“I know that, Seath. There is nothing about him or you or even seeing you together that makes me doubt you.”
“The attraction? The pull? I could ignore that, maybe, if not ignore, learn to live with it. But the scents, the response of his wolf . . .”
Greene left his hand, and Seath could feel the comfort from his Alpha.
“You feel his wolf respond?” Greene asked.
“I do. More and more as he heals, too.”
“I understand. Well, in theory, I guess. I never had a—“ Greene gave a little grimace. “Renee and I were not fated. But we loved. My daughter is fated and I can see how it plays out, Seath. I can’t imagine being gone from him helps things much.”
Seath shrugged. “It is hard, that I won’t deny. But, it is what is best for him, and it seems that when that’s the path I take, the one he needs, then I can handle it.”
Greene finally removed his hand, straightening up to take a drink of their after lunch coffee. “We must talk about the agreement with Taured before I go. Tremon must be told by us, first, before word gets to him otherwise. The more the Pack accepts Lycan as the next Alpha-Mate, the more likely that word is to get back to Taured.”
Seath raised an eyebrow. “Given how little I have heard from him or Prince Donovan of late, I would be shocked they knew anything about the Northwest Pack.”
“You can be sure that Tremon has eyes and ears, Seath. And with the Pack responding to Lycan as the Alpha-Mate, and to you both as fated, it’s only a matter of time before that gets back to him.”
Seath puffed out a breath.
“It’s complicated, Greene. Taured has antiquated views of omegas and shifters. Many aren’t sure they believe in fated mates anymore.”
“And you were going to change that,” Greene sat down his glass. “Look, I know you hate this stuff, but from a political standpoint, the astrologer telling Tremon and his family that Prince Donovan was fated to you? That’s a coup on several fronts for Tremon.”
Greene started ticking them off his fingers. “It’s in line with the conservative stances Tremon wants, many Taurens see fate as an antiquated notion, but it has a fair amount of marketable nostalgia that plays to his base and doesn’t offend the progressives. It removes an omega from succession, delaying any progressive talk in Taured about omegas ever taking the throne and having the ability to rule. It may just kick that can down the road, but with Donovan fated to such a powerful Pack, it makes the Northwest Pack an instant ally to Taured.” Greene closed his hand with the last item ticked off.
“With Taured aligned with such a powerful, progressive nation as the Northwest Pack and with the only omega in striking distance of the throne for miles out of play for the seat,” Greene shrugged, “there is everything for Tremon to fight for in keeping you to your pledge. It allows Tremon to pay lip service to the majority’s call for progressive ideas. Hells, he evenseemsprogressive by championing the alliance. At the same time, the fating keeps him bound to his conservative base. They can’t claim they believe in fated mates and then not believe in the Pack fated to their Prince just because it has different ideals. It’s a complete and utter political win for him to maintain the status quo because it makes him look good with both sides of a very divided country.
“The progressives see him as aligned now with a progressive partner, while he doesn’t have to anything in his own country to actuallybemore progressive. The conservatives see him as bringing back traditional values, and it puts the omegas-in-leadership-roles conversation on ice. He knows it, and he will fight for it. I just want you to be aware.”
“But Taurens only tolerate shifters. That conservative mindset Tremon and his party have can be pretty hateful toward shifter magic. Shifters don’t even stay long there, almost all the ones I know drift in and out of that country and others like nomads,” Seath said.
“On paper, that is true. Politically? It makes people feel for the Prince, makes him sympathetic to be fated to a shifter, and it keeps Tremon from looking like he is getting everything he wants.” Greene sighed, gazing out at the sunny day and the beautiful sea in-front of them.
Seath studied Greene for a moment. “Alpha, it sounds like you are saying the astrologer was staged as some sort of political theatre.”
Green held up a hand. “I’m not. Seriously, Seath, I’m not saying that at all. But, the truth is we don’t know, do we? Politically, it works for Tremon on several levels. We never challenged the fating or asked for our own astrologer. Now that your true mate has shown up, well, I can’t help but question —” Greene rubbed his temples. “Or maybe I’ve been in Zurin too long, and now everything seems like politics.”
“But the bond, the agreement the Pack and Taured made. That’s very real. I took the celestial vows and signed the bond with Taured for his hand.”
“That’s actually just an agreement, Seath. A contract like any other. There was no magic. The fated bonds were enough to hold any accountability. The betrothal was an act between two sovereigns, a show of acknowledgement, not a magical bond. As for the celestial bond you took as a child, that oneismagical, but it only binds you to your fated mate. If your fated is Lycan, the bond isn’t broken by you following it.” Greene chuckled. “Funny thing is, the celestial bond would be broken if you follow through with the Prince, and he isn’t actually your mate, which may be a legal loophole we can use.”
“So it can be undone, the agreement with Taured?”
“It can.” Greene smiled at Seath. “I have my assistant Evan looking at it right now. It’s one of many projects, but I will have a solution soon. If we could have Lycan restored, it would be best to have you both acknowledging your fating, before we take this to Tremon. It makes a stronger case.”
Seath frowned. “I don’t want this to be one more thing put upon Lycan that he didn’t ask for. He’s had enough of that from his kidnapping. Standing up publicly with the news I am fated to him needs to happen after his wolf is strong enough to recognize me as his mate. I can’t just tell the man he is fated, he needs to trust me. Not after what he has been through.”
“Then we have some time. Not much, but some.”
Seath sighed, able to focus on the other tasks at hand now that he had settled the matter of his mate with his Alpha. It reminded him though, of how glad he was that Greene was at the Council, and he was taking care of the Pack. It was more politics than he cared for.
——
“Little Wolf is doing well,” Caine reported, always including an update on Lycan when he met with Seath. “He has quite the following for his Krav Maga classes.”
It was another nice hotel room in another city as the Quarter Day responsibilities stretched on. He was off his pace, actually, and would likely take longer than the predicted month to return to the Pack House.
