The Mates of Monsters

Chapter 26

We are one of the last pairs to arrive beside the two solo men who enter together, chatting with glasses of ice and brown liquid in their hands. David finds our place and pulls out my chair. I touch his hand and sit while seeing who exactly we'll be accompanied by. Directly across the table are Alpha and Luna Lovegreen. On my right is Alpha Godoy and, next to him, Bonny. She leans forward and sends me a sleek smile.

"Luna Amin," Luna Lovegreen states, taking notice of my presence. "What a treat; I was worried I'd have no one to entertain myself, but I have much to find out about you, don't I? It's always nice to have new company. It gets rather boring hearing the same stories again and again."

"Please, Luna, call me Brigette."

"Then you must call me Mary. It is only fair."

Her English accent reminds me of my mother's favorite period dramas. I nod and say, "Mary it is. And I will entertain you the best I can."

Her interrogation begins with the story of how David and I met. He tells her and Alpha Lovegreen of his traveling and his poor luck of my pack being one of the last on his journey. Surprisingly, he says I wasn't very impressed at first, and Mary looks to me.

"I've never heard of such a thing," she says. "What more could you have hoped for?"

Our first plates are sat in front of us, and I say, "I was just a bit nervous, and it was hard for me to leave home."

"I remember the feeling," she recalls, her mind drifting to far memories for only a moment. "Alpha Lovegreen had no sympathy for me—taking me from my mother and father, brothers and sisters."

He grumbles, "That is not true."

Mary waves him off. "You have siblings, Brigette?"

"No. It's only me."

"Oh, you must want children then. I hear only children try to, well, create the feeling of a large family with their own. I have three myself—two boys and a little girl."

"Children," I draw out, "of course. I suppose I'll have as many as my body will let me. Have to make sure the bloodline is secure, as I hear so often."

I glance to David with a pleasant, lovable grin. "I'm sure you're happy to hear that, Alpha," the Luna chuckles, lifting her glass to her rose-colored lips. Her lipstick smears against the rim. "The young ones always start enthusiastic. Talk to me after your first, Brigette, and then we'll see how you feel."

"It's always easier said than done," I agree, having a sip of my own drink—dark wine that makes me feel like a vampire. "How old are your children?"

The conversation flows nicely, but I excuse myself when I notice Alpha Nicodra taking leave into the hallway. I mutter to David about how I have to use the restroom—the timing of our courses perfectly aligning with my schemes as the staff takes away the scraped-clean plates of our second.

I catch sight of Nicodra's back as I enter the empty hall, suddenly calling, "Alpha," down it as a timer ticks away in my head. He peers back and halts when he sees me, giving me time to catch up.

"Brigette, what a lovely surprise. Are you enjoying your time here so far?" He asks, plain conversation, nothing I'm interested in.

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Is that so?" He queries, stepping toward me.

"It's about your plans for tomorrow—your proclamation."

"Ah, yes, you showed quite an interest earlier. I assume you want to know more, but I am sorry to say you'll have to wait until my speech. It will be worth the—"

"Do the other Alphas know what you're trying to do?" I ask, catching him off guard. When he doesn't answer fast enough, I continue. "Because we see it. You aren't as sly as you think, Alpha. Not everyone will fall for your embellishments."

Nicodra backs me against the wall, but I remain stone-faced, refusing to panic or convince him that he is as intimidating as he believes himself to be, whether that is valid or not. His fists unfold and stretch in impatience. He moves like he's encapsulated a forest fire within him whose damage can be detrimental if unleashed. He laughs a little to release some pressure, and asks, "Do you know the history between your mate's pack and my own?"

I swallow. "I do."

"Then you know why we started fighting all that time ago."

"Your ancestor killed the mate of David's ancestor—I know. Those things happened back then. Many things happened back then that are considered unforgivable these days."

Nicodra says, "You're right. To kill an Alpha's mate is unthinkable."

"Is this your way of saying you want to kill me, Alpha Nicodra?"

"No. No, I won't kill you, Brigette. If necessary, would I? Of course. I would kill anyone if it were necessary."

"You shouldn't be here," I say with passion. "I know what kind of man you are. You bring nothing but shame to the Alpha title. Of course you would want to regress into history when Alphas were near gods, and I'm sure everyone sees through your plans just as David does. Culture, history, you couldn't give a—"

"Watch your mouth, girl."

"Watch your back," I fire.

His hand grabs my throat and forces my body against the wall, steadily driving my skull into the carved stone. "Is that a threat?"

I smile. "You're a hothead, Nicodra, and a fool."

The tips of his fingers dig into my neck with a blood-curdling rage, and my hands automatically spring and claw for freedom. "I'll be watching you on your way out," I seethe. "Good luck convincing Alphas to agree to your plans w-when you c-can't...be here to share them."

"Little bitch," he spits and drops me.

I stop myself from slipping to my behind, grasping at the wall and straightening. "But I'll be here," I choke, nursing my throat. "What a bruise this will leave for everyone to see what a psycho you are. Untrustworthy. Unstable. Dangerous."

Nicodra says, "I've been here for much longer than you. I've known these leaders for decades—what are you but a weak girl mated to one of them?"

"You wish they would see it that way, don't you?"

Nicodra scowls and turns the other way, storming down the hall. I dash for the main dining room in my pretty dress and cling to the first familiar face—Luna Papadopoulos. I grab her arm—the first place on the left side of the table—and she promptly turns to me, her eyes widening as she asks, "Brigette, is everything alright?"

"I need help" I gasp, desperation leaching from every pore. "I-It's Alpha Nicodra—he's gone mad. He attacked me."

The Luna and the others around her stand from their seats.  The news spreads down the dining table like wildfire, and Alphas search in the direction I point them. Lunas flock to my aid and examine the reddening mark on my neck—mothers suggesting what to do, sitting me down, and fetching me something cool to compress. I let them care for me even though the pain doesn't bother me much.

David walks from our end of the table to understand the sudden commotion. The moment he sees me, his Alpha-persona truly takes over. He kneels in front of the chair I've been sat in and my nurses give us some space. He takes one look at my throat and ignores my attempts to explain. "Stay here," he says and walks out of the room not needing to run—deceivingly undisturbed. Just as he turns into the hall, I see a flash of his hands clenching into fists. He knows what happened; he knows the culprit whether or not he heard my exasperated rambling.

The Lunas draw in once again.

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Double update  —>