{5}
"Everyone has gathered in the conference room, Alpha." A warrior informed me, slightly bowing her head.
I gave her a curt nod in acknowledgement, also dismissing her. Lucio, his father and the Gamma of the BloodRose Clan were apart of our alliance meeting today. They had flown in early this morning, and had been our guests until this afternoon.
This meeting had been a long time coming, I had been looking forward to this day since they reached out.
I strode towards the conference room, simultaneously fixing my wrist watch. I took a glance at myself in a mirror as I passed it, taking in my dark look. I wore black, figure hugging trousers paired with a black blouse. I unapologetically wore my arm band, which had my pack's emblem stitched onto it.
My raven coloured hair was sleeked and brushed back, effortlessly falling down the length of my back. My steely gaze made it known that, although I was considerate, I was not to be messed with.
The double doors had opened once I was in appropriate distance, enabling me to walk straight to my seat. I hadn't bothered to glance at the guests until I sat down, my mind was already registering the two new scents in the room. It was only once I sat down on my designated seat and crossed my legs, that I finally looked at my guests.
Lucio caught my eye first, it was hard to ignore him when I could feel his golden gaze on me. He wore a sleek navy suit, stylizing it with a Hublot watch. The top three buttons of his white shirt were unbuttoned, allowing me to get a peak of a silver necklace.
Our exchange of glances lasted longer than necessary. We both still couldn't believe we were mates, it hadn't really sunk in. Everyone in the room was aware of our newly discovered revelation.
Beside him was his Gamma, who I believe is called Enzo. I hadn't ever seen him before today, he is rumoured to be an incredible genius. He wore black eyepatch over one eye, but the sternness of the other was enough to gauge his emotions.
He looked perfectly fitted to be Lucio's third in command. His curly hair fell over his forehead, giving him an even more mysterious feel. His dark skin complimented his dark grey suit, which looked to be perfectly tailored to his fit body.
Both Lucio and him wore badges with their pack's emblem.
My gaze finally moved onto Lucio's father, also known as the former Alpha of the BloodRose clan.
Alfonso Silvestro.
When his famous eyes finally met mine, I had to force myself to not waver. Those eyes...what a creepy sight they were.
They were a blood red colour, crimson.
The same man who the human world views as the mafia Don.
He wore a black tuxedo, paired with a red skinny tie. His black hair was neatly slicked back, giving us a good look at his serious expression. If I was being honest, his presence made me glad that my parents were with me; along with our Beta and Gamma family.
The six BloodRose Clan warriors were in a couple rooms away from here, along with a couple of ours.
"Hello, I'm Maya Hunter. It's nice to meet you all, under such nice circumstances." I began to say, my voice easily being heard. "Today's objective is to discuss and collectively agree upon an agreement for an alliance between the New Dawn Pack and the BloodRose Clan. The agreement will take form in a contract, something that we'll both have to co-sign. Who will be representing The BloodRose Clan, in this meeting?"
Obviously it will be the current Alpha, but it was a question to be asked anyway.
"I will be." Lucio spoke up.
I nodded, realising that I will be directing most of the meeting. Not that I minded, it just meant things were more likely to go my way.
Hopefully.
"Okay, let's start by addressing the problem. We will be explaining the reason we both agreed to form an alliance. This is to ensure that both packs have sufficient information about the enemy we are dealing with." I declared, flicking through the pages that have been set down for me. "Who will start?"
Alfonso, ever so slightly, glanced at Lucio which enabled him to speak up.
"We will." Lucio told me, his striking eyes focused onto the screen of his laptop. "I'll make it short and beneficial. Threats and attacks have steadily been increasing since I had taken over my father's position, almost two and a half years ago."
Very similar to my predicament.
"They were on our radar, but they weren't serious enough to be considered an actual issue. A pack as powerful and influential as us should expect to have bothersome enemies. Recently, however, our own pack members have carried out acts of treason as insiders. After interrogation, it came to light that they were all following orders. Unfortunately. we hadn't been able to find out more about who is behind this."
