Robbie nodded as he sighed. Kelly reached up and squeezed his arm. Robbie looked surprised at this, but pleased.
He tapped on the screen of the tablet.
The monitor on the wall lit up.
There was a beep. And then another. And then another.
And then—
Michelle Hughes appeared on the screen.
Her face was blank.
“Alphas Bennett and Matheson,” she said, voice cool.
“Alpha Hughes,” Joe said.
“I must admit I expected to hear from you sooner.” She took in the room. “And the entire pack, no less. This must be important. Robbie, how are you?”
Robbie’s eyes narrowed. “Do you even care?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
“I’m fine. I’m with my pack, where I belong.”
“So I see. You’ve been busy, Bennett pack.”
“We have,” Joe said. “Which is why we’ve requested this meeting.”
“A curious thing, that,” she said. “A request. After all that you’ve done. The good people you’ve killed.”
I snorted. “Lady, you’ve seriously got a fucked-up ideology if you think there was anything good about the hunters. Especially Elijah. You knew her history with this pack.?
??
“The witches,” she snapped. “The witches those—those things slaughtered.”
“Casualties of the war you’ve brought upon yourself. If anyone is to blame, it’s you.”
And that caught her attention. “War. Dale said—”
“Dale,” I said, a nasty smile on my face. “Is he there? Can he hear me?”
It only lasted a split second, but her eyes flickered away from the camera before looking back at us. “I don’t see what my witch has to do with—”
“He ran before we could get to him,” I said, and Mark growled beside me. “He should know there’s nowhere he can go that I won’t find him. And I will find him.”
“Are you threatening my witch, Livingstone?”
“You’re goddamn right I am.”
She glared at me before looking at the Alphas. “I demand that you—”
“See, that’s where you should stop,” Ox said, and we felt his great anger rolling through us. “Because you don’t have the right to demand anything of us.”
“You are out of line, Alpha Matheson. I suggest—”
“It’s time for you to step down,” Ox said, and I saw the moment the words hit her, landing like a punch to her gut. She inhaled sharply. Her eyes looked as if they were filling with blood. “Your time as the Alpha of all has come to an end. My mate, Joe Bennett, is ready to claim what is rightfully his.”