His mate's secrets

Chapter 4 - Discussions

Felicity was seething as she paced the Alpha’s office going over her conversation with Damon again and again in her mind. His refusal to talk about the proposal he gave her was baffling. When she last signed an agreement with the pack, an extensive discussion was held, with a lot of negotiations that her father led. Compared to this one, that arrangement was tiny and yet he expected her to sign with no hesitation. Was he that confident in his charms that he thought any woman would sign it immediately, or did he want her to say no?

Without getting a chance to talk to him, Flic had no way of knowing and it was driving her crazy. Damon’s odd behaviour towards her didn’t help either. One moment he had been teasing her in the hall and then, when they were alone, he was unwilling to let himself flirt with her. No, not unwilling, he resisted it. Even when he pulled away from her and steered the conversation back to the document, he still had a heat in his eyes. Was he just toying with her? If he was, her outburst just played into his hands.

With arms crossed, she stomped back and forth, grumbling under her breath about stubborn Alphas and irritating men. Flic wanted to leave and bury her day under a delicious slice of chocolate cake that she had made earlier, but Damon said he would send a council member to talk with her and she wanted answers. The Red Valley council was a small group made up of previous upper rank wolves and distinguished members of their pack. They were all older wolves and Flic didn’t know many of them. There was only one she had any regular contact with. They acted as advisers to the Alpha, but she knew Damon would have the final say on all decisions. That was his role and the power he held, which is why she didn’t understand his indifference to the agreement.

The office door opened, and Flic snapped her attention to it. The man who opened it made her eyebrows raise and she halted her pacing. Of course, the one person on the council who knew her secrets would be the one to convince her to sign another agreement. Alpha Neil, Damon’s father and previous leader of the Red Valley pack looked to her and every angry word and demand for information fizzled from her mind, as they stared at each other. Flic schooled her expression and eyed him as he entered the room and shut the door behind him.

Neil sighed. “I didn’t expect Damon to choose you.” Flic might’ve been offended if she didn’t understand and agree with his caution to have her enter this deal. She didn’t offer him any response, so he continued and gestured to the couch. “Take a seat, I’ll get you a drink. The usual?”

Flic nodded as she sat. Her body was tense and her back straight as she waited for the previous Alpha to join her. The air around the room had changed entirely between the two Alphas and so did she. She had had more conversations with Neil and knew to take him seriously. He passed her a tumbler of whiskey, her favourite, and sat opposite with his own drink. The first sip burned her throat, but she sighed as the warmth slipped to her belly, coaxing her to relax.

“Damon said you had some questions.” The previous Alpha jumped right in.

Flic eyed him, feeling his crimson gaze on her as he spoke. She could see the features he had passed to Damon, but the subtle differences changed the man. His eyes didn’t hold the same playful tease that his son’s did, and he was very ridged in his posture. He also wasn’t as striking as his son. There was no doubt that he was handsome, but he didn’t draw Flic’s attention like Damon did.

She held up the document Damon had given her. “What is this?”

“It’s all there in the document, Flic.”

She felt her eye twitch, like father like son, but composed herself to keep in a growl of frustration. “No, I started to read this, and this kind of arrangement needs at least a discussion.” She felt her anger bubble to the surface, no matter how she tried to smother it. “I need someone to admit the contents of this agreement aloud, or there’s no way I’m signing this shit.” Neil raised his eyebrows but didn’t argue with her. “Lay out this for me and don’t miss a thing.”

The previous Alpha took a long drink from his tumbler, stealing time to gather his thoughts before starting. “Damon hasn’t been himself in the past few years and its starting to affect the running of the pack.” Flic frowned but didn’t interrupt. “You are on the outskirts of the pack, Flic. His leadership doesn’t affect your work.” Neil took another drink, and she did the same. “Alphas aren’t supposed to rule alone, but Damon has never shown any interest in finding another mate. This... arrangement is the most we could get him to agree to.”

“A false relationship? The council thinks that what he needs to help his leadership?”

“No. We hope this convinces him to move on with his life.”

“So, this is a temporary deal then.” Flic frowned and looked over the agreement again. She needed to take time to look at all the details.

