The celebration was going great when we got an alert that we had a small gathering at one of our borders. The gathering was not hostile. They were simply delivering a sealed message.
What kind of message needed to be delivered in that fashion? I can only think of one kind of message. And it was a message from the Wanna-be Kingdom that wanted to take over our kingdom. I can’t wait to hear what they want now. Were they declaring war on us? Which would be suicide on their part because we are definitely stronger than they are.
We had to wait for two hours while the message traveled the distance to us. Meanwhile, the celebration winded down and everyone left. We changed our clothes and got comfortable. We met in the conference room so we could discuss the message when it arrived.
The message finally arrived and it was brought up to the conference room. The Master of the Arms kept apologizing for the delay in getting the message to us quickly. Then he announced that the message was addressed to Dutchess Melanie and not to the Alpha Queen, which surprised us all.
“My apologies Alpha Queen Sophia for the delay, we were slightly delayed by the terrain. The message is addressed to Dutchess Melanie not to you Alpha Queen,” stammered Master of Arms Drake.
“No worries Master of Arms Drake. You may deliver your message to Dutchess Melanie,” commanded Queen Sophia.
“As you wish Alpha Queen Sophia,” replied Master of Arms Drake as he handed me the sealed message.
I broke the seal on the message to retrieve the note inside. It was a handwritten message with a phone number for a teleconference with Alpha Pushkin who is the leader of the Wanna-be Kingdom. I’ve had several dealings with him in the past which is probably why he was reaching out to me for this ‘Parley.’
Here is what the note said:
Dutchess Melanie,
I am requesting a Teleconference with the new Alpha Queen, Queen Sophia, King Consort Mason, Duke Vladimir, Yourself, and anyone else you deem necessary.
It is my wish to discuss a peaceful way to bring forth a new kingdom. Doyle Kessler did not have my permission nor did he have my blessing to attack your kingdom. I want to broker a peace between us. I do not want a war between us.
I have provided a number you may reach us at 6 PM for a teleconference to discuss this truce. I hope you take me up on this offer.
Alpha Pushkin
Wow. After I read the note out loud for everyone to hear. I looked at everyone’s faces. Some were passive and others were blank. I couldn’t read them. I didn’t know what to think either at this point. I didn’t know if he was being sincere. I won’t know until I see his face and look into his eyes.
Sophia broke the silence in the room when she asked, “Melanie, what are your thoughts? You seem to know him. Is he being sincere or is he merely stalling for time?”
“To be honest, I won’t know until I look him in the eyes. I’ve dealt with him a few times before, but in those instances, he’s never lied to me or given me a reason to doubt his sincerity,” I honestly replied to her.
“Very good. So, we will teleconference with him at 6 PM at the number he gave us. We will all be present including you Dad. I know you’ve dealt with him before and I will value your insights,” professed Sophia to her father with a sly grin.
“As you wish My Queen,” answered her father with a smirk on his face.
We all chuckled at their banter. We couldn’t help ourselves. We knew that this would happen because Dad did it to me after I took his position from him. It’s a right of passage for all children taking the position from their parents.
At the appointed hour, we connected via teleconference with Alpha Pushkin to find out what in the world is actually going on. Sophia stood front and center and addressed Alpha Pushkin.
“Good evening Alpha Pushkin. How may we help you tonight?” commanded Sophia to him.
“Alpha Queen Sophia. Congratulations on succeeding your father on the throne. I wanted to discuss a peace with you. I want no trouble with your kingdom Alpha Queen Sophia. Doyle Kessler attacked without permission and without my blessing. He had his own agenda that I did not support,” declared Alpha Pushkin as he bowed toward Queen Sophia.
“His attack cost us 15 warrior wolves and 28 civilian lives including four children who couldn’t make it to their shelters in time. Not to mention the destruction of property that we are still repairing. We have Doyle Kessler in custody at this time that is the only bright spot so far,” declared Queen Sophia to Alpha Pushkin.
“Yes, I did hear that Kessler was captured by your warrior wolves. Well done. I applaud your wolves and their defense of the border against the Brussels Pack. The Brussels Pack is now a part of your kingdom by right of the battle,” announced Alpha Pushkin to everyone present.
