"Come on, Sebastián, how long are you going to give me the death stare?" my brother and alpha of the pack, Kai, said, looking up from the heavy stack of pack work papers in front of him.
We were in his office, a small space with great ambiance and the only working air conditioner in the entire village. I was sitting on the comfy couch his mate and my sister-in-law had put here for him to use during overnight work sessions.
"When are they going to fix the air conditioners?" I asked suddenly. That was the only thing I could focus on right now. Everything else annoyed me too much to talk about.
"Next week. Turns out Daniella's place had a short circuit that affected the entire village. John only discovered it yesterday. They're fixing it today, so it should be done by the end of the day," Kai mumbled without looking up. If I weren't used to him, I'd have struggled to catch his words. When he's focused, he zones out and treats the outside world with complete indifference. Yet somehow, he manages to hear people when they talk to him. It's baffling.
"Mm," I replied, acknowledging his words. I was trying hard not to lose it right then and there. A lot of things were happening, things I didn't approve of but somehow got dragged into anyway. I was partly mad at my brother because of it.
Kai stopped writing and placed his pen down between the stack of papers and a stapler on the table. "Sebastián, I know that's not what you want to talk about," he said with a sigh, removing his glasses and setting them aside.
I shifted in my seat, slouching onto the couch. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied through my teeth. I knew exactly what he wanted to discuss, but I wasn't having it. I was waiting for an apology from him and those old geezers.
As if reading my thoughts, he said, "Well, if you're expecting an apology from me, forget it. I don't have anything to be sorry for. I did this for your own good."
I lost it. Punching the cushion next to me, I shouted, "With our enemy? You crossed five rivers and ten mountains to get to a region ruled by our enemy to find me a mate? Who said I needed a damn mate?!" My voice rose, my frustration spilling out. As beta of this pack and his little brother, I deserved respect. How could the elders and my brother arrange a mate for me without my permission? Worse, from that barbaric pack ruled by a ruthless murderer—Lucian.
"Sebastián," Kai said, his voice low, a growl rumbling beneath it. His wolf didn't like my tone.
"I know. Tell Max I'm sorry," I muttered, referring to his alpha wolf. "But I mean it, brother. You know my principles. I don't need a mate—especially not an enemy one. If I wanted a mate, I'd search for her myself."
Kai sighed again. "Your principles are exactly why I agreed when they proposed the marriage alliance as part of the peace treaty we signed."
"It's not that bad of an idea," he continued. "I'd hoped you'd find your mate among our she-wolves, but that didn't happen, and you're 24 now." He winced as though being mateless at that age was the greatest sin.
"There's a difference between not finding a mate and not looking for one. I'm in the latter group, and I'm living just fine, Kai." My tone was defiant. What more could a man ask for? If I needed to relieve some tension, strip clubs and the new downtown club were there for a reason. I wasn't ready to be tied down, and I didn't want to be.
Kai shook his head. "That's not living, Sebastián. That's fear. This isn't even about the marriage alliance with the northern pack. It's deeper than that. I know what scares you about mating, but it's fine. Look at me. I've been with Zoey for a year now, and we're still happy and healthy. Just give this a chance."
He touched a nerve. "Let's not go down that path today, Kai," I warned. My mother's tragic end after delivering me was a story for another day.
"Besides," I added, "I'm telling you—he's behind Father's death. I can feel it in my gut, and you know I'm never wrong." My gut instinct never failed me, and I knew Lucian, that bastard, had a hand in my father's death. Their feud went back generations. I couldn't prove it yet, but I knew.
"We can't prove that," Kai said. "And stop calling them our enemies. The treaty has been signed. We're opening our borders to them and have already started fixing import and export routes with their northern side."
I stared at him, incredulous. "So, you want me to just accept all of this?" I asked bitterly.
Kai paused before replying. "No. All I'm saying is to do what's best for your pack."