Suddenly Fated (Wolves of Riverton #1)

5. Ari

5. Ari

Kissing Esyn was the most amazing experience of my life. I always heard stories of fated mates and the deep, instant, intense bond that they have, but those stories did nothing to prepare me for the reality of finding mine. I’d known her for less than twenty-four hours and I already knew that I would die for her, kill for her, do anything in the world to make her happy. However, walking beside her up the stairs to my office, her hand in mine, I doubted my abilities. There was a very real chance that my father could bend under pressure and try to seal our fates, leaving the four of us - Esyn, Avelin, Jamie and myself - unhappy for the rest of our lives. It was also possible that if he didn’t, we’d end up at war with the Sunset pack, since Alpha Blackwell would see it as a breach of our contract and possibly a power grab. Rannulf Blackwell was not one to be reasonable or level headed. I wasn’t certain that Esyn would stay if it came to that. The thought of her deciding to leave me caused a pain so deep that it nearly doubled me over. I didn’t want to tell her the night before, but that was the biggest reason that I wanted to wait to make love to her. As much as I wanted her, deep down I was afraid that if I had her once and she left, it would actually kill me. After our experience in the breakfast room this morning, I knew for certain that it didn’t matter. She was already embedded in my heart and soul. If she left, I wouldn’t survive it.

We entered my office to a nearly identical scene from the night before, minus Esyn’s parents. My mother and father stood together, deep in what appeared to be a whispered argument. Elder Sheehan stood in the same spot as he had the night before. Avelin sat in her usual seat on the sofa, looking every inch the proper lady that she was. Jamie, however, paced around the room like a caged lion. Avelin’s eyes followed him back and forth with worry. They may not be fated mates, but they had just as much to lose from this as Esyn and I. I needed to be strong for all of us.

Giving Esyn’s hand a supportive squeeze, I led her around the desk, sitting down in my chair and drawing her into my lap. My mother gaped and turned red with outrage, but my father put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing just enough to silence her.

“Good morning Mother, Father, Elder Sheehan. Elder, I understand that the Council went out of their way to research our history and find a solution to our problems. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort that must have taken. Before you move forward with your recommendations, however, I do want to give you some information that the Council hasn’t been privy to. As a matter of fact, my mother and father are unaware of this as well.” I risked a glance at Avelin, who clenched her hands together but gave me an encouraging nod. I took a deep breath.

“Avelin and I have been married for two years now. As you’re all well aware, our union was politically motivated. We both know our duty to our respective packs and we did what must be done. What you don’t know is that Avelin and I have never consummated our marriage. We have lived in separate rooms for the entire two years that we have been together, and the servants can attest to this if necessary.”

“You are lying!” my mother interjected, breaking my father’s hold on her and rushing forward. “You’re just saying that now because you want to be free to be with that-” she gestured toward Esyn with utter contempt in her eyes, “that trash. ”

Esyn gasped and clutched my arm. I reigned in my anger and tried to remain calm and deliberate in my speech. “Mother, you have already been warned about insulting Esyn. This is the last time I will say it. One more and I’ll make sure that you’re sent to the Outlands to live. Permanently.”

“Now Son,” my father interrupted. “I realize that you are upset, but for the time being I am still the Alpha here. While I certainly agree with you regarding your mother’s comments,” he glared her way, “any and all decisions made here today will be by me. That being said, Elise, insult Miss Stone once more and there will be consequences.”

I nodded at my father. He nodded back. My mother’s eyes widened until she looked like a cartoon character and her face reddened even more, but she remained silent.

“As I was saying,” I continued, “the servants can and will make statements to the council if required. As the marriage has never been consummated, Avelin and I would ask that we be allowed an annulment immediately. However, Avelin would continue to live in the manor, and would move into a role of her choosing. I suggest a diplomatic position.”

My father gave me an appraising look. He turned to Avelin. “This is incredibly surprising information, to say the least. Is this what you want as well, my Dear?”

Avelin nodded. “It is, Alpha.”

My father turned his attention to Elder Sheehan. “Elder Sheehan, what say you?”

Elder Sheehan cleared his throat and straightened, looking around the room and settling his gaze on my father. “Alpha, the Council worked well into the morning hours researching the history of fated mates and married wolf couples. We have also discussed the political ramifications at length. While this new information is, ah, very surprising, the ease of dissolving the marriage is the least of the Council’s concerns. While we are reasonably sure that in our recent history there has never been another married partner who found their fated mate while already wed, since both parties seem to be in agreement, the dissolution of the marriage would be fairly straightforward. However, the potential backlash from the Sunset pack, and the potential loss of respect and loyalty from our pack members are the main issues. They require solutions. Of course, the easiest route would be for Michael to reject Miss Stone without delay and continue on the current course as planned.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” my mother stated.

“Elder Sheehan, Father, with all due respect, absolutely the fuck not. It isn’t going to happen.” I banged my fist on the desk for good measure.

Elder Sheehan flinched. “Michael, of course the Council does realize that there would be some physical symptoms from rejecting one’s fated mate. We discovered that both parties may feel a significant amount of pain. However, we have also learned that you could potentially go to the pack hospital and receive medication to dull the worst of it. Also, if Miss Stone rejects you first, she would feel a less severe reaction.”

Esyn uttered a shocked sound and jumped up, but I halted whatever she was about to say with a gentle hand on her arm. “Do you honestly believe that physical pain is my biggest concern here? It is obvious that no one on the Council has ever experienced a mate bond. I don’t even have words to describe it. What I do know, however, is that as far as I’m concerned, I would take any amount of pain to protect my family and my pack. But I will never, ever, do anything that will cause that same pain for Esyn. If I have to refuse the Alpha position to protect her from this, then that is what I’ll do.”

