Lycan's unexpected mate

Stalling

Triton

Damn, what was she thinking, striding in here as if she owned this place? We have agreed that she will take over my responsibilities but this . . . THIS . . . was too abrupt!

I know that she knew all too well that I would force her to submit and leave if she went overboard. I know that all her speech was well-supported by different sources. And although I attempted to stop her at the very beginning, now I don't regret not doing it.

She was also very confidential, not saying explicitly who she meant but giving enough details for everyone to know, recall or find out. She has also managed to shut Alpha Higgins up in a very polite manner. To be honest, his additions to our discussion had made my skin crawl even before Tali arrived. His final words keep ringing in my ears: "I say we get rid of them all! The rogues are like a plague. . . . These animals are too dangerous to be left alone and uncontrolled. . . . It would be in our best interests to eliminate this threat . . . I would vote for the execution of these treacherous beings."

Come to think of it, Atalanta was well-mannered as she presented the evidence and asked for understanding and giving her speech some thought.

As the door closes behind Atalanta, I allow myself to look around the room. Everyone is in a state of shock, displease or they are lost in their thoughts. But I can catch tiny hints of vengeance and cruelty. Unfortunately, they are gone before I am able to pinpoint the Alpha whose feelings these were.

I need to think about this myself and I need to give Tali an earful afterwards. The Alphas are now looking around uncertainly, and I notice Alpha White biting his lower lip. I know that no-one will be able to make a coherent statement after Atalanta's speech, so I decide on the strategic retreat.

I cough and gain everybody's attention immediately. "Alphas, I realise that the Princess has just presented a lot of evidence to go through, so I suggest that we have a break for today and meet again tomorrow morning at 9 to continue our discussion."

They all nod and say almost in unison: "Yes, Alpha King."

I look at everyone with a kind smile. "Good. The dinner will be served at 7 in the Great Hall and my Luna has prepared some games afterwards, so I'd like to extend an invitation to you all to spend more time socialising with one another while having fun. If you have other plans, feel free to realise them." I make a pause to wait for any questions, and when there aren't any, I finish with: "You're dismissed."

I get up from the table, stash my documents and leave the conference room. Outside the door, I notice lingering unease and it gets stronger in the direction of Atalanta's room. I hope it's just a coincidence, and walk to my office. I can hear others leave the conference room hastily in groups.

Once I reach my office, I set the papers on my desk and sigh. The uneasy feeling is still on my mind so I decide to go to Tali's room just to be sure. She's my daughter after all and I want to make sure that she's fine, even though I'm unhappy about the stunt she has just pulled. I lock the door just to be sure and stride to her room briskly.

While I am walking to her room, an Alpha stops me and greets me: "Alpha King, good afternoon."

I grant him a kind smile and greet him back. "Good afternoon to you, too, Alpha."

I can see that he wasn't in the meeting. I know about five Alphas who didn't arrive for lunch. There were some problems on the road, one had to return because his human Luna got sicker and one had a problem with his child. I can't remember why this one is late but surely it was important.

When I want to continue on my way, he says: "Alpha King, my name is John Witek, I'm Alpha from the Midnight Pack." I nod and wait for him to continue. The name rings a bell, but there are other things on my mind that keep me busy. He gulps thickly and his hands get sweaty. I can see tiny hints of him trembling in nervousness.

"Alpha King, I want to apologise for arriving late because my Luna insisted on bringing our Beta couple along so we had to make additional preparations before setting off."

I purse my lips. Why would they take the Beta couple and not only the Beta? I can't place the right Luna to him, either. I hide my frown by rubbing my forehead. Too late do I realise that it makes me seem impatient and in a rush.

"You see," Alpha Witek explains quickly, "Princess Atalanta has been calling with our Beta a lot these days, so Elizabeth, my mate, thought it would be good for them to meet in person and that meant taking his mate along because she's pregnant and they have got quite dependent on being together because it's a risky one and so, in the end, we had to take them both." At the end, Alpha Witek is running out of breath, his words getting out faster and faster.

I pat his shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay, I understand. They think that she's from Silent Heights, right?" Alpha Witek bobs his head a few times. "Keep it that way. They can meet her today after dinner or tomorrow during our meetings. If they ask about her father, say that he's checking the perimeter, so they'll meet him later. I will make the necessary arrangements. Now, if you excuse me, Alpha Witek, I really need to speak to my own Beta."

I turn away from Alpha Witek and walk down the corridor. I have just got around the corner when I hear a relieved sigh: "My, this went better than I thought. He's not as strict as Atalanta claimed. I was scared I would make a fool of myself."

