The tension in the air was palpable.Seneca glanced at his dad and saw his eyes flash to the amber of his beast.
“She came here seeking sanctuary,” Marcus said.“And we granted it.She will not be returning with you.”
“She’s part of my prowl and I didn’t give her permission to leave.”
“That’s irrelevant,” Caesar said.“If every shifter had to ask for permission from their alpha to leave a dangerous situation, no one would ever be able to leave.She left, asked for sanctuary, and we gave it to her.Period.”
“We’re done here,” Joss said.“We heard you out, we rejected you, and we’re done.”
The alphas turned to go back into the park when Dario said, “You don’t want this to escalate.”
Seneca’s bear surged under his skin at the implied threat.
“Escalate to what?You’re vastly outnumbered,” Alistair said.
“It’s not me you have to worry about.I promised Otto Magnus, alpha of a neighboring prowl, an arranged mate in exchange for him allying our prowls so he wouldn’t try to take mine over.He doesn’t take lightly to promises being broken.”
“That’s not our problem,” Seneca said.“You shouldn’t barter unwilling females to save your own ass.”
Dario seemed to notice Seneca for the first time, his dark gaze landing on him.“Who the hell are you to tell me anything?”
“I’m Sunny’s soulmate.And that makes Fallon my family and I won’t allow her to be harmed.”
“You can have your half-breed beast,” Dario said with a sneer.“But Iwillget Fallon back to fulfill my part of the arrangement.You can go along with it and hand her over, or you’ll face Otto’s wrath.”
“Otto will not be able to enforce that mating arrangement, period,” Caesar said, letting out a low, deep growl.“Don’t think you can step foot in our territory without repercussions.Get your males and get the hell out of here.”
“This isn’t over,” Dario said.
“The hell it’s not,” Marcus said.“You do not want to fuck with us, you worthless asshole.You try to come against us, and you’ll find out just how many predators are behind these gates.”
The alphas all growled, letting out their beasts a little, and Seneca added his bear’s growl to the group.Dario was visibly taken aback by the sheer show of force, but once more quickly schooled his features.
Without a word, he turned with his enforcers and got in the vehicles.Gravel sprayed from the tires as they spun swiftly, the vehicles lurching down the parking lot toward the exit.
“Let’s hope that he’s smart enough to just stay the hell away,” Marcus said.
“If he’s not, we’ll be ready,” Caesar said.
Seneca walked back to the employee cafeteria with the alphas.He made his way down to the private living area with his dad, his heart heavy with worry.
Worry for Sunny, for Fallon.For the park shifters.
“What if he comes back?”he whispered as he and his dad stood in the center of the room.
“We’ll deal with him,” Marcus said.“I’m not sure we’re done with him, but we can hope he’s realized how outnumbered he is.”
“If he doesn’t?”
“We’ve had many dangerous males come against us over the years.He’s just another blowhard alpha trying to exert his power and control over others.If he’s smart, he’ll forget about Fallon.”
Seneca snorted.“I don’t think he’s smart.”
Marcus grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.“I don’t think he is either.The security team has increased the number of males on patrol around the clock.You don’t need to worry about anything.Fallon is safe here underground and she’ll stay that way.And you and Sunny can keep each other safe as you work in the burger stall for your shift.Every worker will keep a walkie on them going forward so there’s an immediate way to be in touch with security.You can each grab one before you hit the stall tomorrow.”
“That’s smart.Will do.Thanks, Dad.”
“I will always stand up for you and your family, Seneca.”
