TM [Complete ✔️]

5. Meeting

Zane's P.O.V

My head lulled back and forth and not even the expensive car we were currently in helped with my nausea.

Knox, Dali, and I, as the three highest-ranked members of the pack, were on our way to D's first council meeting. Despite having met with the Elders multiple times, she'd never been in an official meeting as Luna with other pack Alphas, so naturally, her mate had been on edge all morning, talking our ears off with rules.

If I had to hear him say 'Love, it's dangerous," or 'Please be careful and don't go out on your own" another time I would puke for an entirely different reason than the horrible roads.

I closed my eyes, trying to tune the two's bickering out.

At least since Zion wasn't back and I was more human than wolf, I couldn't feel the nervous aura oozing off of him, unlike the poor warriors he chose to escort us.

I hadn't taken care of any of my duties since my mate passed and I had no plans on returning to my position but until I was ready to tell Knox that, I was stuck attending important meetings like this one.

Apparently, something was going to happen today that I couldn't miss for the world, despite my very clear unwillingness to attend.

Even though he forced me to go, however, Knox had merely hinted what would go down later today, and since I was out of the loop for the past month, I was walking into the vipers' den clueless but intrigued.

My Alpha was never nervous before the few council meetings we attended together. He had no reason to be and the cars our pack members, including us, were taking was proof of that.

Our pack, despite the losses, was still the biggest, the strongest, and the richest. Our warriors were the most fierce and even the Omegas were treated with respect, resulting in the well-operated machine that was Blood Moon.

The vehicle was a mere statement, as were the two ones behind us filled with warriors to protect the Luna.

Yet, even though anything besides my daughter hardly mattered anymore, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy the closer we got to the Silver Claws pack.

The words he used to describe said meeting... He talked about revenge, about paying debts, and showing everyone what happens when you take from him.

A shudder passed through my spine, increasing my nausea.

I pressed the button, lowering my window. The cool air hit my face, making my untamed hair wildly fly around. It was grimmer than usual for mid-October, though it could be just me. A carpet of leaves was spread out, hues of reds, oranges, and yellows flying past us.

My little girl was a month old already. I hated to think about her milestones as the time passed after my soul rotted, yet I couldn't help it.

It had been the hardest yet most bittersweet month of my life. I spent it grieving the loss of the love of my life and welcoming the life of my little bean. I spent it learning how to be dead and alive at the same time, all while learning how to be a single parent with severe separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety that, at the moment, was making my skin crawl.

I hadn't talked to my mother in two weeks besides two days ago when I asked if she could look after Beyla while I was away.

Although I would have given anything to bring her with me, Knox was right in the sense that it was way too dangerous to have all the Alphas in two thousand kilometres ratio all under one roof and it was no place for a newborn pup.

The only thing that terrified me more than leaving her was hurting her, so my baby bean was bonding with her grandmother for the time being.

I didn't trust my mother one bit. Not after what she knows and not after what she hid, but I had no other choice. I trusted no one anymore, yet I'd rather entrust Beyla to her than some random Omega.

Dali had been trying to help me out in between her duties. She even went so far as to persuade me to let her take my baby for a night. It was no lie that with the lack of sleep and the loss of my mate, I was pale with only dark bags under my eyes for contrast, so it wasn't hard for her to explain why she needed to take her niece for a night.

I tried that night. I really did try to sleep, to clean, to prepare a few meals so as to not bother D with it but I failed miserably. Instead, I ended up bringing flowers to my fallen Rose, sat with her until my body grew numb and every inch of me was shaking from the cold, then I crashed for an hour before I almost had a heart attack searching for my pup in the empty bassinet.

Needless to say, I never left her side afterward.

"Zane?" Dali's concerned voice met my ears. I lifted my head, looking at her through the rearview mirror. "Are you alright? Do you need us to stop?" I shook my head, quickly regretting the action as the pounding in my head grew worse in protest.

"Try to get some sleep, we'll be there in an hour," Knox suggested.

I didn't get any sleep but I did fret over whether my pup was alright, did my best to ignore flooding memories of my mate, and analysed what the meeting may potentially be about.

By the time the car stopped, I was dragging my feet and swaying like a drunken pirate after staying on water for too long, and no matter how much I reminded myself I was making a fool out of my best friend and everything he worked so hard for, I yet again couldn't find it in me to care.

***

"How is she?" I asked immediately after my mother picked up the call, my fingers drumming against the phone.

"Well, hello to you too, Zane!" Her sarcastic tone filled my ears as I strained to hear my daughter. "She's doing great, fussed for a bit but I just got her to go to sleep," Mom said after a moment of silence, a door softly closing behind her.

I finally let out the breath I'd been holding, my chest feeling just a little bit lighter.

"The guards in front of the door," my mom cleared her throat, "were they necessary?"

"Yes." Was all I said, shutting my eyes tightly as if that would make the voices go away. "Could you send me a picture of her? Later, when she wakes?"

"Yes, my boy, I'll send you pictures and videos often, so you can know she's okay." I sighed, wondering if my mother too thought I was ridiculous at this point.