I chuckle as I finally connect all the dots. This is the Alpha my dear daughter talked about during the meeting. They have been pretty close ever since his father brought him to the Annual Gathering for the first time. In the beginning, I was worried that he was her mate but once he turned eighteen and didn't say anything, I let the thought be. I know him personally very well, it's just that today there are too many people and events for me to keep track of who I'm talking to at the given moment. And I really need to check on Tali. Thank Moon Goddess that I have Pontus to back me up if I were to forget something.

'You're getting old, Triton,' Pontus chimes in in a mocking delight. 'I can remember how you used to greet every Alpha first about fifty years ago. Now you barely know the names and you don't connect the faces. And you. . ."

I shake my head to stop his rambling but he just laughs at me. 'Shut it,' I growl at him as I get closer to Atalanta's room. I inhale deeply, then knock on the door. No-one answers so I knock once more and try to feel if there is someone inside or not. I can smell one person inside and it really is Tali. I crease my forehead because I worry that she's upset with me. I sigh and knock again more forcefully. It comes out as bangs more than knocks but I don't want her to say that I invade her privacy.

Suddenly, the door opens and Atalanta looks out. "Sorry, I was doing number one," she says with a sheepish smile.

I think of how long it has been since leaving the meeting room and realise that it's plausible because it's over twenty minutes. I shrug and let myself in. She blinks slowly and closes the door. I sit on the chair next to her desk with its back in front of me. Atalanta watches me all the time without saying a single word. When I'm seated, she walks over and sits down on her bed facing me. She folds her hands on her lap and stares somewhere above my right shoulder. I resist the urge to turn my head in that direction as I realise that Tali looks alright, and I have nothing to worry about now. But I haven't prepared anything for such a case and the silence is stretching between us uncomfortably. She rubs her hands together while I try to start the dialogue. Somehow. Anyhow.

Finally, it occurs to me that I could begin by telling her about Alpha Witek. I take a breath and say in as civil way as possible: "I've met Alpha John Witek. He said that you've been in contact with his Beta, right?"

Atalanta stiffens and I don't know why. Then she carefully admits: "Yes, yes, I have."

She glances at my face, then quickly resumes her looking behind me. I sigh and scoot closer to her with the chair. "His Beta is the one you talked about, isn't he?" I try to make her speak to me. She seems to be hiding something, though.

She lowers her head and I try to coax her again with something related but slightly off-topic: "You know how John became the Alpha?"

She looks up. "Mom told me that his father died in a fight with him," she says simply.

"That's true," I agree. "But John wasn't supposed to become Alpha at first."

Atalanta opens her mouth in surprise and I nod gravely. "His father had asked me to transfer the Alpha title to his brother a few months before he died. He claimed that John was unsuited to lead such a big pack because he had a problem with his head." I point my index finger to my temple and move it in small circles.

Atalanta laughs shortly - she probably thinks that I was joking. Then her laughter dies down and she asks: "You didn't believe him, did you? Tell me you didn't."

I rub my chin. "I had a hunch that something was off about the statement because you two had a great relationship and you would have told me if there was anything wrong with him." I shrug but keep eye contact with her. "So, I postponed the related paperwork for as long as I could and when I was about to sign it, John called me to introduce himself as the new Alpha of Midnight Pack. And everything was solved."

She purses her lips and I wait for her to say what is on her mind. She lifts her right index finger as if she wanted to stop me from continuing. Then she curls her hand in a fist and places it on her forehead. "So Adrianna comes to the pack and drives the new Beta away because Evans wouldn't trade his Mate," she whispers more to herself. "John kills his father to get his best friend back and change the leadership before his father can do any more damage to their pack. Meanwhile, Evans and Adrianna meet Carson and David, who was presumably driven away from the Golden Gate Pack. Why is the world so small but I still can't track, you guys, down?" Then she looks at me expectantly and asks as if she has just said nothing and we weren't talking about Midnight Pack: "Dad, who used to be Alpha Higgins' Beta? At least his surname if you recall."

It is my turn to frown because I have no idea what has possessed her. I guess that Carson and David are somehow related to Midnight Pack. I sigh as I rake my memories about Alpha Higgins. This Alpha makes my blood boil. But his Beta wasn't that bad. Actually, he tried to negotiate less strict punishments and better rules for family members in their pack. But what was his name? It was strange, I always mispronounced it.

'Thankfully, you have me,' Pontus puffs up in pride. 'His name was Flinagan. You always called him. . .'

