11. Deacon
Chapter eleven
Deacon
It has been a long time since I last felt nervous about an alpha meet. Though, as I survey the room, all my alphas present with their seconds except for Kieran and Sam, I wonder if I’m just picking up on the general air of concern and distrust.
Not distrust of me, Jude aside. He’s sitting towards the middle of the table, glowering at anyone who dares to look at him. No. Distrust of the unknown.
Orion opens the door and Chaya leads Kieran and Sam inside. Kieran’s wearing dark trousers and a white T-shirt under a dark jacket—not too dressy, but then I can’t imagine him in the suits I tend to wear. It doesn’t matter. Sam’s more than dressed up for the both of them. His sand-coloured trousers are high-waisted, and the shirt he’s wearing, a silky, dark thing, has bright gold print of the planets and stars all over it. It’s unbuttoned but tucked in, revealing his chest when he moves.
Kieran takes the only free chair, at the foot of the table, and Sam stands off to his right, crossing his arms over his chest. He has none of the bulk of the other werewolves standing around the table—men and women both—but his lifted chin, contrasted with Kieran’s easy sprawl, has me biting back a smile.
I glance around at the other alphas. Jude is scowling, sitting up straighter in his chair. Levi sends Kieran a little smirk; Julien, behind him, an actual smile. Rhea is one of our few female alphas, and she merely looks speculative, eyeing them both.
Chaya takes her place behind me, and I take my seat. “Alphas. Alpha Kieran has just taken up the mantle of his new pack. He brings with him his second, Sam Ware.”
Jude’s scowl deepens, even as the other alphas nod—some of them may not like it, but they know why he’s sitting at this table. A couple of them were in the room for his challenge.
“I heard he’s a Selkirk,” Jude says about Sam, who doesn’t even flinch. He levels Jude with a stare, instead, and when Jude bristles, Sam turns his eyes away, fixing his gaze on some point in the distance.
“A pleasure to meet you, too,” Kieran says, sarcasm dripping from his words. “Alpha…?”
“Jude.”
Kieran nods. “Did you have something you wanted to ask, or should we get on with what we’re here for?”
His scent doesn’t change, and I lean back in my seat, content to let this play out for now. Truth is, it’s not an unusual sight. Even if I’d brought in the perfect wolf for the job—not that Kieran isn’t—there’d still be some push and pull between the alphas. Despite everything, we’re not actual wolves, and our hierarchies are more ingrained. I’m above all of them, and they’re all the head of their packs.
Between the lot of them, there’s a hierarchy too, and Kieran’s come in and found himself somewhere in the middle.
“Why is he here?” Jude asks, turning to me. On the opposite side of the table, Levi rolls his eyes.
“Because what is happening in this city affects Kieran and his pack, too. It affects all of us,” I reply.
Jude growls. “His pack ? He doesn’t even have a wolf!”
Kieran doesn’t react, though Sam’s shoulders tense.
“And?” Rhea asks, tapping her finger on the table. “You’re telling me you’ve never met a wolf without one? Where have you been hiding, Jude?”
He flushes, anger colouring his scent when he looks at her. She smiles, showing all her teeth, and Jude turns back to me again. He knows better than to bite when it comes to Rhea.
“Alpha, please. He’s human. He shouldn’t be here.”
Levi’s growl is low, and a surprise. Chaya’s shoulders tense.
Kieran is the only one who appears relaxed when I look at him. I sigh, leaning back in my chair. “I explained this to you weeks ago, when I told all the alphas of our newest pack. He’s not taking your land, Jude. He’s not taking your wolves. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is that we’re dealing with a crazed vampire!” Jude shakes his head. “And we’re creating new packs and swanning around with a potential murderer instead of dealing with it!”
For a moment, I see red. Swanning around… He means me and Vasile. As if I haven’t spent a century away from him. As if I haven’t—
“You have a problem with me, deal with me,” Kieran says, and his voice is dark, even though his body language is still open. “Or challenge our alpha, if you’re feeling that brave. Right now, you’re the one wasting everyone’s time.”
Jude’s attention snaps to him. Silver rings his irises and I realise I never should have invited him here. I look at his second, Ollie, who grimaces. Jude might have to step down, at least for a little while.
“Maybe I should challenge you ,” Jude says. “Challenge you for your pack.”
Kieran stares back at him, eyes narrowing when Jude looks Sam over slowly.
