The sadness that I felt was palpable, the room was heavy with it and I knew it wasn’t just my own.
I reached for Emmett’s hand and squeezed it, he looked at me giving me a small smile.
“Ready for a bath?” I asked fixing my face with a bright smile.
“No,” He shook his head his brown locks falling on his face, “We just did that.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “But you got stinky again,”
He tried to smell himself ruffling his nose, “No.”
“Yes,” I argued, “Quick bath and then books and snuggles,” I promised and he crossed his arms but didn’t fight it anymore.
After he was tucked in, twice, and we read books and I assured him I would come back and check in on him again, I was able to clear the table.
Putting the dishes in the dishwasher and rinsing the pots felt heavy. The sadness lingered and it wasn’t attached to any thoughts, I was worried that this was just something I would have to get used to.
I couldn’t imagine living like this, but Cali’s words came back to me. It wouldn’t always be like this and I had to trust her that it would get better. I hoped tomorrow would be easier.
(Caspien)
“And they want to meet now because?” My Beta, Griffin, was pacing my office.
“Because they want to pretend that they have any control, that they make the rules.” I sighed. We were after a meeting with Black Stone for months.
They weren’t part of our pack or territory but closely bordered it, I wouldn’t say we were allies but we, well I, tried to keep the peace as much as possible.
We’ve been trying to arrange a meeting with Alpha Jasper for months regarding slipping patrols on our borders. Rogues have been infiltrating the city and most of this city was human. It was something that didn’t affect Black Stone but could seriously cause problems for me, and the humans that lived here.
Most of our pack lived in a building in town that to everyone else seemed like apartments but our territory expanded through most of the city and to some of the forest beyond, where the original packhouse was and some members still lived with my parents acting as a proxy. It was just recently that most of the pack moved to the city and I wanted to make sure that no matter where my pack members chose to live they would have full resources and protection.
Black Stone did things differently. They were recently established, Alpha Jackson took over from the previous Hendrick and ended his long line in a challenge. Even though the pack was old the leadership was new and it lead to a lot of unpredictability.
We accepted it because it was law, the challenge was witnessed and fought fairly. Cresent Moon was already in hot water with them when my dad offered any of their pack members asylum within our pack when he was Alpha.
Many of Black Stone’s members took him up on that leaving when Alpha Jasper took over, leaving him with not many more members than he came with.
He never forgot it and thought we somehow cheated him from a pack. Even after I took over as Alpha he has been a pain in my a.ss ever since.
“He’s an Alpha, I get that there are politics to this but he can’t let a rogue problem persist just because he’s a bit butt hurt about past events,” My Gamma Holden shook his head, “We have to go, I know it’s not ideal, but we’ve been waiting for this meeting.”
“I know,” I wouldn’t put it off out of spite either but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t like not having control over the situation, it was a feeling that I rarely felt.
“We have to go now,” Holden continued gently looking towards Griffen who snapped his head up.
“Now?” Griffen repeated.
He found his mate, Nora, a year ago and she was pregnant with their first pup. Griffen has been anxious since he found out and didn’t like being away from her even during our meetings.
“Yes,” Holden turned back to me.
“Where do they want to meet?”
“Their pack,”
“No f.ucking way,” Griffen cut in.
“I agree,” I said, “Thats not happening. We’re meeting on neutral grounds as always,” I scrubbed my face with my hands, this was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
“Make the call,” I nodded to Griffen, “Where we met last time, no other options.”
I hoped that would work. I hated playing politics. My pack’s safety came first but I wasn’t going to cater to him.
“Increase border controls until we get back,” I commanded Holden. Griffen is in charge of pack security but with his mind elsewhere Holden filled in the gaps since he found out his mate was pregnant.
“Done, there won’t be any rogues that slip through.” He turned to make a few calls.
“They said no,” Griffen came back frowning.
I opened my phone and dialed Alpha Jasper immediately.
“I know you’re new to being an Alpha since you don’t come from a long line of Alpha blood as I do. So let me inform you how this works. You are a small pack, barely a pack really. However, you are still in charge of your borders and have to be respectful of those packs around you.”
“Alpha-“
“I’m not finished,” My voice turned to ice, it left no room for question.
“Your incompetence isn’t my problem, but it has become mine because your warriors are sloppy. Let me rephrase that, you are sloppy. Another little tip for you, everything in the pack falls on you. I don’t care what your excuses are, and I can tell you’re begging to let me know them all, but if one part of your pack is failing you are failing. We aren’t allies so we will meet on neutral grounds. My Beta laid out where, and it was a place you chose last time. Your pack is at risk, skip this aggressive b.ullshit, we all know who will win if it came down to it.”
The line was blank.
“You may speak,” I commanded.
“Alpha Caspien,” He chided.
“Alpha Dracos.” I corrected, “I’m royalty, you call me by my last name. Common Alphas are addressed by their first, Alpha Jasper,” I hoped he could hear the smile in my voice.
“We will meet you on neutral grounds,” He responded after a moment, “But I’ll tell you where.”
I laughed, “Whatever makes you feel in control. You have an hour to send the location, I have other things to attend to.”
Dread settled in and it didn’t make sense, my wolf started to pace around in my mind as I nodded to Griffen dismissing him to say his goodbyes.
Then I realized, it was almost lunchtime and we hadn’t seen Willa today. I checked my watch, I wouldn’t have time to make it there and back and I had too much to do here.
I debated texting her, I could find her number on her file even if she didn’t give it to me personally. But would she even want to hear from me? She made it clear she wasn’t ready and if I sounded too eager or desperate would that scare her away?
I almost laughed, I had never once been worried about sounding desperate before. H.ell, I don’t think I ever was desperate. I was more eager to see Willa for ten minutes a day than I had ever been to u.ndress a woman.
“What?” Holden leaned back against the wall studying me.
“What?”
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