“Perhaps.” Neil eyed her and she cringed under his gaze. She didn’t know how he viewed her, but she imagined he likened her to a tool, and it looked like he wasn’t done using her. “You are to be his companion, his relief and his mate. We need him back to full strength and that will be your duty under this guise. Damon will only be able to hold onto his title if he has a Luna, or else the pack will appear weak and he'll be replaced.”

“Wait, his Luna?” Her breath hitched and she scoured the document again. She had seen mentions of scheduled dates and appearing as his plus one to formal gatherings, but she had thought it was nothing more than pretending to be his girlfriend. To become his Luna would mean taking on a formal role in the pack and entertaining guests and wearing his mark. They’d have to become mates, like actual chosen mates. “I’m expected to be his Luna?”

“Yes.” Neil spoke, the shrug of indifference barely kept from his voice. “We will announce the ceremony in a few days. As the far as the pack will know, the two of you have been together in private for a while now but I expect you both to become public the moment of the announcement. Your duties are yet...”

“Excuse me.” Flic interrupted, rising to her feet. She could see the previous Alpha biting his tongue, holding back his reprimand for her outburst. They had a fragile relationship based on needing the other and he knew what she could be capable of if he pushed her. “What if I don’t want to be a Luna? I have a job and a life, and I date, you know.”

Neil scoffed and she glared at him. “You can keep your bakery, like I was saying, your Luna duties haven’t been decided yet. As for your... dating life, you can discuss that with Damon. It will his decision how your relationship is formed.”

Flic narrowed her eyes further, feeling a crackle of energy in the air around her. “And if I say no?”

“You’ve been chosen now, so you best do as your Alpha asks.” Neil also stood. He was much larger than her but there was a wariness in his gaze that levelled the playing field between them. “However, I suggest you consider what you need me and this pack for before you decide. Your position and your father’s position may come to be affected by your answer.”

She clenched her fists, feeling them brim with the urge to punch him but that wouldn’t be good for either of them. If anyone even heard them talking so familiarly there’d be questions; ones she would want to avoid being asked. “This goes against our agreement.” She hissed at him instead.

“No, it doesn’t. If anything, this arrangement offers you more protection than before. You’ll rarely be needed to leave the territory and will have a guard fit for a Luna when you do. Though, I’m sure you have your own methods to secure your safety.” He glanced down at her hand where a ring, she had crafted a long time ago, sat.

She slipped her hand into her pocket, not appreciating his blatant stare, even if no one was watching them. Flic fell silent and thought through what he had said. It was true being amongst upper ranked wolves would give her more safety, but it would also place her further into the spotlight, a place she didn’t want to be. However, Red Valley was her home, it had been for almost half her life, and she liked her little, quiet place there. She already played a small role in protecting the pack, and if pretending to be Damon’s mate increased its safety, wasn’t that what she wanted? It wasn’t like she had any issue with the Alpha either, and she would relish more time to figure him out.

Flic eyed the previous Alpha, who was patiently waiting for her response. Neither of them had relaxed or moved to sit down again, like they were in some sort of stand off and she was yet to take her final move. It all seemed just a little too well formed for her liking, like Neil had manoeuvred her into this position. Not many women would agree to have their freedom to find their true mate taken away, not even for a Luna title. That kind of agreement was left to the big 6 packs, those who had to maintain their strength to ward off challengers. It was fortunate for Neil, and the situation, that she didn’t have any intention of finding her fated mate, and even more so that he had a threat to hang above her head.

Grabbing her tumbler and swallowing the rest of her drink in one, she winced as the liquor burned through her. “Fine. I’ll read the damn agreement and think about it. However, Damon isn’t told anything about me.”

“Agreed.” The previous Alpha dipped his head and Flic took that as her opportunity to leave. She had had a s**t day and just wanted to go home to figure this mess out. As she headed out of the door, she heard Neil call behind her. “Make sure to bring the signed copy to me tomorrow.”

“Arrogant prick.” She grumbled under her breath, not caring if he heard her as she fled the packhouse and headed to the one person she trusted above everyone else. Her dad.