Auctioned Mates Revenge
Chapter 69

Glenda's

POV

Matt and Felix returned from the dinner at Mordecai's hours later. Felix looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. He smiled at us both, greeted us, and walked straight to the balcony with his phone to his ear and his hand tapping out a cigarette. Whatever happened must have been stressful. I didn't notice it before, but Felix had a tremor in his hand that seemed eased only when he had a cigarette in his mouth. There was something about it that was waving big red flags at the back of my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I hadn't even started apprenticing with my mother before she died and the curriculum wasn't that advanced at the pack's school. Matt looked pensive as they sat in the living room where Emoni and I were eating ice cream and brainstorming about the next move. We both agreed that getting rid of Teagan was the most pressing thing, but how to frame her for something so that Mordecai would have good reason to annex her territory before Ben did was something else.

I didn't think it was possible, but she was convinced that there was a way to take out Skyfall and Frost Melt at the same time. Maybe I wasn't thinking big enough or maybe this was just something else I had to learn.

"Ben was there," Matt said, "Calvin, Andrew, Teagan, Megan, Gordon, and Greyson were there also."

Emoni looked frozen, her eyes narrowed, "Why?"

Matt sat back with a shake of his head, "I'll have to get some alone time with Mordecai to figure it out for sure, but it seemed to me that Teagan was trying to use my deal with Gordon as an opening to get more exports to Midnight. Ben seemed to be trying to garner a deal with Gordon, but it didn't look to be going well."

Emoni shook her head, "The distillery can't have two large contracts like that on top of its other orders. He isn't going to agree to expand."

Matt nodded, "You need a phone."

Grace nodded, "What about taps?"

Matt sighed, "I don't have an answer. Do you two have a code of some sort? I don't even think that Greyson's phone isn't watched."

"By Teagan?"

"By Megan. She was glued to him all night." Matt rubbed his head, "When Felix comes back, we'll have a full debrief, but my initial thoughts are that Skyfall and Frost Melt are planning to make a move on Midnight soon." "Why would Ben do that?"

"Not Ben," Matt said. "Wade."

Felix came back inside; the paleness hadn't eased but he didn't look like he was about to faint either.

"You owe me such a big favor for that shit," Felix said. "I wasn't planning on a restock for at least another month. You and your schemes are going to give me a heart attack."

Matt smirked wryly, "I'll pay for it."

"F**k you," Felix said flopping onto the couch. He glanced at the bowls of ice cream and smiled, "Lavender Honey?"

My face heated, "It's... a favorite."

Felix grinned, "You know, Renda. I think we'll get along great. Anyone who likes Cove Creamery is good in my book... unless you're a certain brand of a*****e, not to be named."

Matt shoved him, but it seemed playful.

"Would you like some?"

Felix grinned and stood, "I will help myself. Matt? Ice cream?"

"Don't be an a*s."

"That's surly for yes, and a lot of it."

I laughed and Emoni grinned as Felix got up to raid the freezer. It was curious that people seemed to always be getting something for Matt, but in Felix's case, it seemed like he just wasn't ready to sit down yet. He came back with two heaping bowls of ice cream, shoved one into Matt's hands, and sat down scooping some into his mouth.

High-calorie intake, my mother's voice drifted through my mind as if she had been teaching me about something. Jittery. High energy. Flushed. Flashing eyes.

Felix's eyes were naturally a bright grey. It was hard to tell if his eyes were flashing in the full light, but he had all the other symptoms. I couldn't remember exactly what the symptoms were of, but I felt nervous as if I was just waiting for something to explode. His hand was shaking as he ate and talked about the dinner. It had been tense as hell but mostly orchestrated to frustrate everyone at the table. Mordecai had mentioned Grace, a s*x party, the opening of Club Heaven, and how Sinner's Haven was doing. "They talked about supplying the upper-tier lounges with Blue Ice," Matt said, "But Gordon was against it, saying that distillery was already running at capacity. Teagan wanted to cancel some contracts in favor of a contract with Midnight directly, but Mordecai isn't over those negotiations. It seemed like they expected me to talk about a direct contract for Midnight or Warhammer, but I didn't."

He snorted, "Wade jumped in, of course, but Teagan doesn't like Wade and wasn't interested."

"Why not?"

Matt shrugged, "Teagan doesn't like his mother, Sonia, but she likes to be attached to Ben as a rule."

"...No one else was there?" Grace asked.

Matt shook his head, "Why?"

"Mordecai is against making a deal with anyone in that room."

I looked at her, "How would you know that?"

"Mordecai runs the pack, not the businesses. I'd wager that he doesn't like Teagan. He's probably pissed off at Ben for some reason, and by extension Wade. The conversation he had with Renda means that he knows Calvin and Andrew are suspicious. The only reason you and Felix came was that we ran into Ben today and Ben wanted you both there. It was a stalemate."

Felix looked between the two of them then our gazes met and an idea came to mind.

"Grace, I think you were right."

"What?"

"We need to make it seem like Teagan and Skyfall have been plotting against Midnight with one another and we need to keep Ben from having a reason to fight Mordecai for the takeover of the two packs due to his connections." Grace nodded and looked at Matt and Felix, "You two know anything about Interpack legislation about annexing that might help?"

Felix scoffed, "You really picked up some masterminds, Matt."

"I know. It's a bit terrifying," Matt said. "In general, the territory that's in the best position to render aid will be most affected or has a bigger hold on the conquered pack will annex the territories."

"If we take out Skyfall and Frost Melt, we'll need to take out Midnight soon after." Grace said, "Ben's not going to let Mordecai keep the momentum... with Green Bow going to fall too?"

"If Green Bow falls, it will be expected that Midnight will take over. With Skyfall and Frost Melt, there's a fight between Ben and Mordecai."

Felix lowered his gaze into his bowl, "Not if Ben has to turn over the two to get the guilt off him or Wade."

I looked at Felix and Matt did as well.

"Wade's never going to admit to being involved with Skyfall."

Matt chuckled, "He doesn't have to. Mordecai knows that Ben controls Skyfall and Teagan. If he doesn't want to piss off Mordecai directly, he'll give the territories up, so long as it's a public enough situation." I nodded, "What would be public enough?"

"Blowing up the distillery," Matt said.

Emoni looked haunted.

"A murder," Felix said.

"Are you saying I'll get a chance to claw that woman's eyes out?" Grace asked.

Matt grinned, "Are you sure you can handle that?"

"... she won't be the first person I've killed."

I looked at Emoni, shocked. Matt and Felix looked at each other then looked at me.

"Anything you want to share with the class, Renda?" Felix asked, "Golden Murderer and...?"

My lips twitched as I looked down, "Nothing to share here."

"It'd be nice if we could get Justin out of the way at the same time," Matt said. "But I think we're headed in the right direction with this. We'll see what happens after Club Heaven's opening night." I glanced at my phone. That was this weekend if I was right.

Felix let out a shaky breath as he finished his bowl of ice cream, "I'm hungry. Want anything?"

My heart lurched as he jumped to his feet and took his bowl to the kitchen.

"No," Matt said looking at him suspiciously. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Shaken up. You know I hate dealing with Ben. Mordecai's even worse. Don't worry about it. I'll order in. No driving like this."

I stood and approached him. He seemed startled as I got close enough. Alyssa whined.

He's not in danger, but he's dropping, she said.

I wasn't entirely sure what to do but I remembered just the tail end of a dream and took the bowl from him.

"We have food here," I told him. "Do you like pasta?"

Grace jumped up, "There are fewer more wonderful things in the world than pasta."