(3rd Person P. O. V)
Oliver and his father sat in their sprawling library, surrounded by towering shelves of books that stretched up to the high ceiling. The room was bathed in the warm glow of a chandelier that hung in the center, illuminating the rich, dark wood paneling that covered the walls.
Oliver was seated at a large wooden desk, surrounded by stacks of dusty tomes and ancient manuscripts. He furrowed his brow as he flipped through the pages of a thick book, searching for any mention of a human sharing two Alpha mates. His father sat nearby in a plush armchair, scanning the pages of lots of books.
Meanwhile, Xavier was deep inside his library, surrounded by rows of shelves crammed with books and scrolls of every size and shape. The room was dimly lit by flickering candlelight, casting long shadows across the floor. He was hunched over a large tome, his brow furrowed in concentration as he read page after page, searching for any information that could help him.
Days passed, and despite their best efforts, none of them could find any relevant information. The day of meeting with the elder communities drew closer and closer.
The day arrived, and they left their house to go to Los Angeles. After landing, they went to the hotel first to get some rest for 2 or 3 days before heading to old Whispering Willows Forest, where the elder gathered for their annual meetings.
After, a few days to rest at a hotel in Los Angeles, Oliver, Elena, and Xavier set out on a long drive to the Whispering Willows Forest. The journey was long and winding, taking them through rolling hills and thick forests until they reached the outskirts of the ancient woodland.
As they drove deeper into the forest, the trees grew taller and thicker, casting long shadows over the winding road. The air grew cooler and filled with the earthy scent of moss and damp soil.
After several hours of driving, they arrived at the traditional pack house inside the Whispering Willows Forest. The packed house was an imposing structure made of weathered wood and stone, with a thatched roof that blended into the surrounding trees.
They could hear the distant sound of voices and the faint scent of wood smoke drifting on the breeze. Elena glances at her two mates nervously before stepping out of the car.
As Elena, Xavier, and Oliver walked toward the pack house, they noticed a tall figure standing outside. It was Alpha Liam, the leader of the traditional pack, who greeted them.
“Welcome,” Alpha Liam said with a nod to the two alphas.
“I see you have brought a human with you.”
Elena stepped forward, but Alpha Liam ignored her, his gaze fixed on Oliver and Xavier. As a traditionalist, he had no interest in interacting with a human, let alone acknowledging their presence.
Oliver and Xavier were fuming, but they knew it was not the time or place to create a scene. They forced themselves to remain calm and polite, despite Alpha Liam’s obvious disregard for Elena.
“We understand,” Oliver said through gritted teeth.
“We are here to meet with the elders. Can you tell us when we can see them?”
Alpha Liam’s expression softened.
“The elders are in an important meeting and cannot be disturbed. It may take some time for them to summon you. In the meantime, you can wait in the lobby. My beta will guide you there.”
With that, Alpha Liam turned and walked back into the pack house, leaving the three of them standing outside. Oliver and Xavier exchanged a frustrated glance, but they followed Alpha Liam’s instructions and made their way to the lobby with Elena in tow. It had been 3 hours since they have been waiting for elders to call them.
Elena had fallen asleep, her head resting on Xavier’s shoulder for support. She was exhausted from the long journey. The wait for the elders to call them in seemed endless. Every time they asked someone how much longer they would have to wait. Their answer was always the same:
“They will call for you soon.”
The waiting continued for hours until Oliver could no longer bear it. He stood up abruptly from his seat, his frustration getting the best of him. He began walking towards the conference room, determined to demand answers from the elders.
“What are you doing?” Xavier asks while grabbing his hand to stop him.
“What does it look like? I am going inside to seek answers from them.”
“It’s not the right time to create a scene. If you provoke them or go against them, they will create a problem for us or our pack. There is also a possibility that they will take their anger out on Elena. Do you want that to happen?”
“Whys are they doing this?”
“They think the alpha of two strongest packs in the world trying to take over the whole werewolf committee under the disguise of sharing one mate. So, they are trying to teach us a lesson. They want us to know that just because we are the two most powerful packs and have helped them keep the rogues under control doesn’t allow us to do whatever we want, by showing hostility towards us,”
“What nonsense? If we wanted to do that. We have already done that without using Elena as a reason. Why would we use Elena knowing how scared a mate for a werewolf is?”
