A War of Carnal Lies

Chapter 2: Arrival

Torins POV

"Torin." Alpha Arwen calls from the driver's seat, pulling me from my plague of a flashback. He turns and smiles softly at me. My composure nearly slips as my heart cracks again. That soft smile is the same as his son's. Miles looked so much like his father. It was painful at times to spend so much time around the Alpha. I think it is hard for him sometimes too. Arwen and his wife, Celeste, had always treated me as a daughter. I think it was because they always wanted one of their own.I was the closest they got, a would-of-been daughter-in-law. They were my main parental figures though. My parents really didn’t deserve the title of mom and dad. My mother was god knows where and my father basically forgot about my existence most of the time. They weren't true mates or even chosen mates. They had chosen not to mark each other because they were not fated. They only chose to stay together because I came in the picture.

"You seem nervous." He states.

"I..” sighing deeply "I was thinking of him." I tried to plaster a smile to lessen the blow of my admittance. "He would love to have been here with me."

His smile fades just a tad. “Yes, he would have. You two would have made a formidable pair to debut to the council this year.”

Celeste turned to look at me from the front passenger seat. “You shouldn’t worry though dear. You have always loved coming to the city. I want you to enjoy your time while we're here. Taking your place as a speaker on the board is what you have prepared for. I know you are ready.”

I sighed in response. “I know I am, it’s just that the person closest to my age is still 50 years my senior. It’s a bit intimidating being surrounded by immortals who have so much life experience. Especially when I’m supposed to have input and suggestions about changes to our kingdom.”

She gave me a pointed look. “Well.. for one. I know for a fact that you are more informed on all kingdom policies and procedures than the majority of those on the council. And if I'm correct, you did spend the past three years studying all four districts' history. So, like I said, you are more than ready. Two..” She reaches back, placing a hand on my knee. “You are 23 and this will be your first meeting after you are announced tonight. No one expects you to weigh in. In fact, there are some who will choose not to listen even if you do because of your age. I would like to see you engage in conversation at some point over the next week but feel free to take a couple days to get comfortable.” She pats my knee and side-eyes her husband before giving me a mischievous look. “Did you pack that black dress we got last week?”

Loving this conversation change, I smiled back “Of course I did.”

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Arwen questions.

We laughed, “She will be incomparable.”

I was going to enjoy this. I didn’t often seek attention, but in the instance I had to step into it, I knew how to keep it. I enjoyed the looks of both males and females when I released the damper on my alpha aura. It was alluring and intimidating all at once. I have been referred to as the “wolf siren” many times since gaining my alpha aura at 18. Celeste was more than aware of this since she had taken over the mother and now best friend role since mine ran off after the death of Miles. She was beyond excited to finally see this for herself. Arwen, on the other hand.. He was aware that my alpha aura was strong. In fact, he expected mine to exceed his when I reached my prime in 60-70 more years. But the alluring, almost siren-like energy that accompanied it, I knew that would be a surprise.

I let out an audible gasp as the council's castle came into view. It was built on the outskirts of the city surrounded by woods near the sea. It was an ideal location for multiple supernatural species to reside at one time. This, of course, was done to keep all members as comfortable as possible to keep tension low. It was structured as a simple rectangle with each corner being a multilevel tower. That is where each district would reside between meetings and events. Windows littered the massive structure except for one tower. I assumed that one belonged to the blood district, housing Vampires, Witches, and Reapers. There were multiple cars lining the driveway as we pulled up. Some choose to drive themselves, like us. Some arrived in limousines. The suburban pack pulled up behind us. The four other speakers who were voted in this year piled out of the car.

Arwen turned to me before exiting the car. “Don’t release the damper on your aura yet. I don't want them to see you coming until you are presented tonight.” He says with a wink.

This is what I loved about Arwen. He just got it. Even though he wasn't my father, I like to think of him as such. He wasn’t intimidated or offended by my alpha aura. He wasn’t threatened by my possible surpassing in power. He wanted me to shine. He wanted to show the world his heir of the pack. And not because I am powerful. Not because I would have been his son's mate. He did it because he is proud of me. I wanted to shine and he wanted that for me. He was a pretty awesome dad.

I nodded and grinned, reigning it in as much as I could. I worked vigorously on my control this past year. It was like becoming invisible when I chose not to emit any energy from myself. That definitely had its perks when I didn't want to be noticed. I stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath of sea-coated air, and exhaled.

A chill shot down my back. I was being watched. I did a quick scan of those around us. No one was looking in my direction. All were immersed in gathering their own things and getting inside. Whoever it was must be inside. I scanned the windows, trying to see past the reflection of the sky in many and shadows of others. “Who is-”