Chapter Five

As much as I wanted to go after Lena, Jerrod insisted we had to answer the summons of the werewolf pack leaders first. So we drove downtown to reach the skyscraper that housed the pack leader headquarters. It was also an international business, but for those of us in the pack, it was where the movers and shakers could be found. And faced the way we had to now.

Worry gnawed at me. Not just for this meeting, but because of what my words had done to my mate. Lena. I’d messed up badly, and I had no idea how I was going to fix it. I hadn’t dealt with another woman in a relationship for the better part of a decade. If Jerrod or I said the wrong thing, we called each other on it and handled the issue. End of story. There was no walking away.

A bony human lead us to the long boardroom where the pack leaders convened. The room stretched endlessly before us, and the most powerful people in my world sat at a shiny oak table. I felt like we’d interrupted a conference in session rather than appeared for a requested meeting. I choked back a nervous laugh—like this could be called something as civil as a meeting. A flurry of moments centered around one man, and he read through a sheaf of papers without looking at us.

Alain smirked from where he stood behind our leader, our Alpha. The large man’s dark hair was lightly peppered with grey. Jerrod and I bowed our heads before him in respect.

“You know why you’ve been called before us.” Malcon’s deep voice carried down the table.

Jerrod took a half step forward. “Yes, and I would dispute the validity of the claim against us.”

The whole room drew a breath, and I concentrated on keeping my face expressionless. Well, my mate wasn’t pulling his punches this morning. I hoped like hell that he was playing this situation right, but I trusted him to get us through this. The way I didn’t yet trust Lena. And that was what our problem boiled down to. I had faith that Jerrod could confront our leaders and win, but I didn’t know Lena well enough to have that same faith.

Everything had happened so fast, and that instantaneous connection of the soul hadn’t meant my mind was keeping pace. We needed that chance…to develop the potential into something strong. A trust as unbreakable as the mate bond between us. I took a breath and let those realizations settle. Yes. That was right. Whether we stayed here in L.A. or needed to move somewhere else, the most important thing was our mating. Jerrod understood that, and so did Lena. It had just taken me a bit longer to catch up.

I knew I craved stability, something my mother had never provided after my father died. She’d flitted from one wolf to the next, always looking for that mated connection, but she never found it again. And I never knew who I was coming home to—a quiet, competent mother who made sure I had what I needed or her neglect while she focused on keeping the man in her bed happy. Jerrod had given me that stability, and Lena, through no fault of her own, might strip it away from me. But what she brought was something more precious. Something my mother craved more than anything. A mate. A connection. Belonging. I had been so stupid, so blind. So damn scared.

I would fix this somehow, but for the moment, I needed to help my other mate get us out of this mess. I forced myself to focus on the people in the silent boardroom.

Malcon finally glanced up, pinned us with his gaze. “You dispute the concerns of your pack leaders?”

My mate didn’t back down, his chin angled stubbornly. “I have the highest respect for my leaders, sir. However, this claim calls into question the instincts of my mates and me. How can that possibly be valid? No one can dictate what instincts we receive.”

“Your instincts seem fallible with your stance on werewolf-vampire relations at your place of business.” Alain’s slick voice cut across anything the other men might have said.

Jerrod glared coolly, a direct challenge in his gaze. “You’re confusing politics with instincts, Alain. The two have nothing to do with each other. Try to remember that. And it’s not my politics that are being called into question.” His gaze locked on Malcon. “Is it?”

The older man steepled his fingers together and pressed them to his lips. When he spoke, it was slowly, the words considered. “No. No, it’s not.”

“Sir, you can’t possibly—”

“Be silent, Alain. This is not your concern.” Malcon didn’t deign to turn and look at him. “And do not ever tell me what I can or can’t possibly do. Is that clear?”

The man’s eyes bugged out of their sockets, and he turned a very nasty shade of purple. He choked out, “Yes. Sir.”

