The room went silent. The boss had lost his fury completely when he learned who was almost on his suspect list. He was not stupid, and thus he decided to end the meeting there, they would reconvene later to discuss their options.
Hopefully, by the time they were to meet again, he would have come up with a plan that did not involve invoking the wrath of the Sadistic Demon and The Bearer of the Reaper's Scythe. Those were two sleeping dragons he could live without awakening, that much was certain.
People may call him cowardly, but everyone knew that it was the cowards who lived to see another day.
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There was one thing that the Alpha of the Midnight Pack hated more than anything else, and that was 'pests who did not know their place'. The pests would crawl arrogantly on the ground, while those in the heavens would crush them without mercy. The only issue came in when the pests mistook a Sleeping Dragon or Silent Tiger as prey for their lofty machinations, only to cry for mercy when they were the ones who disturbed the slumbering monsters, unbidden.
They were the Alpha's greatest headache, since, like the pests they were, they had a horrifyingly irritating way of multiplying their forces like a breed of undying cockroaches. The moment you killed one, another sprung up as if it were waiting, like the snacks in a vending machine.
Unfortunately for Nox, the place she would be heading to in a few days' time was a hole filled with the infuriating creatures. She could feel the incoming migraine, a phantom of her previous suffering. It was not that she was unaware of the games they played, as they thought themselves masterminds of elaborate schemes, only for them to be mercilessly slaughtered and die at her hand.
She could easily play their game, but she preferred to spill blood rather than engage in pointless mind games, since all their schemes ended in blood anyway. She was currently seated in her home office, with her mate on the couch near her. She sighed, at least her mate was not naïve. As for whether she had a sharp tongue or not, that would be put to the test in the near future.
Aylin, who was resting on a couch while reading a copy of Machiavelli's 'The Prince', heard her mate sigh, Scarlett's frustration filtering through the mate bond. She put the book down, standing and heading to her mate.
Nox, who had sensed that Aylin's current actions would be as a result of her sigh, had already pushed her chair back, her lips curling slightly upwards as Aylin comfortably settled herself in the Alpha's lap.
"What's wrong? Is it about the upcoming banquet? Theron told me that you hate them." Aylin said. Nox made a mental note to torture Theron for his loose lips one day as she pouted like a petulant child. Aylin chuckled at her mate's antics, secretly wondering why on earth they called such a sweet Alpha The Dark Valkyrie. It was quite excessive, no?
Shaking her wayward thoughts from her head, she focused her attention on her mate, who had wrapped her arms around the omega's waist, resting her head on Aylin's chest and sighing in comfort.
" I do hate them, and with good reason. The pests that thought themselves my betters when I had cast aside my pride and begged them for assistance the one time I needed it most now even go as far as trying to make me take choice mates from their packs just for a semblance of a connection. At the same time, however, they work with others behind my back to bring me down because they consider me a threat to their ambitions." Nox answered Aylin's earlier question, chuckling when she felt the anger that surged from the omega through their mate bond at the response.
"I just wish they'd stop hiding in the darkness like rats and just declare war, so that I can just be rid of them in one fell swoop. It's annoying having to search for them each time, honestly." Nox spoke, her frustration obvious.
The two sat in silence, enjoying the embrace, before Nox pulled away. She stared at Aylin for a long while before speaking.
"You need to be warned, we will meet my family at the banquet. My mother and brother would sooner give themselves to the grim reaper than have anything to do with me. My father could care less about individuals. He only bothers acknowledging my existence because I'm powerful." Nox paused, continuing;
"With that aside, you don't have to be polite. If you want to, use your tongue to slay them. Unless you kill them or harm them in public, you're free to do as you wish." She said, a cold, distant look overtaking her features before it disappeared as fast as it came.
Aylin nodded, not wanting Nox to dwell on the issue if that was how much pain it caused her. Nox said nothing, burying her nose in her mate's neck before inhaling greedily, her body relaxing as her mate's scent washed over her. She could feel the tension leave her body and was even more grateful for her mate's presence.
Eventually, they separated and Nox went back to her paperwork. However, Aylin did not vacate from her position on Nox's lap. Instead, she looked at the papers on the desk with unconcealed curiosity. Nox watched her and decided to teach her about pack management. She was currently working on forming an alliance with the Red Claw Pack.
"Since my little fairy is so curious, do you want me to teach you?" Nox asked Aylin, who nodded enthusiastically.
"Alright. What you're looking at is the documents for the forging of an alliance between our Midnight Pack, and the Red Claw pack." Aylin's eyes widened, shocked at the discovery. Noticing her mate's reaction, Nox turned her head to face Aylin.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"That's my home pack, so I was just surprised." It was Nox's turn to be surprised. Since she wanted to protect her mate's right to privacy, she had decided against the standard background check. She had decided to ally with the Red Claw Pack because it's Alpha, Brandon Claw, was an outstanding, benevolent and righteous Alpha, so she thought that their interests aligned well. However, this was a turn of events she could not expect.
She pulled out her phone, dialing the Alpha's number before placing it on the desk on loudspeaker. he picked up on the second ring.
"Alpha Nox! It's good to hear from you. To what do I owe this surprise?" A cheerful, deep voice sounded. Nox smiled.
"Alpha Brandon, it's nice to see you are faring well. As for why I called, why don't you hear for yourself?" She said, nudging Aylin, who sat in her lap with Nox's arms around her waist.
"It's been a while, Alpha Brandon. How have you and the pack been?" Aylin asked, nervous. The phone went silent for a second.
"Aylin? Is that you?" He chuckled, continuing; " Damn. I thought I'd never see you again. How have you been all these years?" He asked, the smile in his voice practically audible.
"I'm well, and I even found my mate!" Aylin spoke, the happiness in her voice assuring the man over the call.
