“Feels a little coincidental, doesn’t it?”
Travis shook his head. “Are you seeing some sort of divine plan all of a sudden? You don’t even believe in any of the old stories. No truth to the myth, isn’t that what you say when asked? You told my mate it was all bullshit.”
“It is. Bunch of wolves praying to be human to save a raped girl. It’s a sick story if you break it down to its parts.” Why was he always sucked into these conversations?
“You have a problem.”
That was it. Cyrus snarled. “I don’t have a problem. If I chose not to believe in the bedtime story you prefer to subscribe your life to, then it’s my business, not my problem.”
He stalked into Travis’ space. If the man wanted a fight, he could have one. A rip-roaring fight. Forget their treaty. He’d take him, take Philadelphia. Then Travis could see what kind of problem he had.
“Down boy.” Travis shook his head. “Shit, I forgot how tense I was before I got things straight with Lilliana. You’re lucky I’m in such a forgiving mood.”
“Stop patronizing me.” In another second, he was going to shove him. Right to the ground. He’d hit with a giant thump…
“You have a problem with Montana.”
Travis’ words penetrated the anger haze that threatened to take over his existence. He took a deep breath. “Montana.”
“Right. With Montana.” Travis patted him on the shoulder. “There’s no Alpha there.”
Travis’ words floated around in Cyrus’ mind for a second before they made sense. “Shit.”
“Yep. Shit.” Travis laughed. “You know what? I’m happy not to know what Betsy’s parents are involved in. I wouldn’t want anything to do with going to Montana right now. You have fun with that, buddy.”
“Are you telling me that there isn’t one Alpha in the whole state? Whom did Lucian deal with?”
“None of the lone wolves in Montana ever dealt with Lucian, as far as I know. And since the Alpha Prime’s death, there hasn’t been any communication.”
The elevator dinged, and Lilliana stormed into the room. She walked straight to Cyrus, bypassing Travis altogether. Cyrus had a moment to realize how strange that was before she jammed her pointer finger straight into his shoulder.
It didn’t hurt, but the intention behind it startled him. Lilliana always seemed so docile. “If you hurt her, I’ll rip out your eyes. Or I won’t. I’ll have Travis do it. But the meaning is the same. Get nicer. I found my sister, and she seems lost, fragile, and confused. Don’t be such a bully. There must be a kind man inside of you somewhere.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, forcing himself to take a deep breath. Lilliana’s newly discovered relationship with Betsy didn’t grant her the right to order him around “You’d think that, wouldn’t you?”
****
Mitchell nodded to Cyrus when he approached the door. He hadn’t asked his pack member to stay and watch his mate, only to deliver her inside his apartment, but it didn’t bother him in the least that Mitchell had.
He stopped to regard the wolf for a moment. Did his pack member like him? Did it matter if he did? Mitchell would step in front of traffic for him, go to war for him, and stand outside his door to keep his brand-new mate safe.
Cyrus knew a lot about Mitchell’s life. He knew the man’s family history. He’d been there when his parents had been shot dead by hunters before Cyrus had taken over as Alpha and made their full-moon shifts safer. He’d presided over the ceremony where Mitchell’s sister had taken a true mate and then moved to the other man’s pack in Canada. But he had no idea if Mitchell had a girlfriend, no idea if the man had dreams or aspirations he hadn’t fulfilled.
Did he need to know these things about his pack mates? Alphas were leaders, warriors, protectors, not nursemaids, mothers, or best friends.
He’d bet Travis knew all about his pack members. They probably called him when they stubbed their toes. Alexei, by contrast, would probably drown himself in the ocean before he sat around listening to pack members’ problems.
Cyrus shook his head. He had a mate to woo. Why was he pondering life problems he’d never considered before?
“How are things?”
Mitchell stepped away from the door. “It’s quiet inside, my Alpha. I showed her around and then left her to her own devices. I didn’t want to invade her space.”
“Thanks.” He nodded. “But, uh, I meant with you. How are things with you?”
“Sir?” Mitchell shook his head. “I don’t understand.”