Ever Cynical

Chapter 23- More Than Meets the Eye

Kieran POV

There is absolutely no way that this Greedy Graehm, whom I had told time after time would not be provided feminine company, was demanding exactly that, was there? Was I not threatening enough last time? Did he temporarily forget English and think I was speaking German? Even that would not make sense, honestly. My fists and jaw clenched. I took a slow, steady breath in and out again. There was so much more riding on how I handled this visit than before.

I had to keep my s**t together, as much as I would rather kick him off my pack forever.

"We have discussed this before, Envoy Pflumer. I do not provide feminine... entertainment to anyone here. I don't treat females any differently than I do the males. If you will follow me, your usual room awaits." I spun on my heel, not waiting for him to reply. I was the Alpha here, after all. He may be an envoy, but he had zero jurisdiction. He was smart enough to follow me without saying anything else stupid. Yet. I knew at dinner it was going to be absolute torture. Thank the goddess I had always put him opposite my rooms, so he would be nowhere near where Anais had slept. Even if her scent was not there, simply sleeping in the same room would feel like defiling her. Just... no.

He looked around the basic suite we used for all guests above Beta rank. His face was pinched, like he smelled something bad. It did not enhance his appearance one bit. He looked even more like a face carved out of a squash that was left out to get mushy and sort of, collapse in on itself. His manservant brought his bags and began unpacking. For a moment, Greedy Graehm looked like he was going to make some sort of unreasonable demands, but when I raised my brow at him and let my aura out, just a tad, he backed down. Good.

I can't believe this creature has the balls to call himself a wolf, huffed Ri'dubh in my head. I nearly scoffed out loud, but held it in.

"Well, I'm never pleased with this suite, but I suppose I can make do for a few days." He said in the most supercilious tone I'd ever heard outside of the alpha king, himself. "When is dinner served?" He flicked a wrist, seeming to forget for a moment that this was my pack and he was my guest. My hospitality was hanging by a thread.

"In an hour, Envoy Pflumer." I said shortly, with not a smidgeon of pleasantry. He was here to ask a favor of me, not the other way around. I don't know how he thought his lame-ass methods did anything. Unless... wait a minute. He dismissed me with a wave, and I rushed to my office. Guest areas were the only ones without keypads, and I was not looking forward to when he noticed our added security. Hopefully, his arrogance would cause him to overlook it. He never really came to my office, always insisting that we meet in the formal sitting room I maintained for more... prestigious guests.

Geoff, I need you and the team to meet me in my office right away, I linked urgently. This new idea rolling around in my mind needed a sounding board.

Okay Alpha, we're on our way, he replied, sounding hurried.

I sat down at my computer and began making a spreadsheet of every visit Greedy Graehm had made to my pack. My favorite new thing was Excel. Well, new to me. It was almost exactly the same day every year. Always for three days, about a week and a half before the full moon. I tapped my chin with my finger. It had been exactly one hundred fifty years, since I had turned twenty-five, that he had been making these visits. My father had retired fifty years ago, so I had continued the tradition of declining their offers, but something was off. My team knocked and entered breathlessly, locking the door behind them.

"Sorry, we were being tailed by Graehm's men. Why, I don't know. What happened, Kier?" Geoff said gravely.

"Something isn't right Geoff." I said, still trying to piece together what I was missing, rolling everything through my mind. I was glad that my father had included me in all things pack business since I turned sixteen. I might not have everything in my database, but I would use my excellent memory to do just that.

"Well, duh, the slimiest wolf ever born is in your pack house." Sean grunted wearily, barely an hour and the man, like me, wanted the unscrupulous bastard gone. Preferably, for eternity. Sans his manly parts, just to keep women everywhere safe.

"No, we're missing something. I think they have been using these visits as an excuse. I don't think Ludolf actually wants me on the council." I looked at them. They didn't seem especially surprised. "You knew?"

"No, we didn't know, but we suspected something was behind it. The Elder Council themselves would send an envoy if they were really set on one of us joining. I don't see how it would benefit Ludolf, anyway." Lugh said, shrugging. I guess he was right, it was pretty damn obvious. I hadn't been thinking about the bigger picture, I guess.

Hard to admit, as the alpha responsible for Celtic Moon, that I'd missed something that significant.

