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“By logic you mean logic that makes sense rather than whatever they say, but sure. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They made their way to the other side of the den where the elders kept their residences. They were far older than any of the wolves in the Pack and liked to be off to themselves. All of them were either unmated or had lost their mates years before, so they had essentially cut themselves off when they got to an age when it was too hard to look into the future while the past filled their minds.
Gideon knew of one Redwood elder who had found a mate years after she’d given up on having a future, but that was a rare occurrence. The Talon elders were old and set in their ways.
Especially Shannon.
Mitchell and Ryder were already in the center of the elder area, standing on the outside of the rock circle where they all would eventually sit. Neither of them looked happy to be there, and Gideon couldn’t blame them.
“You’re not going to believe who else got invited,” Mitchell said softly when Gideon and Brynn walked up.
Gideon frowned. “Who?” He didn’t need an answer though. He saw and scented her as soon as he said it. “Why thefuckis Iona here?”
“Want me to knock her down a peg?” Brynn asked. “I promise not to maim her pretty face.” She paused. “Much.”
“We’re in the elder area, Brynn,” Ryder said softly. “Try not to kill anyone in front of them. It gets them all riled up.”
Gideon ground his teeth together. “I don’t like the look of this. Iona isn’t part of the upper circle, so why the hell would the elders invite her?”
“She’s here because we asked her to be,” Shannon snapped as she walked toward them. She looked to be in her thirties, just like the rest of them, but her eyes spoke of centuries of memories. “Sit down, and we’ll get to it.”
Gideon growled. “I’m here because you asked, but you don’t get to order me around.”
“Respect your elders,” Shannon growled back.
“Shannon, take a step back,” Xavier said smoothly from her side. “Everyone, please take a seat if you will. Then we can start the discussion.” The older male wolf gave Gideon a look he couldn’t decipher then sat.
Since Xavier sat first, Gideon gave his family a nod. Mitchell, Brynn, and Ryder sat down at the same time as Iona. Gideon raised his chin then waited for Shannon to sit. As much as the woman wanted to fight, she didn’t. She sat down first, her wolf much less dominant than his, and then he sat down. He didn’t like power games, but he had to play them with this wolf in particular.
“Why have you called us here?” Gideon asked, tired. Normally, he might have tried to be a little more tactful, but he had a bad feeling about this meeting. Add in the fact that Iona was here when she’d never been part of meetings with the elders before, as far as he knew, and it just didn’t sit right with him.
“It’s come to our attention that you’ve been leading our Pack for three decades now without a mate.”
Gideon froze at Shannon’s words.
What. The. Fuck.
He held up his hand as his family started to speak. They were here for him, but since this was apparentlyabouthim, he’d be the one to speak for now.
“That is correct, though I don’t know why it’s suddenly now a surprise. I’ve yet to bond with a mate.” He was careful not to sayfindhis mate for that would be a lie, and he knew the others might scent the lie on him. He might have been able to hide it under normal circumstances, but his wolf was on edge from meeting Brie and now this summons. He didn’t want to risk it.
Shannon raised one side of her mouth in a smile. “While it was okay for you to go mateless for so long as an Heir under Joseph’s rule, you’ve been alone during these times for an exceedingly long wait. We’ve been…patient waiting for the moon goddess to bless you. I know after the Central war there was a time of unrest whennoTalon was mating, but that is not the case anymore. Yet you’ve not found your mate. That is unacceptable.”
The hair on the back of his neck rose. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me correctly, Gideon Brentwood. The lack of Alpha female is hurting our Pack. It has left a hole your own sister has been forced to fill, though she is not the right wolf to do so. It is…perverse to even think of doing so for as long as you have. The Pack is on edge, and your unwillingness to mate is only harming them.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I don’t choose my mate. Fate does.”Lie. “Where the hell do you get off telling me that I need to mate to protect the Pack? I’ve done just fine for the past thirty years. You can’t justprovideme a mate because you’re unhappy with the way I rule.”
Something like triumph filled Shannon’s eyes, and Gideon held back a curse.
“That’s what you’re planning on doing, isn’t it?” Ryder said. “You’re planning on invoking the Mating Clause.”
Gideon stood up, his hands fisting so he wouldn’t let his claws out. “The Mating Clause?” He’d heard of the damn thing, but it had never crossed his mind that anyone would ever actually invoke it.
Shannon stood up as well, that fucking smile on her face getting on his last nerve. “Yes. It’s been used before, and it will be used again. Theentireelder council is unanimous in this, Gideon. You have no way out.”