"Thanks."

Silence stretched between us, the only sound meeting my ears being her soft breathing and the shuffling of feet as ranked members were led to their rooms and Omegas scurried to tend to their needs.

"Will the guards be here the entire time you're away?" Mom spoke, again bringing up the warriors I'd stationed in front of the suite "Honey, we're in the middle of the pack house is it truly necessary?"

"Yes," I snapped, "if you need anything, you tell them. You're not leaving the suite until I come home."

My mom inhaled sharply, her voice coming out hoarse as she asked, "Is it because you don't trust me?"

"Have you given me a reason to?" I retorted, part of me feeling the guilt burning low in my stomach.

"Zane-" her words were interrupted by a knock on my door.

"Zane? The meeting is about to start!" Knox informed me, making me sigh again.

"I have to go. Take care of Beyla for me and let me know if something happens."

"I never meant to hurt you." She replied instead, my chest feeling even heavier, if that was possible.

"Me neither."

I hung up the phone, throwing it onto the bed. Frustration mounted up my throat, the need to scream being overwhelming.

"I'll be out in a moment," I said to my Alpha, instead, quickly making my way into the bathroom and splashing my face with the coldest water I could handle.

I counted the seconds as they ticked by, gripping the now-wet sink for dear life.

In this room, I could be as messed up as I was. I could throw and sigh and even cry if I needed to, yet as soon as I left, everyone would expect the cheery but strong Beta of the Blood Moon pack. The one, who can kill with brutality for his own and make jokes about it two minutes later.

Yet that part of me was gone, never to be recovered. I only wondered how many wolves had come to that conclusion and how many more's disapproving gazes I would have to meet today.

Shaking my head and letting go of the death grip I had on the sink, I quickly walked out into the hallway, where my friends and a male Omega were waiting.

Upon seeing me, he hurriedly led the way, Knox following after him with a frighteningly determined look in his eyes while Dali lingered behind with me.

"You okay?" She whispered, hoping, for my sake, that the Omega wouldn't overhear. I shrugged and gestured for her to lead the way, Knox quickly grabbing her hand as I trailed quietly behind them.

The pack house was large and cold, seemingly empty. While trying to distract myself from my thoughts, I wondered where the pack members were, and why, despite so many Alphas, Lunas, and Betas present, it was as quiet as a cemetery.

We were led into a giant conference room in hues of dark woods, reds, and gold, the present Alphas cockily staring as we entered, Knox's warning growl making them finally look away.

Once we were shown to our seats, mine being right after Dali's, the male scurried off, perhaps to retrieve more of the missing members.

The Elders were all already seated, looking very impatient as only a few of the chairs were yet to be filled, leaving the whole room waiting.

Everyone was chatting amongst their own packs, no one daring to look in our direction again, thanks to my Alpha.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw my friend's hands trembling slightly as she tried not to shift in her seat, her mate holding her hand steady and attempting to rub soothing circles on her thigh before she pushed his hand off.

I looked away.

***

Fifteen minutes later everyone had taken their seat, once more today making me glad I didn't have my wolf. If I did, I'd be able to feel the tension with every fiber of my being, while now I could only see it and try not to draw attention to myself.

Knox, however, had other plans as the Elders handed the reigns of the meeting over to him.

"As you all know, there was an attack on mine and my niece's life," he began, "now, you all should know the details by now, so I won't get into them," his eyes quickly skimmed over the other Alphas, trying to find someone that hadn't educated themselves on the recent events - he didn't, "my Luna was left to lead the army by herself, asking our allies, the Silver Claws pack, for help, to which they agreed."

No one dared even move, Knox almost trembling in anger as he recalled what we lost because of this pack, because of their coward Alpha.

I balled my fists, desperately trying to keep memories from flooding me.

At least until I was confined within my room again.

"However, they didn't uphold their end of the deal Alpha Cedric made with my Luna, instead selling my pack out to the enemy and leaving me to die, killing my sister and my unborn pup instead." Gasps rang through the room, mostly the Lunas', no one but our members knowing Dali and Knox lost their son.

I turned to Dali, only to see her squirming body already turned towards me. It seemed we both had the idea of helping the other while being unable to help ourselves.

Her mate gave us only a second to recover before his voice, rougher than before and filled with grief, along with something else, rang through the room again.

"I am here to demand repercussions for my unborn son, for my Beta female and sister, for the attempt on my life and the life of a pup of a ranked member, for the resources wasted for the battle and the life of my warriors!" And he demanded them. He demanded them with his tone, his harsh glare, his trembling in anger body, and the shifting of his eyes between grey and red. "I am here to take what's mine." He boomed. "I am here to take the Silver Claws pack as revenge for breaking off our alliance and betraying an ally!" I stilled, my body freezing in place. Murmurs broke out from everywhere around me, drowning out my own thoughts, silencing the voices.

"Furthermore, I wish to give the pack to my current Beta, Zane Brown!"

A/N

Hi, Treasures! Make sure you join my F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k group Teddy's Treasures for extra content and discussions! Sweet little cliffhanger for you all in case you missed them during book two ;)