The Trials of the Jinx

Welcome

The convoy came in all throughout the day. Luxurious cars in many makes and models had heads turning to get a glimpse of the visitors. Jeremy’s guard held the lines to give them privacy to get settled in. Only as the sun began to set had the last of the guests arrived.

***

A joyous chorus of laughter and chatter fills the room as the wolves stuff their bellies with roast chicken, sweet pumpkin fritters, steamed vegetables and various other delicacies. 

“Compliments to the chef,” says Elias, his clean-shaven head gleaming underneath the chandelier.

“Indeed,” mumbles Carlo through a mouthful of chicken.

“Goddess, Carlo. Finish your food! We don’t need to see what's happening in that mouth of yours,” chimes in Asher.

“Asher, I’d lay off the carrots if I were you,” Carlo says as soon as he swallows. “Don’t want that hair of yours getting any redder.”

The men burst out in laughter once again. Sandor pats his beta on the shoulder then rises with a drink in his hand. 

“Welcome, gentlemen. May the goddess bless us to make wise decisions.”

Each man joins him with a glass in hand and cheers in somewhat unison: “Hear, hear!”

Just as he lowers himself, the last course comes through the door. Cherry-and-rum pie. The men eye the dessert with eagerness. Sandor can’t help but smile; his nerves have been wound tight, like a rubber band ball, but the Meet is off to a good start, and the men seem to be enjoying the food and company. They get along well when they are communicating with a good stretch of land between them, however, once they are placed in close quarters, they become wild animals fueled by their egos and need for control.

“So tell me, Theo,” Sandor begins; “ How’s the new mate?” Theo, being the youngest of the group, keeps quiet and rather observes the others with a keen eye. His face is a mask of shadows behind his long black hair, deep-set onyx eyes and the stubble forming around his jaw.

“Busy I’m sure,” Asher bellows, making the poor man turn red.

“Oh, keep it in your pants, will ya,” Erik, the oldest of the group, says. Asher grumbles but keeps any other dirty thoughts to himself.

“She’s pregnant,” Theo announces, a smile tugging at his lips.

Sandor slams the table as he stands. “By Goddess, man. Congratulations!” He walks around the table and gives Theo a hearty handshake. “Louis!” he calls out. “Grab a bottle of champagne and glasses we need to celebrate.”

The others make their way to the new father-to-be and pat him on the back or shake his hand. Louis is quick with the order, and soon everyone is spouting about their children, giving advice but mostly terrifying Theo.

“They’re quick! Once my lad fell off the bed, landing head first on the ground. You can still see the dent in his head,” Carlo tells Theo.

“That’s nothin’,” Elias interjects. “My little girl once made her way into my liquor cabinet. Walked in circles for the rest of the week.”

Theo’s face pales, and just as they burst out laughing. Erik places his hands on Theo’s shoulders, shaking his head in disbelief. “Nothing worse than a bunch of old drunks giving parenting advice. You’ll be fine. Your fatherly instincts will kick in as soon as you lay eyes on your pup, and the good thing about a pack is there is no shortage of help.”

His words seem to put Theo at ease. 

“All right gents, you’ve had a long ride and lots of excitement. My beta and our lovely staff will see you to your condos,” Sandor announces. “Get some rest tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

***

The Meet starts before the sun peeks out from behind the horizon, all cheer and frivolous events a mere memory. A cool tension surrounds the men as they take their seats. Every man dressed immaculately in suits ranging from cashmere to velvet, black to midnight blue with gold cufflinks, Rolex watches, leather loafers and ties in dark colours. Coffee cups are filled for the first time of many to come.

"Good morning, everyone," greets Sandor, unbuttoning his charcoal blazer. He receives a few nods, but the men mostly maintain their stiff postures.

"Let's revise the previous minutes."

Erik clears his throat then takes the stand, being the host of the previous Meet. The last meet didn't have too many issues, and compared to the past year, it was basically just playground nonsense. Asher had a falling out with a vampire clan residing too close to his territory, Carlo wanted to update the trading treaty with the witches, and Elias wanted to extend his borders, thanks to a very fruitful year. Fairly unexacting issues that have been dealt with over the past few years.

"Any updates or further concerns regarding these disputes?"

