A Matter of Convenience

Twelve

“So?” I’m broken out of my thoughts and remember that I’m in Ericson’s clinic room. Ericson, the selfish bastard that broke Janet’s heart. The one who said such horrible things about my friends when we were kids. He’s an all-around asshole, and I can’t believe I considered working with him.

“Never mind. It was a mistake.” I turn and open the room door. Just as I’m about to walk out of the room, I see my aunt and uncle walking down the hall. My cousin Greg is walking behind him along with his mate. I step back into the room to avoid the interaction, but not before Greg spots me. The look on his face is beyond smug, and my stomach twists. I close the door behind me and try to collect myself.

“Change your mind?”

~Ericson~

I lean back against my pillows, trying to figure her out. I have no idea what she came in here for, and she wasn’t even gone five minutes before rushing back. I haven’t forgotten everything we’ve been through, but I’m curious why she would seek me out. She’s right when she says that it has nothing to do with wishing me good health.

I watch her with her head down, and my mind starts to wander. I’ve never really taken the time to look at her properly. My immediate reaction is that her skin reminds me of chocolate; it’s dark and smooth. She’s probably 5’7, and her body is muscular. Isis lifts her head, and her brown eyes pull me in immediately. There’s a sparkle in them that just draws you in. She has a small button nose and plump lips. Her hair is cut short, which I don’t usually like, but it looks good on her. She has a very nice shape, a nice ass and a nice chest. She’s attractive enough to get my blood going. I look away to keep my body from reacting.

“Look…” I chuckle quietly.

“She speaks.” I turn my head to her and catch her eye roll.

“Whatever. I came here to talk to you about something. I think we can help each other.”

“Oh? How could you ever help me?” I watch Isis clench her fists, and it’s funny how easily I affect her.

“We are both up to take over our packs, but neither of us has the mates to do so.” My mood instantly drops, and Blade softly growls in my head. “I’m not trying to start anything; I’m just stating facts.” I turn my head again, not wanting to get caught with tears in my eyes.

“What do you want from me?” My voice is much lower than I wanted, but I can’t take the words back. She sighs and hands her head.

“I know we don’t like each other, but we’re older now and there’s so much at stake. We should….I think we can….” I’m growing more and more impatient by the minute. I want her to hurry up and get to the point so I can be left alone.

“Spit it out, Isis.” Her head snaps upward, and her eyes are on mine. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t be dead, but I’d probably wish I were.

“I came in here to see if you wanted to join together. We could come to an understanding and work together to ensure that we both are able to take over our packs.” The words hit me one by one. It wasn’t my plan to laugh at her proposition, but I couldn’t avoid it. The sound comes tumbling out of my mouth, my shoulders heaving up and down. “I knew it was a stupid idea. I’ll go. Just forget I was even here.”

I want to respond; I swear I do. I can’t seem to stop laughing and catch my breath to do so. I vaguely register the door closing, and my stomach starts hurting. Can you believe that foolishness?

It isn’t really that crazy. I choke on my spit as my laughter comes to an abrupt halt.

What are you saying, Blade? You can’t seriously think this is a good idea.

You should really think about it. We are meant to lead a pack, and we have one that we are to inherit. Are you really going to give that opportunity away because our mate couldn’t keep her legs closed? It sucks that they won’t let us advance unless we are mated, but it is what it is. I want my birthright! Blade quickly throws a block up, and I’m left alone in the room. I can’t believe that he’s actually considering this. What the hell is going on right now?

~Isis~

Stupid, just ridiculously stupid. I can’t believe I actually went to his room and made that proposition to him. What the hell was I thinking? Of course, he laughed at me. I mean, we have never liked each other, and here I am saying that we should basically be together in order to claim our packs. “What are you thinking about so hard?” The low voice in my ear makes me jump out of my skin. His scent registers to me, and I’m embarrassed that I didn’t even notice him coming up behind me.

I turn and playfully shove Miles in the chest. He grabs my wrist and turns me so my back is flushed with his front. He wraps his arms around me and leans down, kissing me on my neck and cheek. Seems cute, right? WRONG! He’s giving me open mouth kisses so his tongue is everywhere. He knows I hate that, which is why he does it. “Miles! You’re disgusting! STOP!” He licks me from my chin to my hairline and then spins me away from him. I use my shirt to wipe my face, disgust oozing out of my pores.

“Come on. You know you love it.” I ball my fist and punch him in the arm. He steps back and rubs his arm.

“You know I hate it!” He laughs and nods his head.

“Anyway, tell me what you were thinking so hard about that I was able to come behind you undetected.” I sigh and tell him what just happened in Ericson’s room. Miles wraps an arm around my shoulders as we walk. “First, I’m glad you were listening to us and took the time to go see him. I really think this is the best solution. Second, just give him some time to come around.” I shake my head and step away from Miles.

“No. There’s no need for him to come around. It was a stupid idea and it would never work. We can’t stand each other and that was evident today. It’s best if we stay away from each other.”

“Oh? And how would you take over the pack?”

“It’s a stupid law so why not just abolish it.”

“Do you actually think your Dad hasn’t tried that? They aren’t budging, so for now, we have to color inside of the lines.” I roll my eyes and huff. I know Miles is right, but it pisses me off how backward the counsel is. I would love nothing more than to change everything about them and how they govern the packs in the area.

We walk into my Dad’s room to find him sitting up in bed. I walk over and kiss him on the cheek before sitting in the chair next to his bed. Miles hugs him and sits on the other side. “Hey, Daddy. How was the visit with Alpha Trevor?” Dad chokes a bit on the water he’s drinking before placing it on his tray. He sits back and looks at me.

“Why would that asshat be visiting me?”

“He was in Ericson’s rooms when I went to talk to him and he said he would be visiting you.” Dad perks up and leans forward.

“You went to see Ericson? How’d it go? Did you two come to an agreement?” Miles snickers, and I reach over to hit him on the arm. Dad looks between us with uncertainty on his face. “What did I miss?” I shake my head at Miles, but he rolls his eyes and focuses on my Dad.

“She’s still hung up on the past. She swears that they couldn’t make it work.” Dad sighs and falls back against his pillows.

“Dad, this isn’t necessary. I can run this pack without a mate.”

“Issy, I completely agree. You are more than capable of running this pack on your own. The issue is that the elders aren’t going to let this go anytime soon. I’ve been trying to change this for years now and have gotten nowhere. I don’t like it any more than you do, but this is where we are.” I drop my head, hating the situation we are in. “Your damn cousin was here with his mate and parents. He’s already stepping into the role in his mind, and he's being a little sh.it about it. I can’t have my pack run by them.” My cousin is from my mom’s side of the family. They aren’t the nicest people, and I’ve always wondered how my mom came from them; she was so much more… everything.

“What do you want me to do? I did propose it to him and he laughed at me. He feels the same way I do so what can we do?”