I open my mouth to refuse, but William holds up a hand to stop my words. “If you cannot reassure us that you have the pack’s best interests at heart, we will be forced to question your suitability as pack Alpha and consider appointing a new one in your place,” says William.
Thirty-Two
Keir
Racheldriveslikeamaniac, taking her little sports car around the curves in the winding road like she’s a NASCAR driver. The ride wouldn’t be so bad if the other cars on the road also drove like she does.
But they very much do not. Rachel zips around them, weaving back and forth over the freakingdouble yellow lineand lurching me from side to side in my seat. I’m not sure what’s worse: the terror or the nausea.
And I thought being kidnapped and squashed in the backseat of a Ford Fiesta was bad…
By the time we reach our destination, my fingers have permanently molded themselves around the appropriately called ‘oh shit’ bar and my stomach is churning.
Rachel shoots me a glance, raising her brows at whatever expression she finds on my face. “Is my driving really that bad?”
“Well,” I say as I force myself to let go of the bar. “It could have been worse. We’re both in one piece at least.”
She chuckles, then we both exit the vehicle into a parking lot beside a small building that looks kind of like a doctor’s office or a bank and is made of red brick with a glass-fronted entrance. Nothing about the structure screams ‘shifters gather here,’ but neither did the place I first met Rossi.
Rachel heads to the set of glass double doors with me close behind. Inside there are two guys in security uniforms sitting at a long desk, both of them shifters.
“Hey boys,” says Rachel, tilting her chin up. “I need to get up to the council room.”
The one on the right, a redhead, scowls. “They’re in session. We aren’t supposed to let anyone in unless they’ve been previously approved.”
“AndI’mnot on the approved list?” asks Rachel, her voice going low and a little growly.
The shifter shakes his head, offering an apologetic shrug.
“Well, then you can consider allowing me entry an order from your new Alpha Mate.” She gestures at me as if I’m now in charge and my word is law.
And maybe it would be after whatever hoops I have to jump through to become ‘official,’ but I doubt these guys are going to listen to me as I am. Both sets of eyes swing to me, open shock on their faces. Derision flashes in the redhead’s eyes as he stares at me, likely taking in my still slightly bedraggled appearance and ill-fitting clothes.
Rachel pokes me in the back where they can’t see, and I straighten up to my full height. Which isn’t much and I’m sure doesn’t look any more impressive.
“No one said anything about there being a new Alpha Mate…” says the dark-haired guy on the left slowly, his brows drawing together with confusion.
“Not my problem that the elders like to keep the pack in the dark.” Rachel grins, showing off her teeth. “Besides, you know who I am and you know my son is in there. The elders’ edicts don’t supersede Julien’s, so…”
The two guards share a look and the one on the left shrugs. Whatever silent conversation they have resolves in our favor and the redhead waves us past. I follow Rachel as she walks quickly toward a bay of elevators. Her chin is up, shoulders back, and I try to mimic that confidence as I pass the guards. She doesn’t say a single word until the elevator doors close and the car starts to rise.
“I can’t believe they had the nerve to try to keep me out of the council room.” She’s practically vibrating with anger. “This has got to be the last straw. If Julien can’t rein them in, then everything is going to fall apart.”
“I’m a little confused,” I say. “Isn’t Julien the Alpha? Why wouldn’t these elders listen to him?”
She glances at me, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Julien is the Alpha, yes, but our pack has come to treat that more like a hereditary title.”
“You mean no one challenges for power or the right to rule?”
“No, not here,” she says, then sighs. “Not for the last three generations, anyway.”
“How does that work?”
“The council of elders is meant to provide guidance to the Alpha, and they often settle disputes between pack members that aren’t deemed important enough to bring to Julien.” Her shoulders slump and she gets a faraway look on her face. “Julien’s father died before he could officially pass the title on, and Julien was young, the youngest Alpha this pack has ever had, and entirely untested. The elders managed to consolidate a lot of influence within the pack in those first couple years, and they’ve used it to try to push Julien into more of a figurehead position.”
My mind flashes back to Meredith saying the elders would never accept me and then to Remy saying the elders wanted Julien to form a mating alliance. I’d worried that the pack might convince Julien to set me aside, but I never actually considered that these elders might actually have enough power within the pack toinsisthe do so.
My entire body goes cold. What would that mean for me?
