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Remy noticed her father's jaw clenching in her peripherals, so she relaxed a little, knowing he didn't like the other Alpha’s behavior either. She could feel her Lycan's energy just under her skin, readying herself for the shift if needed.
"I am willing to give your pack a small patch of three to five acres of land or have some of your people come to work for us to bring home more money to the pack. I do not know the entire situation of your pack, so I decided to have multiple options to present to you."
Dimitri leaned back in his chair with a shit-eating grin. It was difficult for Remy to stay seated with that look on his face. The energy in the room shifted, and she no longer liked the odds of this being a non-friendly visit. Remy moved her hand under the table and found her father's knee. He patted her hand back, signaling her that he felt it, too.
The Redwood Alpha leaned onto the table with his fingers clasped, and Remy noticed his claws were a little more elongated than she liked. "So, you think it’s okay to come to my home, give the option of offering my people a job or only a small percentage of your land? Knowing that our pack is not prospering like yours, that seems like an okay amount to offer to us? You have balls, banquets, and feasts, and you expect us to celebrate for the crumbs you remember to throw to your thralls?"
"I cannot give much of my land without losing more profit to keep me afloat. You must remember that my land provides food for the entire kingdom. If I give too much away, I cannot do that. I am looking out for the entire kingdom, not just my pack."
That belly laugh returned, and Remy's legs bounced more. This was not going well. Not with that laugh.
"You make me laugh, Lykos. You say you are looking out for the betterment of the kingdom. How are you doing that when you keep that entire territory to yourself and do not allow those, other than your pack, to prosper? Do you even know what it's like outside of your little fiefdom?"
"Money-wise, yes. Keeping the kingdom fed is putting effort into ensuring its ability to be sustainable."
"Yet you are not willing to share that wealth with the rest of the kingdom?" Dimitri asked sarcastically.
Lykos sighed. Remy did her best to keep her mouth shut, but this was getting to be something she felt would lead to a fight.
"So, with your pack providing lumber to the rest of the kingdom, if you had more land to plant trees so you'd have more to sell, that would lead to your pack being wealthier. Would you share the wealth with the rest of the kingdom? You have at least twenty to twenty-five Lycans here. That is a lot of mouths to feed. When children are in play, you must consider their schooling, whether they plan to build a house with their mate, and whether more children will be added later. Your pack would always grow bigger and, with that, more expenses to pay for. My pack has around fifty. That is twice the amount of mouths to feed and expenses to pay. If you think we live lavish lifestyles, we do not. Look outside. That car is not the most expensive on the market. Our pack house has all of our pack members inside of it. That is why we paid for the lumber from your pack to build our second one. My pack has chosen to stay together instead of living in separate housing if they are not mated and have children. Some still choose to stay, and they get a suite instead. We would not have that without your pack."
"What's your point?"
"I offered a few acres to grow trees on or have people from your pack work for us to bring home extra paychecks. You could choose which best suits your needs."
Dimitri's claws were fully elongated now, slightly digging into the wooden table. The power from the Alpha filled the room and made Remy's skin itch. It was not at Lykos's power level or her own, so it did not make her throat want to close or bow to him. If anything, it ticked Remy off to feel his power being unleashed in the room. Hospitality Laws were already broken with him doing this, so Remy readied herself for the fight that was clearly coming. Dimitri's changing form sparked her Lycan’s to do the same.
"Fuck! Dad!"
"Head for the door!" Lykos screamed as he jumped on top of the table to keep the attention on him.
Remy noticed that the Lycans were already halfway through their change and were advancing toward them. Their arms and legs were in Lycan form, giving them an advantage with claws. Their faces and bodies were still men, helping them see where they were in the room. Lykos had shifted his arms and hands to have his own claws out, and Bryan had the same. This would give them enough of a weapon to face off these three men.
Dimitri jumped onto the table to take Lykos head on. Matthew lunged for Bryan, and Drake lunged for Remy. The room wasn't big enough to do a lot of movement, so Remy ducked from the swipe and brought her knee up to Drake's chest once she was safely out of his reach. Her claws elongated, and she swiped down on his neck, still turning her body to give her the leeway to get toward the door. Lykos jumped behind her just as she reached the door. When she opened it, Dimitri's small gray Lycan flew into the door and caused it to snap on its hinges. It fell and blocked the bottom half of the doorway as he swiped with his claws to catch either her or her father. Remy saw Lykos's Lycan tackle Dimitri, sending them both through the doorway. Remy jumped over the fallen-down door and felt Bryan on her heels. Lykos tumbled with Dimitri until he was on top, and Remy passed him as she ran toward the door. She heard her father's footsteps behind her and felt relief that they could escape. They made it out the front door and to the car. Remy, being the only one able to drive, or do anything for that matter, opened the back door, then the passenger, and jumped through the passenger first to get into the driver's side. Dimitri's Lycan slammed into the passenger door just as Bryan managed to get himself in. Lykos jumped in the back. Remy wasted no time turning the key, which Lykos left in the ignition and got the engine to turn over. Throwing it in reverse, Remy turned the wheel as far as it could and did a backward turn, causing the other door to close with Lykos inside. She slammed on the gas pedal and left the Lycans in the dust.
Once they were far enough away to settle down, Bryan and Lykos returned to their human forms. Remy kept checking the rearview mirror, eventually satisfied that they were not following them and that they were out of danger.
"Dad, when I came home, I didn't sign on to be your getaway driver."
Lykos chuckled. "Well, I’m just glad you remember how to drive."
"You’re probably even better since I’m the one who taught you how to drive like that," Bryan added.
They laughed as they all tried to calm themselves about the transgression they had just experienced. The Dark Dimension had really come to the Lycan Kingdom, and Remy had no idea how to get rid of it.
Fuck me sideways.
Chapter twelve
Remy
Remy looked around her surroundings to figure out exactly where she was in the kingdom. It had been a while since she had driven around it, and she rarely did it herself before she had been sent to Reject Island. If she left her territory for anything, she was usually accompanied by another wolf from the top hierarchy, seeing as she was the heir to the pack. It got annoying, but she understood it. But because of this, she had trouble remembering where everything was.
She noticed they were not far away from the Silver Ridge Pack. Within the pack bonds, she could feel Chase nearby and pulled on it to alert him that she would be coming. It would be the best place to hunker down and figure out their next move. Chase pulled on the bond to let her know he got the signal, and she turned down the road toward his territory, following the directions the bond was giving her. Now, it is easier to understand what people mean by being able to find their mate when they need to. It was more of the bond pulling them; the mate could follow it just from this sense calling out to them. Remy found herself comforted by the fact that Chase was pulling it on the other end.
It was a long, winding road that led to his pack homes. There were mountains surrounding her on both sides, creating a small, secluded valley for them to drive to, and then the valley meandered to the right and drove on a path up the mountains. Remy did not like driving to begin with. The fact that she had to maneuver the car on a tight road going up a mountain added to her “I-never-want-to-do-this-again” list. Her heart was already racing after fleeing from the Redwood Pack, and now it picked up more every time she looked over and noticed the long drop-down if she made the wrong move.
The pack house was on top of the mountain. The mountain peak leveled off, leaving it completely flat with some trees and bushes on top to hide the pack house from prying eyes. It looked almost as big as her pack house, but they did not have a second one, so it made sense for them to have this big of a house. Remy didn't expect to see it so well-groomed. The colors complemented the green and browns of the area around it, and several stories stood there. The architecture here was more modern than her family's home, almost as if it had been built within the past few years.
