An honour I desperately wanted.
Knowing they were recruiting someone to be a diplomatic peacekeeper, I pored over every text I could get my hands on. I memorised the history of not only our clan, but the ones nearest to us too. I traced the lineage of the alphas back through the centuries. I studied the changingboundary lines, noting how the dates coincided with either wars or treaties.
I didn’t stop there.
I travelled to the library over at the University of Edinburgh. I read everything I could about diplomacy and negotiation. Management and tribal dynamics. I soaked up every drop, trying to prepare myself for any potential situation.
I even tagged along after Calan, hoping to learn more about his role as enforcer. He answered my questions. He was grumpy about it, but once he got talking, he gave me more information than I could’ve hoped for.
Logan was an easier nut to crack in terms of getting him to chat. Finding out about his role was trickier. As the spy for the clan, he was used to keeping his cards close to his chest. While he’d been happy to prepare me for the summit way back when, it was evident that there was a lot he wasn’t willing to share outside the inner circle.
Learning that only made me more desperate to be a part of it.
In the end, it came down to myself and my two best friends—Hamish and Brodie. It hadn’t been decided in a battle,but through a series of intense interviewswith each of the current members.
Finlay had asked us how we’d respond to various hypothetical scenarios covering everything from settling clan disputes to representing the McCarthys at events. Given I had experience with the latter, it was a topic I was relieved had come up.
Meanwhile, Calan’s questions had focused onhow we’d protect the clan from various forms of attack. He’d grilled us on the details, finding the potential pitfallsin our suggestions before making us come up with countermeasures.
By the time I got to Logan, my mind was reeling. I felt like I’d been put through the wringer. And, while Logan might have been the most approachable member of the inner circle, he was also the most terrifying.
Something he seemed determined to prove by staring straight at me throughout my interview.
That’s right. Logan didn’tactuallyinterview me. He partially shifted until just his claws were on display and proceeded to sharpen them while staring at me.
For. Three. Whole. Hours.
Whatever test that was meant to be, I must’ve passed. The next day, my name was the one announced. I was formally inducted into the inner circle later that night.
To their credit, neither Hamish nor Brodie held my success against me. They celebrated my win, taking their losses on the chin.
“If it had to be anyone, I’m glad it was you.”That was what Hamish had said. Brodie had nodded in agreement, but that wasn’t a shock. He was a wolf of few words—even fewer than Calan, which was saying something.
I was the youngest beta to be assigned to the inner circle since Finlay himself. It was indeed an honour, just as I’d hoped. Sitting in on that first meeting had been the proudest day of my life.
Several months later, and I was still incredibly proud to be a part of it. However, I could safely say that our meetings didn’t always go the way I’d once imagined. It wasn’t so much dignified discussion and debate as it was…well, carnage.
All it’d take was egos to clash, usually between Logan and Calan, and the next thing I knew there’d be bloodspraying and furniture broken. How Finn hadn’t pulled his hair out before now, I’d never understand. I’d known going in that my role was to be a peacekeeper; that had been made clear during the selection process.
I hadn’t realised I’d need to use those skills on the inner circle too.
What was happening today though, was new. Brand spanking new. Finn was opening up to us.
Willingly.
Calan hadn’t had to threaten him. I hadn’t had to kindly encourage him. Logan hadn’t teased him in any way.
He’d just ended the meeting and started talking. About a man he’d met recently. A human who he suspected was in danger. Finn was proposing that he guard this human until he could be certain of his safety.
Let me be clear—not a single one of us had an issue with this. But knowingwhyFinn cared so much? That we were very interested in.
It wasn’t going the way I suspected Finn had hoped—short and sweet. Mainly thanks to the conversation being derailed several times by both Logan and Calan.
I’d managed to drag us back on course, but even I hadn’t been able to resist joining in on the teasing when Logan accused Finn of having acrush. I couldn’t help it. I’d never seen Finn…flustered before. Like the others, I wanted to know more about whichever human had our leader tying himself in knots. All supes love a bit of good tea. And this tea?It was Twinings’ fucking finest.
Tapping my fingers against my chin, I addressed Calan. “Has Finn ever brought a human up like this before?”
“Never.” Calan grinned widely. “Nor a supe. Definitely not stalked anyone either, as far as I know.”
