I just wish there was some version of her future that included me. I know this engagement was a farce—isa farce—but I still cling to it, desperate for this to be real.
She was the first person in my adult life to show me warmth, melting away the ice that surrounded my heart.
Now I can hear it beat more clearly, and it beats only for her.
Stephano waits outside Pack Forres’ building, and I can’t help but smile when I see him. My second. He opens the door for us and we step inside, getting into an elevator.
“The pack is looking forward to your return,” he says, and I nod.
I want to be glad to hear it. I have the opportunity to rewrite my pack’s story, and change the trajectory of all our lives, but my stomach twists in knots at the thought of going home.
If they weren’t beside me, I would punch the wall or bash my head against something, just to try and knock some sense into myself. Being Alpha is an honor. My pack is relying on me, but I can’t get my mind out of these fantasies of the future.
What do Yasmeena and I become if there’s no us? Friends?
I picture her walking down the aisle, some beautiful half-demon or felion waiting at the center of the archway. We all watch them kiss and dance and be happy, and I say congratulations.
I’m happy for her, but am I happy? Is there a way to be happy without her? It feels like a ridiculous thought, given I considered us enemies in the beginning, but at some point the line between animosity and obsession blurred, and I got caught in the crossfire.
The elevator door chimes as it opens, and we continue down the hallway to a conference room. When we get inside, the energyis different than before. Stephano and Yasmeena are by my side, sure, but it’s more than that.
Alpha Duncan and Lennox seem to be getting along, and Alpha Ferdinand doesn’t look like he wants to rip Yasmeena’s throat out. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think with me in charge rather than my father, we can actually form a true sense of allyship between neighboring packs, rather than resentment and squabbling.
Yasmeena pulls out a manila folder with a thick stack of papers, and we all read the top.
THE FELION-LUPION TREATY OF PEACE: FELION REPRESENTATIVE YASMEENA HAMZA AL-KHALIFA AND LUPION LEADERS ALPHA TEMPEST LUPINE, ALPHA FERDINAND MEYER, AND ALPHA DUNCAN PORTER.
There are different articles listing rules and clauses. Some have been requested by my people, others by the lupion. It’s a long document, including maps of different forest routes, and Yasmeena reads it thoroughly. I know she’s just ensuring it’s what’s best for both species, and I skim from over her shoulder.
They finalized this document when I was still in the hospital, and a small pang of guilt and jealousy stirs in my stomach. I wish I was there when Yasmeena and Draven wrote this, but I can also see they clearly didn’t need my help.
“Draven really outdid himself,” she whispers, and my heart swells with pride.
When she finishes reading, she picks up a pen and leaves the first signature. All eyes are on Yasmeena, but she smiles and places the document back onto the table. I pick it up and sign directly next to her name, not giving it another thought.
“Not even going to read it?” Alpha Duncan asks, raising a thick brow at me.
I shake my head. “No, I trust Yasmeena.”
She looks at me like she wants to kiss me, but instead, brushesher foot against the back of my ankle, just like we do sometimes in the air, and I lean into her touch.
Alpha Duncan reads through the document next, taking his time to comb it over, before finally signing and passing it to the last Alpha.
We sit with heavy anticipation as I plead with the goddess that Alpha Ferdinand actually agrees. My heart rate speeds up, my claws practically shaking, as I wait for him to finish reading. If Yasmeena is worried, her face doesn’t show it.
“I won’t pretend I like you,” he says, giving Yasmeena a scrutinizing glare. “But I respect the work you both put into this.” He provides the final signature we need, and it feels like my heart is going to burst.
We did it. We actually did it.
Everyone shakes hands, the heavy emotions in the room shifting from serious to excited chatter.
“I would like to begin meeting as Alphas every few months,” Alpha Duncan says.
Alpha Ferdinand gives a quick nod. “I agree.”
“Yes. Also, we should meet with Raph and Yasmeena as well, even if it’s only a couple of times a year, just to touch base,” I suggest.
It’s a good idea, but it’s more for myself than my pack. I might not be able to have Yasmeena to myself, but I refuse to envision a life completely devoid of her. I’ll take even the smallest of doses of her, if that’s all I can get.
