Mate Massacres

Chapter 48

Pip noticed that Makena looked at Francis as though the sound of her voice irritated her. Makena's annoyance was mild, but Pip was used to spotting tiny emotions on other people's faces. Most of the time, he was basically invisible, and nobody acknowledged him staring.

"Thank you, Francis," Pip said, taking another sip of his tea and looking towards the door again.

This time, Krey entered and the entire hall quickly stood up.

Pip, in a panic, tried to stand when Sid and Francis stood, but Francis quickly pushed him down. "Not you," she chuckled.

Krey's frown turned to a glare as he sulked to the table.

Pip noticed that despite Krey being very dominant, he hated the attention and would rather slink into the shadows any chance he got. Another thing we have in common, Pip thought.

"Alpha," Sid said, jumping at the opportunity to get Krey's breakfast. Sid lowered his head and hurried off as Krey sat next to Pip, immediately putting his arm on the back of pip's chair.

"Krey, we're leaving at seven tonight to go to the annual meeting." Makena stared as though her words meant something only Krey would understand.

They usually travelled to the annual meeting as wolves. However, this year, Makena no longer had her wolf. "How are you getting there?" he asked.

"What do you mean how-" Makena paused. The realisation flooded her face. Just for a moment, she had forgotten.

Tears pooled her eyes and she excused herself from the table.

Krey's blank face followed her through the canteen. His face might have looked stone cold, but his heart ached for her. He couldn't imagine being in her position. Krey looked down to Pip. He prayed he never was in her position.

The thought of having an empty void where his wolf was made him shiver. "Francis, arrange a car to take us to the meeting tonight," Krey ordered.

Francis nodded, pleased to be asked to help. She hurried away as Sid returned with Krey's breakfast. Sid then left too, and Pip and Krey sat alone with each other in a room full of werewolves.

The chatter was loud, and still, people stared at them. Krey was starting to get irritated by the looks and the whispers. If it continued through lunch, he would snap.

"So, um, what is an annual meeting? I mean, what do you talk about?" Pip asked, curling his fingers around his warm mug.

"I don't know why it's called a meeting. It's basically a gathering where we just discuss the year." Krey wasn't looking forwards to showing his face. In Krey's eyes, he had fucked up massively, and everyone at the gathering knew his father's death was Krey's fault. "I still don't want to go, but my mum's right. I can't skip it."

By going to the annual meeting, Krey was loudly telling everyone that nothing could shake him, no southern wolves, no fear of losing his allies, no deaths. Even if Krey was a mess and successfully running the pack into the ground because of losing his father, his allies wouldn't know that.

Going to the annual meeting will prove that Krey had taken responsibility for his mistakes, and was trying to fix what he had broken, though nothing would ever bring Krey's father back, and that was a nightmare he had to live with for the rest of his life.

"Will I have to t-talk to a lot of people at the meeting?" Pip asked.

"Not if you don't want to."

"Will you have to talk to people?"

"Not if I don't want to." Krey looked at Pip's bruised nose. "We can find a quiet corner and just talk to each other. That would probably make it the best meeting I've been to."