I barely hid a grin, focusing on the middle button of Malcon’s dress shirt so Alain couldn’t see the mockery I knew would flash in my gaze. He was a greasy little prick, and this might be the first time he’d ever been put in his place. He’d danced to the leader’s tune his whole life, and it had gotten him where he was. The Alpha’s right hand. I wondered how long that would last now. More changes for everyone. Malcon didn’t seem much like his father. Interesting times lay ahead for our kind…at least in L.A.

“I swear, as does my mate Rachel, that Lena is our mate as well.” Jerrod ignored Alain to focus on the Alpha. “We have mated in the tradition of all werewolves. How can that be refuted?”

Malcon nodded before he focused on me. My spine straightened, and I forced my eyes to meet his. It felt unnatural, disrespectful, but I didn’t let myself look away. I swallowed and lifted my chin.

A small grin quirked the side of his mouth. “What of you, Rachel? Do you stand behind your mate?”

“Beside them, sir. Both of them.” I pushed my hair over my shoulder and tried not to fidget nervously.

He hummed in the back of his throat. “Alain tells me your other mate, Lena, left rather abruptly this morning.”

“Not everything with a new mating goes smoothly, sir.” I’d never made a truer statement in my entire life. A wry smile pulled at my lips.

An answering grin formed at the side of his mouth, and I noticed for the first time that he was a handsome man. “So I’ve seen, but I’ve never experienced it myself.”

“I’m certain you will, sir.”

At that, he let loose a short bark of laughter. “Any pointers for my future bride?”

I considered the question more closely than maybe I would have normally. My own recent mating wasn’t going all that well. And my actions affected not only Lena and my relationship, but Jerrod and Lena’s, and Jerrod’s and mine. A delicate balance, and I better learn to walk that tightrope fast. For all our sakes. “The only advice I have, sir, is: Hold on tight no matter how scary it is. Mating is as much a test as it is a joy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind should I ever find her.” His grin slid away as he sobered abruptly. He faced my mate. “As for your politics, Jerrod.” He tilted his head. “I would say you’re very fortunate that this didn’t happen two months ago. I’m a bit more…open…to peaceful relations between our people and the vampires than my father was.”

Jerrod nodded. “Yes, sir.”

A murmur broke out down the table, and Malcon silenced it with a single glance. So, he was using us as a way to make a political statement on his rule. Okay, then. As long as it worked out well for us, I was totally on board. The Alpha took a breath. “Times are changing. Vampires and werewolves are no longer a secret to humans. We must make strides to find a lasting peace between our people, or we’ll die. How long do you think humans would let us conduct open war before they interfered? We might be stronger, older, but they still outnumber us. I’ll have no interference. I’ll have no more war.

“Anyone in the pack who disagrees may leave with my blessing. Anyone who remains and tries to gainsay me…will regret it before they die.” He focused on my mate again. “Times are changing. One of those changes may be that a man might have two mates at once. I am not one to question the instincts of a wolf. They are not ruled over by law—mine or any other Alpha’s. Especially when that wolf’s instincts have always been commendable in all areas.”

“Thank you.” Jerrod’s chin dipped in a respectful nod.

The Alpha returned the gesture. “Bring your mate before me tomorrow. I’ll speak with her and see if she would make a good member to our pack.”

“Yes, sir. And she will, sir.”

“That’s all for today.”

Jerrod opened his mouth to speak, and I latched my hand over his forearm and leaned toward him. “Let’s get while the getting is good.”

“Hell, yeah.” He glanced down at me, nodded, wrapped his fingers around mine and drew me out of the room.

When we exited the building, the cool of the late fall afternoon wrapped around me, and I realized sweat had stuck my shirt to my back. My breath rushed out with relief, and I stopped to brace my hands on my knees. “Holy shit.”

Jerrod’s hand rested warm and comforting between my shoulder blades. “Well. Malcon seems nice enough.”

I laughed, angling a glance up at him. “You’re insane, you know that, right?”

“It’s part of my charm.” His fingers cupped my elbow and drew me upright. “Come on. We dodged one bullet, but we have another problem to deal with.”

A sigh eased past my lips. “I have another problem to deal with. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yeah, well. We’re in this together, Rach.” He shrugged. “Not everyone is going to agree with our new Alpha, and we can’t force them to…so let’s deal with what we can fix.”