The First Chimera.

Chapter 6

Xander's POV

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A month has passed since Ria's wolf emerged, and ever since then Erebus and I have been on edge, annoyed about something we can't put a finger on. Even my dad and Comet have been on edge more often than not, snapping at his unit, at me, and surprisingly snapping at mom. I think it's just the stress of having the leaders of the different races attending a peace talk meeting here, and staying for a week.

I finish buttoning up my white shirt, and pull on the dark blue blazer, my black slacks presentable and shoes shining. Mom has gone all out, her and her Luna unit, along with the omega's have turned the packhouse upside down getting it ready. Surprisingly, mom has been constantly asking Ria to check each of the quests rooms, as though Ria would know any better then the rest of us. I scoff, and drag my fingers through my hair to try and make myself look presentable for these leaders.

"You ready for this sh'it show?" Sam mind-links me, his tone hard and I can understand his unease. His uncle was killed during these wars, he was ripped apart by a vampire hord.

"As ready as any of us is," I grumble and head out of my room and down to the front steps of the packhouse. Zane and Ria join me and I freeze when I take her in.

I've never seen her like this before, the emerald green of her dress makes her sun-kissed skin shimmer, and her dark blue eyes sparkle. Her red hair plated in a halo around her head with a couple of unruly curls framing her face, bare of any make-up leaves me speechless at how stunning she is. The dress is fitted around her chest and waist, clinging to her curves like a second skin to fall in soft waves to stop just below her knees.

"You alright there, Xander?" Zane asks with a slight smirk.

"Umm, yeah," I shake my head as Ria looks between her brother and I, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. Her eyes glaze over for a moment before focusing on us again.

"We need to go, dad wants us," she says softly, before walking ahead of us, her hips swaying. Lust coils in the pit of my gut and I push it away, refusing to acknowledge it.

"She looks different in a dress, right?" Zane says.

"Yeah, your father is going to have a hard time keeping the men away from her," I mutter and shake my head. I can still remember how Beta Chase left the former Alpha Rowan. The S.O.B was shredded to pieces before he was killed. He'd begged for death long before our Beta had finally given it to him.

"Come on, let's go and greet our guests. The both of us are going to be busy keeping Dakota and Sam calm," Zane sighs and we head out, to take our places.

My father and his unit stand in front of the packhouse steps, just as I stand on the bottom step, my unit on my right side, while our younger siblings stand on the step behind us, except Ria who stands beside her mother and the rest of my mum's Luna unit.

My father narrows his eyes at Ria. A mind-link passing between them, and that presence I've felt for the pass month spikes then settles, my father's jaw ticks as he turns away from her.

The first to arrive is the Alpha King of the Were-Lion's, his Luna Queen and their Beta's.

"Alpha Zavior, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Alpha Jengo, and this is my Luna, Ashura. My son couldn't make it, the boy only recently found his mate and they couldn't risk her going into heat," The dark skinned man smiles, flashing white teeth, his hair shaved close to his sclap, his dark brown eyes warm with a golden hue. His Luna has short afro hair cut short, and stricking mercury grey eyes.

"And this is my Beta and his mate, Omari and Zuri," he waves at the two people standing to the right of him. There's actually very little physical difference between us in our human forms, their canines are slightly more pronounced than ours, but I guess that's the same for all feline were creatures. Their skin tones are a dark brown, like wet soil, with warm undertones of gold.

It's their aura's that are different. The king's, Jengo's, aura is like a storm brewing around him, while his mate is calm, her smile warm and welcoming. But there's no doubting she's just as deadly as her mate, if not more so.

"It's our pleasure to have you both here, and of course we understand your son's absence. I'm sure we were both the same when we found our mates," dad says with a smile of his own and the two men chuckle in understanding.

"This is my Beta, Chase and his mate, Esmay, and this is my son and daughter, Alexander, and Eliza." Dad says, a hand clamped on my shoulder, a silent warning to be polite to our guests. I smile and hold a hand out to shake the Lion's.

"Alpha Jengo, Luna Ashura, it's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to meeting your son and his mate the next time," Alpha Jengo's lips twitch with amusment, as he shakes my hand, his grip firm, and I get the feeling he could crush my bones if he chose to.

"We've prepared rooms for you to freshen up in before lunch. Kimaria has volunteered to show you around while we wait for everyone else to arrive," I glance over at her as she steps forwards, her gaze one of honest curiousity.

"Alpha, Luna, Beta's, please follow me," she says softly, keeping direct eye contact, not a hint of showing submission to the Alpha King of the Lion's, a direct challenge to his authority even. The Luna smiles at her, even as Alpha Jengo frowns. I'm half tempted to reprimand her when he lets out a loud bark of laughter and shakes his head before turning back to my father.

