The Alpha's Other Woman

24 Later

Author's Note:

I just posted yesterday's belated update too, so if it brought you here first, you should head back to 23 for some Jason-y POV goodness. 😏

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Jason

We jogged through the trees, Carrie keeping up well with my fast pace. Porter joined up with us, along with Krystal, both in their wolf forms.

We arrived at a clearing where we found  Randy and another fighter standing with a tall male who was leaning back against a tree casually. His relaxed but confident posture set my wolf's territorial protectiveness on edge.

Carrie stood behind me and off to the side, not attempting to get in front of me. I appreciated that she was at least allowing me protect her in one small way.

She might have been willing to stay behind me, but that didn't stop her active mind. "His clothing looks expensive, even though it's casual. Not really the sort of thing I'd expect for tramping around in the forest."

I noted her observation as the vampire stepped away from the tree, his hand extended. I cautiously took the proffered hand and shook it, not taking my eyes off of him for a second.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Nathaniel Hayes, First Secretary to the Ambassador of Hunter Relations. My apologies for inadvertently trespassing on your land."

I nodded my acknowledgement, but I remained wary. "Alpha Jason Bronson. What can I help you with?"

He nodded and smiled, and I couldn't determine if it were genuine or not. "What do you think?" I asked silently to my mate and my ranked wolves.

"He didn't exhibit hostile behaviours, quickly surrendering when we found him," Randy told me. "I still don't trust him, though."

Porter just kept his eyes trained on the potential threat. His presence was help enough, since he was a huge intimidating wolf, the sort that could never be confused with a wild wolf.

Carrie also watched, eyes fixed on the intruder. "I want to know why he was trespassing."

"What brought you into my territory?"

The vampire met my eyes. "We got a tip about suspicious activity in the vicinity, and since I was nearby on business, I opted to check it out personally. I wasn't expecting werewolves and especially not what seems to be a new pack."

Again, I wasn't sure if what I detected was simple curiosity or something more malevolent. Although I'd had nothing more than brief passing contact with vampires in the past, I'd heard bloodsuckers could be difficult to read, and it seemed to be true. "What were you expecting?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Possibly rebels against the queen, or perhaps new hunter activity. I didn't imagine werewolves. We have no record of a pack nearby, and typically the problematic rogues are less subtle than you've been. On the surface, this seems like an irregular human community."

I didn't like the idea that vampires were keeping records on my pack, or werewolves in general. In addition, my wolf remained uneasy with his presence, so I wanted him off of my territory as fast as possible.

"Are you satisfied with what you've seen? I assume my pack doesn't fall under your jurisdiction."

The vampire's smile was easy, as if he wasn't at all bothered by being surrounded by a snarling wolves. He should have been. Vampires were fast and hard to kill, especially at night, but we werewolves were a lot stronger. "No, of course not. But since I'm here anyway, I'd like to extend the hand of friendship to your pack—what's its name?"