The Road To Hell

"My apologies, Alpha," said the wolf Elder, bowing his head in submission. I stiffened at his actions, the gulf between us getting wider and wider by the second. "I was raised to believe that when you are on shaky ground, it is best to be formal. They can't kill you for being formal."

"I can assure you they can," I replied with a strained smile. Formal might have been the way the old world worked, but I had lived long enough in the new one to know that being formal with someone else was the best way to create distance from someone you didn't like.

The five Betas continued to stand in my way, their eyes bouncing between me and their Alpha, completely unsure of what to do.  They knew they couldn't piss their Alpha off, but something about me was also warning them to be careful, too.

"I have a lot of things to do today before we leave the city," I said, never taking my eyes off the Beta right in front of me. "I suggest you let us pass." I had given them their chance, and they had blown it. A large part of me wanted to take a step back and turn around. I wanted to prove myself to them that I was not the big bad.

But I also knew damn well that they would see that as a sign of submission, of weakness. And there was no way in hell I would be willing to do that. As the elder pointed out, I was the Alpha of my House. I would not show weakness.

Mathew let out a low, warning growl as he approached the men blocking our way.

"You are a wolf," sneered the Alpha, causing me to see red. "You might not be pack, but you are still a wolf."

"That is where you are wrong," I said, turning my back on the Betas and confronting the Alpha. I could feel the rage inside of me starting to bubble up and over. Mathew was my pack, mine to protect. He was mine.

And I would not let anyone disrespect him or talk down to him.

I advanced on the Alpha, smirking at the look of panic on his face. "He is my pack. Not yours," I growled, sounding so much like a wolf I expected to feel the ripples of the animal under my skin. "He will never take your side."

"I have to admit, I find it amusing," chuckled Nicholas. His left hand was in his pants pocket, and his right hand hung loosely at his side. He looked like the epitome of relaxation, but everyone could feel the ice in his words. 

"And what is that, demon?" growled the Alpha, the tone of his voice raising the hackles on the back of my neck. If I had them, that was.

"She has just told you that she has killed Vlad, the strongest vampire ever to roam the earth. And yet, here you are, insulting her mates again and again. It's like you don't have any sense of self-preservation," he continued, coming to stand at my side.

"Thirty some odd years, and Vlad will be back, more pissed off than ever," replied the Alpha with a wave of his hand. The Betas behind me let out a low warning growl of their own. "And the only thing that might save us from his wrath is to kill you."

I paused at his words, blinking a few times. His thread told me that he wasn't tainted, and that voice inside of me wasn't calling for his blood. He was nothing more than a poor, misguided Alpha who wanted to protect his pack the best he could.

But you know what they say: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Nicholas tipped back his head and burst out laughing. He approached the Alpha, only coming to a stop when the two of them were standing shoulder to shoulder. Looking down at the other man, Nicholas spoke softly in his ear. His voice was so low that not even the Elder, who was standing beside him, could hear what my brother was saying.

But whatever it was, it caused the Alpha's face to turn pale with fright. I didn't have the same ability to pick up smells like the wolves, or even Dem could; however, even I could smell the fear coming off the Alpha.

The male in question looked at me as Nicholas continued to whisper in his ear. I wondered what he was telling him, but I could get the general idea.

"Let them go," snapped the Alpha as soon as Nicholas stepped away from him. The bridge between me and this pack had officially burned down, but that was their decision. Hopefully, the vampires will be a bit easier to work with. I just had to find that one thread that was attached to all of those wolves.

Easy, right?

I got into the back seat of the SUV, completely ignoring everything around me. I heard Nicholas chuckle as he picked me up and put me on his lap, buckling the seatbelt around the two of us.

"It's fine, Butterfly," he said as the rest of the guys got into the vehicle. "Most don't cry until they see the coffin anyway. But you always were such a people pleaser."

"I was five," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest. I rolled my eyes as the other four men laughed at my response.

"Of course, Sweetheart," said Greyson, his voice so low it vibrated around me. What was with these guys and all having a sexy voice? I wanted to squirm where I was sitting, trying to apply some type of pressure between my legs to counteract the wetness I was feeling.

But I was sitting in my brother's lap, so that was completely inappropriate.

Especially when everyone but Greyson and Levi could smell me.