Jaded Hearts
Chapter 73

Matt

“We need to be at the airport in two hours, so that gives Witt about an hour to discuss whatever’s on his mind,” I said as Xander, Alexi, and I left our rooms with our bags. Everything was handed off to the omega staff, who would pack it away in the truck for us.

Xan looked down at his watch.

“That’s perfect. I told him to meet us at the conference room at 10:00 a.m., so we should head over. We’ve got the upper hand in this meeting, but I won’t start off by being an a*s and making him wait around.”

When we got there, Colton was already seated with two other men, waiting. They all stood when we entered.

“Good morning, Alpha Witt. I apologize for being a few minutes late,” Xander said as he shook his hand.

“We just got here a minute before you did, so don’t worry about it. I want to introduce my Beta, who also happens to be my younger brother, Isaiah Witt,” he replied, pointing to the man beside him.

“Alpha Black, Mr. Kostov, Gamma Stone, it’s a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. Thank you for agreeing to talk with us today.”

Colton continued, “And last, we have my Gamma, Nathan Bradford.”

We all went through the usual pleasantries before it was time to get down to business.

“So, Alpha Witt. What can Blue Moon do for you today?” Xander started off.

“I think it’s what Dark Woods can do for you, Alpha. We’ve found Andrew,” Witt replied with a smile.

“Maple Bark Lane? We found him as well, twice actually.”

The small bit of confidence Witt had coming into the meeting quickly dissolved. This was his ace in the hole, and we’d unknowingly snatched it away. “How? I had my people working round the clock for days on this. How did you replace him before we did? How many men did you use?”

“Just one.”

“That’s impressive, Alpha. It’s just another reason why we want to align with you one day. The resources and abilities that a pack your size has access to is incredible. It’s something I hope to achieve as well,” Witt replied.

“It takes time, effort, and a shitload of trust. If you can’t trust the people around you, you can’t successfully lead, and your pack will fail. The two men here with me, along with the two back at home, are my brothers. Not like you and Isaiah, but the bond is just as strong. I trust them all with my life, my family’s lives, and the lives of all seven hundred of my pack members. Build your team, and don’t automatically shy away from unlikely allies. They can turn out to be the most beneficial, sometimes.”

Colton nodded. “That’s valuable advice, especially coming from you. I’ll take it into consideration.”

I had a question that I’d wanted to ask for a while, and this seemed like the best time to finally get an answer.

“Alpha Witt, why are you so open to turning Drew over to us? I’m sure you know what we did to him when we first caught him, and what his fate will be this time. So why help us kill your brother?”

“That’s both simple and complicated. When my father was Alpha, I wanted to do everything I could to protect Drew. I’ve watched him grow from a pup to a man. He’s always been a troublemaker, but I still love him. When I took over the pack, I had to love and protect two hundred other wolves, so I couldn’t focus all my energies on my screwed-up little brother. A smart Alpha knows that if a member of your pack wrongs another in this way, they pay with their life. There was no other choice I could have made, and I’ll forever stand behind it.”

“But you could’ve just stood back and let us do what needed to be done. Instead, you actively helped,” I replied.

“If it would’ve been any other pack, I would have just let justice was run its course. But every pack on the west coast with any common sense hopes to align with Opal and Blue Moon. This is my olive branch to one day make that a reality.”

Xander leaned back in his chair. “It’s appreciated. I’ll be honest—it’ll take time for us to get to the point where we’re open to a solid alliance. Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose, but you’re doing a good job of earning ours. We’ll have to see what the next few days, weeks, and months hold in regard to a long-term commitment.”

“That’s understandable. I don’t think I could trust anyone related to someone like Drew. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s my f*****g brother, but I didn’t have the same relationship with him that Colt did,” Isaiah said with a scowl.

“You guys didn’t play cowboys and Indians as kids?” I joked.

“f**k no. We were constantly at each other’s throats. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times Colt had to pull us off each other. If he had stayed, one of us would be dead by now, no doubt about it.”

“Damn. That sucks,” I replied, surprised to hear how serious Isaiah was.

“He’s a hard man to love when he’s not wearing the mask, always has been. Even as a pup.”

“We get it. He’s no longer your concern or your headache. Congratulations,” Colton said, frowning at his brother.

I understood Colt more than I thought. I was also the oldest and felt that it was my job to take care of my little brothers. And it wasn’t always easy. I couldn’t imagine having to banish one from the pack or hand them over to another pack so they could be killed. No brother should have to do something like that.

“We need to get to the airport so we can make our flight, but give me a call next week. Maybe you three can come out and see the way we run our pack. Something may resonate with you that you can apply back at home,” Xander offered.

“That would be amazing; I’ll definitely give you a call. You gentlemen have a safe flight,” Colton said as he stood to his feet.

