"Please sit." Mae gestured at the couch, obviously eager to move on quickly from the awkward moment. "Would you like some wine?"
"That would be nice, thank you," I replied, with a forced smile.
As we sat, the tension faded out from Kaden's body, and he looked like he always did. My Kaden, who was trying to win over the packs so that we could stop the Leos. If not for the anxiety fluttering in my gut, I would have thought that what I’d seen was just a trick of the light.
The alphas were eager to please after that, and we sat and drank wine, making small talk for a few minutes. They were surprisingly funny and launched into story after story that had even Kaden chuckling, and soon we forgot about the uncomfortable moment.
Then we moved to the picnic table, where a young woman, who I thought might be their daughter, served us some kind of deer stew with some thick, flaky bread. It tasted much better than I expected, based on how it looked, and the warmth seeped into my bones. While we ate, we got down to business, telling the Sagittarius alphas our long tale about the Leos and the Sun Witches.
The two alphas looked shocked, but somehow not surprised by everything we told them. “Dixon came to bully us after the Convergence,” Theo admitted. “We sent him packing, along with the rest of the Leos, telling him we had no interest in an alliance. We’ve managed to remain neutral, even amongst all of the fighting over the years. We're sympathetic to your cause, but we have no intention of taking sides in this battle now."
“You won’t be able to be neutral forever,” Kaden said. “The Leos don't want alliances anymore—they want subjects. I can't imagine a pack that values freedom so much would ever be okay with that."
"Should it come to that, we would fight to the death to maintain our way of life," Mae said. "But I find it hard to believe such a thing would come about."
"Believe it," I said. "The Cancers never thought the Leos would almost wipe out their entire pack in one night either, yet here we are. Which pack will be next?"
"It is a shame about your former pack," Mae said, then glanced at her husband. They shared a look, communicating in the way that only long-time married couples could.
“Please, just come to the meeting,” I said. "That's all we ask."
Theo met Mae's eyes again and then nodded. "All right, we will come to this meeting. I can’t promise anything, but we will listen at least."
“Thank you,” Kaden said and bowed his head.
I let out a long breath, my shoulders relaxing as relief rushed through me. It was a small step, but at least it was in the right direction. With Wesley working on some of the other packs, we might have a decent showing at our meeting after all.
“You must be weary,” the female alpha said, as she stood. “I’ll show you to your tent.”
It was a clear dismissal. They probably wanted to talk more about the matter, which was reasonable. Besides, it had grown late with all the wine and storytelling. Mae led us across the camp to an empty tent, which was small and cozy, perfect for two people. A bed had been made on the ground inside, with plenty of blankets to combat the chill in the air.
"That went well, I think," I said once we were alone.
Kaden grunted. "As well as can be expected, I guess. The Sagittarius value independence above all, and I think once they see that the Leos want to take that away from them, they'll come on board."
We undressed and got in the bed, but we didn't curl up together, and some of the unease from earlier crept back in. Maybe he's just tired, I told myself. Or maybe he's thinking about his ex, that annoying voice inside my head said back.
“Are you okay after seeing Eileen?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” He shifted around so he was propped up on his elbow, looking at me in the dark. “We were over years ago. I don’t feel anything for her anymore. It just…” He paused. “It surprised me to see her, that's all.”
"You and me both," I said with a stilted laugh.
Kaden slid his fingers into my hair, pulling me against him. "Oh, little wolf, are you jealous?" He pressed his lips to my neck. "I promise you, the only female I want to share my bed with is you. Or my heart, for that matter."
"Good," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. "It would probably strain our relations with the Sagittarius pack if I tore out their beta female's throat."
He chuckled at that and settled me against his chest. "So fierce. No wonder you're my alpha female."
As he held me close and kissed me, I found myself believing that he didn't have feelings for Eileen anymore. Not in that sense anyway. He didn't want to be with her, that was clear, but it was also obvious that she'd wounded Kaden greatly, and that wound hadn't entirely healed. She'd been the entire reason Kaden hadn't wanted to be with me, after all. He'd worried I would go with my mate, unable to resist the bond, like Eileen had. It was only once Kaden learned that my mate was my brother that he was willing to fully give in to being with me.
Kaden fell asleep quickly, but I was too restless. I slipped out of the tent to find somewhere to pee, unsure if I should go in the bushes or what. I didn't see any portable toilets nearby, so I slipped into the bushes to do my business, moving away from the rest of the camp as much as I could.
When I returned, I spotted someone sitting on a log in the forest by herself and paused. Eileen.
"I won't bite," she called out to me.
"Yeah, but I might," I said, as I approached.
She took me in, and I did the same to her. With the men gone, she was more relaxed now, although I also smelled wine on her breath too, which probably helped. Not that we could get drunk as shifters, but sometimes the idea of alcohol was enough to calm the nerves.
"I noticed the mark on your neck." She sounded sad as she spoke, not hostile. "And I heard Kaden made you his alpha female."
"Yes, he did," I said, feeling defensive despite her calm tone. "What of it?"
"He tried to do the same to me, you know." She stared down at her hands in her lap. "We were in love like you are now, and we didn't care that we didn't have a mate bond tying us together. We thought we would be together forever. I spent my entire life believing I would lead my pack with him." She sucked in a ragged breath. "And then the mate bond appeared with Devin, and everything changed."
I stood still, listening to her side of the story, unable to tear myself away. "You couldn't fight it."
"No. I tried at first, but it was no use. I didn't want to leave Kaden or my pack, but I had to. Trust me that it broke my heart to leave, just as much as it broke Kaden's." She sighed. "And now Kaden is in the same position I was in."
My hackles rose. "What are you talking about?"