“Exactly, but they don’t want to understand that.”
“It’s a good thing that your aunt has warned us about this kind of hostility from the elders in advance. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened if we have come here without preparation? We have been here for so many hours yet, no one come to ask us for even a glass of water.”
After what feels like an eternity, the door to the council chambers finally opens. A stern-looking elder steps out and clears his throat, his eyes scanning over the trio before him.
“You may enter now,” an elder gesturing for them to follow him.
Elena took a deep breath as she stepped into the elder’s chamber with her two mates for the first time. The room was spacious and high-ceilinged, with ancient symbols and artifacts adorning the walls. The atmosphere was solemn and respectful, and she felt a sense of reverence wash over her as she entered.
As she walked further into the room, Elena noticed a large throne at the far end of the chamber, reserved for the elders of the werewolf community. She could see several other members of the pack standing in a circle around the throne, their eyes fixed on her as she entered.
Elena’s heart raced as she approached the circle of werewolves, her eyes darting nervously around the room. She noticed they adorned the walls with animal skins, weapons, and other trinkets that held symbolic significance to the werewolf culture.
As she stood before the other members of the pack, Elena felt a strange mix of fear and excitement. She knew that this meeting was of great importance and that she needed to show the utmost respect and prove her worth to them. Elena wanted to prove to them that even if she was a human; she was worthy to stand beside her two mates as their better half.
“Please have a seat,” one elder said to them.
“I have heard that you have arrived here a few days ago. Why did you stay in the hotel and didn’t come here directly?”
“Oliver and I had some important work to take care of before the meeting. We wanted to make sure everything was in order before we got there so that we could give our full attention to the meeting,” Xavier said, and the elders nodded at him.
“Is the girl sitting with you two your mate?” Xavier and Oliver nodded in unison, and the elders exchanged a look before one of them spoke up. “How should we believe that? Do you have any proof?”
At the elder’s question, Elena removed her hair from her neck, revealing the mating mark that proved she was their mate. The female elder walked towards her to inspect the mark. As she came closer to Elena, she noticed that the scent of Xavier and Oliver was mixed with hers, but she couldn’t detect the scent of her wolf.
The female elder smiled with satisfaction, thinking that she was right – they were lying to them.
“If she was Xavier’s mate,” she said, “she would have already gained his Lycian form by now. But I can’t sense any trace of her wolf.”
Xavier and Oliver exchanged a worried glance, but before they could say anything. Why didn’t they notice it earlier and this question comes to their mind before the elder’s meeting?
“Maybe, it’s because it hasn’t been long since we had mated with each other,”
“No, it was because she was not your mate. She is just an excuse for you to used to form alliances with each other to overthrow the elder’s community and rule over the werewolf species,”
“How can you say that? You know, how scared a mate was for a werewolf? She even had our mating mark on her neck,”
“You could have made a tattoo of it to fool us. Since a mating mark was proof that another werewolf claimed a human or a werewolf as their mate. Because if she was both of your mates she would have gained her wolf by now, after mating with Xavier but she didn’t. And a werewolf, especially an alpha, can’t share a mate with another werewolf.”
“Maybe it was because she mated with Oliver first. You know a human can’t transform into a werewolf and gain her wolf if it mated with a werewolf.”
“Enough, already. Do you think of us as a fool, Xavier? You think we don’t know what is going on between you two?”
“Listen, Xavier. I am warning y both of you. Get rid of this girl, find your proper mate, and give up on the idea of ruling over the werewolf spices, because we will not let it come true.”
After hearing the elders spouting nonsense, Oliver wanted to get up from his seat and wanted to strangle them to death, but Elena stop him by grabbing his hand.
“I can understand that you are insecure about losing your position, but what if she really our mate and just hasn’t gained her Lycian yet because she is not ready for it?” Xavier tried to reason with them.
“What if she gains her Lycian after a few days of the meeting with the leaders? Will you believe us then?” Xavier asked.
The elders throw each other glances as if discussing between them.
“We will take some time to consider this matter.” One of the elder said and dismissed them.