"I hadn't believed you at first Wolf, but I can see I was wrong," I frown, confused as dad and Beta Chase chuckle before the Lion's follow Ria into the packhouse. It doesn't take her long to return with a report that they wished to freshen up and rest before meeting everyone at lunch.

It's the same with every race's leader, some called Alpha, some called Lord, or King, the Hyena's having a Queen, and each time they say something along the lines of Alpha Jengo when they meet Ria. For every leader, she never shows submission, and instead of it being seen as an offence, they either laugh or shake it off.

Something about our Beta's adopted daughter amuses our guests, and although she doesn't smile, she doesn't seem offended, and openly stares at them in curiousity, as though she has a million questions for them to answer.

"Is no one going to share the inside joke with me?" I ask my father through the mind-link. Erebus has not liked being left out of the loop, and his pacing is giving me a headache but it's the looks Ria has recieved from the heir's that has gotten under Erebus's skin. He's not liked watching others lust after her, something that's left me confused. She's not my mate.

It's taken all morning for all our guests to arrive, some with their whole units, and their heirs. The packhouse is buzzing with energy, the air vibrating from having so many powerful beings under one roof.

"When our guests leave, then I'll tell you son, but for now enjoy this moment. For the first time in our history the leaders of each race have gathered to talk peace. That is what we should be celebrating!" He's right, we should be celebrating. My father has achieved something no one else throughout our history has. He's gathered the leaders of each race together in order to talk about the end of war. Pride swells in my chest as I watch him kiss my mother's cheek.

Entering the dinning hall, is a sight to see all these powerful beings together. There's no mingling as they watch each other warily, waiting for something to happen.

"Let's get this meeting started shall we?" Dad asks, his eyes glazing over for a moment before he leads us to our table. The omega's coming out with food for everyone. Sam shifts in his seat, his wolf close to the surface as he openly glares at the Vampire King's second in command, a woman who smirks at him and takes in a deep breath before licking her lips, taunting him.

"Sam, pull yourself together. We are here to bring about peace, not start another war," I snarl down the mind-link. Sam flinches, before he nods, his jaw set in a hard line. I understand his hatred for vampires, one killed his uncle, and although the leech was killed by his father, he's never been able to see pass the fact his uncle was murdered by one.

I watch my father as he begins the meeting, how he talks to each leader with respect, debates with them, drives his point home even.

It's eye opening to hear of the other races problems. I'd assumed they'd been fine, that the constant warring between our people didn't affect them as it's affects us wolves.

I was a nieve fool to assume so. Even the vampires are having issuses and it didn't escape my notice how Sam's eyes widened to hear how they're struggling just as much as we are.

Ria sits, and listens, quietly observing, as though she's a bystander in this.

"I honestly don't see how we can prevent wars from breaking out between our peoples when the goddesses are pairing different spieces together and rejections are naturally following," Alpha Eden, the Hyena's Queen states, her arms crossed over her chest, her green eyes as cold as emeralds. Her dark brown skin glowing gold from the setting sun flooding through the windows. Her mate, a male hyena nods in agreement.

"Some don't reject their goddess gifted and are shunned by their people, turned rogue, or killed on the spot. It would be easier to bring peace to our people if we made it law that cross race mates should reject each other upon finding one another," Coven Leader Alice says.

"I disagree, I believe that the goddesses know what they are doing, and goddess gifted mates should always accept each other," Alpha Jengo says, his arm resting across the back of his Luna's chair.

"I've met a child of such a pairing, a lion-witch. She was incredibly powerful," The Siren's Alpha King's queen, a beautiful woman with sparkling blue eyes and blond hair that falls to the floor speaks up.

"The child was accepted into our pack when she'd been banished from her home pack. She in turn mated with one of us. Unfortunately, they were both killed during a land battle. They would have had such beautiful children," She sighs sadly, the debate carrying on well into the night. It's only when the clock strikes eleven that my father calls an end to the session.

When everyone else has returned to their rooms, my father turns to me, frustration and a soul deep warriness evident in his eyes.

"They'll never understand why peace between us is so important." He sighs.

"Then why do you keep trying?" The question is out before I can stop it, but it isn't my father who answers. It's my mother, who watches as Ria vanishes up the stairs to the Beta suite.

"Because otherwise the goddesses would have wasted their last miracle on us," I frown at her, her violet eyes dull with exhaustion. Dad guides her out of the dinning hall, while I sit in the quiet, nursing a glass of whisky. Sam, Dakota and Zane sitting with me, their presence alone comforting as I turn the day over in my mind.

The dynamics between the races is far more complex than I'd originally believed. I could now understand why my father wished for peace. We could build a brighter future if we could only stop killing each other.

Unfortunatly it didn't seem like that'd be happening any time soon.