Tango with the Alpha's Heart

Chapter 17 - Cold, hard truth

Emily's POV

"You have got to be kidding me," I sneered, reading the information on the report Xavier gave me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taken aback by my sudden mood change.

"You are telling me that the Opal Pack is part of this attack?" I growled.

It had been a week since I saw and danced with Alex in the club, and as much as I tried to fight my unwanted feelings, my mind kept drifting back to him.

Willow helped me escape the club undetected while some woman distracted Alex; I wasn't ready to face him. Now, it seems impossible to hide any further. I would be living in the club and surrounding areas until my mission was complete.

"Not particularly," Xavier said. "My informant just states that whoever is responsible, likes using the Tango club as their base."

"Is Alpha Black part of the scheme?" I asked, feeling my blood boil inside my veins. If he was, I would personally rip him to shreds and make sure Lex would never know Alex was his father.

"We are not sure," Xavier said with a sigh. "We know you have a history with him."

Xavier looked at me from under his eyelashes, and I immediately knew what he was hinting at.

"You can't be serious!" I growled and slapped the report on the desk. "You want me to penetrate the club using my mate bond?"

"Why not?" Dave asked. "That's the quickest way to get to the bottom of this."

"Have you, for one second, listened to yourself?" I growled, pissed at him.

"I see nothing wrong with it," Dave claimed, looking at his other two brothers, Paul and Joe.

"And you two side with him?" I snapped.

"Calm down, Parker," Xavier said. "My son doesn't want to hurt you."

"It's not about me," I snapped, cutting Xavier off. "This is about Lex! You know that little boy who doesn't know who his father is!"

"We are not asking you to bring him here, nor are we sleeping with him," Joe said calmly. "If he notices you, why not use it to your advantage?"

Joe was the youngest of the three brothers and a year older than me. Among the three brothers, he was the one who would listen to my reason and usually sided with me. It seems like the brothers had discussed this beforehand and agreed to it before discussing it with me.

"I don't think you understand," I said. "A week ago, Alpha Black found me in the bar. He ran after me."

I swallowed hard as the memories of that night washed over me. I had almost given my identity away.

Alex's warm, sweet apple crumble scent had made me intoxicated, and I was its willing victim. Even though Willow set a protective boundary between us, ensuring that we couldn't feel the tingles, everything else about Alex drew me in, and I craved his touch.

To make things worse, I was now having dreams about the night we spent together, making it even harder.

I will not be able to resist him if I see him again, and the rejection would even be much worse than it should have been five years ago.

My thoughts ended up on Lex; he only asked once about his father, and I told him the truth that he was an Alpha, but I never told him anything else.

Would Alex reject him as well, or would he fight for custody?

My heart pounded thinking of what it would do to Lex. The boy was still so pure and innocent. It would be tough for him to go through a rejection.

"Yet, he is the true next-in-line Alpha of the Opal Pack," Willow commented.

"I know, Willow," I said, yet there is more to that statement. Lex has already shown signs of ability; he might even carry more Lycan genes than his father and I.

"Why would the foolish young Alpha do that?" Xavier asked.

"I am not sure," I stated. "I didn't even know he was the owner of the club."

Paul started laughing in his seat, and my gaze snapped toward him, annoyed.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You!" he said.

Paul has always been the asshole among the brothers, being the middle child. He would say things that would upset people and show no regret about saying them. And with the look on his face, he was about to say something to piss me off.

I hated it when he acted like that. I hated it when he knew something and could use that information against you.

Paul might be highly intelligent, but sometimes I just want to ring his neck when he digs into stuff that doesn't concern him.

And to make things even worse, Paul was in charge of mating registers. He kept track of who was mated to whom and in which pack. He even knew if an Alpha had an illegitimate pup.

"Paul!" Xavier warned his son. "Stop it!"

"No, Father," Paul said, getting to his feet. "Does little Parker here know that her so-called mate never took a mate?"

Paul shifted his head to the side, looking at me, and a sly and cold smile followed on his lips, sending an unwilling shiver down my spine.

"Wait? What?" I said.

Did I hear right? Alex never took a mate?

"You heard me," he said, walking closer. "You coming here wasn't because of your mate taking a chosen mate. You ran off because you were scared that he didn’t want the pup!"

"Enough!" Mila's voice silenced the chambers as she stepped inside. "Apologize to Emily immediately, Paul!" She roared. I hadn't seen Mila this angry in my life; her eyes switched gold, and as she came closer, her hands had already shifted into claws.

"For what, little cousin?" He said, laughing. "For letting out the cold, hard truth?"

Mila didn't say another word; she shifted midair and pounced, knocking Paul off his feet.

Paul tried to shift, but he couldn't. Willow was preventing him.

"You are being a b***h," I said, seeing the fear in Paul's eyes.

"Only because he needs to be taught a lesson," Willow said. "He is being an asshole. I have tapped into your memories, and I know what happened."

"That's why I was dreaming of Alex," I said.

"Sorry, I didn't want to upset you," she said. "I just needed to see for myself. I can now understand why you are hurting so much."

I nodded and turned my attention to Mila's black and gray wolf. She was powerful and fast, and she had pinned Paul down on the floor, growling in his face.

"F-fine!" Paul stuttered. "I am sorry. I apologize!"

"Mila, that's enough," I said, coming closer. "Let Paul go. You have made your point."

Mila's wolf turned her gaze toward me, and I nodded.

"I am startled about the information," I said. "But I am fine!"

Mila moved away from Paul, and Xavier handed her a shirt, and she shifted back.

"What an entrance!" Dave paused his cousin when she was dressed and taking a seat. "Remind me never to get on your bad side or say anything bad about Parker."

Mila gave him a look of annoyance, and he shrank back into his chair, afraid that Mila would give him a go as well.

"Why have you come, Mila?" I asked, suddenly concerned that something might have happened at home. She wasn't invited to the meeting.

What she said next shook my little world and left me furious.

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