Ties (Running With Alphas Book 6) by Viola Rivard Read Free Book Online Page A

hadn’t considered that he might actually say things.
     
    “I think this has gone on long enough. Alder and I don’t want war,” she told him. “And believe it or not, neither does Hale. We just want to bring Snow home, before her own pack shows up and things start to get out of hand.
     
    “I know it’s hard over there. There’s not enough game in the mountain to feed your pack. Give Snow back to us and you have my word that your pack can hunt in our forest this winter. If everything goes well, Alder and Hale have agreed to extend the arrangement into next year.”
     
    She didn’t have to wait long for Silas’s response. She saw his mouth move, but without the benefit of preternatural hearing, she couldn’t pick up what he was saying across the divide.
     
    Laurel leaned in. “He asks why he should trust you.”
     
    Taylor had been prepared for that question—if prepared meant that she was aware he was going to ask it. She didn’t have a reassuring answer for him, so she hoped he could appreciate an honest one.
     
    “I have no idea why you should trust me,” she said bluntly. “You don’t know me and your recent dealings with my mates have been, well, pretty bad. But really, why does anyone trust anyone? I guess in this case, you’re just going to have to go with your gut.”
     
    Letting go of Alder, she put a hand to her chest. “But please, while you’re thinking it over, consider what’s best for Snow.”
     
    There was so much more she wanted to say to him. That Snow was far too young for any serious relationship and needed to be with her family. That Silas was in no position to care for her when he could barely provide for his own pack. That imprisonment couldn’t possibly be the basis of a healthy relationship. But all of these were things best said and extrapolated upon in private. She couldn’t afford to put him on the defensive in front of two packs. She just had to hope that he truly did care about Snow and was mature enough to recognize these things himself.
     
    Alder, who had shifted into his human form, addressed Silas next. He motioned to the deer carcasses. “We’re going to leave these here. You can come and get them once we’re back in the trees.”
     
    Silas was still looking at Taylor. He was too far away for her to gauge his expression She waited to see if any more words would be exchanged, but instead Silas waved his hand, sending a signal to the wolves in the trees.
     
    A moment later, Lark emerged from the woods, looking frazzled. Both sides stood in silence as she made her way across the field, shoulders hunched and arms wrapped around herself.
     
    Taylor barely had time to greet Lark before Alder had shifted and Laurel was urging her to climb onto his back. She complied, knowing that it probably wasn’t the best place to hold a conversation.
     
    As her pack headed for the trees, Taylor looked back over her shoulder. Silas was still watching her. He didn’t seem like a bad guy, just a kid who was in over his head, doing his best to be strong for his pack. She couldn’t have handled that sort of pressure now, let alone when she had been a teenager.
     
    Back in the sanctuary of the forest, Hale came to walk alongside of them. By Taylor’s request, he’d been made to wait in the woods, seeing as how his presence would likely only cause friction.
     
    “You did well out there,” he said, patting her calf. “He might actually be considering it.”
     
    “I agree,” said Laurel. “This conflict has gone on too long and I’m sure his pack is just as tired of it as we are. He’s probably relieved that Taylor gave him an out, provided he trusts us this time.”
     
    While Alder was unable to state his opinion in his wolf form, Taylor could sense the shift in his mood. His steps were lighter and there was a renewed spark of optimism in his blue eyes that was balm on her tired soul.
     
    There was a hum of excitement throughout the pack as they marched back to