“Michael, absolutely not!” my father and mother shouted simultaneously, while at the same time Esyn cried, “Ari, you can’t do that for me; I won’t let you!”

“Unfortunately, Michael,” Elder Sheehan said, “the idea of refraining from accepting your role as Alpha to protect your mate, while noble, would be misguided. Avelin was chosen as your wife in order to bring about the peace agreement between the River and Sunset packs. Her father, Alpha Blackwell, would see Michael’s rejection of his daughter as a great insult at best, and a ploy to take back power at the worst. There would be potentially violent consequences, up to and including an all out war.”

“Elder Sheehan, Alpha, if I may,” Avelin told him, “I would very much like the opportunity to meet with my father and discuss this with him. I believe that I could make him see sense. Could we not at least schedule a meeting with him before any decisions are made?”

“Avelin, how can you want this for yourself?” Luna Elise cried. “Discarded like garbage in favor of a perfect stranger that has managed to worm her way into my son’s heart, and no doubt his bed as well? Cast down from the highest position of Luna to nothing but a servant for the pack? Remember your upbringing, child! This is preposterous!” My mother held her hands out to Av in supplication.

We upended Avelin’s entire life in a matter of hours. As much as I hated to agree with my mother, she was right in that the move from future Luna to mere diplomat would be a major life downgrade. However, she stood and looked my mother in the eyes. Tall and regal, her stature belied her voice as she said, quietly but proudly, “I want this for myself because I love Ari and want him to be happy. I believe that Esyn,” she reached over the desk and clasped Esyn’s hand in hers, “will learn to be a better Luna than I could ever be at his side, because they are fated. I want this for myself because power has never been my goal. All of my life I have been a pawn for my father to use as he saw fit, and I had no choice but to go along. Well, now I believe that my responsibility is to step away. To make Ari and Esyn happy, to make the pack stronger, and,” she paused and gazed longingly at Jamie, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of her throughout her entire speech, “because I’ve finally found someone who makes me happy as well.”

I had never been more proud of her. Jamie moved forward and took her in his arms. My father’s jaw dropped open and my mother fell back against the sofa, pretending to nearly faint. “Avelin Belisarius, please tell me that you’re joking! A Beta, really? I just cannot believe this! It’s all a complete outrage! You have all lost your minds! William, please tell me that you are not going to allow this to happen?”

My father took a long, deep breath and blew it out. He stared at the ceiling and cracked his knuckles, and I knew that he mentally deliberated. I reached back and grabbed for Esyn’s hand, as she stood behind my chair where she’d settled after she jumped from my lap earlier. I squeezed, and she squeezed back. Elder Sheehan finally took a seat, having reached the end of his tolerance for standing at his advanced age. Avelin and Jamie continued to hold one another, and we all looked at my Father expectantly. His next words would determine how our lives were going to go, and there was little I could actually do about it right now. I had never felt so powerless.

“This has certainly been an…enlightening morning,” he began. “I’ve always been under the impression that as Alpha, I had knowledge of all of the comings and goings in my pack. I believe I have been proven very, very wrong.” He paused.

“Michael, Avelin. Of course I don’t want you to be unhappy. Jamie, you’re included in this, as you’ve always been like a son to me and despite my wife’s words, your position as Beta carries a great deal of importance.” Jamie nodded at him in appreciation. “Michael, I truly thought when we made the treaty agreement with the Sunset pack that you and Avelin would learn to love each other, to make a go of things and to do better than-” he cut his eyes to my mother, who scoffed. “Well. Never mind that. I don’t believe that my decisions at the time were wrong, as the two of you were vital in bringing about much needed peace. It is that peace that concerns me today. I will move forward with a meeting with Alpha Blackwell and will allow Avelin to make her case, as well as attempt to placate him in some way, perhaps a new agreement proclaiming that we won’t ever attempt a coup. In the time between now and then, I will continue to meet with the Council to see if we can come up with a sufficient enticement to make him see reason should Avelin fail. Not that I’m expecting you to fail, my dear,” he assured her, “but one always needs a plan B, C, and D, especially where Rannulf is concerned.” He took another big breath.

“We will delay the Alpha ceremony until after the meeting takes place. Hopefully we can have this settled before the following moon. During this time, Avelin and Elise will train Esyn-”

“I will do no such thing!”

“Elise, hear me. You will help Avelin to train Esyn to become a potential Luna. We can’t hold off on making an announcement to the pack, as they were already present when she and Michael found each other. News like that would be impossible to contain. We need to be prepared for all eventualities, and quickly. Esyn will train to be Luna, Avelin and I will make a plan for our meeting. Michael, you and Jamie will have the warriors train extra just in case the worst happens. It is possible that word will get around to Alpha Blackwell before we can meet with him. But Michael, you must understand. If it comes to full on war, I will not risk the future of my pack. Your happiness is incredibly important to me, but not so much that I’ll sit back and allow the destruction of what we’ve built here. If it came to that, I’m afraid that you will have to reject one another.”

I sucked in a breath, and Esyn let out a noise that was part anger, part sob. Tears came to Avelin’s eyes, and Jamie’s face became a mask of rage. I drew on the strength of my inner wolf to avoid doing or saying something that I would regret forever, even as I felt my claws beginning to extend and my canines lengthen. “Well, father. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Because I’ll either sacrifice myself to Blackwell or kill him myself before I’ll do it.”