A few nays echo through the room, opening the floor for new affairs. Erik takes a seat, letting the host continue. Keys crunch underneath Jonas' fingertips, the notes appearing on his screen and the wall instantaneously. He moves to the next slide, where each alpha's name appears next to a blank space. The names appearing in order of ascension to the alpha title.

"Theo," Sandor says, dropping his pen onto a clean sheet of paper.

"My pack is doing well, and the numbers are slowly increasing," he smiles, turning to Carlo, "Perhaps by the next Meet I'll need an increase in land as well. For now, it's all from my side."

"Carlo."

"I think you should come back to me," he replies, a grim look consuming his features. The men nod in agreement, and Elias takes the stand. He rambles on about his new territory for a good 15 minutes, irritating the others. Erik and Carlo especially have no patience with his egotistical rant, when there are drastic measures that need to be addressed.

The others kept their reports short, ready to dive into the real reason they've gathered, however, Sandor knew these wolves have to get something into their stomachs to function rationally. He orders a quick break and calls Jeremy to have the chefs bring up a hefty brunch.

The warm rays of the sun is a much-appreciated change of scenery. The wolves keep their eyes focused on the meal laid out on the picnic tables, filling their mouths, barely coming up for a breath. The only sounds; the occasional scrape of utensils against plates and jaws clenching and unclenching.

Sandor is interrupted by a communication link, tapping in his thoughts. He opens the link and is surprised to hear from his daughter.

Dad, I’m sorry to bother you, I know you have an important meeting, but it is urgent. I need the documents you signed for the schools.

He slams his hand to his face, unable to believe he has forgotten about them. His beta’s brow rises in a silent question.

“I need you to hold down the fort, I need to grab something from my office,” he explains, then rushes into the building.

I’m so sorry, Kel. I completely forgot. I am heading to my office now. Meet me outside the building in a few minutes.

Already on my way.

He rushes up and finds the documents still neatly placed in its folder with a bright pink sticky note that reads; URGENT. For Alpha’s attention. He lets out a soft laugh. His daughter, always a diplomatic person. He quickly signs the papers, then heads back downstairs. As Sandor exits the building he can see the men finishing up their meals, praying that they can hurry up so that the group and his daughter don't have to interact, but the bastards weren’t too eager to rush back into an enclosed office.

Sandor sees the frosty haired woman briskly making her way up the sidewalk. She has on a pastel pink blazer and matching pencil skirt, drawing even more attention to her pale hair.

The sandy wedge stilettos clicking against the pavement grabs the other men's attention. No one utters a word, their legs moving at their own volition closer to the approaching woman.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," she greets them, immediately turning to her father after. He hands her the documents, trying not to let the wolves' stares get to him.

"Thank you, and I am sorry for the interruption."

"No, I should've gotten these back to you sooner."

She smiles at him, gently clasping her hand on his shoulder. The men around them can clearly see the resemblance between father and daughter; they have the same big round eyes, excluding colour, of course, the same smooth chin, the same warm sand coloured skin and most notably, the same dimples in their cheeks.

"You're a…," Asher starts. He can't bring himself to utter the word and is dumbfounded that he even said anything at all. But the others are just as surprised by the turn of events. They all knew, of course, he has a daughter and son, however, this bit of information is lost on them.

Kel sees her father's eyes darken, and though she will definitely talk to him later about this uncalled reaction, she knows she has to intervene and prevent unwarranted actions. She spins around on her heel, letting her long white hair sweep across her shoulder as she faces them.

"Jinx extraordinaire," she answers with a smug smile playing at her lips. No one speaks, unsure of what to say or more likely unsure of what the consequences to their words will be.

"It’s okay. You can say it. If I were still in denial about what I am, this pack would not be functioning as well as it does now."

Her father's chest swelled with pride as his daughter addressed these alphas and betas. A jinx to most of them is a curse, a weakness, and not the person they see now. She does have her bad days, where she will spend days on end in the hospital, fighting for her life, but most days she takes the pack by storm. Sandor looks down at the folder clasped tightly to her chest that contains a brand new curriculum for schools to have a more inclusive learning experience, not just about wolves and their history, but also other supernaturals, a curriculum she has spent months doing extensive research on.

“Thank you for letting me borrow my alpha for a few minutes, I’ll leave you to return to your duties,” she says, her icy eyes softening with her smile. Kel bows her head slightly, then walks off, leaving the men gaping at her in pure, unwavering awe.