He paused, giving me an opening to say something. "Do you think it's multiple packs around the world, teaming up to bring our empires down?"
His golden eyes met mine, looking thoughtful. "That is a possibility. However, we could also be dealing with rogues or an unknown organisation. We understand that this country has an organised rogue group, called The Rogue Force?"
"Yes, that's correct. However, giving the intel I have, it's incredibly unlikely that it was them." I responded, leaning back with a frown.
If it had been them, this entire issue would have been much more easier to deal with.
"Do have any clues as to who it could be?" I questioned, crossing my arms.
"No, we don't. Do you?"
I sighed heavily, taking a sip of water from my glass. "No. However, we can't rule out the fact that rogues are being used. On our side, we have had to deal with rogues as well as traitors. How about you?"
"Unfortunately, so have we. We have had to deal with traitors spreading propaganda about my role as their Alpha, a powerful tool if you ask me. Multiple people of my pack have been killed right under my nose, in a place where safety was guaranteed. My people are doubting my leadership, it is getting out of hand." He gritted, his eyes flashing with frustration.
"We have only had several killings, but they were extremely public ones. Horrible, terrible murders. They were enough to cause a ruckus among the pack, enabling riots among our town square. We also had traitors spread propaganda within my pack, planting seeds of doubt into their minds about my leadership." I explained, realising how eerily similar how predicaments were.
I paused briefly, frowning thoughtfully. "The methods to shake up our empires is undoubtedly the same. We have to assume we are dealing with the same enemy."
"Agreed."
"To sum up our problems, we are dealing with an enemy who, for unknown reasons, wishes to bring us down. We have no intel as to who it could be, due to the enemy using clever methods that doesn't risk being led to them. We both have to assume that we still have traitors hidden within our packs." I mused, counting each of our issues. "Okay, so let's talk about our alliance."
"You're doing really well." My dad mind-linked, sounding proud. "Even Alfonso over there looks impressed."
My gaze moved onto Alfonso, who had been quiet the entire time. His intense red eyes met mine, as I tried to gauge his expression. I couldn't tell the difference from earlier, he still wore the same calm, serious expression.
"Uh, I don't think he's that impressed, dad."
"Oh, trust me. He is." He responded in amusement.
"We have written up our terms and conditions, I'm assuming you did the same." Lucio said, handing a piece of paper to Enzo, his Gamma.
I handed my paper, with our terms and conditions written on it, to Aiden, our Gamma. "I did." I confirmed simply.
Both Gammas stood up and walked until they reached each other in the middle. They exchanged the papers, before heading back to their seats to pass the paper to their Alpha. We both immediately started to read each other's terms and conditions, falling silent for a while.
Most of these terms were similar to what I had written, with the help of my parents and co-leaders. No doubt he had been aided with this too, since it was an important part of the alliance.
Everything looked good, until I read the last condition. I almost scoffed at it, not liking it at all. Keeping my composure, I handed the paper over to my parents and pointed at the last one. I could tell they were also surprised, it was a pretty unusual condition.
"We have no complaints about your terms and conditions." Lucio announced after a while.
"We have one."
The BloodRose Clan leaders narrowed their eyes at us, curious to know what it was.
"The last clause refers to the Alphas of each pack, stating that they be together for the first six months of our alliance." I sighed, looking displeased. "Why do you think this is necessary?"
"If I may interject."
All eyes were on Alfonso, frozen at the fact that he had finally spoken.
"Having both Alphas work together everyday will not only aid in the efficiency of cracking this case, but will also provide a strong message those who think of betraying us."
I raised an eyebrow at that, not convinced. "This alliance alone should be enough to put those idiots in their place."
Lucio slightly frowned at the tone I was using. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, like I gave a fuck.
"I agree. However, wouldn't you agree that this would severely decrease the chances of there being any more killings? The power of the presence of two influential Alphas is not to be underestimated."
I didn't answer to that, annoyed that he was somewhat right.
