“What did you just say?” General Kalif asked. It was like he didn’t hear well. Gia scoffed and sat up.
“Father, please. Help me here,” she pleaded, ignoring his question.
“Help you to do something stupid?” he laughed dryly. It didn’t even seem like he was laughing. Gia frowned deeply. She hated this attitude of her father. However, she decided to calm down first and explain things to him. He was the only one who could help her. If he was on her side, then she would win for sure.
“The Alpha has found his mate. She would be the Luna of the pack,” he said firmly and resumed looking through the file.
“She is his mate. But is she fit to rule the pack?” Gia asked. He raised a brow but didn’t look at her.
“Olive is not fit to be Luna of this pack. You know very well the kind of members we have. They would never accept her and if we pin her on them, this could lead to a rebellion which might split the pack. People would bring up their own stupid ideas and form a separate pack with a new Alpha and Luna. This is why we always harken to the people, right?”
General Kalif listened because the example she gave made sense. But he didn’t understand why Alpha Knight’s mate would be rejected by the pack.
“Father, I am the only female that the pack can accept for our Alpha. I’m resourceful and a high official in the pack. I fit Luna more than anyone.”
“You are not making sense.”
“Haven’t you seen how marriage works in the human world? The president of a country doesn’t get married to a commoner but a woman of like grace and class!”
“Humans don’t get mates,” he replied curtly and dropped the file.
Gia was fuming. She didn’t have a reply to that. Her father was too stubborn.
“The Mating Ritual is in three weeks. And Alpha Knight is obviously going to get fully mated to his Luna. Don’t do anything stupid because it would be treason,” her father warned and got on his feet. He looked at his wristwatch and began to walk away. Gia stood to her feet immediately. She had to use her final card against Olive.
“She belongs to The Vrek Cult,” she blurted out and her father stopped walking but didn’t look back.
“She is from The Vrek Cult, daddy,” Gia teared up. Of course they were crocodile tears but they were however, her father’s weakness.
General Kalif’s fist curled and his knuckles turned white. Gia walked to him and held his arm.
“If we let her mate with Alpha Knight, then what happened to our family would happen to the pack too,” she cried and hugged him.
\*\*
“Would you be back for my mating ritual?” Wayne asked President Kim as they sipped tea in the garden. Carlos Kim was a principled man. He preferred to go through formal procedures always, despite being friends. Wayne wasn’t the type to attend tea in a garden but with Kim, he had to. He also wore a suit instead of his usual black jackets, leather pants and big boots.
“I would not miss it, Wayne. I’m happy you found your mate. I hope she is someone who can help put a bit of rationality into you,” Kim said and sipped tea. Wayne chuckled deeply.
“I doubt,” he simply said and adjusted his tie.
“Wayne, I wanted to introduce an idea to you,” Kim said and Wayne blinked.
“I know Balendin Pack has grown really well and independent. But I do see, as a business man of course that it needs a bit of support,” Carlos Kim started.
“What are you driving at?” Wayne asked with furrowed brows.
“I think it’s time you own an establishment in the human world,” Carlos stated firmly.
“No,” was Wayne’s reply.
“In the human world, there are lots of opportunities. Humans complain they have no money. But still make a single person rich by what the person has to offer. Wayne, you have so many resources and you don’t have to trade them with the human government only. I can help you build up something in Los Angeles and even invest in your business,” Carlos continued despite Wayne’s answer. Wayne thought for a few seconds then loosened his tie.
“Balendin is stable. And I doubt we would lose our stability in years to come. I don’t want to divert my attention by opening a business in Los Angeles. I have enough here in Balendin to worry about.”
“One day, if you realize things have gone south. And everything you worked for in Balendin Pack goes down the drain, what would you rely on?” he allowed the question sink in. Then he sighed.
“What about your mate? You don’t have any thing for her outside this pack of yours? Wayne, you know things can go bad at times. Have a backup plan and I advise you to make that plan outside of Balendin.” Carlos relaxed on his chair and looked at the trees swaying slowly.
Wayne had a minute of thought. Apart from a few houses he owned in the outside world for when he travelled, he had nothing else. No income came from outside. Even the business he had with the government was mostly trade by barter. He had worked so hard to make Balendin so independent that he didn’t think any other place mattered. And it was true that even humans have business enterprises outside of their own country.
President Kim himself was a big blown businessman. One of the youngest multimillionaires in Los Angeles. And, he had businesses everywhere. Including Balendin.
“I’ll think about this,” he finally voiced out. Carlos nodded and stood on his feet. Wayne stood too and they shook hands.
“See you later,” he said and Kim walked away with two of his men who were standing two metres away. Wayne sat back on the chair and gulped down the rest of his tea. He exhaled deeply then looked up.
‘Olive,’ his wolf whispered. Wayne’s eyelids shot up and his jaws clenched tight. He got on his feet and sped away on impulse. He entered his elevator and went straight to his quarters. As soon as his elevator door dinged open, he froze. All three colors of his eyes mixed together and his face turned deadly.
“Olive,” he growled gently and walked to her where she laid on the floor, unconscious.