A Matter of Convenience

Thirty-Three

~Ericson~

Of course, I’d be summoned when I’m busy trying to get some last minute details clear in this farce of a mate situation we have going on. It took long enough to get Isis to acknowledge me and then a while to get her to speak to me. Now that we are talking, I get called home.

I walk into the packhouse, greeting members as I pass them. I was summoned to my father’s office, and there’s no telling what this is about. I climb the stairs, taking them two at a time. When I get to the second floor, I slow my pace, practically dragging my feet. I have no energy for arguments or harsh words right now. I’ve had enough of that with Isis the last few hours.

The door is already open when I get to my father’s office. I push it open further and walk through. My father is sitting at his desk, seemingly hard at work. I walk to his desk and sit across from him, resting my right leg on my left knee.

He doesn’t move or stop what he’s doing. He doesn’t acknowledge my presence, which is actually a bit annoying. He called me here, yet he’s acting like he didn’t do that. I want to yell and demand that he speak to me, but I refrain. If he wants to play, I will play the game as well and better.

I have no idea how long we sit in silence, but it’s broken by the closing of his office door. Her scent wraps around me, making me gag. The problem isn’t her scent but the disgusting perfume she wears on top of it. Being an Alpha, my sense of smell is more sensitive than most. All of that messes with my sinuses and makes my head hurt.

Blade growls in my mind, and it escapes out of my mouth. “Mind your manners.” My eyes snap up to my father, who’s still focused on the work in front of him. “Kira, please have a seat.” Of course, she sits right next to me. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she moves her chair closer to mine. I shift in my chair, moving away toward the right.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I was in the middle of a project when you called.” Father types away before moving his papers to the side and finally looks up from his desk.

“It doesn’t matter. I called you both here so we can talk.” He sits back in his chair, crossing his arms across his body. “I’m tired, ready to hang this up. I owe your mother a few trips and know she’s ready to collect. In order to step back, I need you to step up, Ericson.” I say nothing because I know this is going to go left quickly. “Kira, you will be instrumental with Ericson being able to step up. You are perfect to be the woman by his side. Once you two join together, I will be able to step down as Alpha.”

“That sounds amazing. I’d love to help you realize your retirement dreams. What do you think, Ericson? How soon can we do this?” I swear I must be in the middle of a horrible dream because this can’t be real life. To say that this is disrespectful is an understatement. It isn’t like my father knows that my bond with Isis is fake. He is under the impression that it’s completely real and has decided that he doesn’t care. He’s decided that what I want doesn’t matter since it doesn’t fit his own vision. This is the biggest reason why we have so many issues between us now.

“Son? Kira asked you a question.” I clear my throat, trying to keep my anger as low as possible.

“What do I think?” I shift in my seat again. “What do I think? I think that you both have me fu.cked up.” The room shakes as Father lets his growl permeate the air. Kira gasps, but I don’t care. I turn and look at Kira, making sure my disdain is evident. “I don’t blame you, really. You are following the directive of your Alpha. On top of that, you are a greedy ass bi.tch. You want something that isn’t meant for you, and you’re prepared to do whatever it takes to get it.”

Kira stands to her feet with her hand on her chest. “You can’t talk to me like that!”

“Sit your ass down! I can speak to you any way I want. I’m still the future Alpha of this pack, and you hold no rank whatsoever!” I wait until Kira lowers herself back into her chair. “You need to understand that there is nothing and no one who will make me accept you as anything other than a pack member. I don’t want you, and that will never change.” I swing my gaze to my father, and the anger on his face is palpable. “Now to you, father.”

“Watch your mouth! I have a feeling you plan on crossing a few lines in the next few minutes. Let me warn you before you do, though. I’m the Alpha of this pack as well as your father. That grants me a certain leve-”

“ENOUGH!” My father’s eyes get big at hearing my tone, but I’m past caring. “You continually use the fact that you are my father and the Alpha as an excuse to talk to me any way you want to. You also let those be the reasons why you think you can run my life. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a grown-ass man, and I’m an Alpha in my own right. You have NO say over anything I do!” I stand to my feet and look at both of them. “I have taken Isis as my chosen mate.” I pull my shirt collar down so our mark is visible. “She’s marked me and I have done the same to her. It's official, and it isn’t up for debate. I’m done with this sh.it, and I don’t want to discuss it again.” I turn and walk to the door without waiting for a response. I pull the door open and walk through only to almost run into my mom.

“Hey, love. When did you get back?” I walk past my mom before stopping. I try to compose myself, but my anger and irritation are off the charts. Mom tenderly touches my back, causing me to turn to her slowly. “What’s wrong? What happened?” I look at the office door before looking back at her.

“You might want to ask your mate.” I turn and leave, hurrying to get outside. Blade wants out, and it will be a disaster if I don't go outside soon. As soon as I hit the grass, I shift and take off.