As soon as Elijah informed me of how soon Zane and Dean would be arriving, I spun around and set off in the direction of the Alpha's quarters, leaving Elijah slightly behind me. I may have been feeling down and confused, but I needed to look my damn best for this meeting. I refused to have Dean look at me in any kind of derogatory way.
"Lena!" Elijah called out from behind me as I finally reached the main staircase. I knew he'd catch up to me any second. His Alpha-speed wouldn't allow him to be outrun.
"No time to waste!" I called back as I began climbing the stairs.
Just as I reached our floor, Elijah had grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. I looked up, my eyes wide from the sudden movement, to see him staring down at me with furrowed eyebrows and a rather disgruntled look on his face.
"Why are you avoiding me? Did I do something?" he asked with a soft, puppyish look in his eyes.
Now it was my turn to look bewildered.
"What?" I exclaimed, yanking my wrist out of his hand with a huff. "What are you talking about, Elijah? I need to get ready for the damn meeting."
Spinning back around, I quickly finished the walk to our wing and pulled open the door, leaving it open for Elijah to follow me through.
"Not just right now!" he said, raising his voice so that I'd hear him as he tried to catch up to me once again. "You've been like this since we got back home, and even worse since your parents got here. I understand you're going through a lot, but don't push me away, Lena. We've made too much progress for that."
I felt my temper start to flare ever so slightly. I didn't want to blow up at my mate, but he was beginning to frustrate me. He didn't understand how I dealt with tough situations. He didn't understand how I dealt with everything for years as a rogue. I just needed time and space to do my own thing.
Taking a deep breath and attempting to reel in my budding anger, I replied, "You're being ridiculous."
Perhaps not the wisest thing to say, but it was the best come-back I had at the moment without completely losing my shit.
I grabbed a nice outfit from the closet before turning back around to head into the bathroom, only to be met with Elijah's deep, hurt gaze.
My heart sank at the sight. I knew Elijah valued emotions and communication much more than I did, and I'd just brushed off his feelings.
"Okay then," he spoke, his jaw clenched. "Don't be late."
With that, he turned around and walked out of the room. I stood there, frozen in disappointment from my actions. A few seconds later, I heard the front door shut, indicating that he'd left the wing.
I sighed and shook my head as my wolf growled at me, clearly upset with my behavior. She urged me to follow after Elijah and apologize, to explain what was really going through my head, but I refused. The damage was done for now. Perhaps some space before this meeting would help clear my mind, and then I'd be able to sort things out with Elijah properly.
I quickly dressed in a nice pair of black, form-fitting pants paired with a royal-blue button-up and classic black flats before making an effort to tame my hair. It was wavy and frizzy with bits sticking out here and there from the neglect it'd received over the past several days. I knew immediately that the only solution was the straighten it – something I rarely ever did.
I'd only become aware of a straightener since living in Polar Moon. They were fascinating products, but it was such a hassle to take the time to straighten my hair every single day. I didn't think it looked all that bad natural, anyways.
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I slowly ran the clamp down small sections of my hair, one at a time. Such a tedious job, but I was still convinced that I needed to look my best for this meeting. I couldn't allow Dean to think he broke me or my family. I had to remain strong.
I simply wouldn't allow a dark, arrogant man like him to have any kind of control over me.
Once my hair was straight and smooth, I brushed it out and applied my makeup lightly. It was just enough to enhance my features and look put together, but not enough to come across as formal.
By the time I was all cleaned up and ready to attend the meeting, I'd managed to put all thoughts involving Elijah and I's little disagreement to the back of my mind, which may have not been a great thing to do, but it certainly saved me some stress for the time being. After all, I was already a bit anxious about what time the meeting was starting. Elijah never told me an exact time, but said not to be late. I knew I'd upset him, so I understood, but now I was worried that I'd walk in in the middle of the meeting.
Determined to not waste anymore time, I exited our wing and started down the hallway to Elijah's main meeting room that adjoined his office. I knew for a serious, professional matter like this, he would have the meeting here.
I didn't bother knocking, and instead slowly pushed the door open, carefully peering inside to determine just how late I actually was. Alpha Ryder was seated at the head of the table, as he was leading the meeting, and Elijah was seated to his right with Zane and Dean across the table. Zane and Dean pretty much hated each other, so I knew neither one of them could be happy about the seating arrangement.
I kept my head down as I quietly approached the empty chair next to Elijah, and then reached out to pull it out from under the table and have a seat. Much to my dismay and terror, the chair made a loud, screeching sound against the wood floors beneath it. I cringed and slowly looked up, only to see my mate staring at me with his golden-orbs full of annoyance and displeasure.
A soft pain hit me in the stomach at the sight of my mate looking at me in such a way. Even when I'd been a complete bitch when we first met, he'd never looked at me that way. My heart was heavy – I'd really hurt him this time.
I heard a chuckle and glanced around Elijah as I sat down, only to see Alpha Ryder beaming at me, "So glad you could join us, Lena! Don't worry, we've only just started."
Knowing Ryder and his mysterious abilities, he could probably sense the tension in the air.
"As I've already done a thorough investigation and gotten information from each of you, this meeting and sentencing will be short, to the point, and rather anti-climatic I'm afraid," Ryder told us as he flipped through the notebook in front of him.
"First off, I've decided that Polar Moon will only be subject to a probationary period for their part in the unauthorized war against Dark Root. They had a very good case for probable cause, and I believe that Elijah and Lena will not allow anything like that to happen again. A probationary period mostly means that the pack and its Alpha must be on their best behavior for several months, as breaking any other laws of the packs may require more serious consequences."