"That's good, that's very good. I'm glad to hear that. I thought the worst when I didn't hear a peep from you in a decade." He said and sighed, the worry clear in his voice.
"I assure you, Alpha Brandon, she is quite safe here. Also, I heard that she belonged to your pack; Thank you for caring for my mate." Nox said, grateful that Aylin had such a man as her Alpha. Alpha Brandon sputtered. Did she just say that Aylin was her mate? How was that even possible? Wasn't she still unmated? There had been no news of an announcement ceremony taking place!
"Your... mate?" Alpha Brandon spoke, not quite believing it himself. While other packs scrambled to show off their beauties to the Alpha, the moon goddess had chosen his pack? What kind of insane blessing was this? Nox chuckled.
"Yes, my mate. If you will attend the banquet for all the werewolf Alphas, then you'll meet her then. I won't disturb you further, see you then." Nox said, cutting the call soon after and continuing with Aylin's lesson.
At the Red Claw Pack, Alpha Brandon sat at his office, musing over the phone call he just had. From what he could gather, there would be a storm blowing through the paranormal world very soon, with Alpha Nox and her new mate at the center of it.
He hated boring events, but found himself quite excited at the thought of the upcoming banquet.
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The large ballroom was lavishly decorated. There were emerald curtains with gold detailing at the numerous windows, gold trimmed white columns that supported the ornate ceiling, numerous white clothed tables adorned with gold trimmed glasses, gold cutlery and pristine gold nameplates that dictated the intended seating arrangement. The tables were well-spaced, allowing for free and easy movement.
Despite this, there was enough space to still keep the presence of a large marble dancefloor. The ballroom was located in a Victorian-style mansion, a fact that was observed by the ornate set of stairs that faced the circular tables, their marble steps hidden by an emerald green carpet. Despite the smaller tables, there were two large rectangular tables to the sides of the room that were laden with delicacies from start to finish.
The stairway proceeded impressively from the marble floor, reaching halfway before splitting into two, cradling an ornate little balcony that preluded the large, heavy, delicately carved wooden doors that led to the beautiful obsidian and black marble fountain, that sat at the middle of an impressive driveway.
The theme for this interesting mix of ball and banquet was emerald green, gold and white; a color scheme that the arriving guests stuck to religiously. A man at the door to the ballroom announced the presence of each guest, keeping to the theme that alluded to the nobility of the Victorian era.
The guests mingled, taking the time to talk with friends and create connections with strangers. All while they did this, they cast furtive glances at the stairs every time a name was announced. They were waiting for the few individuals that represented the upper echelon of the werewolf species. Half an hour after the last guest had arrived, came the announcements they had all been anticipating... wait, what?
"The Alpha of the Oriol pack, Sir Marcus Jackson, and his mate and Luna of the Oriol Pack, Lady Delilah Frost have arrived!" 'Mate?' 'Luna?' When was the announcement ceremony and how on earth did they not receive word of this?
"The Alpha of the Midnight Pack, Lady Scarlett Nox, and her mate and Luna of the Midnight Pack, Lady Aylin Dunamis have arrived!" Alpha Nox as well? Just what the hell was going on? The four walked in, and the guests were stunned to silence.
Alpha Jackson wore a black suit coat with icy blue climbing ivy detail. He wore a black dress shirt underneath, the top two buttons undone. He had a gold handkerchief in his breast pocket. Black pants and a gold watch completed the outfit, emphasizing his sky blue eyes as well. His long hair was casually tied in a ponytail with a gold ribbon, and that is when they noticed the woman beside him.
She wore a beautiful white gown, with icy-blue detail in the pattern of beautiful snowflakes. The gown was a floor length and spread around her in a halo. The dress complimented her beautiful mint blue hair that cascaded in waves down her shoulders, inlaid with small white pearls that produced the effect of snow in her hair. Her icy-blue eyes were emphasized by a pair of diamond earrings, a white crystal choker with a large blue sapphire inlaid at the front and a silver bracelet. She looked like an ice fairy. Where had Alpha Jackson found such a unique beauty?
Alpha Nox wore a black dress shirt with the top two buttons undone as well, but the shirt was topped by a black suit that had the same ivy detail as Marcus, but in emerald green instead. She had opted for a silver watch, but the handkerchief that was in her breast pocket was gold as well. She wore emerald earrings, her hair moved from one side with an emerald and gold hairclip that did incredible justice to her violet eyes.
The woman beside her wore a floor-length emerald green gown. It had a subtle, golden pattern of leaves which enhanced the light brown hair that reminded one more of blonde than brown. The hair cascaded down her back, held away from her eyes by a braid that went round the top of her head like a crown. It was inlaid with a vine of gold that delicately held emerald leaves. She wore gold earrings that paired with a dark green choker that was studded with small emeralds and a large amethyst inlaid at the front, paired with a gold bracelet. She resembled a forest fairy.
Where did these two Alpha's find their mates? While kidnapping fairies? Wait... that was not important. How were they meant to curry favor with the two Alpha's now? The two most eligible bachelors of the werewolf species had both been taken off the market. What were they to do now? On the other hand, this meant that the two untouchables had a weakness now. As for whether it would be a boon or a bane to them was to be determined. They could only wait and watch.
The four mingled with the guests, the Alphas taking the time to greet their allies and introduce their mates to them. Luckily, when they went to be seated due to the council members' arrival, they were all on the same table. The ten council members gave a speech and then it was soon time for more 'mingling'.
Marcus and Delilah had left as Marcus wanted to introduce Delilah to his family, who were present at the event. Nox walked aimlessly, her right hand holding Aylin's waist as she guided her, her left hand laden with a champagne flute she had forgotten to take a sip out of. As they walked, a female voice called out to them;
"Scarlett dear! I'm so glad to see you."