~So, this is what it means to love someone…~
If anyone else had created as many headaches as Sienna had this past week, I would have kicked them out of the pack, but no matter what she seemed to do, an ember of devotion still glowed deep within me.
I looked across the table at my council. Josh, Jocelyn, Rhys, Nelson, and of course, Sienna. God, she was looking especially delicious, and I knew it was on purpose.
Two nights now with her sleeping at her parents’ house and we were still no closer to reconciliation.
Everyone else looked uneasy and avoided making eye contact with me. They could sense the rage simmering beneath the surface.
I called this emergency session as soon as today’s paper came out. I was sure they’d all read the story by now, but I had a physical copy rolled up in my clenched fist.
I slammed it down against the table, then slid it across the polished oak surface so everyone could read the headline:
^MATE’S RITUAL REFUSAL HUMILIATES ALPHA^
I stared straight at Sienna. “You’re the gift that just keeps on giving.”
She refused to look away, but couldn’t hide the flinch of pain in her eyes. I knew that was a total asshole thing to say, but I was so furious I couldn’t help myself.
Nelson cleared his throat. “The headline ~is~ unfortunate, but this is the same journalist that seems to have it out for Sienna. If you read some of the other articles—”
“This is the front page story!”
I walked around the table and picked up the paper, nearly tearing it in two when I snapped it open.
“And I quote: ‘Such blatant disregard for pack protocol would lead any rational wolf to believe that Sienna Norwood has no interest in attending to her responsibilities as our alpha’s mate and instead prefers to spend her time indulging in the perks of her position.’ End quote.
“These accusations don’t only make Sienna look bad, they reflect poorly on this whole council. Every one of you should be as furious about this as I am.
“Never mind that Sienna is my mate. This is about how this group is perceived by the public.”
“So what do you think we should do?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know. That’s why I called this meeting.” I crossed my arms, hating how angry this article was making me. But it was the final nudge pushing me over the edge.
Between my parents, Sienna’s obstinance, and the blowback from the festival, I was ready to put my fist through a wall.
“The pack needs to know you stand by your mate. You should make a statement defending Sienna’s actions,” Jocelyn said. “If you attack the paper, you only give the story more credibility.”
Of course that was what Jocelyn would want. It would be good for Sienna’s and my relationship, but it would only make matters with the press worse.
I had purposely avoided making any statements that would give them any clue how I felt about Sienna’s actions at the festival.
“If he does that, Aiden will look like a pushover,” Rhys countered.
He was a lanky, pale werewolf who, despite his mild demeanor, always advocated for whatever option projected the most strength. “I say you denounce the accusations and simultaneously announce some high-profile project that Sienna will take charge of.”
“Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone,” Josh added. “Spin it that Sienna was meeting with Michelle last week to secretly announce that the two of you are going to start trying for a pup.
“Everyone will forget about her latest screw-up as soon as they hear you’re trying for a family. The people are crazy for babies, so just give them what they want.”
Sienna shot Josh a dirty look.
But he had a point. At least that would get all the public pressure to go away. Or maybe it would just shift it… I pictured news vans outside our house, waiting to catch any sign that we were fucking. Yeah, no way.
Especially since Sienna was still staying at her parents’. We didn’t need ~that ~getting out.
“So you want Aiden to lie?” Jocelyn replied.
“I said ~start~ trying, not that Sienna is pregnant,” Josh shot back. “Besides, these tabloids started it. Why not give them a taste of their own medicine?”
“~Are~ you trying though?” Nelson asked me. “That would go a long way to making this whole issue go away.”
Sienna cleared her throat angrily. “I guess whatever ~I~ have to say doesn’t matter?”
~Here we go.~
“I don’t need you or anyone else to speak for me,” she continued, looking right at me. “Alpha’s mate or not, no one has any right to intrude on our life.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I replied, gritting my teeth. The last thing we needed right now was another fight.
Sienna’s blue eyes ignited as she fixed me in her gaze. I could tell she was about to go off by the way she wet her lips. Like a sprinter stretching before a race, she was lubricating before unloading an angry torrent of words.
The others could sense what was coming and immediately shut up, shifting their eyes between the two of us, unsure if they should leave or stay.
Jocelyn, who usually mediated any disagreements between councilmembers, sat silent like the rest. This was a showdown between mates, and only Sienna and I could settle it.
The hinges of the council door creaked behind me.
“Come back later—we’re in session!” I barked.
“Is that what passes for decorum these days?” I heard my mother say.
~Great.~ She was the last fucking person I needed in the room right now.
“Mother…” I turned to face her. “Can you wait for me in my office? We have some business to finish up.”
“You mean how you’re going to respond to that terrible article?” She rested her sunglasses on her lips for a moment. “Or should I say…~another~ terrible article? Not to worry. Your father and I already took care of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“We still have connections at the paper, so we rang them up and took the liberty of releasing a statement on your and Sienna’s behalf.”
“What? What did you say?” I asked, a pit starting to form in my stomach. I looked over at Sienna. She was seething. This was not going to end well.
“We told them that Sienna would issue a public apology for her recent behavior and that she agreed to redo the Fertility Festival ritual during the next full moon.”
The pit in my stomach collapsed into a gaping canyon as soon as the words left her lips.
I knew she and my father had an agenda, but I never thought they would go over my head like this. They might be my parents, but I was still the alpha, dammit.
“You should have talked to me first,” I snapped, eager to cut off Sienna before she exploded.
“We know how important it is to act quickly in these situations, darling.”
I clenched my jaw. “You couldn’t ~call~, maybe send a text?”
“Oh, Addy, you know I can never understand how to use those smartphones.” She put a confused look on her face. “Why do you look so upset? Do you object to something we said?”
She was acting all innocent, but she knew exactly what she was doing. She was forcing me to pick sides in front of my council, in front of Sienna.
Over the last ten years, I’d grown indifferent toward my mother, but I never thought I would resent her as much as I did now.
Even if we both wanted the same things, her methods for obtaining them were low and deceitful.
“Aren’t you going to offer me a seat?” she asked.
I could feel Sienna’s eyes on me, like daggers hovering around my head. I didn’t dare look at her.
“Of course,” I replied. “You can sit wherever you please.”