“Amy, let’s just hear her out. We have these meetings a few times a year, and one thing we all agree on is the fact that we never get a say. This could be our chance,” Terra tells them.
“Do you mind?” Kat asks Terra, pointing to the crowd when Mateo walks in at the back.
Her eyes instantly go to him, and he nods, standing at the back in some secret conversation. The women turn, also feeling his aura behind them, and I see a few hunch women forward nervously. Kat also notices this when a few other Alphas walk in. The tension rises, and I can see the women falling into the normal hierarchy while in their Alpha’s presence.
Stepping closer to Kat, I nudge her. “We will not get anywhere with this, if they are present. They are scared,” I tell her, and she nods, looking at the Alphas taking up the far wall.
One of them walks over to his mate, kissing her cheek and staring at her adoringly. The woman we saw outside ducks her head, darting into a seat as her mate walks in behind her and drops a hand on her shoulder. Kat’s eyes instantly narrow in on his hand. I see her eyes glaze over for a second as she opens a mind-link. No doubt Mateo, because he nods to her and his eyes dart to the man that tried to abuse Kat outside.
I can tell that most of the women here are submissive to their Alphas, and I understand it, I, too, am, but Andrei never hurts me. It is clear with some of them, their Mates aren’t the same as Andrei, Mateo, or Ezra, which makes me nervous. I know that fear.
I lived it for years, walking on eggshells, hoping to go unnoticed.
I notice how they drop in their gazes, the sag of defeat in their shoulders, and most of all, I notice their fear. What if they say the wrong thing? What if they anger them? The nervous glances and the way they fiddle with their fingers, and the way they buckle in on themselves to make a smaller target when the fists go flying.
Time seems to slow down, and I know Kat is surveying the crowd and their body language. Most of them clearly have great mates, but the ones I notice that don’t, I know, will be hard to get to agree to sign.
However, I know women like them are just as strong as those with confidence because they know how to survive, endure, and rebuild. I know those women. They can fight back if they only have support and the knowledge that they aren’t alone.
I know this because I used to be one of them. It is amazing how empowering it is when you realize someone stands in your corner and is willing to back you, and that’s all they need to find their voices again, to know they aren’t alone in this.
“Out!” Kat’s voice rings loud and clear throughout the room. She is testing them. Her words aren’t a command, she is trying to figure out who will fight against her and which women she will struggle with because they are scared.
Sage
Almost instantly, Alphas grumble and walk toward the aisle, only for Mateo to block it. Yet my eyes dart to the women. The few men that get up to grab their mates are stopped.
About twenty other Alphas nod to Kat. A couple even motion to their mates in a friendly gesture that they will wait outside for them. Four Alphas, however, try to remove their mates when Kat’s command rushes over them.
“All Alphas leave. Mateo will deal with you.” She says. Mateo’s lips tug up, clearly liking that idea as he grabs one by the back of his shirt while the Alpha is trying to fight against the command.
He hauls him out the door and silently closes it behind him. Everyone lets out a breath.
“I understand some of you are afraid, so I won’t force any of you. Just hear what I am asking, that is all. You are free to leave if you want,” Kat tells them.
They talk amongst themselves, and one woman gets up. She clearly is petrified and wants to leave, but the woman beside her jerks her back into her seat. “Grow a backbone!” The woman spits at her. The woman sits down, head hung down.
“If she wants to leave, she can, but I assure you that everything said here stays here. I will force no one to sign. It will be completely up to you if you want your names on my petitions. But I want to change a few laws and-”
“No, you want to help your brother? Don’t pretend this is about the laws,” a woman calls from the back somewhere.
“Yes, that was initially my intention until I came across a few laws in favor of no one. They are outdated and wrong. I won’t lie, I only looked into these laws to find help for my brother, but once I started digging through them, I found more that desperately needed changing. You can sign whichever ones you agree on.” Kat explains.
“Yeah, right, you can just command us to sign,” another woman chimes in.
Kat takes a breath and starts rummaging through the documents she brought along. Then she holds them up and shows them to everyone. She then dumps them on the table with a heap of pens.
“I am not your mates. I am not Dominic Octavian. I don’t come here as your Queen. I am not here to dictate or force your will. I am here as a woman, as a mother. Like you, we are just women wanting a voice, change, and the certainty our children will be safe. That is why I am here. I just want to fix things. I want to give you a voice, too. Everyone here is free to voice their concerns, and as one, we can work on changing them, helping each other.” Silence falls, and a few murmurs reach my ears.
“We sign you will back us when we want something changed? You will hear us out?” Another woman asks.
“Yes, of course. You all think you are powerless because you aren’t the Alpha. Well, the law says you are just as equal as them, you have every right to be heard. You have every right to stand beside your Alpha as an equal, you are Alpha females! And I am just asking you to step into the role. Saying that I know you fear repercussions, and those that do fear that. You can have sanctuary within my pack. I have my pack, but as your Queen, you are all now my pack, every pack is a pack to me. We are all one pack. I am not fighting for my rights but for all our children, so just hear me out,” Kat says.
No one says anything, and after a few minutes, Kat picks up the top petition that is stapled together.