Page 12 of My Broken Mate
I hate that it has come so far that we all have to walk on eggshells around each other. I love my brothers and would do everything to protect them, and I think they would do the same for each other, but we just have trouble voicing it. We didn’t have the option to be too close as children, all of us pretty much in constant survival mode, but I wish we could grow through our trauma now and get closer.
Well, Rome wasn’t built in one day.
I retreat to my office now with Levi to go through some details for the meeting tomorrow. It’s supposed to be a nonchalant meeting, but I know some of these alphas. It’s never just a casual meeting for them, and I’d rather die than show them any weakness.
I do hear the door eventually, noticing that Remy arrives home. He looks a bit lighter than before, much to my relief. He wishes Levi and me a good night, as usual, very polite while doing so. I wish he wouldn’t feel the need to be that polite towards us. Sometimes it feels like he doesn’t believe he has a place here.
“Are you ready?” It’s a short night altogether, and Levi and I have to get going early in the morning.
Levi grins. “As ready as one can be after such a short night.”
“I am counting on you,” I tell him. “You are good in tense situations.”
“You think it will be tense?”
“I can’t tell yet. But when new alphas are introduced, it’s somewhat…” I ponder.
“A pissing contest?” Levi offers.
His words draw a smile from me. “That’s one way to put it.”
“I’ll have your back, Alpha,” Levi says. “That’s what I am here for!”
We have a few stops on our way. I need to visit our family company and sign some documents before heading to the bank to talk about our father’s estate. We still haven’t sorted through everything. My father never trusted anyone, which makes it so much more difficult to go through his documents and several bank accounts now.
Around lunch, Levi and I finally head to the alpha meeting. They have rented the city hall, masking it as some business event. Gazing in the mirror, I check that I look presentable in my suit. I tie my hair back to give myself a neater image. Once I look like I fit in perfectly, I step inside. Several alphas greet me, more than one approaching me to talk. It’s exhausting because all they want is a piece of the fortune we have, and I know it. My pack is easily the biggest in the area, and the warriors are well-trained. Our security system is equally good, thanks to the money we make.
Levi and I make some polite, meaningless small talk before finding a place to sit down. From there, I check the alphas who drop in one by one. There are very few new faces, new alphas. I recognize Alpha Joel instantly, though.
My father would have said he sticks out like a sore thumb, but I think he is more like a fresh breeze. These alpha meetings always were keen on hierarchies, symbolizing where everyone sits. Coming from a strong alpha lineage and one of the most prestigious families, I sit at one of the best tables. Alpha Joel, however, doesn’t seem to notice this rule, as he waltzes right towards me, shoves one of my father’s former allies to the side, and drops down on the chair next to me with a grin.
“Hello!” he beams. “I’m Joel.”
Before I can answer, another alpha, who was originally designated to sit here, approaches him. “Excuse me,” he snarls. “You are at the wrong table.”
“Am I?” Joel raises his eyebrows, the tone of his voice sounds mischievous, but I can see a dangerous glint in his eyes. Interesting. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m sitting right where I belong.” He turns away from the completely spellbound alpha and back towards me. “Next to you.”
Behind me, I can hear Levi snort, covering it with a cough.
“Well, you made quite the show here,” I say calmly, not ready to let my guard down yet. “Is it your plan to make as many enemies as possible?”
“No, it’s my plan to make allies I deem worthy.”
“Hm,” I hum. “I’m Sean.”
“I know,” he says. “You have the best ass—” He coughs violently. “I mean, you are easily one of the strongest alphas.”
Did he just mention your ass?Levi hollers through the mind link.
I ignore him. “Must be a Freudian slip,” I say. “You meant to say I’m the biggest ass.”
“Oh no,” Joel flashes me a grin, but the tips of his ears have turned red. “Please don’t tell my siblings I mentioned your ass,” he whispers.
What is it with this guy? I’ve never met someone like him before… ever. And I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. I’m not sure if I find him annoying or insulting or funny, but at least he isn’t boring.
Soon, however, I realize Joel isn’t all silly talk, and he is actually much smarter than he lets on. And he is definitely one to stand up for his values. The others at the table soon notice that I’m talking to him. They also notice that he isn’t the doormat they thought he would be… it spikes their interest, but Joel ignores most of them aside from two older alphas who areknown to be good leaders and have similar ideals to the ones I have.
Joel involves them in our talk, and soon we talk about our plans concerning the upcoming year. He has some good ideas about how to improve the security of his pack, and he is smart enough not to give away too many details, just enough to make everyone know his pack isn’t one to run over. He also mentions that she-wolves are training in his pack and can become warriors, a thought I find really intriguing. I tell him I have similar plans, and he backs me up. In return, I give him some advice on how he can fund his educational plans for orphans and omegas.
