I climb out after her. Everyone’s attention is on us when one of the Alphas walks over. A growl escapes him as he stalks toward Kat.
“You think you can turn our mates against us?” He snaps, stalking toward Kat.
Mateo quickly jumps out of the car, spotting the Alpha heading towards us. As soon as he slams the car door, the Alpha’s attention snaps to him, who he clearly didn’t see. He backs up a few steps while Kat just raises an eyebrow at the Alpha, clearly not caring for his outburst.
“Issue?” Mateo asks.
“No, Beta King,” the man raises his hands and answers quickly.
“Are you sure? It looked like you were yelling at your Queen. Or have you just lost your confidence in front of one of your Kings?” Mateo asks.
“No, I wasn’t-” the man sputters for an excuse for his behavior.
“Wasn’t what? Yelling at my mate, yelling at your superior? Know your place, Alpha. If you are stuck figuring out where that is, I will tell you,” Mateo says.
He steps close enough to the Alpha that their chests are touching. “It’s at her feet because you are and always will be beneath her. Now apologize, or I will show you exactly how far beneath her you are when I bury you,” Mateo tells him.
The Alpha looks over Mateo’s shoulder at Kat. “Sorry, my Queen, I meant no offense,” the Alpha says, dipping his head.
“Is that it?” Mateo asks, turning his face to look at the Alpha, who is now sweating, his fear filling the surrounding air.
“I said sorry.” The Alpha murmurs to him. His face pales, and a few of the other Alphas watch this man’s embarrassment, while a few others pretend not to see.
“I just didn’t feel it was sincere enough,” Mateo tells him, clamping his hand on the man’s shoulder and turning him to Kat. He shoves the Alpha to his knees in front of her. “Ah, now that is much better, right where you belong – on your knees begging her to spare your life……” The man’s face turns red, and he glances around at the other Alphas, watching his humiliation.
“This is the part where you beg,” Mateo whispers, shoving him forward with his foot. The Alpha lands on his hands and knees. His entire body is shaking as Mateo stands so close, his aura is suffocating the man, and he starts to beg.
“Forgive me, your highness, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to disrespect you,” The Alpha says, and I press my lips in a line to stop myself from laughing.
Jerk deserves it, and it is about time some of these Alphas realize the world isn’t theirs.
“What do you think, Kat? Did he sound apologetic that time?” Mateo asks when a woman rushes out.
Her hands instantly cover her mouth as she looks on in horror, and by the look on her face, I can tell she is this Alpha’s mate. “This fool belongs to you?” Mateo asks her, and the man looks over his shoulder at his mate.
She quickly nods her head. Her curly brown hair falls over her shoulders as her hazel eyes watch her mate, horrified. “Please don’t hurt him,” the woman stammers out.
“Keep your dog on a leash next time,” Mateo tells her, and she nods.
“Sorry Beta King, sorry my Queen,” she bows.
Kat nods to her, stepping away from the man. “Come on, Sage,” Kat says, looping her arm through mine and tugging me along with her.
“I will see you inside after you see your to mate,” Kat tells the woman, who nods and rushes over to him.
He growls at his mate and shakes her off when she tries to help him up. “Get off me,” he barks at her, and she stands, turning her back on her mate.
As we step into the hall, I see an assortment of cakes and cookies, little sandwiches, coffee, and tea set off to one side. Pews line the room, and a small podium is at the front. The moment Kat steps in, I feel her grip tighten on my arm. I place my hand over hers on my arm and squeeze gently.
She smiles at me, and I nod to her. I can see she is nervous. She may be Queen, but she is only nineteen, and these women are older and used to these gatherings. Walking in is a little intimidating. All these women are familiar with each other, they are friends, and we are two outsiders, and Kat is their Queen. So, I understand her nervousness.
They all stand up when she enters. A woman with emerald eyes comes rushing over, a huge grin on her face, her coppery hair is pulled into a ponytail, and she wears a white sundress with daisies on it. Her heels click on the floorboards as she rushes over and grips Kat’s hand.
“My Queen, it’s Terra. We spoke on the phone,” she says, shaking Kat’s hand.
“This way, this way. Come up to the front,” the woman gushes excitedly. Kat smiles and follows her, tugging me along. A few women have scowls on their faces as we pass, but most seem curious or genuinely happy to see Kat.
“Everyone, this is Kat,” Terra tells the crowd of women like it isn’t obvious who Kat is.
“What’s your name, Lovely?” Terra asks, gripping my hand and squeezing it.
“Sage.” I whisper, visibly a little more uncomfortable than Kat.
“My name is Terra. I am so happy to have some fresh faces. Some of theirs get a bit sour to look at after a while, but we are a good bunch,” she says, and I nod.
“This is Sage, Kat’s…”
“Sister-in-law,” Kat interrupts.
“Sister-in-law, now I know this was supposed to be one of our annual gatherings, but I spoke to Kat the other night, and she needs our help,” Terra explains.
“Well, she is barking up the wrong tree. We aren’t allowed to help. I saw what happened outside. If you are looking for help, my Queen, you are asking the wrong people. Do you have any idea what the consequences of going up against our mates will have on us? You don’t have to go home with them, we do,” says a woman from the front.
Her hair is pencil-straight and cut off at her chin. She has sharp features and is stern-looking, yet in her words, she spoke softly, almost timidly despite the fact she has just voiced her concern. A few of the other women nod in agreement.