Darius frowned, not even trying to hide his feelings from the man who sat across from him. Achlys was fucking annoying. There was no getting around it and, frankly he was pissed that he was there, entertaining the prick, while Bennett was burying his cock in his hot little friend.
"Darius, are you listening to me?"
"No, actually, I'm not."
"You're not even trying to humor me? I am the ambassador from Urian's pack. What I say will determine how the rest of this union goes. I have the power to start a war or to keep the peace."
Yep. The man was definitely a prick. "That is why there are two ambassadors, for this very reason. I will not be intimidated and I will not sit here and pretend to listen to you any longer. I will see you when we have our sit down with the rest of the Alphas," Darius informed the slip of a man, who was glaring up at him.
His eyes raked over Achlys, his sandy blond hair was hacked short, his deep brown eyes seemed beady at the moment, and his thin, lanky body came up no farther than Darius' chest. But, Darius did not underestimate the man for a minute. He was strong, of that there was no doubt, or he would not be one of Urian's ambassadors.
"You leave me no choice..." Achlys began.
"Consider your words wisely, ambassador. I may be one of four Alphas, but I am an Alpha. I am the law...judge and jury. You would be wise to watch your tongue around me, for I will not hesitate to have it removed."
Achlys stared at him for a moment, his mouth gaping open. "Are you threatening me?"
"Yes. And I will follow through with it. Do not doubt that for a second."
Darius watched, amused as Achlys' mouth worked as he tried to form a response. Perhaps he wasn't used to people being so frank with him. His brothers would probably be angry about the way he was treating Achlys, but he couldn't help himself. He was never one for playing games. He stood and walked away, leaving a speechless ambassador behind him. He had a feeling that if he stayed any longer, he would be ripping the tongue out of Achlys' mouth right there in the kitchen of the guest cabin.
"Wait...please."
Darius paused, turning to face the man once again. "Yes?"
Darius watched with concealed amusement as Achlys came to him, bowing low and presenting his neck in an act of submission. "I am sorry. I have forgotten myself, and my mission. Please forgive my brash behavior."
Darius quirked an eyebrow at the sudden turn-around. "I will not hold your outburst against you, this time. But, if you forget your place again, I will show it to you and you will not like my methods."
Achlys nodded and backed away slowly. He sat down again once he made it to the table. Darius turned on his heel and walked away, out of the cabin and across the compound. He pulled out his cell phone, silently thanking Bennett for having the tower installed on the outskirts of their territory.
His first call was to Bennett, telling him that his tryst time was up, since Achlys had been returned and would soon wonder where Takis had gone. His next call was to Caden, who was looking for him, to arrange a meeting time.
Twenty minutes later, Darius found himself face to face with his brothers and their mates. And though he was happy for them, he could feel the envy building up in the pit of his stomach. One day, he wanted to be the one propositioned. He wanted to find his mate and claim him. He wanted to share in the happiness of finding one's other half and planning a life out together. Perhaps one day, his dreams would come true.
"Darius, are you listening?"
Darius looked at Caden, smiling at the frown etched across his face, a face not so unlike his own. He shared the same 'almost too perfect' facial structure, with the same nose that they had inherited from their mother, the plump lips, and the somewhat prominent cheekbones. He had a couple of inches on Caden and was just as built as Bennett, his muscles big and bulky on his frame. His eye color floated somewhere between green and blue and his inky black hair fell to his back.
"No."
"Damn it. Is no one taking this situation seriously?"
"I assure you, Caden, that this matter is very important to me," Darius answered.
Caden sighed. "Then what will we do about Urian?"
"He is looking to unite our packs and has been for some time. But, this is the first overt attempt to do so," Darius stated.
"Do you think he knows something that he is not telling us?" Caden asked.
"A fight must be brewing between Thane and Urian. If we join Urian, Thane will not hesitate in attacking us as well. As a pack, we are strong and we would pull through just fine, but I would rather not risk the lives of our people if we don't have to," Austin said.
Caden nodded in agreement. "A union would also mean that he would expect cross-pack breeding. We cannot force our pack members to mate with wolves from another pack if they are not meant to be. We promised them the freedom to choose their own mates when they left our father's pack to follow us. A foolish thing, in hindsight, but one that was, and still is, rooted in our beliefs. I will not go back on that. We must find another option."
"Perhaps there is another way. We don't have to promise a mating, but we can send a few pack members to his lands. They can be our ambassadors and if we're lucky, maybe a few of them will fall for the wolves they meet over there," Darius suggested.
"That may appease Urian. His pack is mostly females and sending males not only increases the chances of a mating, but also offers him increased security in case of an attack," Caden agreed.
"But, that would still give Thane the idea that we are against him. I would agree if we had Urian's assurance that he was not in the midst of a conflict with Thane," Austin replied.
"Who is Thane?" Elise spoke up for the first time since she sat next to Caden at the wooden table in the brothers' shared office.
"Thane is a Were whose territory borders our own. But, the majority of his land touches Urian's. For years, Urian has been afraid of going to war with Thane because he would most assuredly lose," Austin explained.
Caden sighed. "If Austin is right, then Thane has suddenly become more of threat and it would be only a matter of time before he comes for us. Urian's land touches a significant portion of ours. It would do nothing but tempt Thane to take us over too."
"Perhaps...perhaps ambassadors should be sent to Thane's pack also. That way he does not perceive our interactions with Urian as an overt threat," Elise said softly.