“Very well. I will send my people to them tomorrow to advise them. How exactly can I assist you, Alpha Pushkin? What do you want from me and my kingdom?” demanded Queen Sophia.
“I was hoping for some help. We wanted to set up a kingdom of our own in Western Europe. We are not as strong as you are in Eastern Europe but we could use your help with the organization. Your kingdom has been established for thousands of years. The packs in Western Europe have broken away from your kingdom over the centuries but now want to form our own kingdom. We have different priorities than you, of course. We want peace, not war. That is why I am reaching out to you,” declared Alpha Pushkin.
“I see. Why did you wait until now to reach out to us? Why didn’t you reach out when my father was Alpha King?” demanded Queen Sophia to Alpha Pushkin.
“We had our own problems to handle internally first. I assure you it was not a tactical ploy on our part. We had a power play to take care of before we could approach you to seek your assistance. My pack has always been the most powerful pack in Western Europe and we had two pack Alphas trying to exert their will on others by force. We had to squelch their uprising before we contacted you. I’m sorry that the timing is off and it looks suspicious,” declared Alpha Pushkin.
“I see. I need time to consult with my advisors Alpha Pushkin. I will not make any decisions at this moment,” advised Queen Sophia.
“I would not expect you to do so. May I recommend that you take a day or two to talk with your Council and advisors? We can talk again in two days if that is convenient to you,” suggested Alpha Pushkin.
“I would agree to that. Let’s reconvene in two days at 10 AM. Would that work for you Alpha Pushkin?” inquired Queen Sophia.
“Yes, it would. Thank you Alpha Queen Sophia,” replied Alpha Pushkin as he bowed toward her. Then the screen went blank.
“Well, that was unexpected. Melanie, do you trust him?” Sophia asked me point blank.
“He seems sincere. I don’t know though. I got the feeling he’s not telling you everything. He may have had someone in the room with him that he couldn’t have said everything, but I got the feeling he was holding something back. That’s the feeling I got,” I explained as I looked around the room.
“Okay. Does anyone else have any thoughts about what he said?” inquired Sophia.
“I still don’t fully trust him. We still need to maintain our vigilance at the borders. We need to be ready for anything,” concluded Uncle Vladimir.
“I agree with Vladimir. We should remain vigilant at our borders and keep our packs on alert near our borders. You did good Your Majesty on your first official teleconference,” praised Sophia’s dad, Uncle Friedrich.
“I think we all should retire for the evening. We could all use a good night’s rest. We need to meet here tomorrow so we can discuss the Brussels Pack and how we are going to handle it. Any questions?” asked Queen Sophia. Seeing no questions, “This meeting is adjourned.”
We all filed out of the conference room. We collected our things and I collected my son Austin. We went back to Uncle Vladimir’s villa so we could get some rest. I fed and diapered Austin. Then, I put him in the bassinet next to our bed. Anthony was feeling a little frisky tonight after all the festivities today.
So, we had our sexy time after Austin went to sleep. I got the bathtub filled and ready for a wonderful, relaxing time. I asked Anthony if he wanted to join me in a bath with a smirk on my face. Before he could answer me, I was already taking off my clothes as I was walking to the bathroom. He was mesmerized by my movements.
He didn’t hesitate to start shedding his clothes and joined me in the tub for some good clean fun. We not only cleaned each other with our hands but we have learned how to pleasure our mate with them as well. By now, I know what Anthony likes and doesn’t like. I know how my hands drive him insane. Also, I know that he likes it when I ride him in the tub. Boy, oh boy we had some fun in the tub.
Needless to say, we both should sleep very good tonight. As I lay next to Anthony and listen to him softly snore, I can’t help but think about all that happened today. Today, Sophia has become Alpha Queen in Eastern Europe. She succeeded her father and became the first Queen in over forty years. Then, we had another Alpha in Western Europe reach out who wants help to establish a kingdom there.
The problem there is, do we trust him? Is he being sincere? Or is he setting us up for when we least expect it? I just can’t seem to put my finger on what is nagging at me in the back of my mind. What am I missing?