“What, no? It’s my phone.” Why is he so concerned with who I’m messaging?
“Until the end of the meeting, it is mine. Now, hurry, your father was worried about you.”
“So, what? You decided to play errand boy for my father?” I sneer. Who is this guy, my teacher?
If he thinks I’m going to take his crap because he’s an Alpha, he is in for a shock because I am also an Alpha and do not have to bow to him.
“I’m waiting for my Beta. Now, use the bathroom before I tell Alpha Dane how excited you are to take Boyd as your mate, and become the next Luna of Claymore pack,” he growls, and my face falls.
“I am not taking him as my mate!” My tone changing to a growl. Alpha Zayn smiles deviously.
“Then you better get back to the meeting to say that. I heard Alpha Dane ask to speak with your father after the meeting about an alliance proposal.”
“What did my father say?” I ask him, slightly worried. This is common within packs. My father married my mother as part of a pack alliance. He then took over her pack, only to find his true mate in my stepmother. It made things complicated. At first, my mother had accepted it, though Linda wasn’t as accepting as my mother. This is one thing that constantly worries me, even if we take a chosen mate, we will still recognize our true destined mate.
“I didn’t hear. My Beta mindlinked me,” he says as he steps closer and leans down. “He can’t marry you off without your consent. So make sure you don’t give it.”
“You know it’s not that easy,” I reply, noticing how good he smells as he leans in closer, making me want to step nearer so I can soak up his scent. I almost follow that instinct when I snap out of the weird haze I’m under before embarrassing myself.
“Isn’t it?”
“It could cause pack wars,” I remind him.
“You’ll have strong alliances.”
“I highly doubt Alpha Samuel will go up against Alpha Dane, given they’re best friends, and he is the only Alpha my father currently has an alliance with.” My eyes burn at the thought as tears spring to my eyes.
“The only thing that would stop that from going ahead…” he begins to say, then smirks. I want to slap him for being a jerk about me possibly being married off.
“A mate, I know!” I snap at him, and his brows pinch. It’s alright for him; he isn’t being forced to marry someone he doesn’t like. I gulp, a lump forms in my throat. How will Iexplain this to Deacon? We have plans. Plans that don’t involve political alliances.
“Are you seriously not going to—” his words cut off when someone in the distance calls his name.
“Alpha?” mutters a voice. Peering around him, I see his Beta standing on the stairs.
Using his distraction, I turn to the bathroom, push the door open, and quickly move inside. I wash my hands, not actually needing to use the bathroom, just trying to buy time. Now the urge to escape extends beyond avoiding an annoying meeting. I need to speak to Boyd and try to get him to talk his father out of that idea. Deacon will be my mate if my wolf doesn’t find her own. We’ve already discussed it. Striding back out, Alpha Zayn is still talking to his Beta, and I internally groan so much for escaping.
“I should go back into the meeting,” he tells his Beta, and I know I won’t be sneaking off anywhere with the Alpha around to alert my father. He turns and moves toward me. I quickly rush back into the meeting and retake my seat.
Alpha Zayn follows me a second later. My father once again looks furious about having to wait for Alpha Zayn.
“Sorry, my Beta needed me,” Alpha Zayn states, and the other Alphas don’t seem to mind. However, my father does.
“That’s what the mindlink is for,” my father snarls.
“Really? I wouldn’t have known, Joseph. Last I checked, the mindlink provides me with access to his thoughts, not his eyes. He had something to show me. Now, can we continue?”
My father’s lips tug in the corners, and I know he is biting back what he wants to say.
I lean back in my seat, sulking that I can’t escape to see Deacon. Yet, one part of me is grateful to Boyd for the heads up about my dad’s plan. If he thinks I’m marrying Boyd, he is severely mistaken.
The meeting drags on, tensions rise as Alpha Zayn continues to shut down my father’s every argument. Dad’s temper is boiling, his hands clenched into fists on the table. They speak about the threat of the rogues and new treaty deals. As time passes, my father becomes increasingly angry as everything he says get shut down.
None of the other Alphas dare to interfere, and I wonder what my father did to infuriate Zayn so badly. Surely, it isn’t just because of the look my father gave him when he entered. Eventually, my father finally snaps and explodes, making me jump in my seat.
“Fuck this. If you are just going to hand him control of the city, then I am done here,” my father snarls.
“Sit down, Joseph. My men on your borders is the only thing keeping the rogues off your land. So sit the fuck down and shut up!” Alpha Zayn growls, his fist comes down on the table with a loud thud. The wood creaks and groans, a crack slivers right up the middle of it.
