“There’s a long-standing feud.” Jurah sighed. “It dates back before us, but in current times they hate us for being alphas and omegas, and we hate them for being cruel, manipulative bastards.”
“Have they made any attempts to come at you like this before?” Mercer asked.
Jurah’s expression hardened. “Yes. But not in a while. Their new leader, Brooks O’Connor, seemed to want to broker a tentative peace.”
I’d heard them talking about the new O’Connor leader a few times. They said he was reasonable, that he responded to conflicts with a firm hand, but he wasn’t cruel. Was that all a front he put up, knowing Benjamin was coming at us from the inside?
Or did the leader have nothing to do with my bondmate’s plan at all?
“I’m assuming that didn’t go over well with the extended family,” Mercer muttered.
Snorting, Jurah shook his head. “Kid’s been putting out fires since he took over. Plenty of people want him dead. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had nothing to do with Benji—in fact, everyone I’ve spoken to thinks Benji O’Connor is dead. Willard O’Connor, Benji’s father, is a distant relative of Brooks with no sway whatsoever.”
Benjamin would be dead for real, soon.
Or at least imprisoned, never to be seen again.
“I’ve heard there are only two alphas in the O’Connor family,” Mercer said. “Any idea who the other one is?”
“Rumour has it, it’s Brooks himself.”
The plot thickens.
The designation-hating crime syndicate had an alpha for a leader?
No wonder he wasn’t well-liked.
I scooted back on the bed, leaning into Mercer’s side.
“This is nothing you have to worry about, though,” Jurah continued. “You three focus on caring for my daughter. My pack will deal with the O’Connors and finding Benjamin.”
I chewed my bottom lip. Yeah, we weren’t going to be listening to his advice to stay away. Lavinia had told them aboutthe call and the traitor because it was a household problem, but I trusted her to stick with the plan when the moment came.
We’d get Benjamin ourselves so I could make my choice.
The more he taunted me, the more I was willing to risk death to make sure I never had to face his vitriol again.
“Thanks, Jurah,” I said.
“We’ll do anything to make sure you’re safe, darling. And we’re all very happy to have you home.” He placed a hand on my knee, then took a second to glare at each of my mates. “Keep her happy.”
There was bound to be a threat eventually.
I laughed. “They’re good at that, don’t worry.”
“Better be.”
He stood up and stretched, then left my bedroom with one final wave.
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
TALIA
Less than 24 hours, and I was already going stir-crazy.
I loved my alphas, I really did, but being stuck with them in my bedroom without any change of scenery was a bit much.