"Working together in real time is preferable, rather than having to wait days to hear from the other pack. I'm counting on efficiency when dealing with this unknown enemy. What I'm saying, little girl, is that we don't have time to work separately." Alfonso said, his blood red eyes blazing. "I'm sure your parents agree with me."
I didn't have to look at my parents to know that they did agree. It seemed like Lucio also had no complaints, judging by his demeanour. I sucked up my pride for the sake of progression and cooperation, and firmly nodded.
"I understand. How do you propose Lucio and I 'stay together' for the next six months? We both need to be present within our pack." I questioned, looking around the room.
"I'll stay in this pack for three months and you'll stay at mine for the remaining three." Lucio responded, looking away from me. "Our Betas can temporarily take over our tasks, with the aid of our former Alphas."
I could tell he wasn't overly pleased with the set up, like me.
But we were doing this for the sake of our packs. I'm sure we'll be working effectively together, now that we'll be forced to closely collaborate.
"Alright, that's fine with me." I told him, before glancing around me. "Any objections?"
A loud rustling sound echoed throughout the conference room, grabbing everyone's attention. I looked back on my right side, to find Kyle unwrapping a chocolate bar. He was midway from putting a piece in his mouth, but stopped when all the pairs of eyes lay on him.
His honey-like eyes widened in horror, realising that he, unintentionally, interrupted the meeting. Nonetheless, he still plopped the piece into his mouth and sheepishly grinned.
"Carry on." He said with his mouth full.
I turned back around and found my attention falling onto Enzo, who looked to be fighting back a smile...or a laugh? Lucio had raised an eyebrow at Kyle, looking fascinated by Kyle's amusing character. His father, however, looked unimpressed.
I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention. "Any objections?"
The piece of paper had been handed around the room for everyone to read, the same happened on their side. No one spoke up in an attempt to object against the terms and conditions, making me nod. Lucio wasted no time in signing the contract paper that was prepared.
Once he was done, he stood up, contract in hand, and calmly strode towards me. His attractive scent increased suddenly, making my heart involuntarily race. He personally gave it to me to sign, and strolled back to his seat.
After reading it's contents thoroughly, I nodded in satisfaction and promptly signed it. The air in the atmosphere had changed from tense to neutral, making everyone visibly relax.
My parents gave me a pat on the pack, wearing proud grins. We were officially allies with The BloodRose Clan, which was pretty cool. If I felt untouchable before, that feeling is smaller in comparison to now.
Lucio and his Gamma wore a satisfied grin, as Alfonso calmly leaned back in his seat.
"I believe you are my son's mate."
I froze in my seat, not expecting that sudden remark. "Yes, I am." I responded, holding his curious stare.
"I hope you'll get on well." He carried on, as he stood up.
I faltered in my attempt to reply, not expecting that response. He was an unpredictable man, that's for sure. "I hope so too." I told him, glancing at Lucio. He wore no expression as he watched our interesting interaction, not showing any indication of caring.
"But how that gets on, depends on your son." I continued with a petty smile.
He finally looked my way, eyes blazing with anger. I furiously glared at him, annoyed by his unnecessary rage. Unlike before when we had glared at each other, the tension from the people around us had significantly decreased.
The alliance ensures that we protect each other and not harm one another. So in other words, no one was concerned about our dispute anymore. After talking through things once more, we ended the meeting and left the room.
I walked after my parents, massaging my neck from how stiff it felt. Ivy and Kyle caught up with me, and walked by my sides.
"You were amazing in there." Ivy gushed, her blue eyes twinkling. "I'm glad everything went well."
Her eyes darkened as they narrowed at Kyle, who was on his second bar of chocolate. "The meeting was literally almost over, you just couldn't wait, huh?"
He shook his head, answering her question. "I was starving!" He confessed, pulling on a curly piece of his hair. "I couldn't help it."
She face palmed at his reply. "I literally made you food before the meeting, so you wouldn't be hungry! You-! I can't even-. Kyle!"
He ran ahead before she could do anything, cackling like a witch. "My body works in mysterious ways, Ivy!" He yelled as he sprinted further and further away. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ITS POWER!"