'. . . Flanagan. Yes, I remember now. Thanks, Pontus,' I reply back and return to my conversation with Atalanta. I decide to give Pontus some credit as a thank-you. "Pontus reminded me that his surname was Flana. . . Damn, bad again. Flinagan."

Atalanta's eyes widen like saucers. She coughs and tries to act nonchalant when asking: "Did he . . . Did he have a son, by the way? David maybe?"

I rest my arms on the back of the chair and purse my lips. "He did have a son but he disappeared shortly after he had died. I mean, it's understandable for young people not to keep it together when they see their parent mauled so much that they barely recognise the parent."

Atalanta gives off sad vibes as she pushes on: "So it could have been David?"

I throw my hands in the air. "How am I supposed to know? We have never been introduced."

She saddens some more as I calmly fold my arms back. "Sorry, Dad, it's just . . . I have spoken to a man who introduced himself as David Flinagan and he was ousted from his pack after his father's death so . . . I thought . . ." She just shrugs, shakes her head and lets the topic be. "Maybe it's just the same name," she suggests in the end, but I don't buy it. She surely knows more about the man to believe he used to belong to the Golden Gate Pack. He's probably part of Midnight Pack now, so he's really made his living conditions better.

I touch her arm and use David as the linking point to her escapade in the Alpha meeting. "So, you met this David when you discussed matters with Alpha Witek and his Beta?"

She rubs the back of her left hand, trying to avoid direct eye contact with me. "Yeah, something like that. Beta Evans told me about him and then I found him in a human place because he has the rogue status."

Well, my bad. I didn't think about this possibility. However, I wouldn't want Beta Flinagan's son to suffer as a rogue. What with Alphas like Higgins who would like to go on a rogue hunt. "Tali," I tell her firmly, "when you manage to meet with David another time, bring me along. If he really is the one you say, we should find him a good pack to live in."

She smiles brightly but quickly sobers up. "No, no, we can't take him from others, they need him," she admits almost tearfully as if she has just realised how impossible my suggestion would be for someone in his position.

It piques my interest but she wouldn't disclose more than what she already has. Ever since I started training her as my successor, she began to keep more secrets from me. She hasn't even discussed with me how she is progressing with the white werewolf named Zeus. And a little birdie told me that she's investigating with the Sorcerers through Artemissi Lincoln! I really want to learn more about what's going on, even though it would be plain speculation and not a proven fact.

I clench my teeth and return back to the first topic: "We've got pretty far from Alpha Witek." At Tali's raised eyebrow, I explain: "He stopped me in a corridor and asked for a meeting with you. He has even brought his Beta family along."

Tali covers her mouth on surprise. "Beta family? As in Evans and Adrianna?" At my nod, she even adds: "But Adrianna's expecting! Why would Evans bring her with them when they have two more children at home?"

I shrug. "He claimed that his Luna insisted."

Atalanta chuckles. "This makes sense." Her demeanour remains positive as she adds: "Although Elizabeth is a human Luna, she has more power over her mate than other werewolf Lunas. Oh, and I've heard that she keeps studying as a doctor."

I smile as well but realise all to well that Atalanta is stalling as much as she can so that we don't get to discuss the meeting. "Anyway," I interrupt her so that she doesn't start talking some more about insignificant details, "I've suggested a meeting after dinner. Do you have time? They will find you."

She nods a few times. "I can make it," she says slowly and looks straight at me. We stare at one another mutely for a minute until she breaks the eye contact and sighs.

"Dad . . ." she starts just as I say: "Tali . . ."

Atalanta plays with her hair a little as we keep quiet again. It takes me this long to realise that we both have no idea how to correctly acknowledge what she has done during the meeting. I decide to help us both out. I get up and pull the chair back to the table. I can sense that Atalanta is watching me all the time, very likely unsure of what I plan to do. I walk to the door and listen for a second to make sure there isn't anyone nearby. Then, I check the window and outdoors. Finally, I walk back to Atalanta's bed and sit down on her right side.

"We can't escape it, Tali," I say, nudging her shoulder. No matter what, she's my little girl and I can't stay mad at her for long when she surely realises that she has done something not good. She sighs gravely and I pull her onto my lap. She doesn't resist and snuggles into my embrace just like when she was small.

"Tali, tell me what happened. Why did you suddenly appear in the conference room?" I ask silently into her hair. She sighs again, which is quite uncommon for her, and she pulls closer to me. I hold her and wait for when she is ready.