132

Tony

As Matt and I arrived in Hecate City for our meeting with the coven leaders, my patience was already wearing thin. The city always had a way of grating on my nerves, and this visit seemed to be no exception. The curse that was still on me wasn’t letting up at all. With our father’s release date coming closer and closer, we couldn’t risk still being unable to shift when he got free.
Our beta pulled up in front of the Hecate Coven’s capital hall. The scent of witches and their magic hung thickly in the air. I got out and Matt followed just behind me. We entered the building, hoping to get to someone who could lift our curses today.
There was only one receptionist and I headed to her. She was a young woman who smiled as I approached.
“We’re here to see the Hecate Elders.”
She cocked an eyebrow and her smile turned condescending. She glanced at Matt and then back to me
"Good morning. Do you have an appointment?" Her tone was dripping with fake sweetness.
“Of course not,” I said. “I’m –”
“If you don’t have an appointment, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be seeing the Elders today, though I would be happy to set you up with one.” She turned her gaze back to the screen of crystal in front of her. “They have openings… in December.”
“We don’t have time to wait until December,” I said. “This is a matter of supernatural importance. We’re the alphas of the Blue Moon pack.”
She blinked. “Next March, then?”
I growled at her even as the thought of it felt like a punch to my gut.
“Listen, we’ve come all this way. We’re not just anyone off the streets.” I glared at her. “The least you could do is show some respect and let them know we're here."
The receptionist's expression grew colder. “Merfolk from across the ocean have come, and the heads of dragon clans down to the smallest cluster of fairies have come to Hecate’s capital, and you know what they all had: an appointment.”
I clenched my fists, my frustration reaching its peak. I felt the rage pushing at the bonds and threatening to break out.
“I don’t give—”
“I’m sure as a leader, you can understand the importance of protocol.” She tilted her head. “I don’t suppose you would be very happy if your assistant just let anyone waltz in whenever they wanted? Especially when they have a history of violence and bigotry against your race on record?”
I glared at her, ready to march down the hall and interrupt whatever they were doing. Matt put a hand on my shoulder.
Calm down or you’ll pass out again.
Why are you so calm about this? I asked. The longer we’re under this spell, the more likely it is that word will get out.
“Miss,” Matt said softly. “We understand that we’ve come without an appointment, but it is important. Is there a space anywhere in their calendar today? Five minutes would be enough.”
She pursed her lips and eyed Matt. “Assuming there won’t be an outburst, I will at least ask if they would care to see you today.”
I clenched my jaw.
“That’s great,” Matt continued. “We’d appreciate it. Is there any way of knowing…”
The receptionist's expression shifted to pure annoyance.
“You can wait or leave,” she said, her eyes flashing as she smiled thinly. “I assure you the leaders have a preference for people like you, and I have no intention of holding up their schedules if you aren’t here.”
Matt gripped my shoulder tightly. “We’ll wait, thanks.”
He pulled me away and dragged me towards the waiting chairs. Then, he sat down beside me and pulled out his phone.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Texting.”
I growled, glaring at the receptionist. “Why do these bureaucratic types always have to make everything so difficult?"
“Probably wouldn’t have been so difficult if you didn’t start growling at her.”
“She started.”
“Now you sound like a child,” he said, his tone distracted as he typed on his phone. “Just sit back and relax. How long could it take?”

Hours. It had been hours since we came in. We saw several people come in, check-in, sit down, and enter the meeting hall. The receptionist didn’t even glance at us or say anything. My patience was eroding like ice in the middle of July. Matt was still completely unbothered, humming a little as he bounced his leg.
“They’ll see you now,” the receptionist said. I jumped to my feet as a small group of people left the meeting hall and hurried past them. Matt followed behind. The wait had made it impossible to keep calm.
Once we were inside and the doors had closed, I looked at the three women.
"We're here to have these curses lifted. I’d expect them to be lifted today."
Matt groaned and cleared his throat. “What he means is—”
“He said exactly what he means.” The eldest one shook her head. Her eyes were stern and cold as she looked down at us. The other two looked just as put out about our appearances.
“And you were quite right, five minutes will be more than enough time. You’re rude, arrogant, presumptuous, and should be ashamed of yourself,” the second eldest one said looking at me.
“I don’t care about your opinion. One of you did this to us after another one of you helped kidnap our mate. You’re keeping her from us, and me beyond a sense of diplomacy.”
The youngest one’s eyes twinkled. “Then, it’s best we leave that curse, hm? Wouldn’t you want to rack up more physical assault charges? It’s not like you could count on the Council to sweep them all under the rug.”
“You’re telling me you won’t?”
“Exactly. Any questions?”
I growled. My anger started to boil in me.
“Why not?” Matt asked. “I know my brother is being a bit… rude, but—”
“A bit?” The eldest asked. “I believe I would call it exceedingly.”
“They’re just ridiculous accusations!" I snarled. “That woman cursed us before we’d even done anything.”
“Her driver says differently. The surveillance spells on the car say different too.” The eldest one’s gaze hardened; her tone resolute. "The Council has allowed you and many other werewolves to go unchecked for too long. Consider it a lesson in comportment and diplomacy that you should have learned long before now.”
I clenched my fists, my anger fueling my words. "We did what we had to do to get our mate back.”
“And how did that work out for you?” The youngest asked.
I growled. “Don’t mock me, witch! I’ve had enough of you and your kind’s nonsense. What do you want to take off? Money?”
The youngest scoffed. “I think it’s worth more to renew it, honestly, and I’d do that for free.”
I turned sharply towards her.
“If you find yourself attacking another witch, we will petition the Council for a more permanent placement of the curse,” the middle one said. “As it stands, your curse will lift naturally over time. There is nothing further to discuss.”
“I’m not leaving until I get a real answer. We need our freedom back. We need to be able to lead our pack without these cursed restraints."
“The path you've chosen has consequences,” the middle one said. “Ones you should have considered long before you went to that party. You will simply have to deal with them. Goodbye.”
“Wait—”
Suddenly, we were outside the building, staring up at the front of it. I tried to re-enter, but the barrier shoved me back until I hit the ground. Matt stood at the bottom of the stairs, his arms crossed, looking up at the building.
I got to my feet. “Fucking witches.”
I turned back to the car and opened the door. I would have to find another way out of this, another way around it. If we remained suppressed, especially while we were searching for Lucy, there was a chance that she would never feel the mating pull.
Matt climbed in behind me and I dialed my contact with the Council.
“Whatever you have to do to delay his release, do it.”
I hung up and growled to myself. Matt was still on his phone as our beta drove us away from the building. I tried to think if I could go see that witch again and if she was powerful enough to remove it, but I’d have to find a way to explain it to Matt.
As we drove away from the coven headquarters, a heavy silence settled between Matt and me. The city passed in a blur. I rolled down the window to get a breath of fresh air and went still as a familiar scent carried by the wind caught my attention. I inhaled deeply, my senses on high alert.
“Stop the car.”
“What is it?” Matt asked.
I took a deeper breath. There was no mistaking it.
“It’s Lucy,” I said. My heart sped up with hope. “She’s near. She’s here.”
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