My wolf could feel that something was coming, too. He was defensive and quick to anger. I had growled at so many people over the last few days. I knew that there were rumblings around the castle that something was wrong with me.

The staff had become skittish when dealing with me directly. I hated it. I did my best to keep my temper and tone even, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

I walked into my office and closed the door behind me. A quiet morning away from the worried glances would do me some good.

Being the king was a position rife with stressors. Unfortunately, it was

also a position in which one was under constant observation and scrutiny. I didn’t want to keep worry about my expressions today. I didn’t want to worry about what might be read into my tone of voice and what rumors might be furthered if I lost my temp er for some reason.

I just wanted to spend the morning by myself. I had plenty of correspondence to catch up on and paperwork to deal with, so it wasn’t as if anyone would question me shutting myself up in my office for an afternoon.

Maybe the quiet would help me to focus my thoughts and calm the tension that was buzzing beneath my skin.

I looked at my desk and sighed. The quick spiking of my blood pressure threatened to spark a migraine.

I was growing tired of the wax sealed envelopes that have been

appearing on the desk in my office. Waiting for me, arranged directly in the center of my work space, was a large envelope bearing the seal of the high council. It was never a good sign when I received unexpected correspondence from them.

The high council was a constant thorn in my side. The members were haughty at best and pompous at worst. As far as I could see, they served no material purpose for the pack. They occupied their positions of power because of tradition and nothing else.

I sat in my chair and glared at the envelope.

I couldn’t blame the staff for leaving the letter for me to find. It was reasonable to assume my reaction to it might not be desirable. Given my explosive temp er in the past and my sour mood recently, I recognized that it would take time for the staff to come to trust me again. I had

vented a lot of frustration out on people who didn’t deserve it.

I sat at the desk and stared at the envelope. This could only be bad news—the question was, how bad? I popped the seal open and pulled out the papers.

The formal greeting was hollow and did nothing to ease the queasy feeling that was roiling in my stomach.

“It has been brought to theattention of the council that your wife, Nora, still does not have her wolf.”

A growl sl*pped from me unbidden. Caleb was immediately on edge and it was hard not to let his feelings amplify my own. He had grown incredibly protective of Nora and protecting her was his greatest concern.

“In order to prove that she isblessed by the goddess and fit to fill the position of Luna, this situation must be remedied. We are aware

that you have been informed of a ritual which will restore Nora’s original wolf to her.”

I considered tossing the paper away, but I knew that it would do no good. So,I kept reading.

“The council had deemed thisritual necessary in order for Nora to continue serving the pack in her capacity as Luna. We will expect word that the ritual has been completed before the next full moon. At that time, Nora will be required to prove her wolf has returned by shifting in the presence of at least two council members.”

I dropped the paper onto the desk in disgust. The council was overstepping its authority. They had no right to decree anything about my choice of mate.

Nora’s decision to go through with the ritual was hers and hers alone. There was no one alive that I would allow to dictate such a choice for her.

Nora was my mate and the rightful Luna of this pack. No arbitrary condition imposed by the council would change that. The fact that they had the ga ll to even attempt to impose these conditions on me without so much as meeting with me first was insulting to say the least.

Nora’s concerns about our relationship weighed heavily on her. I had expressed to her numerous times that I feel the god dess meant for us to end up together. The circumstances of our meeting were too perfect to be coincidental. It must be a sign of her blessing.

Nora was less convinced and feared that something would come about to threaten our relationship, I knew that this was due to her painful past experiences with rejection. When I thought of how quickly she was betrayed by those she trusted the most, my blood boiled.

I stood and walked across the room

with the letter clutched tightly in my hand.

I looked out the window and my eyes landed on Nora immediately. She was sitting in her favorite spot and enjoying her morning coffee.

This peace was relatively new in my pack. I wanted to protect it, no matter what it cost me to do that. Nora was the Luna that we needed, I had no doubt about that. The people had warmed to her so quickly. Even Maisi e had grown fond of her.

I had more doubts about myself as a leader than I had about Nora.

She would see this as just another sign of her unworthiness. I went back to the desk and threw the letter into the trash. There was no reason that Nora needed to know anything about this.

I would deal with the council myself at a later date. This disrespect would not be tolerated and I would make damn sure that

they never overstepped their authority like this again.

With that letter disposed of, a smaller, more plain envelope caught my attention. I picked it up and inspected it. It was addressed in a shaky, slanted script. I opened it and took out a single, thin sheet of paper.

The message was short. Just two simple lines.

“Please meet with me at the borderof Lanecreek at sundown on Friday. There is something important that I have to talk to you about.”

It was signed Margot Belleny.

A cold shot of adrenaline flooded my veins.

This could mean anything, but I knew without a doubt that it was the break I had been waiting for. For Margot to reach out to me like this, she must have information about what Graham and my uncle were up to.

I would finally have the information I needed to protect my pack. Relief and anxiety flooded within me, leaving me shaky and unfocused.

But then another thought came to me.

Could this be a trick? Was I too eager to see the lie in this short note? Was I walking into a trap?

Either way, it didn’t matter in the end. I couldn’t risk the damage that could result from ignoring whatever information Margot may want to tell me.

I should be able to sl*p away for a few hours without it causing any issues. I had to hear Margot out because if I didn’t and something terrible happened, I would never be able to forgive myself