Vivianna #2
Rik dislodged himself from me and scooped me safely behind him, then lunged for Koit.
Koit, ready for the retaliation, slid off the couch and missed Rik’s punch with seconds to spare.
Rik’s hand shot out, catching Koit by the ankle, holding him still as he took another pillow and slammed it into his stomach, causing Koit to grunt while he was laughing.
Now if we could only get them to do this naked.
“I didn’t say anything when you and Tav were going to fuck her right in front of me, did I? Next time, I won’t be such a gentleman,” Rik said, swatting him with the pillow one more time before he sat back on the couch, grinning.
“I must say, it’s so nice to see a group of alphas getting along so well. Not all mated males handle sharing very well,” Astrid said, her voice interrupting the jovial atmosphere.
The room stilled at her voice. I peeked over the back of the couch and saw her smiling, wise face taking everything in. I’d totally forgotten that I asked for her to come and talk to me about the video call with The Collective.
She’s not a werewolf, she’s a fucking ninja. I didn’t hear her coming at all.
“Astrid, please come in. We just finished watching a movie,” I said, getting up from my seat.
Astrid nodded her head and seated herself in one of the armchairs.
I sat at the end of the chaise lounge part of the couch, and Tav sat right behind me so I could lean on him, with Koit sitting on the floor by my legs, leaning his head on me.
The other two gathered as we snapped out of the fun, relaxed feeling we’d had before, ready for business.
“Sarma caught me up on what’s been going on. I am truly sorry that this has happened so quickly and we don’t have much time to ease you into this how I would like,” Astrid said, resting a hand on my knee and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“That just seems to be the way my life is these days. None of this has happened the easy way. I’m getting used to it at this point.”
“I agree with Sarma that the video call is the best for this situation. That way, we can all be in the room with you and help you control the conversation. If we need to mute the call and talk things over, we have that option, which we wouldn’t have with an in-person meeting.”
I nodded, agreeing with everything she’d said so far.
“What we’ll need to go over is whether we will accept them leaving the mate prospects here.
It’s wise to be seen giving them a chance, even if you have no desire to take on any more mates, and it’s customary to at least meet with them before you dismiss them.
Right now, things are so new, and it’s been centuries since we last had an alpha female, so my advice would be to let them stay, but let us gather what information we can about who they are before we have you meet them in a formal setting.
We will keep them in the guest wing of the castle so they won’t be anywhere near here.
Only ones that you have chosen will be allowed to live in these chambers. ”
As much as I wanted to tell them to all go away, I knew she was right. I needed to set the stage for who I was as a ruler. “Can my men meet them before me, or is that not proper?”
“Goodness, child, I would certainly expect them to meet them before you ever did. Of course, the choice is always yours on which mates you take, but to keep your household a happy one, it would be in your best interest to have your mates get along.” Astrid chuckled.
“Sounds wise,” I said, smiling back as I looked at the guys till my eyes landed on Darius. “Seems like you got your wish.”
“Being smart about who you allow yourself to be attached to is easier for those outside the situation to see,” Darius stated.
“He is right—when you get swept away with your feelings, it is easy to miss things you would normally see. I don’t think you are the type of woman to get carried away easily, but it’s better to have more than one pair of eyes in any situation,” Astrid agreed.
“Now that’s settled, what timeframe should we give The Collective for the in-person meeting, and where should that be held?” Tav asked, changing the direction of the conversation.
“I would love to have six months before we have to make any major decisions, but I don’t think they would settle for that.
If we can get them to agree to three months, it would be our best option.
Less than that will just be harder on you, Dama.
I want to make sure we get you set with a council of advisors and have you understand how things run here on the island.
The three of us have taken care of much of the day-to-day needs of the pack, but now that will be transitioned to you.
After reviewing it all, you can choose what stays and goes,” Astrid said.
“Rik and Tavas have been giving me the basics of the role of a Dama, and I would like to appoint you as my personal advisor and head of my council,” I said, wanting to make sure this was known before we got much further into things.
Astrid rose and knelt on one knee, bowing her head to me. “Dama, you give me a great honor by asking this of me. I accept it for as long as I am able to serve you.”
I reached out and grasped her shoulders, causing her to look at me. “I am eager to learn from you and hear any wisdom you have to share with me.”
Astrid got to her feet and bowed her head at me once again before she left. “Sleep well, Dama. You have busy days ahead of you.”