My Teacher is My Mate

Meeting - Briar

Briar paced at the front of the house, Ashton and Gabriel standing just behind her, following her movements with their eyes. Ash had been told the news shortly after her and taken it much better; in fact, he almost seemed pleased that she had been the only one of them to be really affected by the decision.

Betrothed. To the heir.

The thought made her stomach roll, and once again she had to suppress the idea to punch her father in the gut. How dare he decide something so important without even consulting her first? She wondered whether Aylin's son had been consulted before she had agreed to it.

"Would you just stand still already?" Ash groaned.

"They were meant to be here two minutes ago," Briar growled, looking down the driveway and continuing to pace. "How do you expect her to make a worthy Luna if she can't even get her pack here on time?"

Gabriel sighed, "Just relax, please Briar. They were probably just held up a bit, it doesn't matter that much."

She went to snap back at him when her sensitive hearing picked up on a car on the gravel road coming up the mountain, and finally stood still as she stared down the road. A minute later, three large SUVs drove up the driveway and stopped in front of their house. Her wolf wanted to take control and growl and chase the invading pack off of her territory, but she restrained herself. Despite disagreeing with this decision, she wouldn't go against her Alpha in front of another pack. 

The first person to emerge from one of the cars was a stunning woman, dressed in what appeared to be business clothes. Her nearly white-blonde hair was pulled back into a tight formal bun, fitted blazer freshly pressed and completely clean of any dirtiness. As she approached their porch in her elegant black heels, adjusting her clothes, Briar couldn't help but feel a slight admiration for the woman. 

"I apologise for our delay. I was held up at a business meeting, and my pack couldn't organise themselves before I got home it appears," she climbed the stairs effortlessly and stopped in front of Briar, examining the younger woman in moments before stretching out a hand, "Aylin Grey. You must be Briar Everett?"

"I am," Briar said stiffly, taking the Luna's hand firmly. She held her eyes for another moment before lowing them, circumming to the Luna's influence. "Welcome to our home."

Aylin gave her a warm smile before moving to greet her brother and father. Ashton bowed politely to the Luna before introducing himself, while Gabriel took the woman into a warm embrace as though they were old friends.

Briar looked back to the cars and saw the rest of Aylin's pack was now standing next to them, waiting uncertainly for direction from their Luna. She scanned over them with furrowed brows, not seeing anyone that slightly resembled the Luna among them. Was her son not here?

"Unfortunately, Kian is busy at the moment with work," Aylin said, noticing Briar's scan. "He will be arriving here as soon as he can. I've made sure he knows there will be consequences if he is a no-show. Jonah, bring everyone inside."

"Yes, Luna," an older man replied with a nod, leading their pack up the stairs.

He must be their Beta, Briar thought, observing the members of the new pack. She wondered whether Jonah would become the Beta of their new joined pack, or whether their own, Mateo, would. They all went inside, where her own pack was sitting defensively on one side of the living room, watching as the new pack took their place on the other side. The tension in the room was almost tangible.

"Thank you for allowing us to come here today," Aylin began, standing in front of both packs as she addressed the Everett Pack. "I know it can be hard to allow another pack to come onto your territory willingly."

They all gave her a slight nod of their head, and the tension in the room seemed to lower a little.

"We brought you all together to announce something important," Gabriel began, "and I think it is best if I simply cut to the chase and tell you, and then you can ask your questions. Both of our packs have been struggling lately due to losses of leadership, so we both agreed it is best if our packs are united. We will become the Everett-Grey Pack, with me as your Alpha and Aylin as your Luna."

The room immediately erupted with noise, some of outrage, shock, questions. Briar sat silently at the back next to Ashton, arms folded over her chest as she watched Aylin and Gabe answering the questions with as much patience as they could.

"This is stupid," Ash grumbled. "We weren't struggling at all. Now we're going to have to renovate the house so it fits everyone."

Briar didn't reply, simply absorbing the talk around her. Most of the pack had the usual concerns: housing space, food, money, larger border to protect. A few were getting angry, saying that they were simply telling the world they were weak by joining together. Others seemed surprisingly optimistic, getting to know some of their new pack mates. Mateo and Jonah seemed to be working together well, holding back one of the younger males from the Grey pack who was getting a little too physically violent with his concerns.

This went on for some time before her thoughts were disrupted when the door swung open, and the room went quiet. In the doorway stood one of the most handsome men she had ever laid eyes on. Muscles threatened to burst from under his form-fitting shirt and jeans, his tanned olive arms showing off his physique with each movement.

"Sorry I'm late," his rich voice brought goosebumps to her skin. "Please, continue."

"About time you arrived," Aylin sighed, gesturing to the dashing white-blonde haired man. "This is my son, Kian, the heir of the Grey Pack."

His grey-blue eyes scanned over the room, eventually settling on hers. The moment their gaze connected, she felt herself shiver, immediately yearning to go to him. She was shocked at her own body's reaction, and equally shocked when she noticed he had yet to look away from her either. He stared for a moment longer before looking away, as though he hadn't also felt the electricity between them.

"We will be having dinner tonight as a new united pack," Gabe said. "Until then, relax and get to know each other. Any issues that you need to work out on your own terms, take it outside. I have a strict rule against being in your wolf form inside the house. That's all."

Everyone began to move around, and Briar couldn't stop herself from moving towards Kian. Before she could reach him, he had walked over to one of the women in the room she hadn't noticed before, and to her horror, greeted her with a kiss.