“You’ve got a mage. A coven. A couple of vampires. They might keep my pack safe, at least.”
“A couple of vampires?” Kieran says, leaning forward, and his scent—anger, danger, complete and utter determination —hits me all at once.
Levi flinches back, and even Rhea looks unsettled as Kieran stares Jude down. Jude swallows but squares his shoulders as if they’re going to fight here and now.
“Why not? Your so-called mate. Everyone knows vampires don’t have mating bonds. How did you trick a chieftain into believing that?”
Kieran tilts his head to one side, and the slow, assessing look he gives Jude has me fighting a shiver. “My mate.” He smirks. “If I were to lose a challenge to you—which we both know I wouldn’t—then my mate would tear your throat out before you lay a hand on him. Not to mention what my second would do. You want to use his name like a threat and then think you’d command him? And if, somehow, you managed to survive all of that, you’d still have two more mages, a vampire, and a wolf to deal with. My little brother might be soft-hearted, but he learnt to fight just as well as I did.”
Jude swallows. The sour scent of his fear fills my nose, but Kieran doesn’t need to smell it to know he’s won. He can see what I can—the way Jude’s pulse flutters at the base of his throat.
He glances around the table, but none of the other alphas—or their seconds—offer their support. Even Ollie is staring at his shoes.
Will I let him issue a challenge? I’ll have to if he pushes it, and though I don’t think Jude is as vicious as Hale was, he’s older. Still, he’s given Kieran something to fight for, which is probably his biggest mistake.
Colour creeps up Jude’s face in red splotches. He drops his gaze to the table, facing Kieran as he tilts his head to the side. Rhea’s eyebrows lift in surprise.
“Apologies, alpha,” Jude says. “I let my mouth get away with me.”
Kieran stares at him, waiting a long moment before he relaxes again. He shrugs and sits back in his seat. “Apology accepted. It’s been a difficult time recently. I’m sorry to hear of the loss in your pack.”
Jude’s next look at him is sharp, but we all know Kieran is being sincere, and there’s nothing he can say now that won’t embarrass him further. He nods and stares down at the table, where I suspect his gaze will remain for the rest of the meeting.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Right, so. I assume everyone’s heard what happened, but so that we’re not repeating the rumour mill, here it is: A hunter has been killed. Nathan. He was known to the clan because he used to be their liaison.”
Rhea frowns. “He’s the one who—” She glances at Kieran, then back at me.
“Yes. Nathan and Chieftain Lucien were known to each other as well. He was removed from his position after he attacked Lucien’s turn and Lucien bit him. He has been held by the Council since then, but I found his body at the weekend.”
“Where?” Axel asks. He’s by far the largest of my alphas in terms of sheer bulk, but he’s the gentlest, too. He’s sitting to Kieran’s left and seems intrigued by our newest addition.
I look at Kieran, who nods. “Outside our building,” he says. “He was killed by a vampire, dragged into the bushes.”
I pick up the story before we can get off track. “I found the body. There was no scent on it. I asked Kieran to come and meet me and by the time he arrived, some hunters had joined us.”
“How did they know the body was there?” Levi asks.
“They received an anonymous call.” I shake my head. “I suspect there was a mage nearby watching, waiting for someone to discover him. The hunters cleared the scene and searched the body. They concluded that Nathan was killed by a vampire and found some evidence on him pointing to a suspect.”
“Who?” Rhea asks. She has to know. She has to have heard.
“Crai Vasile.”
The room is silent for a moment. Four of the alphas look confused, with Rhea even shaking her head as though she doesn’t believe it. Kieran is watching them just as closely as I am. The rest are uncertain, though Jude’s jaw is clenched so hard I’m worried he’s going to break something.
“Do you think…?” Levi asks but trails off before he finishes the sentence. Bite may be in neutral territory, but his pack runs it, and they live on the border. He has more interactions with vampires than most wolves.
“I do not believe the crai killed Nathan,” I say. “For a number of reasons, but the main one being that he would have no way to hide his scent.”
Jude snorts, gaze flicking to Sam and then away. Sam rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, I didn’t cover his scent for him,” he says. “If I’d known who the hunter was, I might’ve killed him if I’d come across him, but I’d have let Adam or Lucien at him first. Or at least asked.”
Kieran huffs. Sam shrugs, unrepentant.
