Julien brushes up against me and takes my hand. “You’re my fated mate. Nothing can stand between us, least of all an alliance that wasn’t even finalized.”
“Okay,” I repeat shakily.
Julien turns to face the mouth of the alley, his fingers still wrapped around mine. “Let’s get this over with. At least this means we don’t need to call for a ride.”
Dante puts a hand on Julien’s chest, glancing pointedly at our joined hands. “Besides the fact we need to keep the fated mates thing a secret until we’re in a more secure location, you cannot disrespect Meredith or her brothers until you officially reject the alliance.”
“You’re right.” Julien deflates, his pained gaze locked on me. “How do you suggest we handle this, Remy?”
Julien’s brother taps a finger against his chin. “Act like you’re happy to see them. Be polite, but not too enthusiastic. If they ask, we came here to offer Keir, a shifter who helped me out of a bind, a place in our pack.”
Julien nods, then plasters a wide smile on his face. He strolls out of the alley and the rest of us follow behind. Three shifters are standing in the parking lot next to two black SUVs. One male approaches our group, smiling with his hand extended.
“Alpha Matisse,” he says. “My sister was worried when you weren’t at any of the morning sessions. Alpha Bashar gave a very interesting talk on things packs can do to lower their carbon footprints.”
I cover my mouth to hold back my laugh. Julien said something about some sort of Alpha summit. I didn’t realize it was a conference with speakers and panels. How very human of them.
Julien takes the extended hand and nods an acknowledgment at the woman I assume is Meredith. “We got a little sidetracked. My brother was out last night and ran into some trouble. This shifter helped him out, so we came by to offer him a place in our pack.”
I give everyone an awkward wave, suddenly conscious of my ragged sweats and worn t-shirt. Everyone else has a business casual look going on.
The other shifter barely glances in my direction. He claps Julien on the back. “Great. Expansion is always a good thing.”
Julien smiles tightly. “Yes, it is.”
The shifter guides Julien toward one of the waiting SUVs. “Now that your errand is done, why don’t we continue our alliance negotiations?”
“Of course,” says Julien blandly. He glances back at us. “I’ll see you back at the hotel, Remy. Please help our guest get settled in.”
Remy salutes him with two fingers, his smile tight.
Julien and Brody go off with who I assume is the pack Alpha in the first SUV and I end up sitting in the backseat of the other SUV, squished between Remy and Dante. Meredith sits up front with the other male shifter keeping up a steady stream of pleasant, if a bit shallow, conversation with Remy.
Objectively speaking, Meredith is absolutely gorgeous and I can see where Julien—and his pack—might want a mating alliance with hers. Her pack lives in the northern part of Michigan they call the ‘up’. Which is a super weird name to be honest, but whatever. They operate a string of lakeside resorts and properties, which are likely very lucrative. All big plusses for Julien’s pack.
Compared to me with no pack and nothing to my name but the ten grand I basically stole that’s stuffed in my waistband… Meredith is a much better prospect.
And I think she knows it too. She isn’t rude to me exactly, but she glances at me every now and then, a line forming between her brows as if she’s trying to figure out what I’m doing here with the rest of these shifter VIPs.
I’m beginning to wonder the same thing.
But now that I’ve gotten over the initial shock of finding out about Meredith, I’m going to trust Julien and go with the flow of things. Well, I’m going to try at least.
Before I know it, we’re pulling up outside a hotel that blows anywhere I’ve ever stayed out of the water. There’s even a valet and a doorman like at Rossi’s building—these ones aren’t shifters, though. Someone opens the door and Remy slides out, Dante immediately exiting and coming up behind him.
“Is there anything we can get you, sir?” asks the… bellhop? I’ve never stayed in a place this fancy, so I have no idea what to call him.
“No, thank you,” says Remy. “Has my brother returned?”
The bellhop nods. “Yes, sir. About ten minutes ago.”
Remy waves him off, says goodbye to Meredith and her brother, then strides toward the lobby with Dante right behind him. I scramble after them. The hotel employees would probably kick me out if I got separated because I definitely do not belong here. Halfway through the lobby, Remy jolts to a stop, and I about run into him. Dante moves to stand beside Remy, a low growl rumbling in his throat.
“Gentlemen,” says Rossi. “I’m so glad you made it back safely.”
You know, for once today I’d like to go more than five damn minutes without everything going to shit.
Fourteen
