Chapter 545

Nathan

As Alpha Montgomery and I stepped out into the courtyard, I felt a soft breeze, thick with the earthy scent of impending rain, blow through my hair. Montgomery strode beside me, his hands in his pockets, unfazed by the chilly wind.

“So, Alpha Nathan,” Montgomery said as we wandered through the tall stone cloisters of the courtyard. “How are things faring in your pack?”

I paused, looking out over the well-manicured hedges. There was a trickling fountain in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by blooming rose bushes. For the second time that night, I was reminded of just how much Olivia would love this place; but she still wasn’t here. My wolf couldn’t seem to sense her nearby, either.

“Very well, actually,” I said, which wasn’t a complete lie. “Our pack has been thriving lately.”

Montgomery raised an eyebrow at me. “I hear that you and your wife have arranged several successful fundraising efforts,” he said.

I nodded. “Well, my wife has, yes,” I said. “A few months back, she took on the role as head of our PR department; her efforts have done wonders to help our community.”

“So I have heard.” Montgomery shot me a pleasant glance before we continued on our way through the cloisters, the clicks of our shoes echoing in the quiet night. The sound of the soft jazz music coming from inside wafted across the courtyard, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Too bad it wouldn’t last. Once our plan was set in motion, the party would officially be over.

That was, assuming that Olivia showed up.

Without really thinking of the implications, I checked my watch again. Montgomery, noticing this, nudged me with his elbow.

“You seem on edge, Alpha Nathan,” he said. “Surely your wife is just primping herself before the party.”

I swallowed, meeting his gaze. His piercing eyes almost seemed to glow and flicker in the dim light, catching the golden light of the torches lining the walls. “Er, sorry,” I said, running my hand through my hair with a slight chuckle. “We just had… plans, that’s all.”

Montgomery regarded me down the length of his pointed nose, and for a moment, I thought that he might question me further—that I might have blown my cover. But he didn’t. Instead, he simply slipped his hands into his pockets and continued walking.

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish to speak with you privately for a reason,” he said. “Actually, Alpha Nathan, I wanted to… commend you.”

“Commend me?” I fell into step beside him, although a heat crept up the back of my neck at his words. Alpha Montgomery, the Alpha of the northernmost pack in the territories, had a reputation for being cold—as did the rest of his pack. One had to be cold in such a harsh climate like that.

Therefore, to hear a compliment from him seemed unlikely.

“Indeed,” Montgomery said with a matter-of-fact nod. “I’m impressed by your pack’s hardiness, Nathan. If I may speak plainly…”

I nodded, genuinely intrigued as to where he was going.

The tall, wiry Alpha drew in a deep breath before he continued. “Your father, Colin, was a problem from the start. Impulsive, angry, and unreasonable. And so I hope you don’t take offense when I say that, when I first received word of your accession to the role of Alpha, I assumed…”

“...That I would wind up just like him,” I finished for him. Montgomery’s eyes widened slightly, indicating that he was worried that he had offended me. But he hadn’t. “It’s alright, Alpha Montgomery. I understand.”

Montgomery let out a slow breath of relief and shot me a thin smile. “Thank you. But I must say, you have pleasantly surprised me in every way possible. You have proven to be wise and intelligent beyond your years, resourceful and confident. It’s quite impressive.”

I felt the heat creep further up my neck. “Thank you, Alpha Montgomery,” I said, stopping in my tracks. “That means a lot, coming from an Alpha so experienced as yourself.”

Montgomery stopped as well and turned to look at me, those eyes of his flickering in that strange, almost ethereal, way again.

“This is why,” he said then, “I feel as if I can reason with you before acting upon anything else.”

I furrowed my brow. “Reason with me?” I asked. For reasons not entirely known to me, I felt my heart begin to pick up its pace in my chest.

He nodded. “Yes. You seem quite reasonable, Nathan. And you seem to understand the nature of business, and how it works. Tell me, Nathan…” He paused, reaching out to stroke the petals of a nearby flower. “How do you define that word: business?”

“A simple transaction,” I replied coolly. “An exchange of money for goods and services.”

“Precisely.” Montgomery flashed me another thin smile. “A simple transaction, and nothing more. An exchange. A promise for a price.”

“What are you getting at?” I asked, lowering my voice.

For a moment, Montgomery didn’t answer. I watched as he wrapped his fingers around the stem of the flower, and then plucked it.

“Business is both simple and complicated at the same time, like this flower,” he said. “On the outside, it may look like nothing more than a gathering of petals, a stem, and roots. But look a little closer.”

As he spoke, he held the flower up to the light so that the petals were almost translucent, revealing the intricate network of veins within. “It’s rather intricate, isn’t it? There’s so much beneath the surface, hiding, waiting. And even if you were to pluck one of these petals…”

He pulled off one of the petals, letting it flutter to the ground between us. “...Many more still remain. Many networks. Many safeguards.”

By now, my heart was pounding faster and faster by the moment as my mind raced to put together what he was saying. I took a hesitant step back, but as soon as I did, I saw them: the shadows moving through the courtyard. Six men, dressed in black, moving as silent as wraiths.

And they were coming from me.

“I think it’s best if I return to the party now,” I said, my eyes scanning the courtyard for any escape as I took another hesitant step back. “My wife should be here any minute, and she’ll be upset if I’m not there to greet her.”

But Montgomery simply laughed. “Your wife isn’t coming, Nathan. I’ve made sure of it.” He paused, still thumbing the delicate petals of the flower as the shadows advanced on me. I took another step back, but felt my stomach sink as a cold stone wall pressed into me.

I was trapped.

“What is all this?” I asked. “If you’ve hurt my wife—”

“I haven’t touched a hair on her head.” He looked up at the sky, which was now completely overcast. “Looks like rain.”

“Where is Olivia—”

“Take him.” Montgomery snapped his fingers, and before I could even react, two sets of strong arms were taking me by either side. “It’s simple, Nathan,” he continued coolly as I growled and struggled against the men. “All I ask is that you give up your little plan; keep your nose out of where it doesn’t belong. And then, you may go home to your wife. Unscathed.”

“You,” I growled. “You’re involved in all of this?”

“Involved?” Montgomery grinned and dropped the flower to the ground, crushing it beneath the toe of his shoe. “It was my idea.”

Before I could answer, a rough gag was suddenly shoved in my mouth, turning my words into incoherent mumbles. No matter how hard I thrashed, it was useless; the men dragged me away with ease, through a back door that led away from the party.

And the last thing I saw before the door shut was Dan’s sneering face as he strode up behind Montgomery.