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Before I left the room, I went over to the pile of discarded stuff and grabbed one thing. The dagger.
I didn’t know why, but I needed to take it with me. Leaving it behind felt wrong. Especially if this was what Samantha had meant. If I could use it to break the tie, then I needed it with me. Only Raphael and Dastien saw me slide it into the pocket of my hoodie. Raphael shook his head at me and I quickly looked away.
You sure that’s a good idea, Dastien said.
No. It was probably a terrible idea to take something this creepy and evil in the first
place, but it could be useful.
I have to trust my instincts, even if I don’t have my visions right now. But even as I said that, my stomach twisted into an even bigger knot. There were so many ways the fight with Astaroth could go, most of them bad. And I had to stop everything to deal with the Alphas on top of it all?
No. I didn’t want to go to this meeting. Not even a little bit. Aside from the visions I’d this morning, I’d been in the conference room with this group exactly one other time, and I’d somehow ended up the spokesperson for the Weres. Now I was going to tell them that I was reworking their whole power structure.
This was going to be loads of fun.
Drama was brewing already. The power rolling down the hall made my skin itch. My friends all stopped walking to let me and Dastien go first. I looked over at Chris, who was gritting his teeth. If I was having a little bit of trouble with the power, then he was probably barely hanging in.
The conference room was around the corner from the library. It was large enough to fit a banquet table long enough to seat twenty-four—ten rolling black leather chairs fit comfortably on either side of the table, with two more at each end. The table was a light colored wood, polished until I could see my reflection in it.
I stood in the doorway for a second, taking in the room. Along one wall was a small buffet table. Usually it had some legal pads, pens and highlighters, some water and that was it. Today, none of that was there. Instead, there were enough donuts and pastries and sandwiches to feed an army, but it was a room of werewolves. We could probably down that between five of us. Maybe less. The scent of the food made my stomach rumble embarrassingly loud. I moved inside the room—Dastien on my heels—and grabbed a couple ham and cheese croissants before doing anything else. Now was not the time to lose control of my wolf.
I bit into the first one and noticed that Meredith and Donovan were conferenced in via a bank of flatscreen panels that hung on the far wall. “Hey!” I said around my mouthful as Meredith waved. It was the middle of the night their time, but they looked more rested and put together than I did. My hair was twisted into a messy knot and I’d been running around in these clothes for far too long.
I could hear Chris outside the door whispering to Cosette, and I figured they needed a second. The room was going to go crazy when they saw her.
I smoothed down my sweater and shoved up the sleeves of my hoodie. I should’ve traded out leggings and Uggs for jeans and boots. Too late to do anything about it now and my clothes didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. What I was wearing wasn’t going to soften the blow I was about to deal the room.
I took a chair at the head of the table opposite the TVs, not because I thought I should have that spot, but because I wanted to be able to see everyone’s face. With the power being tossed around the room, I was surprised it wasn’t already taken.
As I sat down, I noticed Lisette was at the other head of the table and barely contained my wince. Moving now would look like a retreat but I didn’t love that I was now sitting across from her. She might have been my least favorite of the Seven that I’d met so far. Something about how prim and proper she was and how haughty she seemed with her power rubbed me exactly the wrong way. Her lip curled as I sat across from her. Apparently the feeling was mutual.
Lisette wore a tasteful pantsuit, her blonde hair twisted up in a perfectly coiffed French twist. Not a hair stood out of place. Her cream, silk blouse and pearls made her seem sophisticated and done up, but I wondered how practical her outfit was. If she were to get into a fight, she’d trash her clothes and those pearls would be scattered all over the floor, but I bet she was thinking all kinds of things about my outfit, too.
I wasn’t sure what to think of Jackson, who was sitting two chairs down from Lisette. His skin was dark as night, and I wondered if his wolf was the same color. If so, I was sure he’d be an amazing hunter. He’d seemed okay the last time I’d seen him, but that could all change as soon as I told everyone what I was up to. For now, he sat relaxed in the chair, almost looking bored, but I knew he was paying attention. He had to be.
The leader of the Cazadores, Keeney, gave me a nod without pausing from his conversation with a man I didn’t recognize. He rubbed his hand over his bald head absently as he listened. His crisp black blazer over the typical black-on-black pants and shirt was a fancier version of the look the Cazadores favored, but he was in charge of all of them. That fit in my mind.
Who’s Keeney talking to? I asked Dastien.
Blaze.
Oh! He was the only other member of the Seven that I hadn’t met yet. I took a second to really get a read on him. His skin was a warm brown, and I wasn’t sure where he was from. But chiseled features, his black hair, deep set dark eyes, thick eyebrows, and plump lips made him look like he slid off the cover of a magazine. He was probably the most handsome person in the room, and that was saying something.
Hey.
I’m not saying you’re not handsome.
He’s just more handsome?
I rolled my eyes. Stop it. He seems nice though. He was smiling as he talked to Keeney about something that they did the last time they were together. Apparently they were good friends. Who knew?
The Canadian, French, and Eastern European Alphas were also seated at the table. The Canadian Alpha—Albert—hated me because I had power. He wasn’t happy that I was the one who spoke to the news about werewolves, and I was pretty sure that he was going to be the most upset about my new spell. Albert craved fame and power, and I was about to take away his chance at it for a second time.
Nah, Dastien’s voice came through the bond. I wouldn’t worry about him as much as I would about Lisette. She’ll be the most upset.
You think?
Yes. You’re bitten, so you are much less than equal in her eyes, regardless of how much power you have.