* * *

Taylor

“I’m so excited! They should be home any minute,” I chirped to a clearly annoyed Morgan.

“Chill out, girl. It’s only been two and a half days, and it’s not like you’ve been lonely this entire time.”

“I don’t care. My man is coming home, and I missed him. Having good company while he was gone doesn’t change that.”

Gamma, their Yukon has just crossed over the pack border.

Ahh! Thank you!

“They’re here! One of the patrols just linked me!”

Morgan rolled her eyes and walked back into the kitchen.

“Well, I’m excited. Two nights without my husbands is a long damn time,” Alaia stated.

“Exactly!”

When the truck came to a stop, and Matt stepped out, I could no longer control myself. I rushed down the driveway and launched myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist.

Matt beamed. “Hey, angel, did you miss me?”

“You know I did! How is it possible that you look even better than you did three days ago? God, you’re gorgeous.”

I grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep k**s. I’d missed his lips so much, and I never wanted to be away from them again.

“I missed you too. So f*****g much.”

His lips trailed across my jaw and down to my mark, and just like that, I was hot and ready for him to take me.

“At least get in the house before you start sucking each other’s faces off. Have a little decency,” Xander chuckled as he walked by and scooped up his wife.

“Are you hungry? We’ve got a barbecue going out back for you guys,” I said.

Matt smiled at Xander, then looked back at me and said, “I’m hungry, but not for steaks.”

He pushed my back against the truck and ran his hands up and down my sides before taking a firm grip of my a*s. “I need this body stripped naked and underneath me in the next three minutes, or I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Inside! Now, Matt!” Xander boomed.

Matt growled into the side of my neck and turned towards the house, never taking the time to place me back on my feet. Once we were inside, he immediately started towards the stairs.

“Wait! I told you in the truck that I need a briefing with the team. Twenty minutes tops, then you can get back to playtime,” Xander called out after us.

Matt gave Xander a flat stare. “You have got to be joking. Does it have to be now?”

“Yes, now. We don’t have time for any mistakes. This operation has to be clean and precise, so get your a*s to my office.”

I kissed his face as he g*****d out loud. “We have all night, baby, don’t worry. Go handle whatever it is you need to. I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s absolutely going to be all night. Go eat—you’re going to need your energy.”

He placed me on my feet, then smacked me on the a*s before he headed up the stairs.

“Lex, Kade, Tyson! Why is no one where they’re supposed to be right now?” Xander yelled.

Tyson jogged up to him and smiled. “Being the boss isn’t so great any more, is it?”

“Upstairs.”

After a few more minutes of Xander yelling through the house, the other two guys finally appeared and headed up. As Xander passed, I gave him a quick hug. “Welcome home, Alpha.”

“Thank you. It wouldn’t be a proper welcome without at least a little chaos, though. I appreciate you ladies putting lunch together for us. We’ll be down as quick as we can to enjoy it with you.”

He kissed the top of my head and jogged up after his men.

* * *

“So, besides the rain, how was the summit? Did you guys negotiate any deals to take over the world?” I asked as I sat on Matt’s lap and fed him.

“Nothing that major, but we were approached by Dark Woods. They want to align with us.”

“Seriously? Please tell me you guys said no.”

“We didn’t say yes or no. Xander let Colton know that he’d have to gain our trust before we’d even consider it.”

I listened as he walked me through the conversation and his position on the whole alliance thing. The thought of working with them made me nervous, but it was just because of Drew. I wouldn’t have an issue with them if it wasn’t for him, so it wasn’t fair to automatically blacklist the entire pack.

“We won’t do anything without considering what it means for the entire pack. Alliances are good, but not at the expense of the safety and security of your people. That will always come first.”

“I can get behind that.”

Matt cupped my face and kissed me gently on the nose. “I have to leave again early in the morning before the sun comes up. All five of us do, but we’ll be back before nightfall. I promise.”

This was news to me. They’d just gotten home, and now they were leaving again?

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Where? And why do all of you have to go?”

“I can’t tell you where, baby, and I can’t tell you why, but we need the entire team. You’ll be safe here, so don’t worry.”

“I’m always safe here, but that won’t keep me from worrying about my family leaving under the cover of darkness to do some shady s**t they won’t even tell me about.”

“It’s not shady, tesoro. It just has to be done. We’ve got a small window, and we can’t let it close on us. That’s why we need everyone: no mistakes.”

“You know I trust you, and I’m more at ease knowing you’ll all be together watching each other’s backs. I just wish someone would’ve told me before now.”

I looked around the yard and saw that both Alaia and Morgan looked angry as well. I guess they just got the news too.

“We thought this was for the best. I’m sorry.”

I looked back and Matt and kissed him. “Don’t be sorry, just be careful. I want all five of you back here in one piece, understand?”

He smiled, then hugged me tight. “Yes, ma’am.”