I let out an audible sigh of relief. I was hoping Ryder would go easy on us, as we couldn't afford to lose anymore warriors. It was a complicated situation that Elijah was unwillingly put in, and Alpha Ryder clearly saw our perspective.
"As for Night Fire," Ryder started again, turning towards Zane. "You all will also be subject to a probationary period, along with a 10% decrease in your current warriors. You got involved in a matter that was no business of yours and provoked the entire war, and therefore you have more to answer for."
Zane rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair with a huff, but overall didn't seem to be too offended by his pack's punishment. It definitely wasn't the worst thing that could happen, but the reduction in warriors was probably a kick to the pack's power and ego.
"Now, Dean," Ryder began. "Both you and your pack will suffer the consequences of your terrible actions against Polar Moon's Luna and her family. For this, you will be branded as a traitor in front of the Polar Moon pack."
My eyes widened. That was a thing? Part of me couldn't believe such an intense punishment existed for an Alpha, but every fiber of my being knew he deserved it. That, and much more.
"Additionally, your pack will be put on probation for a minimum of one year, you must implement a 20% decrease in your warriors, your father, Archibald, must be sentenced to a minimum of one year if your cells, and your pack must partake in some kind of charitable effort that will benefit each of the other six packs," Alpha Ryder announced.
I was shocked, but pleased. I really hadn't expected such a variety of punishments to be thrown at Dean, but I was relieved that Ryder had taken us seriously. Out of curiosity, I snuck a quick glance at Dean to see his reaction to this news. Unfortunately, his face was straight and hard as stone. I should've known better than to expect any telling expressions from him – the few interactions we'd had were enough to make it clear that he was either emotionless, or very good at keeping them hidden.
"Do you all accept these terms?" Alpha Ryder asked, as if we really had a choice.
"Agreed," Zane and Elijah stated in unison.
Alpha Dean, however, remained silent.
"Dean, was there something you wanted to say about the arrangements?" Ryder challenged, yet still appeared perfectly calm.
More silence followed.
"I accept," Dean finally answered, his voice gruff and his jaw clenched.
"Very well then. Everything is settled!" Ryder said as he shot up from his chair, stepping out of the way and pushing it back under the table. "Zane, Dean, we will all be staying in Polar Moon's guest wing tonight, courtesy of Alpha Elijah. Enjoy your afternoon as visitors of the pack, and we will all gather in the morning for Alpha Dean's branding."
All of the men nodded and began to murmur amongst themselves. I was too distracted by a combination of my own thoughts and Elijah's current attitude towards me.
I then felt a large palm resting on my shoulder and whipped my head around to the side to see Ryder standing next to my chair, looking down at me.
"I hope you're satisfied with today's outcomes, Lena. If you have any further concerns, problems, or questions, don't hesitate to consult with me," he told me with a small grin.
I forced a smile and nodded, "Of course, thank you Ryder."
It seemed like we were all leaving just as quickly as we'd met. Ryder and Dean made a dash for the door as soon as the meeting had come to a close, while Elijah and Zane stood near the door chatting quietly. It didn't surprise me that Dean had quickly left and likely shut himself in the room he'd be occupying for the night, but I couldn't figure out what Ryder's hurry was.
After Zane and Elijah finished their conversation, they shook hands and Zane exited the meeting room, leaving Elijah and I alone. This was my chance to apologize and attempt to explain the reasoning behind my behavior.
I finally stood from my chair and approached Elijah. He was standing perfectly still, facing the door. He'd likely already heard me approaching and was waiting for my next move. Once I was only a couple of feet away, I took a deep breath and slowly reached my hand out in an attempt to place it on Elijah's arm.
Before my action could be completed, I was slammed against the wall beside us.
I gasped at the sudden action – it hadn't been hard enough to hurt me, but it'd definitely shocked me. Elijah had me pinned against the wall, both of his arms carefully placed on either side of my body. He was glaring down at me, his eyes fiery-gold and darkening by the second.
"I-I'm sorry," I started, my voice stuttering from both confusion and shock. "I was going to explain..."
"Don't. Speak."
I was frozen. Elijah's tone was so much deeper and more feral than I'd ever heard from him before. His eyes had now changed to a deep amber color, rather than their normal bright gold. Every muscle in his body was tense as he stared me down before dipping his head to my neck and running the tip of his nose along my jaw.
"I really didn't mean to hurt you," I started again, my voice weak. His soft, sensual touch was sending me into a trance despite my confusion and fright.
Elijah's fingers grasped the other side of my jaw tightly and pulled my head down to face him, "I said, don't talk."
Although his sudden intensity and dominance was baffling, it was turning me on in ways I couldn't explain.
Suddenly, my body was jerked up, causing my legs to involuntarily wrap around Elijah's waist. His hands were now firmly placed under my ass, and I was staring down into his black, lust-filled eyes.
"In a few minutes you're going to be begging me for more than just forgiveness, my Luna."
I am SO SORRY for the extreme delay in updates!!!! Seriously - I'm so incredibly sorry. I've been so busy and all over the place. Luckily, my Christmas break is coming up, which will provide me with more free time. My goal is to finish Lena's story by the end of Christmas break, or at least shortly after! I'll try to have an update ready for Audrey by Tuesday, but unfortunately I can't make any solid promises due to having a lot of work to get done next week. Like I said, I should have MUCH more free time starting the week of December 10! I promise I'll try my hardest. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, although I feel like my skills may have gotten a bit rusty LOL!
Please continue to read, vote, comment, and check out my other stories!
xoxo -V