I leaned back slightly, unsure of what they were going to say. Katie dug into her pocket and placed a paper on the counter.
“My machine spat out another set of names.”
I felt my body tense up as Katie slid a paper towards me. “It has yours.”
I looked down at the paper, reading my name, but what made my stomach dip was the name next to it.
Francis Jameson.
I felt like I was going to vomit up my food, and I stared at the paper. I suddenly couldn't breathe as I put the names together, knowing what it meant.
“Okay, so you look ready to freak out,” Sam said softly, placing her hands on the counter. “Which is why we are both here. It's not that bad. It's a big change, but you'll be okay. And you never know what will happen.”
I didn't know Frank. Never spoke to him, but I didn't need to, because his reputation was all over the place. Frank was the meanest of the Alphas, and for good reasons. He didn’t like humans, and he made that well-known through all of the packs.
“You're telling me.” I paused, placing my hand on the paper. I read the names three times and then looked up at them. “That I'm paired up with the Alpha who hates humans?”
“He doesn't hate them,” Sam said.
“Do you know how hard it is for a human to live in his pack?” I asked, knowing from what people told me. “Number-wise? He has less than five percent. This pack has sixty. And do you know why? Because he doesn't like humans. He doesn't welcome them.”
They both fell quiet for a moment as Katie placed her hand over mine. “It's going to be okay.”
I did not believe that. I didn't believe it for a second. “This has to be a mistake.”
Katie shook her head. “It's not.”
“Run it again.”
Katie shook her head again. “I did. Three times all the same.”
I ran a hand through my hair and looked over to the living room, and found the guys and kids were gone. I turned back to the girls. “Did the guys know?”
They both nodded. “Yeah, they are telling him this afternoon.”
I suddenly felt like I was suffocating. I chewed on my cheek and felt Katie's hand on my back. “Breath. It's going to be okay.”
How could this be happening? After everything? I was just starting to get settled and figure my life out, and now this.
“Does the Council now?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah. They know as soon as Katie does. They want the wedding soon.”
Fuck my life.
Chapter 2 - Frank
“I still can't believe he was picked over me,” Maddox said as he yanked at his tie. His brown hair was combed back nicely, and his gray suit looked nice. I was pretty sure he looked better than I did today.
“Stop complaining,” Jay said from the couch. He was working on a beer, looking relaxed. Henrik sat next to him with his feet placed up on the coffee table. They both were wearing gray suits, looking put together.
“I'm just saying,” Maddox said, putting his tie into position. He turned from the mirror back to the guys. “I'm a lot better looking than he is.” He pointed a thumb at me.
I scowled, and Jones snorted as he handed me my tie. “Ouch.”
“You know, if you're just going to complain, you don't have to be a part of this,” I grumbled, clearly still in a mood.
I was trying to turn it around, but it wasn't happening. I was furious. Still angry that the Council was forcing us to marry humans, and we had no say in it. I knew that Jay and Henrik were happy, and I was glad for them. But I knew myself, and there was no way I would have a happily ever after being married to someone weaker than me.
