The hour after my intense encounter with Kieran passed in an instant. His mom returned ten minutes later, quietly fixing my hair and applying light makeup, darkening my eyes to make their two different colors more pronounced. She ignored the obvious signs of what had transpired between me and her son, instead focusing on preparing me for the meeting ahead.
The preliminary meeting before the High Table wasn’t a formal event-it was more like a business gathering. The purpose was to assess potential enemies, seek out weaker Alphas, and generally cause havoc for lower-ranked werewolves. Kieran’s mom helped me into a slate grey dress, zipping up the low-neck back with a smooth motion. The dress reached my knees, hugging my curves and showing just enough cleavage to look classy, highlighting the silver tones in my blue eye. It was crucial that I be perceived as a capable adult rather than an emotional teenager. They needed to believe I wouldn’t use my abilities recklessly or for personal vengeance. The absurdity of this expectation wasn’t lost on me. Shouldn’t it be my choice how to use my abilities?
She left my hair down, hoping to remind everyone that while I was composed and collected, I was still young and inexperienced. I had to admit, she did an incredible job. The dress made me seem mature and responsible, but the makeup she applied made my eyes look larger, brighter, and more vibrant.
“Alright, you’re ready,” she said, finally settling down after fussing over my hair for another half-hour. Her eyes hardened, and the faint lines around her mouth deepened. “You’re already late, but that doesn’t matter anymore-the news about Ethan has already spread.”
“I thought it was being contained?” I scoffed, grinding my teeth against the thrashing beast now locked down inside me. Silver couldn’t be trusted not to hunt Zack Billford down and use our power on him without warrant.
“It was,” she laughed dryly, her eyes disbelieving. “Why would they want to contain anything? Now everyone believes they know how to control you. The smart ones are keeping their distance, waiting for you to snap. When you use your abilities, they’ll most likely put you to death.”
“It seems like you know a lot about the High Table,” I commented.
“We all do,” she grunted. “They’ve killed more of us than any other species.”
As Kieran and I were escorted through the twisting halls of the hotel, we were briefed on the more important guests at today’s meeting. Maverick Billford, the cunning and brutish leader of the largest pack, sat at the head of the High Table. Arnold Fox, the oldest unmated male with a reputation for hard labor and numerous partners, held the second spot. Damion Baron, the most studious and logical, was third. Carlos Caddel, an enigma with a dark past and scars to match, was fourth. Finally, Griffin Allard, rumored to work closely with Maverick Billford and classified as a sociopath, rounded out the group.
The five Alphas of the High Table mingled with the smaller Alphas, using their influence to sway decisions. The large events room of the luxurious hotel was the perfect business-casual background, with thick curtains, sleek black tables, and employees dressed in black offering flutes of champagne.
“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Kieran grunted low.
Our eyes remained forward, but I hoped he could see the slight twitch of my lips. He was making this easier on me, even though he believed he couldn’t. Having him by my side was all that kept me from going feral.
“Are you kidding me?” I scoffed quietly, “The only thing I remember is what she said about the High Table. Everything else was a blur.”
“You are so incredibly responsible in the face of danger, sweetheart,” Kieran chuckled incredulously, linking his arm with mine.
We were nearly bombarded with packs wanting to talk. Most Alphas spoke with Kieran, though their eyes often strayed to me for far too long. They spoke of truces and alliances, potential partnerships. Kieran noticed those hungry glances, yearning for power-those men were lucky Kieran had some form of restraint. Not all were bad, though. Two seemed genuinely angry that an Alpha had been kidnapped to aid a feud between white wolves and other werewolves. Kieran didn’t get along with any of them, but he had always been more abrasive than Ethan.
“That’s Maverick Billford,” Kieran murmured quietly, squeezing my hand lightly.
We had stopped for something to drink, and I restrained myself from guzzling the dry champagne. My mouth was horribly dry from speaking and smiling, laughing and chatting like an innocent, beautiful girl would.
At Kieran’s words, my head whipped around. I’m sure that’s not the reaction he wanted, but I couldn’t help it. I had heard so many bad things about this man. I expected a shaved head and thick face scars, something that identified him as an immediate villain. There was none of that. Maverick Billford was a conventionally attractive man, much like his son. Their faces were perfectly angular and chiseled. Full lips, strong nose and cheekbones, and full eyebrows and lashes. Very muscular but not overly bulky, and he even had a charming smile.
I felt a bit robbed that someone so supposedly evil looked so normal. You think I’d be used to monsters having human faces, but I don’t think I am.
“You’re disappointed?” Kieran questioned, his head tilting to the side and his eyes burning with curiosity. “That emotion doesn’t make sense in this situation, Sophia.”
I tried not to laugh at the confusion on his face or the way his hair shifted from the movement and fell over his forehead.
“He looks normal,” I elaborated with a frown. “So yeah, I’m disappointed. I expected this big bad Alpha, but he doesn’t look like a bad guy.”
“Of course he doesn’t look like one,” Kieran grunted. “Maverick Billford is all charm and smiles. He lies so well that I think he truly believes them, eventually.”
“So, how do we beat a liar?” I mused, tapping my chin with a freshly painted fingernail. They were the only thing I had a choice on. The twins’ mom wanted to paint them white, for purity and protection-I scrapped that idea. I picked ruby red-the color of fresh blood. It was foreshadowing, you see. I knew that sooner or later I’d have the blood of Ethan and Kat’s kidnappers on my hands, and I welcomed my fate.
“We lie better,” Kieran replied, an eyebrow cocked in Maverick Billford’s direction.
Zack Billford chose that moment to make his appearance, swooping into the room and heading straight for his father. I felt my heartbeat halt when I locked eyes with Zack. I felt no guilt pouring from him, nothing that would indicate he had a hand in taking my mate and friend. But I knew what the twins’ mom had said. He could’ve simply felt justified in what he had done-that would explain the lack of guilt. What he did feel was pissed, thoroughly irritated, and even a little bit hurt. I wanted to laugh; someone had hurt his feelings and wounded his ego.
Kieran was the rock that got me through the storm and effectively kept me from ripping Zack’s strangely symmetrical face off. We made it through the entirety of the gathering without an issue. The whole debacle was easily three hours long.
What I found most entertaining was that I hadn’t spoken to a single member of the High Table. Don’t get me wrong, they all saw me, but none stepped forward to speak. Maverick Billford gave me a subtle nod and a twitch of his lips. Arnold Fox winked at me and laughed at Kieran’s snarl. Damion Baron made no indication that he had noticed me, but I could feel his assessing eyes on me more than any of the others. I had taken one look into Carlos Caddel’s eyes and knew that man had seen bloodshed and darkness. It was written into every puckered scar on his body. Griffin Allard gave me an oily smile, one that promised many dark things to come.
We had just a brief break to prepare ourselves for the High Table meeting, not nearly long enough to settle the swarm of poisonous wasps in my stomach. Kieran and I, along with our baton of guards, headed back to the room for dinner. We hadn’t eaten at the gathering, for fear of being poisoned. Apparently, it had actually happened before.
As we slipped into the dark hotel room, I smelled something that made me stiffen. Kieran whipped around with a snarl, turning on the light within seconds. My eyes ached just a hint as they adjusted, but the feeling was smothered by overwhelming relief and just a bit of fear. Sitting on the edge of the bed, unharmed and blushing furiously, was Kat.