“We have all heard what the crai may or may not be capable of,” I say, meeting the eyes of each of my alphas in turn. “But pretending that we are any different will get us nowhere. Each of us is capable of terrible, terrible things. The vampire we are after is not only capable of those things, he revels in them. If you believe what you know of the crai points to him being that person, then that is a belief you may hold. But Tamesis is real, and he is a threat, and if we do not defend against him, then we will fail.”
Jude shifts on his chair. Levi frowns. “What does he even want? You said he killed this hunter and left him close to his victims?”
Levi looks at Kieran, who nods. “Yes.”
“Well, why? He’s Vasile’s sire, right? Why wouldn’t he leave the hunter near the clan house?”
“He’s after more than just his turn,” Kieran says. “He’s here to destroy all of us, and the first step is turning us against our allies.”
“Allies,” Jude spits.
“Yes, allies,” I snap. “The treaty has held for this long for a reason. If he breaks that, we have bigger problems than one vampire. How long will your pack hold out if vampires and hunters come after us? How long will it hold out if we all begin fighting for territory amongst ourselves?”
Jude pales. He’s already learnt today that he’s not as high up on the ladder as he thought.
Rhea looks at Kieran. “Are you hiding Vasile?”
He doesn’t look at me. He just stares back at her, and I wonder if he’ll lie like he did to the hunters the other night.
Will it be better or worse if he doesn’t?
“Yes, I am,” he says, and there’s a ripple of surprise and irritation that moves around the table. “If the hunters imprison him, Tamesis will kill him. Vasile’s looking at reigniting the bond between himself and his sire so we can track him. He can’t do that if he’s dead.”
“Reignite?” Rhea asks, frowning. “Can he do that?”
Kieran looks at Sam, who shrugs. “We’ve asked, and it’s possible. If any of you have any mages who know about bonds in your packs, I’d appreciate a second opinion. It’s not something we’re going to do without checking. There’s every chance it’d backfire and leave Tamesis with power over him.”
My stomach twists. I thought Vasile would—I scowl, remembering that he never promised he wouldn’t do it. He must have asked about it again when I wasn’t there.
“What do we do next then, alpha?” Levi asks.
I swallow down my fury and nod in his direction. “We need to be in a room with the vampires and hunters, and we need to stop this. Kieran is right. Tamesis will divide us first and then destroy everything we’ve built, so we need to work together.”
Jude shakes his head. “He’s already doing that,” he says, voice tinged with anguish. “He’s already killing us!”
“Then we fight that, too. Talk to your mages. If you want to build up protections for your packs, then I’m sure Sam will work with them.” I look at him, and he nods. “Remain alert, and if you see anything unusual, let me know. We need to keep our packs safe, and we need to keep our allies close. Is that clear?”
Every alpha nods, including Jude. “Yes, alpha.”
“Good. If you need me, you know how to reach me.”
The meeting ends there, and alphas and their seconds begin to leave the room. Levi and Julien pause to speak to Kieran and Sam, and Kieran seems to take to the other alpha better now that he’s not holding him semi-captive in the back room of a club.
Chaya touches my elbow. “Alpha?”
“I’ll accompany Kieran and Sam back to their flat,” I say. I don’t care if that’s not where they’re going. It is now.
I glance at her, and she’s frowning. “There’s work to do here.”
“I know, I—” I can’t explain it. I need to see Vasile. I need to demand his word, that he’ll never rebind himself to Tamesis. He has to know how foolish an idea it is.
It will only end one way.
“Fine,” she says, voice a little clipped. After a moment, she sighs. “You sure picked a hell of a time for it.”
Her voice is quiet enough that I know the other wolves won’t overhear—and they know better than to listen.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and I almost mean it. “Next time I try to reconnect with my mate, I’ll make sure his crazed sire is dead and buried.”
“Burnt,” she says darkly. “Reconnect? Is that what you’re doing?”
I frown. Is it? It’s not something I can think about right now, not with everything so tumultuous, and yet I know I should.
Chaya saves me from answering when she pats me on the shoulder. “I’ll see you when you get back. Be careful.”
I watch her go, wondering if she thinks I should be careful when it comes to Vasile or Tamesis. It doesn’t matter. Levi steps away as I approach the little group still chatting at the end of the table.
“I’ll accompany you back,” I say, and Kieran and Sam exchange a knowing look.
“Yeah, okay,” Kieran says. “You can pay for the taxi, then.”