"YOU WEIRDO!" She yelled back, shaking her fist in the air.
Lucio and Enzo caught up to us from behind, watching the entire spectacle. "So that's the future Gamma." Lucio stated, looking dumbfounded. "What an...interesting guy."
"He may not act it, but he's extremely important to our pack." Ivy snapped at him. She didn't give him another second to counter her statement as she walked away, leaving me alone.
"Wait for me!" I mind-linked her, walking faster.
"Shush, and talk to your idiot mate for a bit." She teased before cutting the connection.
Lucio was still looking after her, scowling at her back. "She doesn't like me, does she?"
"You're not the most likeable person, so I can't blame her." I said honestly, calmly looking ahead.
He cringed at my bluntness. "Wow, thanks." He said sarcastically, running his hand through his dark hair.
"Are we going to make this mate thing work?" I asked, still extremely blunt. "I'm down, but now it's up to your sorry ass."
Enzo, who had been with us, stiffened up by how harshly I was speaking to his Alpha. "Watch your damn tongue." He spat out, his uncovered eye drilling fiery holes into me.
I brought my dark, dominant aura forward, directing it towards him. Anger, murderous intent and power flowed and rushed around him, letting him know his position. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, frozen by fear and anguish.
"Watch your tongue, Enzo." I whispered lowly, slowly releasing him from my aura.
A warm, strong hand touched my shoulder, making me jump in surprise. Lucio was shaking his head at me, not liking what I was doing to his Gamma.
"Maya." He said in a warning tone.
Enzo managed to shake himself out of his stricken state, and slowly moved forward to join us. He didn't dare make eye contact with me, which made me feel kind of bad.
"Hey, no hard feelings. It's just the Alpha in me couldn't help but put you in your place, you know?" I told him awkwardly, wording my words weirdly.
He didn't respond.
I awkwardly looked away, before realising something. I glanced at my right shoulder to find Lucio's hand still lingering there, to which he retracted back in realisation.
"So, about the mate thing..." He started to say, his jaw hardening. "I could, er..."
I patiently stayed quiet, letting his thoughts organise themselves.
"I'll give it a go."
My head snapped his direction, my eyes slightly widening. "Really?"
He smirked down at me, amused by my reaction. "That surprised, huh?"
I gaped at him in disbelief. "I mean, after all the dumb fuss you made yesterday, you can't blame me."
He ignored that statement and carried on by saying, "Let's start, shall we?"
I blinked at him in confusion, suddenly slowing down like he was. "Huh?"
He swiftly grabbed my hand and held it tightly, making me gasp in shock. Skin to skin contact - the initial step of the mate bond. My eyes widened as I felt indescribable feelings course through me.
Strong ripples of ecstasy and euphoria flowed through my body, sending pleasurable shivers down my spine. I, involuntarily, shivered at the feeling of his bigger, warm hand touching mine. I saw him shudder and tighten his grip, wearing a small smile.
He looked down at me with those golden orbs with an unfamiliar emotion. He looked away as he smirked, and began to walk. He still hadn't let go of my hand, and I, for some reason, was fine with it.
"This could work..." He murmured to himself.
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I'm so embarrassed that I hadn't uploaded in so long. I'm sorry, and you guys deserve an explanation.
So, I am a nursing student. So not only do I attend uni, like others, but I also attend hospital placement. The last semester for university had finished a loooooong while back, but I do unpaid work for 11.5 hours in hospital for four days a week. It's a part of the course (50%) so I can't exactly do anything about it ><
I'm afraid it had taken a toll on me, making me feel too tired to write and update this book. I know this is just a long ass excuse, but I guess, this will give you a better context of my life. It would feel weird to just upload this chapter without any explanation for my disappearance.
GOOD NEWS - My placement is finishing VERY soon! yaaayy
Once my holiday begins, I'll be going back to uploading every three days, like before! ><
Nonetheless, I hope you still enjoyed this chapter! <3 Thank you for being patient, and I will do better next time! Sorry again! x
Love Yasmine xx