"I think they are waiting for you to find your mate. Why, I don't know. But it's the only thing that's remained unchanged, outside of our declining birth rate." Geoff said. Suddenly, his expression darkened. "You don't think... maybe they plan to kidnap your mate?" He whispered, his eyes wide.

A fierce growl from my wolf erupted from my chest. Nobody was taking anyone's mate, especially not mine.

"That, my friends, is exactly what I think. It's why he never changes anything. He doesn't actually care. Shit." I ran my hands through my hair again. I was going to end up pulling half of it out, at this rate. I wondered if Anais would still love me bald? I giggled, momentarily distracted, and my entire team looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. "Private joke, sorry."

"Seriously, Kier. Now is not the time for your weird ass thoughts. Get it together. Iron Alpha, remember?" Geoff snipped bitterly. Lugh had his arms crossed as he stood there, silently stewing in rage. We were in accord. Anyone who wanted our Luna would have to go through us first.

"Okay guys, we can't be in here too long, or they are going to get suspicious. See you at dinner." We all nodded simultaneously, and they left, going their separate ways, probably followed yet again.

Anais POV

Helga and I were having a blast. Thank the goddess the huts were soundproofed. Had we needed to be quiet too, I'm sure we could have, but we were enjoying each other's company so much that our laughter burst out more than once. And although I'm not happy that any female could be potentially cornered by the asshat of all asshats, I was glad that I had not been left alone. I'd consented to video calls with Kieran, but no hanky-panky with Helga around. Obviously!

I may be a lustful tart (in my head, mostly), but I was a respectful one.

We had fun watching Netflix, and had gotten sucked into a few Korean dramas. We made food together, though I mostly watched Helga work her magic. She'd brought makeup and gave me a makeover. It was pretty, with a cat's eye liner and shimmery copper colors, but I couldn't really see myself wearing it every day. Definitely made my eyes stand out. Maybe I could wear it sometimes. She'd love it if I did, and for sure Kieran would trip over himself and say I was hot. I braided her long wheat blonde hair Vikings warrioress style.

After two and a half days I was feeling very stressed. My wolf was pacing. Tomorrow was the day the man was supposed to leave, probably in the morning, as Kieran had texted me the night before.

"Do you think we'll be okay after he leaves, Luna?" Helga asked, concerned.

"What do you mean?" I asked her cautiously. More than meets the eye indeed. Selene and her cryptic messages. Ugh!

"Well, the other pack members say that this envoy comes about the same time just before the full moon every year. It sounds to me like he is trying to stop Kieran from mating." She paused reflectively. "Especially since he's not from the Elder Council itself, you know? He represents the alpha king, meaning to attack him is to attack the alpha king himself."

"I don't know, Helga. But I do know that if anyone lays a hand on me to hurt Kieran, I will kill them." My voice was combined with Claire's, fierce and proud. One thing I knew, was that between my own training and Claire's enhancements, even shifters would be hard-pressed to defeat me now. I'd trained hard as a human, but with my wolf I was a force to be reckoned with.

I would totally junk-punch, then grab and twist this Graehm Pflumer's ballsack, just to make a damn point.

"But you have not shifted yet! I don't doubt you Luna, truly, but it could be very tough." Helga was very worried. She was probably thinking of her own mate too. If things went sideways with this envoy, it was clear that war would break out. I'd bet that Ludolf was banking on it, the sleazebag. Grab the mate and take her as his prisoner, abusing her while attacking a pack he'd probably been eyeing for at least a century. He would know that Kieran could only be mated to another Immortal. It was probably why the slimeball envoy was always asking about unmated women.

"Wanna know a secret?" I said in a conspiratorial tone.

"Okay?" She seemed a little hesitant, but if she was going to believe things would be fine, I needed her to understand. It was not just my mate and me that they had their eye on. It was the pack and all of its members, and every Immortal worldwide. They were clearly up to no good.

"In my lifetime, I've been subjected to many things. Though my tormentors thought I was human, they tried all sorts of poisons and things to hurt me. So many different combinations, I doubt I could list them all." At her shocked expression, I hurried to reassure her. "It sounds bad, but I never felt it was intolerable, as long as they didn't try anything s****l. Pain I can handle. But it taught me a lot about what I could endure. Every time they tried something new, I gained a new immunity. Guess what?" I asked her, waggling my eyebrows.

"What?" She asked breathlessly,

"I'm immune to wolfsbane and silver." She gasped. "No matter how sharp, silver can't cut me." I winked.