Chapter 178

Wyatt – a spy? For Alpha King Hayes?

“We found all of these in his room,” Beau says. “He left them out everywhere, sitting there like he wanted us to find them. Bastard is mocking us.”

“Here,” Archer says, shuffling through the papers. “List after list. Our schedules. The girls we’ve seen. The cars we’ve driven. He kept track of everything and reported it to our father.”

Neil’s grip tightens on the letter in his hand. I can only see part of it now, but what I see is damning.

Thank you for your continued hard work, Alpha King Hayes writes. Your continued loyalty to me will not go unrewarded.

“Is this my fault?” I ask. “I know your father hates me.” I motion to Neil to make my point. The silver…

“Many of these go back since before you were around,” Archer says. He take the pile of lists he’s holding and tosses it to the side, like he’s disgusted of looking at it. The pages flutter down to the floor.

A growl escapes Beau, claiming our attention. “Some of these are about Mia.”

At once all of us tense.

“Where is she now?” Archer asks.

“The kitchen with Steven,” I reply.

Archer relaxes marginally. He pulls out his phone. “I’ll text him to come here. He should know about this too.”

“From the start, Wyatt’s loyalty has never been to us, but always to our father,” Neil said.

“We haven’t found the end yet,” Beau says. “We don’t know how far back it goes.”

Eventually, Wyatt wanders in with Mia and a bottle in his arms. When he sees the carnage, and hears the explanation from Beau, he sits down at the far end of the couch and doesn’t sit up again for some time.

“Did he track my experiments?” Steven asks.

Beau tosses him a report. “As much as he could. Fortunately for you, Wyatt is a dumbass and didn’t know what you were doing half the time.”

“Good,” Steven says. He sets the report aside. Maybe he’s not ready to face it yet.

Whatever Archer is reading through, makes him crinkle the paper as he holds it. I wait patiently for him to explain, somehow knowing he will soon enough.

His eyes lift to mine, and I instantly know. He found some of the notes about me.

“It’s fine,” I say. “He never liked me. I’m sure there’s nothing worse in the reports than what he’s said to my face.”

“It’s not just him.” Archer’s gaze slides to Neil, who straightens. “In this letter, our father praises Wyatt for accepting Chloe’s challenge. He asks him not to go easy on her.”

“What?” I gasp. I know the Alpha King doesn’t like me, but…

“He even suggests Wyatt should kill her and say it’s an accident,” Archer says.

My stomach drops out.

Archer’s gaze slides back to me. I can’t read beyond the cold fury there. “He wants her out of the way for good.”

Everyone’s quiet for a moment. Even Mia, as she drinks from her bottle.

“Dad’ll know Wyatt failed, if he doesn’t already,” Beau says. “Wyatt probably went there tonight to escape the Beta-breaking ceremony.”

“We should do something,” Archer says, anger making his voice like ice.

Neil stays quiet.

“He wants to kill Chloe,” Archer presses.

“He only wants me gone,” I say. I remind them, “Which I will be in a week. Your father is the Alpha King. It isn’t worth going to war over me. When I’m gone, he’ll have what he wants and everything can go back to normal.”

“There is no normal,” Neil says. There’s disappointment more than anything else in his voice. He tosses the papers back onto the coffee table. “Not after this.”

“He’s powerful,” I say.

“We’re powerful,” Beau counters.

I don’t know how to make them see. Whatever their power is, it’s built off of that of their father. His position. His money. Without him, they might as well be Unnamed themselves.

They must know that.

Neil must, at least. And I think he does. As I look at him, I can practically see the wheels in his head turning.

“He’s more powerful,” I say. “He’s the most powerful man in the kingdom. You can kick Wyatt out. You can barricade the Pyramid, but you cannot start a war with the man that controls everything.”

My speech leaves me breathless and exhausted.

Neil reaches over from beside me and squeezes my knee. “We won’t move right away. We’ll need time to think, to plan. Father is three steps ahead of us. He likely instructed Wyatt to leave out these notes. He wants us to know.”

“He wants us to cower,” Beau chimes in.

Steven glancing through his notes, adds, “He wants to control us.”

“Because he knows we’re dangerous!” Beau says.

Neil goes quiet again.

Oddly, so does Archer. I glance at him and find him staring at me.

I try to steady my breathing. I don’t want him to know how much I’m struggling.

“We’ll protect Chloe and we will protect Mia,” Neil says. “The rest, we need to think about.”

“We can’t protect them if we’re on the back foot,” Beau says.

“I don’t need protected,” I say. “Do what you must for Mia, but I will be fine. I’ll be gone, out of your lives, and he won’t care about me anymore.”

Beau and Neil exchange glances. Archer continues to stare me down. Steven glances at me with a fond bit of concern in his eyes, like he always does when he thinks I’m being an idiot.

“Father doesn’t let people go,” Steven says.

“It will be fine,” I say. I’m out of breath again, it’s shortening my argument. I want to fight harder, but my damn chest hurts so fucking much. I press a hand to my side, over my bandages.

Archer stands.

“What are you--?” is all I manage before he swoops me up into his arms in a bridal carry. “Hey!”

“Chloe needs rest,” Archer says.

The others nod. They don’t so much as bat at eye at the undignified way I’m being hoisted around, or at my clear protests.

“I’m not done with my conversation!” I cry, but even that takes effort. I’m quickly wheezing again.

“Save your breath,” Archer snaps.

“We’ve heard you, Chloe,” Neil says. His eyes are kind, though he looks so very tired. “Get some rest now. Feel better. Then we might be more inclined to trust your ability to protect yourself.”

I growl, but since I don’t have a wolf, it’s not all that intimidating.

Then Archer carries me from the room.

“Archer, please.”

He’s not listening to me.

“You can’t start this war with your father. Not over me.”

He’s still not listening. He carries me straight to my room, then lowers me down to my bed. He’s gentler than I expected. If I’d been feeling better, I suspect he would have thrown me.

Instead, he cradles me the whole way down, and makes certain my head rests on the pillow.

I hate to admit it, but it does feel good to recline like this. I’m not sure I would have been able to make it standing the entire ceremony.

As he starts to stand, I reach out and hastily snatch a handful of his t-shirt, stilling him. He could pull away, but not without hurting me.

“Archer, please listen to me.”

He doesn’t. Instead, he leans down again and kisses him.

It’s a gentle, tender kiss, that steal somehow manages to leave me more breathless than even my broken ribs could.

While I’m in the afterglow, he pulls away from me.

“Archer?” I ask.

But he doesn’t say another word.

He just walks out of the room and closes the door behind him.