97
David
When I entered the room, the two representatives from the Council looked up with hard expressions. They looked like the wanted to say something. Then, I noticed that they didn’t even have glasses of salt water in front of them. Blue, my house manager and the wife of my beta, looked pissed off. I smiled at her.
“Thank you, Blue,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”
She glanced at the Council and pushed the cart full of refreshments towards the seat left for me. Trent was grinning and drinking Blue’s lemonade. She left with a scowl in their direction.
“I don’t appreciate you irritating my pack members,” I said taking a seat and pouring myself a glass of lemonade. “Makes my job a bit harder, and Blue is our saving grace around meal times.”
“She’s rude and disrespectful,” one of them said. “It’s a wonder she hasn’t been put in her place.”
“I could put you in your place,” I said lightly. I felt my power surge and a glint of red light gleamed in the glass. “You will not speak of my pack members that way, and be grateful that you are not simply sitting outside considering how little the Council has done for us over the years.”
The man flushed and his partner lifted his chin and slid an envelope across the table.
“You are officially being summoned for mediation.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “For what and with who?”
“The Council has decided that given you connections within the human world and your official relationship with the Blue Moon Pack that you would be the best to option to resolve the several issues on their behalf and within the supernatural community.”
My blood boiled as I glared at the man.
“You expect me to help Blue Moon?” I asked. “Why? Whatever trouble they’ve gotten into is their problem, not mine. We are not allies.”
“As a new alpha yourself---“
“Don’t even begin to compare my circumstances to theirs,” I hissed. “My predecessor, my father, may have been crazy but he never murdered people within his own pack.”
“Alpha David—”
“And he certainly didn’t go around parading with any and every single woman he could manage.” I narrowed my eyes. “My father had issues, but I’ll be damned before you compare him, and by extension me, to them.”
The man was quiet for a moment. I sat back and regarded them.
“You’ve been summoned and you will have to cooperate.”
I smiled. “For all the power the Council has. I can’t believe that any ally of mine would agree with that statement and I know for certain that the Hecate Coven wouldn’t even humor it.”
I tilted my head. “So, you want any form of cooperation beyond me showing up as is required for a summons, you’re going to have to give me a damn good reason.”
The two of them looked at each other and back down to the folder that they passed to me.
“Well?” I asked. “Are you going to continue to waste my time or get on with it?”
“As a member of the werewolf community, it is in your best interest to maintain peace.”
“There is no peace among us anymore,” I sneered. “So cut the crap. What do you want?”
I smirked. “And more importantly… why should I care?”
Trent’s eyes twinkled with amusement and pride as he sipped his lemonade and the two looked nervous. I stared at them, waiting for their answer.
“We… have to make a call.”
“Leave,” I said. “And don’t bother coming back until you have something better than a summons to negotiate with.”
I stood. “Blue.”
She opened the door along with two other members of my pack, Gemma and Ingrid. I smiled seeing the twins looking as disgruntled as ever.
“You’ve cut your hair again,” I said looking at Ingrid and nodded. “I expected it to be a different color this time.”
She smiled. “I lost a bet. Gemma’s going blonde.”
I laughed. “So you’ll both be more trouble than ever. If you could escort these two council representatives out. Blue, for future reference, I give you every right to make them stand outside like loiterers.”
She gave me a vicious grin. “You spoil me, alpha.”
“Wait,” one of them said. “You can’t really expect this to be the end of it. There will be war if you don’t cooperate.”
I turned back to look at the man. “You’re not a werewolf, so you have no idea, but let me be clear… Blue Moon, for all of their pacifist actions lately, are warriors. Not cunning, not intelligent but brutish and bloody. They take, and so long as you allow them to keep taking as they please they won’t fight, but I will not be bending to them.”
I glared at them. “If they want to take from me, they’re going to have to fight for it, and unlike in years before when we were outmatched, outnumbered, and unorganized, the Blood Moon Pack isn’t going to back down. I’d let them know that I’m only open to making deals not ultimatums.”
I picked up the summons. “I’ll show up, but if it’s not in the best interest in my pack, I won’t be doing a thing to help, and I dare the Council to try and force me.”
“You can’t defy the Council,” one of them said. “You’re barely of age, and—”
“Gemma, Ingrid,” I turned to them as their eyes filled with bright red light. “Get them out of my house.”
Trent and Amos, my beta, found me half an hour later pummeling a wolfsbane and magic crystal-laced punching bag. The rage felt like it was draining out of me the longer I punched, but it wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t go see Lucy and check on her full of rage like this.
I hadn’t even opened the summons yet. I heard Amos taking a seat and opening the summons as Trent settled into another seat in the room.
“You’ve come a long way,” Trent said. “I don’t think the Council is going to know what to do with you in a few months let alone a few years…”
He chuckled. “Having Lucy in your life is doing you good.”
My phone chimed across the room and Trent summoned it across the room.
“Message from Duke?”
“What’s it say?” I asked, stopping mid punch.
“He and the girls just dropped Lucy off at her place. No luck in cheering her up.”
I slammed my fist into the bag and a chunk of the fabric ripped sending pieces of magic crystal into the far wall like shrapnel. Amos let out a low whistle.
“I’m with Trent. Lucy’s good for you.”
Trent hummed. “Think you can fix it? You’re going to be pissed off later.”
I took a deep breath and focused on the wall, willing my magic to move. It came out in a rushing tide, slamming into the wall. The magical crystal and wolfsbane melted into the wall turning it a different color. Silver light sparked from the wall and it carved through the far wall in a vine-like pattern.
I glowered at the wall. “For fuck’s sake.”
“Well… that’s one way,” Trent said and waved a hand and the punching back sewed itself back together. “Better luck next time… and I guess this is now your personal training room.”
My lips twitched. “Hasn’t it always been?”
I sighed and sank onto a workout bench. “What’s the summons say?”
“Mediation,” Amos said. “Though you’re not going to actually be on the other side. You’ll be there as a… consultant. No details, but there are only a few things that the twins could be being brought up on charges for in the human world since we all know that the Council is going to sweep their other issues under the rug.”
“So this is about Lucy.” I clenched my fists.
“Aid in remedying a vital issue affecting the health and wholeness of the Blue Moon Pack.”
“Fuck them and their pack,” I said. Trent laughed.
“That’s the spirit!”
“What should I do?” I asked. “When is it?”
“In a few days,” Amos said, his lips twitching. “On your birthday at two in the afternoon.”
“I didn’t think I could possibly hate the Council more.” I set my jaw. I huffed. “All this planning and working overtime to clear my schedule for that day and this happens… Where?”
“Council Hall North of here. A mediation doesn’t tend to take more than a few hours,” Amos said. “With how hot-headed those two are, if you play it right, you’ll be done in half an hour.”
My lips twitched. “… You think I could convince a few friends on a weekend beach house trip?”
Trent went quiet before he snickered. “David, you’re making my whole year. Yes.”
Amos chuckled. “I’ll let Blue know that you’re going to the beach house.”
I nodded and summoned my phone out of Trent’s hand before typing a message to Duke.
I have a plan. What are you, Michelle, and Amy doing this weekend?
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
