The Half Mutt Mate

Chapter 8: Thomas's PoV

The meeting was strict and formal, masking centuries old feuds with wine and pleasantries. When we arrived at the house I held out my arm to Annie, who had already fixed a polite smile on her face, and entered the hall. 

The entrance to the Blaid-Glas Pack house, where the meeting was being held, was an ornate marble archway. It was an old pack which valued history and tradition, and it's Alpha had offered to hold the meeting in their pack hall because his father, the previous retired Alpha, was part of the eldership.

Annie and I walked through the double doors, Annie's dress swishing around our feet. She clutched my arm hard, though whether it was to show her distaste for me or her sense of nervousness in an unfamiliar setting I didn't know. I had been to Blaid-Glas pack many times as I was friends with George, the Alpha, when we were younger and pack business sometimes led to a visit, so I was a bit less nervous. 

The hall itself was massive and as ornate as the archway. A large stone staircase dominated the centre of the floor, flanked on each side by giant glass windows and lush red drapes. People milled about on the dance floor, talking softly with champagne glasses in their hands. At the top of the stairs stood George and his mate Claire, who was wearing a brilliant red to match George's tie. I nodded politely at them, watching George's face light up in a smile of recognition.

Some of the other guests noticed our arrival, but none came to speak with us, so we walked over to the nearest group to make small talk. Diplomacy and manners were important in meetings such as these.

The group nearest to us consisted of an Alpha I had met before, Caroline, and her mate Jasmine, as well as a few men, an Alpha and his brother, who I didn't know very well. I shook hands with everyone and introduced Annie, though she already knew some of them.

"Why, it's so nice to see you again, Thomas," said Caroline, her eyes flashing. She had always been very charismatic but she was a bit of a wild card in situations like these.

"It's lovely to see you too," I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."

Caroline hummed. "Yes, I was so sorry to hear about your mate. My condolences, indeed."

"Thank you."

I watched the other Alpha smirk at his brother  -- it looked like they were enjoying the situation. If I had to step down because of this, there would be an opening for them in the council -- from what I remembered of Phillip, the Alpha, his pack was very small, so he could gain a lot of power if I lost mine. Alliances between werewolves were very important as we were all ruthless, but loyal to the end. I decided that, if I could, I had to secure an alliance with Caroline, who was a much more powerful ally than the arrogant pups we were standing with.

Annie seemed to understand the power dynamics of the group and had latched herself onto Jasmine, who was chatting up a storm. Annie always was an avid socialite. I turned back to Caroline with a strained smile. 

"How are you doing, though, Caroline? I hear you're engaged."

Caroline glanced wistfully over at Jasmine, her eyes full of warmth. "Yes, my darling mate over here agreed to marry me in the spring. We would have done it sooner but her family has to fly over from Europe -- she's from an old European pack, you know." She seemed genuinely happy. 

I felt a familiar stab of pain in my chest, an old scar. Losing your mate was... tough. Even if it was your choice. 

"You simply must come to the wedding, though," said Caroline, smiling charmingly at me.

"Of course, of course." 

Phillip, the little Alpha was nodding along to our conversation, but scowled when I agreed to come. It looked like he didn't get an invitation. Phillip made his excuses and left with his brother to join a different group. Caroline smirked. 

"Good riddance," she said, "now we can talk freely."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"I've heard rumours. A lot of them. They say the girl -- your mate -- was young. Very young." Caroline was defensive, she no longer playing games. I knew I had to explain myself properly if I was ever going to get her loyalty.

"It wasn't like that, Caroline," I said with a sigh. "She was very young, but I wasn't in love with her or anything. She was like a little sister to me -- I was protective, of course, but that's because she was always in trouble."

Caroline eyed me with suspicion. "And what were your intentions with her?" Caroline was hitting me with the full force of her intimidation, and I could feel myself getting nervous.

"I wanted to see her safe and happy," I said. "Eventually, she would have become the Luna of my pack and married a boy her own age who swept her off her feet. That can't happen now, obviously."

Caroline shook her head -- I couldn't tell if she was agreeing with me or not.

"There are other rumours too, some all but confirmed -- I want to hear it from you first, though. Is she a mutt?"

I paused. I knew I had to be honest -- nearly everyone knew, after all -- but how to phrase my words? I decided to just spit it out. As much as Caroline loved the manners and the facades of werewolf society, she had a soft spot for honesty.

"Yes, she was a mutt, though I didn't know about it for a long time. I rejected her as soon as I found out. She escaped of course, before we could do anything, and that's why we're at this meeting now." 

Caroline nodded. "I see," she said. She seemed angry. It was impossible to tell if this was good or bad -- I had never gotten a chance to see how extreme her views on mutts were. Most werewolves were smart enough to be wary, they knew that mutts were bad news. However many, especially the old or old-fashioned, were very extreme in their views and possessed a hatred for the half breeds that was hard to fathom. 

Caroline looked like she was about to say something, but at that moment we were interrupted by the chiming of a glass from the staircase above us. George had tapped his glass, which meant that the council of elders had arrived and we were about to begin.