Chapter 143

Ethan

“You mean you will make things worse,” Zev says, still pacing in my mind as I sit behind my desk.

“Yes, I mean me. I have to figure out how to change the council’s mind. Without doing that, Fiona will never be happy,” I tell him and grab several sheets of paper. I have to come up with an argument good enough that they will listen to. If they don’t agree, I at least need to say something they can’t refute.

“She will only be unhappy without us,” Zev tries to argue.

“I know.”

He huffs and claws at the insides of my mind, growling, “Then go to her! I want to be with my mate and my pack. They will accept her. I do not care about Lycan Kings.”

“We can’t give up on everything we’ve strived for since we were a pup,” I tell him, knowing he’s driven more by instinct than anything else.

He has never truly cared about the Lycan King title. His only attachment to the title was that it’s what I’ve always wanted, what my pack expected from us.

“I will not let you drive our mate away for—”

“Then help me convince them she is worthy and precious,” I snarl, baring my teeth at him. He shrinks back a step, his ears flattening against his head as my Alpha tone seeps even into him. “I didn’t mean to snap, Zev. I’m just stressed.”

He nods in acceptance and sighs, “I know. I am just worried about our little mate.”

“I am too, and it doesn’t help that no one else is,” I tell him.

“Our Beta is good, and our pack. They will worry too.”

“Most of them,” I mutter, thinking of my father’s anger and my mother’s disgust when I told them I wouldn’t marry Angela. I had thought better of them up until that point, had thought they would at least keep their opinions polite, but when my father demanded the bond didn’t matter, I knew he wouldn’t be changing his mind.

“Then we should work hard to keep her.”

“We should,” I tell Zev, picking up a pen. Fiona has so many qualities of an amazing Luna, and if others can’t see past the fact that she’s human, I’ll have to convince them another way. I didn’t want to bring her to the West because of the danger she could run into, but maybe it’s the last resort, but for now, I will try to convince them with my words.

Paper after paper, I try to draft an argument letter to the council, explaining how worthy Fiona is to be my mate.

Scribbles and scratches.

Crumpled and wasted paper.

Words that seem too weak.

Paper after paper.

Speech after speech.

It all comes out wrong as I write and throw my paper out. Soon, the trash bin is full of failed attempts to convince the council. There’s not much I can say that will convince them if they’ve already made up their minds about a human. It’s all they’ll see.

“Write with your heart,” Zev says, sighing.

“You think I haven’t been?”

“No. You write with your head. Human head,” he says. “Use instincts. Tell who and what she is to us… in your heart.”

My pen taps against the new sheet of paper, and I close my eyes, trying to pull the words from within.

“You’re trying too hard.”

“Shut up,” I growl. Then, I take a deep breath, let my mind go blank, and think about Fiona. Memories of being with her, of everything she’s meant to me since we met, of all the smiles she’s sent my way, of the fear I felt when she was in danger… I think about it all, letting my pen fly across the paper.

And just as I finish, my cellphone rings.

My concentration shatters, and I growl, until I see the number.

“This is Alpha Montgomery,” I say as the call connects.

“Alpha Montgomery, I apologize for calling during a business day, but the Elders have called a meeting to discuss the upcoming Selection and the concerns surrounding your mating,” the slightly timid voice of Elder Raen says.

“This isn’t a good time, Elder Raen,” I say, glancing down at the letter I’m writing. “I understand there is concern about my human mate, but I am going to handle the council before they make a decision.”

“Yes, Alpha, but how you handle this delicate situation should be discussed and planned under the wisdom of your elders. It is what we are here for, so we request that you come back for the meeting to discuss the best path to take from here,” Elder Raen says, his voice calm and collected. They probably had him call since he’s the most levelheaded out of all the elders.

“Could this wait until the weekend?”

“I’m sorry, Alpha. This needs to be decided with no delay,” he answers, and I sigh. I knew it. I don’t want to avoid difficult topics, but they could’ve already brought this up when I was there last, instead of waiting until I got all the way back here to pull me away again.

I suspect they’re trying to keep me from Fiona, when possible, but I don’t say anything about it. They have their concerns, which are valid even if I don’t like them.

“Alright, Elder Raen,” I murmur, scrubbing a hand down my face. “I have a few things to wrap up here, but I’ll be there by tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Alpha. Safe travels.”

My heart slams in my chest as I check the fifth location with no sign of Fiona. The phone rings endlessly in my ear again, and again, it goes straight to voicemail.

“Did you find her?” Ryan asks as he jogs over to me. I shake my head. She wasn’t in Ryan’s office, in the break room, or in the employee lunchroom, which are her usual hangouts. When I called home, the staff said Fiona hadn’t returned and Fiona’s friend, Isla, said she wasn’t home.

“I don’t think she’s here. You keep looking here and around the area, I’ll look outside,” I tell him. “Let me know if you find her.”

“Of course.”

Her scent is stale, like she hasn’t been in the building for a while, so I follow it, making my way outside. It grows stronger the further away I walk from the building, and as I turn toward the children’s park, it hits me. Clear and strong, and…

There she is, sitting on the swing, barely rocking back and forth as she stares up at the sky. I slowly stop, watching as she silently cries.

The ache in my chest turns into a heavy burning at the sight of her tears. It’s my fault, but I don’t know what else to do. Pack affairs are far more complicated than anything she’s ready to take on, especially when no one seems to want her around.

It would only cause her more pain.

“More than feeling alone and disrespected?” My wolf asks, nudging me forward.

My feet move on their own, taking a few steps, before I stop myself. Her fingers curl around her phone that’s in her lap, and I rub at my own eyes. If she wanted me here, she would’ve answered my calls.

Though, I don’t think I could leave her alone. Not yet.

Angela

“That human girl needs to go,” former Alpha Montgomery growls through the phone. I nod silently, glancing around the office.

Ethan had already left few minutes ago in a rush, Fiona wasn’t around, which gave me the perfect opportunity to snoop.

“Find anything that will get rid of her. If you can find a way to get the human out of my son’s life, I’ll make sure you marry Ethan,” Mr. Montgomery says, and my wolf bounces with happiness inside.

“I won’t let you down.”

He says nothing else, just hangs up and leaves me to dig through Ethan’s office. I keep one eye on the door as I search through cabinets, looking for any type of evidence or charm that has made Ethan fall for such a pathetic human. However, as I make it through the cabinets and into his desk drawers, I don’t find any kind of charm that would bewitch someone.

Ethan’s desk drawers are fairly empty other than a few files, and just as I go to close the last drawer, a paper size file envelope with Fiona’s name on it catches my eye.

Peering over my shoulder, I check that no one is coming and pull the envelope out. It isn’t sealed, so the paper easily slides out, and I eagerly take in the juicy details of my new weapon.