The Alpha's unexpected Red Mate

Chapter 2

~ Edward ~

"Christopher, how is this even possible?" I demanded an answer. My Beta struggled with the question, and I saw drops of sweat form on his forehead.

"We are looking into it, sir," he muttered in the end. "I have already organized an emergency meeting in an hour with a few of our Deltas who are in charge of the negotiations with the Baraths."

"Alright, we have to move quickly and make sure that we can still keep peace in the southern countries. If people start with riots in Malthai... Kalanya, Hemoltha and Istrulia will follow. And then we won't be able to keep the negotiations going on. If we lose the deal with the southern packs, we..."

"We will lose the power and the authority within the Commission." Christopher finished my sentence.

"Exactly. And we won't have the votes within the Council. We have to send someone to the south to calm the Barath pack and to revise the existing deal and offer something that would keep them from organizing riots." I already had in mind who I will send. But I first needed to consult with the Deltas who negotiated in the southern countries.

"Shall I invite your son to the meeting, sir?" Christopher asked, knowing that my son will soon inherit the business and the pack.

"No. Don't say a word to him for now. Let's first have a meeting, and I will later break the news to Rhett. The reason why I don't want him to know anything immediately is that we have to organize a feast with the Crystal Moon pack so Rhett can choose his future wife."

"Still hasn't found his mate?" Christopher cared about Rhett as much as I did. He was my loyal Beta, and he shared the same view of all the situations we had with our pack. And he knew very well that Rhett needs to settle down as soon as possible to continue running the pack and the business.

"Unfortunately, he hasn't. I hoped he would, but so far, no sign of our destined Luna. He agreed to an arranged marriage with one of the girls he chooses from the Crystal Moon pack." I sighed.

"He is a good kid... Well, man. He truly takes after you. It's a pity he didn't find his mate." I heard Christopher sigh as well.

"Do you believe in destiny?" I asked while looking through the window on the fields covered with fog. "Isn't it ridiculous, Christopher? The resemblance is almost frightening. To think my son would end up just like me..." I paused. The thought of the history repeating itself made me cringe. My life was almost the same as Rhett's up until this point. We both didn't find our mates in time, and both agreed to arranged marriages to save the family's position on top of the pack and in business.

"I don't think it is fair for Rhett to go through the same." I continued while turning to see what Christopher was doing. He kept a calm posture and looked straight at me.

"Has he..." Christopher tried saying what I already had at the tip of my tongue.

"Yes. And I told him what he will have to do if he ever meets with his true mate. Am I a bad father for making him choose the unnatural path like I was forced to do?" I couldn't help it anymore. I needed to have someone else's point of view on the situation. Ever since Margaret passed away, I have become strict with Rhett, and I thought he might resent me for that. On top of that, yesterday I made him realize he would have to reject his mate for the sake of keeping the alliance we needed to ensure our pack remains on its position within the Council and the Commission.

"No, you are not a bad father. I've seen you care about your son after your wife's death and I don't know a man who made so many sacrifices in his life as you did, sir. You chose not to stay with your mate because your wife was already pregnant with Rhett and since she died, you haven't even tried finding your true mate. You set your feelings aside and dedicated yourself entirely to Rhett's life, education and happiness." Christopher's words brought me back from my turmoil. "Certainly, you've been strict with Rhett, but that was for his own good. And if you permit me, I don't think it was easy for you..." he paused, not sure if he should continue. 

"Go on... You know this is between you and me, and you know how much I appreciate your honest opinion, Christopher." I encouraged him to finish his thought.

"I just wanted to make sure you don't forget that you were the one who made many difficult choices for you which you knew were necessary to get your son where he is today," Christopher concluded. I knew he was right.

"Thank you, Christopher, for reminding me." I nodded in sign of approval of his words. I sat at my desk and showed Christopher to take a seat in one of the chairs next to the window of my office.

"Regardless of our Deltas who are in negotiations with the southern packs, I have decided to send Rhett to discuss with Baraths. I will not yet inform him of my decision, but he will know soon enough that he is the one to take that on his shoulders. Right now, we will first have our internal meeting with Deltas. In parallel, I will organize the feast with the Crystal pack, and once Rhett chooses his future wife, we will send him to face Baraths. Meanwhile, we will send a message to their pack to schedule a meeting." I started with being practical. I handed a paper to Christopher and leaned back to observe his reaction. At first, he seemed frightened by the text he read, but then he ironed his wrinkled face and looked back at me.

"Are you sure this is what we will send to the Baraths family?" He asked me in disbelief.

"Absolutely. And we won't discuss this during our internal meeting. You and I are the only two people who know the content of that letter, and unless I decide otherwise, it will remain like that forever. Understood?" I wanted Christopher to confirm.

"Yes, sir. I give you my word."

"Good. You can send it immediately to Colman Barath. Now that we have finished this talk, I would like us to focus on the preparations for the feast that awaits us. Shall we go through the dates that Emanuel Aydahoa sent us? I think the coming Saturday seems feasible in terms of all the arrangements."

"Alright, I'll take care of the catering services and making sure that the residence is cleaned thoroughly." Christopher got on his feet, crossed the room and reached for the handle. "I'll send for the Deltas right away. We still have a few more minutes before our meeting."

"Good. Thank you, Christopher." I saluted him, although we will see each other in a few moments. Once he left the room, I sank into my thoughts about my deceased wife, Margaret, and our life as a couple. I still felt uneasiness about how I behaved on several occasions regarding her questions about my true mate, but I loved and respected Margaret as all wives should be, in my opinion. It wasn't a passionate love, like the one that renders you completely mesmerized and crazy about your partner, but it was love after all. No one can say the opposite. Certainly, our marriage was arranged, and it wasn't all roses, but I grew fond of Margaret slowly. Once I rejected my mate and focused on the family life I had, I grew more and more accustomed to my chosen partner and from that, our love and mutual respect were born. But I cannot erase the guilt I still feel about leaving Margaret alone while pregnant with Rhett and enjoying every second I spent with my mate. I was a selfish b*****d, everybody knew that. I could only dream that Rhett won't find out this, or at least, that he won't pass through the same hell I did when I was his age.

But for now, I had to focus on the upcoming meeting.