Standing outside of the meeting room, Piper and I staggered to a stop. Staring at the door, neither of us made a move to open it. My nerves grew tenfold, and I wrung my hands, unsure if she wanted me to knock.
Or are we just standing here for decoration?
"Piper..."
"Yes?"
"What exactly are we doing?" I wondered.
"I don't know," she admitted.
I trailed my eyes over the hardwood, frowning. "Okay."
Silence enveloped us, an awkward confusion settling between the two of us. It had taken a few minutes to march our way here, and over the course of those minutes, the confident boss moment faded. We wanted answers, but we did not know what we were supposed to do now we were here.
My lips parted, ready to ask another question, when the handle on the door turned. With wide eyes, I quickly shoved Piper, so we stumbled down the hallway and around a corner. With a soft thump, she hit the wall, and a muffled complaint escaped her lips.
I peered around her when bodies filtered down the hallway. Piper soon quietened, realising why I had shoved her away. She spun, forcing me in front and beneath her since I was smaller, so we both could see. I could smell her perfume and hoped that nobody picked up on our scents.
Time to activate those weird hearing powers I seemed to have gained...
Staring ahead, I narrowed my eyes with concentration, tuning out my surroundings until I centred my focus on the open doors. Various large men filtered out of the room, and after I counted fifty, I grew tired of keeping track. They kept on coming, flooding out of what I now assumed to be a conference room. Asra said there were around two-hundred alphas, so were they all in there right now?
Piper's grip tightened on my back as the current trickled to stragglers, and I rose an eyebrow with interest when the hallway fell quiet. The footsteps had vanished, and in return were the soft, deep voices of the remaining men. I couldn't pick up my mate's voice, but something inside of me knew he was in there. The bond was playing in my favour, and I just hoped he was too distracted to notice I was so close.
Was my mind closed?
I frowned, scouring the depths of my brain to make sure I was alone. Since mating, Asra has sneaked into my mind without me realising. If I was too distracted or distressed, he did it easily because I let my control slip.
Not this time, bucko.
Piper leaned away from the corner, standing a few steps behind me. I straightened my spine, standing half-out into the open as I listened to the voices. It sounded like they were talking about... humans?
Why were they talking shit about us? What have we done other than confine ourselves to their standards?
My eyebrows furrowed, and I took a few steps closer. I heard Piper curse my name softly, but I ignored her, pressing my back into the part of the wall next to the door.
"We cannot just give them more rights, they could overthrow us!"
I recognised the tone of Alpha Black right away, my nose crinkling with distaste.
"I agree. Humans are nothing but trouble. They breed and spread sickness," someone else grumbled.
Well, rude. Perhaps give us better living conditions and we won't be sick every month.
"They have no strength, no magic in their blood, no ability to produce a stronger bloodline. What good are they other than hard labour?" Black grunted.
Come and say hello to my fist and you'll realise what I am good for.
"They deserve rights as much as we do," Another sighed. "Humans are evolving."
"Not entirely fast enough," Black replied. "They are easy to control. If we abolish the districts, who knows where they will end up?"
Hopefully, as far away from you as possible.
"Do they not deserve to live their lives freely? Some may choose to stay for a hard-earned wage."
Ah, finally. He speaks.
"You say so, Asra, but most humans will flee the moment we give them the go-ahead." Black laughed. "They hate us, and everything we stand for. Plus, they would be useless to breed. Females are weak to carry young, and cannot bear our pups without miscarrying."
Well, damn. Is that all we were good for?
My mind screamed with rage to recognise our strengths. Humans deserved more than this. We survived flus, plagues, natural disasters. We populated the planet for centuries and look at how much we have changed. How does our reproductive system even come into this? Why bring up the fact that someone miscarried? Miscarriage is a lot more common than they think.
"That is not true," Asra grunted. "I have many humans in my pack, and they are very responsive to our ways. Most are happy to have a roof and safety over their heads."
"You are biased because you took a human as a mate. Your own mother was one!" One laughed. "Weak mate, weak wolf."
My eyes narrowed with anger, my heart aching for my mate as much as it would for me.
Asra growled. "Ailia is not my chosen, she is my goddess given. I am not you, David, and I do not agree with you rejecting your mate for a stronger bloodline."
David, I already hate him, grunted a scoff. "You are just jealous because my bloodline will be stronger than your half-breed. I doubt you could even get your female pregnant. She is so meek."
There was a scuffle and a load of growls. I knew Asra was relenting, and I didn't blame him, because before I realised, I was marching my ass into that room to aid him.
Nobody fucking bullied my mate. Element of surprise, here we go.
There were seven men in here, half of which I recognised. But my attention was solely on my mate and the wolf he was pinning to the wall. I heard Piper scuffle behind me, and her father's gaze snapped to the open doorway with a frown.
Making my way straight to my mate, I wrapped my hand around his biceps and shoved. It surprised him; the sparks trickling through our bond as our frustrations matched each other. It gave me the head-start I needed, forcing his hand away so David would look at me instead.
"Say that again. I dare you." I warned.
He hesitated for the briefest of moments before scoffing and standing straight. Shorter than Asra, this male was burly but by no means strong. He reeked of cocky energy, the awful glow of it permeating the entire room. His hair was short and blonde, his eyes a moody brown mud, no-poop, colour.
Poop eyes.
"What are you going to do, human?" He scoffed. "See what I mean? He just backed down the moment she came near. They are weak and they only make you weak."
Fuelled with the fury of a goddess-given mate, I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Listen here, poop for eyes." I clicked my tongue and heard Asra sigh. "First thing first is I have put up with enough sexist shit in my life to let someone who doesn't even know me, or my kind, belittle us. Humans are resilient and have existed for hundreds of years without your interference. Even then, we pulled through and hundreds of thousands of generations have survived to bring life into today's world. Unlike wolves, who barely have any history to give."
