Talic’s POV
“Why are all you fuckers looking at me like that?” Ridge asked seriously when he sat down behind his desk in his office. He looked so pissed that I was wondering if it was because I had interrupted his time with his mate.
“It sure must be nice having a mate,” Snow said, voicing exactly what we all were thinking. I had a mate, but the fact that she was in the mating phase sure was nice.
“What does that even mean? Talic has one too,” he answered simply.
“Right, but unlike you, I am not getting any,” I replied.
“Isn’t that because you don’t want to?” Las asked seriously.
“Well, not really. We had a lot going on, and just jumping into mating was a little too fast for me. She’s human, just in case you guys have forgotten, and she’s getting to know our pack. We also had a lot of things to discuss and…”
“Enough with those lame excuses. Do you think we believe them?” Ridge asked as I shrugged.
“Fine, she hated Harvey a lot, and I didn’t want to hold her while she was feeling that way towards him. I wanted her to first be okay with both of us. Now that she has acknowledged both of us, I’m thinking of taking the next step. I seriously don’t mind if Harvey holds her first,” I answered honestly.
“Now you are telling the truth. It wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked simply.
“It wasn’t,” I answered honestly and then smirked.
“Yep, it sure must be nice to have mates,” Snow repeated.
“Did air liquor get to your head that you aren’t still sober?” I asked playfully as the landline phone rang on the desk. Ridge picked it up and answered.
“It sucks,” Snow whispered softly.
I moved closer and stood next to him.
“I told you, didn’t I? We can still explore a few territories. All you have to do is just say the word,” I answered as he looked at me coldly.
“I already said no,” he said seriously.
“Did the liquor yesterday really not do anything? You know, like make you get over that envy?” I teased.
“It did; I woke up feeling like shit. If not for that omega helping me out with some ginger tea, I would have been dead,” he answered.
“Now that’s exaggerating,” Las said as we all laughed softly.
“Everyone,” the Alpha called after he was done talking.
We all looked at him attentively.
“It seems we will be going to human territory next week,” he said as I looked at everyone, who was as surprised as I was, then back at him.
“Why?” I asked seriously.
“Dominic is throwing a party, and it seems he has added Jace as his immediate family member to represent him. I wanted to reject the offer, but he has agreed to provide our pack with some rare training and clinic equipment from abroad, so I accepted. He has also extended his invitation to all of you and mentioned that you may bring your partners if you have any,” he said as I chuckled softly.
“He always does this; it’s getting old,” I whispered.
He usually invited our Alpha to parties, but he was always turned down. Now he was even adding bribes; he really was something.
“Do we really have to go? That place may not only have humans but also other supernatural beings,” Las said.
“Exactly, not only that. What if an accident happens that forces one of us to shift?” Snow asked.
“Stop with these lame excuses! I know you can’t stand him, and believe me when I say I can’t either, but I really need the deal that comes with us going there because it will truly be beneficial for our pack. So I’m not asking you to go; I am telling you to prepare yourselves because you will be coming with me, whether you want to or not,” he said seriously as we immediately bared our necks in respect.
“Now that I know exactly what he wanted to tell me, you may go ahead and tell me why you had to interrupt my special time with my mate,” he said.
“We just wanted to check up on you,” I answered as he looked at me, astonished at my response.
“We don’t hang out as much as our humans do or talk informally because you always freak the shit out of us,” I said as the room went quiet.
“Shit,” Las whispered, then began laughing as Snow joined in.
I didn’t want to laugh, but when Ridge laughed, I couldn’t stop myself
“You sound like a little kid, Talic. Do you still look up to Ridge as your idol?” Las asked.
“Of course, that will never change,” I answered.
“I’m sorry if I don’t act kind or very friendly to all of you. My job is to stay on the side while making sure everything in our pack runs smoothly without interfering with Jace’s time. So whenever I take over, it’s either because there is war, a serious conflict, or a case that only I can solve. When I’m busy, I may come off as rude, not because I want to, but because I need to focus on the matter at hand,” he said as I smiled.
“We do understand, Alpha,” Las responded.
“Absolutely,” Paul said as we all looked at him, stunned.
“Paul,” Ridge called while he stood up from his seat.
“Alpha, Beta, Delta,” he greeted, then gave a low bow and stood upright.
“If it’s not too much to ask, may I speak to Jace and the others?” he asked.
“Of course,” Ridge answered and then sat down as he let Jace take over.
“Hey,” Jace called with a sad smile as Paul nodded.
“Buddy, how are you holding up?” Light asked seriously.
“Well… I have come to accept what can’t be undone, and I’m trying to just be okay,” he answered in a very low voice as I let Harvey take over.
He raised our hand and punched his shoulder lightly.
“So, are we going to that party or what?” he asked with a wide smile.
“Of course. Who would dress you guys to kill if I don’t make it?” Paul asked proudly.
“Damn right, no one will. So we will be counting on you to be the one to handle everything,” Jace answered as Paul laughed.
Finally, our circle was back and complete. It felt so good talking like this. Hopefully, there was nothing that was going to stand in our way.