Page 10

I hear more than one pair of shoes walking toward me. Setting my cup down on the counter, I move to see who he brought with him. I’m expecting it to be Bree, but when I step out of the small room, I find Talon, beaten and bloody, being escorted into the office by Alpha Corbin.

“Hello, Rhen. I was hoping to find Thane,” Corbin says, shoving Talon to his knees in front of me. Reaching down, I grab Talon by the arm and pull him to his feet.

“What the fuck have you done?” I growl at him.

“Indeed, what has he done? I am a patient man, Rhen, reasonable, but this worm has screwed me over for the last time,” Alpha Corbin says as Leila comes down the hallway behind him.

“Rhen!” she whimpers.

I growl, noticing half of Alpha Corbin’s mates behind her. One has her arm wretched behind her back; her lip is also bleeding, as if one of them slapped her.

“Let her go. Whatever this is, we can sort it out,” I say, shoving past him and reaching for my sister-in-law. Leila whimpers and hides behind me. I push her into Thane’s office. “Lock the door,” I tell her. She nods her head, her eyes glassy from crying.

I motion toward the conference room down the hall. Alpha Corbin heads toward it when I open the mind-link. 'Raidon, I need you in the office now,' I tell him, before abruptly cutting the link. I know my mates, and I know they’ll come. I am severely outnumbered here, and all of them are Alphas. Talon flinches as I step next to him.

“If you put my mates at risk, you don’t have to be scared of Thane killing you. I will do it myself,” I sneer at him.

Walking into the conference room, I find Alpha Corbin with his feet up on the table, sitting back in the chair with a smug smile on his face. He flicks his dirty blond hair back and rests his arms behind his head.

“I guess now we wait for your Alpha.”

“Raidon is on his way.”

“I would prefer to deal with Thane and Leon,” he growls at me.

“Thane is otherwise occupied. Now, do you mind telling me what this is all about?” I ask, my eyes cutting to the side as Jaxson, Leo, and Finley enter the room behind me. They lock the door, and I grit my teeth.

“You sure you want to go down this road, Corbin?”

“I am owed quite a lot of money. Talon here has not settled his debt as agreed. Your mate, Leon, paid half, and I am here to collect what’s outstanding.”

My eyes move to Talon, and he whimpers. I can feel my mates getting closer, feel Thane coming for me.

Talon meets my gaze, his eyes pleading for me to understand. I snarl and bare my teeth when Leo punches him.

“How much?” I ask, turning my gaze to Corbin. Thane will kill me if I bail him out again.

“It’s not just money I am owed, but don’t worry, I’ve learned you have exactly what I require. She’ll do to replace the girl he lost,” Corbin says, and my brows furrow.

“Excuse me?” I ask.

“Not to worry. It will all be settled when Thane gets here.”

I don’t like the sound of that. And where are his other mates?

“You see, Leon went down for collateral.” He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. My heart beats faster at his words.

“You’re not taking Leon,” I say, and he laughs, the sound mocking. I grit my teeth.

“I don’t want Leon. Leon was stupid enough to back Talon against the vamps. Leon was stupid enough to tell them he will cover any debt Talon can’t. He even signed my contracts, and he was stupid enough to pay the debt for him.”

My brows furrow at Corbin’s words.

“If the debt is paid, why are you here?”

“My purchase was supposed to be delivered to me last week, but she wasn’t. I have recently learned that Talon here set my purchase free.”

Talon shuffles forward on his knees.