"Ailia..." Asra murmured.
David sneered down at me, both of us ignoring my mate. "You are all talk and no action, girl. Next time, show me a good time or move on back."
Good time?
Okay.
I shrugged before my hand reared, punching him square in the jaw. His head spun, a curse splitting his lip when he didn't expect the blow. The room fell to silence for a single breath before growls erupted and someone grabbed me from behind. I felt Asra's warmth seep into my back as David reared back up to me. He stopped when Asra growled, my mate's warning clear as day.
Touch her, touch me.
"I thought you said show you a good time?" I taunted.
"He is just pissed because he believes I don't deserve my position." Asra growled.
David smirked. "You are a half-breed. Continental alphas are only pure, ancient bloodlines."
"Humans were here long before you ever were, if we are talking about ancient bloodlines." I crossed my arms, ignoring Asra's arms still around my waist. "Besides, Asra's wolf took full dominance. He is not a half-breed."
"I wasn't talking about you, so there is no need to butt in." David rolled his eyes.
"Asra earned his position, rightfully." I snapped.
"His father went insane and destroyed an entire pack."
"Asra brought it back, saved what he could and made a new pack by himself." I scoffed. "What have you done other than have your daddy give you a pat on the ass and a here you go son, have my job?"
David's eyes blazed, a string of curses daring to leave his lips before he was interrupted. Again.
"Now, now, settle down. It shouldn't have to come to this."
My head snapped toward the fresh voice, flittering over an older male. With dark hair and dark eyes, his skin was aged with scars and wrinkles. He was the first wolf I have actually seen look old. Most were like sixty and barely aged a day over thirty. Asra was in his thirties, and yet he looked so... Not old.
"You provoke them, David. You should expect someone will eventually slap back."
Literally, I thought. I'd do it again.
David seemed to back down when this elder male spoke, the shift in his attitude doing a one-eighty. I pursed my lips, looking back at the elder with curiosity. Who was he, and why did he make everyone shut up?
His eyes were small and seemed to narrow as we made eye contact. His lips curled into a grimace, flickering down my attire before meeting my gaze. I shifted in Asra's grip, still finding him tense.
"Luna's are not allowed in alpha meetings, Luna Zenith." The elder spoke, his voice raspy and accented.
My lips remained glued together, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my emotions at bay. I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought, but if a simple retaliation to be called a breeding weakling was received this badly, I can only imagine my opinion on luna's roles.
"Speak, human. I can see the words on your tongue." He smirked.
"It's sexist," I blurted. "Lunas rule packs as much as alphas do. In fact, if there were not any luna to calm you hot-headed dogs down, the entire world would be in ruins."
He didn't react to be called a dog as much as I reacted to being called a human. It seemed to only make his smirk deepen, eyes widening slightly. It was eery.
"The female human wants to know what we discuss, so tell her, Alpha Bohdi." Augustus grinned, sitting down.
My eyebrow quirked at the vaguely familiar name. During my debrief on the way here, Asra had tried to drill the alpha names into me, but I grew tired. Bohdi was the only one I recalled, and he used to be the top alpha before he grew old. He had no children, his mate killed during the Great War.
"Yeah, tell me, since you seem to cannot come to a decision." I cocked my head.
Asra's hands slipped from my waist with a sigh, and I glanced at him to see him run a hand over his face. Piper was standing against the wall, and with a harsh glare from her father, she bowed her head and left the room. I frowned, watching her leave, but knew I couldn't do anything about it. She wasn't a luna.
"We are discussing the recent requests of giving human territories more freedom."
"Okay, and?"
"Not all of us agree that anything should change. Humans do fine in their districts, it doesn't need to change." Augustus spoke, scratching his jaw.
I shared a look with Asra, a silent apology for the crap I was about to sprout. His lips pursed, eyebrows furrowing as he acknowledged what I was conveying to him. His jaw flexed, before he nodded and shifted his eyes to the surroundings alphas.
Oh boy, definitely going to sit down for this one.
"Where do I begin?" I hummed. "How about why can't humans have more freedom?"
"They are pests." David spat.
"We are not pests," I sneered. "We have lived on this earth long before you ever did. Didn't you come from us?"
David narrowed his eyes, sitting down at the table. Looking around the room, I noticed all were sitting down, only eight chairs at the table. Augustus was at the head, Cai on his left, and David on his right. Next to that stupid man was a quiet and unknown alpha, who seemed less interested in even being here.
Next to Cai was an empty seat, and then Asra. At the opposing head of Augustus was another empty seat, and I saw Bodhi move toward it.
There was definitely a hierarchy here, so it surprised me when Bodhi suggested for me to sit there, and he sat on the other side of Asra. The others at the table obviously expressed their disgruntlement, glaring daggers at me and showing confusion towards Bodhi.
I merely grinned, pulling the chair out and standing before it.
"Now, continuing from that..." I hummed. "Humans provide so much for you as a kind that we deserve more than a restrictive life. This is not an apocalypse. We do not live in a world where we don't have access to technology and vibrancy, so why should we be brought down because of that?"
"Humans lost the war. It was part of the treaty that your kind is to remain within districts." Augustus spoke.
"You mean the war that was over a hundred years ago? The one that your kind started and my kind merely tried to defend themselves? That one?" I cocked my head.
Augustus' eyes widened just as his lips slammed shut. I smirked, sitting my ass down in Bohdi's seat.
I was going to have fun today.
*********
Hey hey hey
Question of the Day Day Day:
We've shared skincare, and it was hugely helpful tbf. Love a cute lil advice thread.
How about... something you have learnt that you think is super helpful in adult life?