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Her body halted at hearing her father's growling voice inside the hall. Quickly, she pressed herself against the wall and peered into the hallway from which Lykos's voice was coming. A tall man with sandy blonde hair stared into her father's eyes and was red in the face. The man looked like a mountain compared to her father, and Remy could feel his power from down the hall. It took her a second to assess if this guy had more power than Lykos, and she breathed a little easier when she concluded he didn’t. It wasn't much less than her father, but it still wasn’t on his level. If this escalated to fighting, her father should come out on top.
"You invited neighboring packs here, so I can't fathom how this is an issue."
Lykos snarled. "I invited people here so we could get back to having allies amongst us Alphas. Not for you to invade my space and make demands."
Blonde Alpha chuckled. "As if you didn't expect any of us to come to you with issues while we were here. This is not going to go away, Lykos."
"Tonight is not about the pack issues. Tonight is about my daughter and a celebration of what ties us."
"Who has barely been in her own celebration? I've yet to see her in there, so why not now when she clearly isn't participating?"
Remy suppressed her growl. This guy has a lot of balls to make accusations like that when I didn't see him in there, either. I was all over that dance floor.
Until Chase had his way.
Shut up.
"How dare you! Remy was on that dance floor quite a lot. It is not her fault that you were not joining her in the middle of it. If there is one thing you will learn about her, even when she doesn't want to be, that girl will be in the center of where she needs to be. You would have noticed if you hadn't stuck to the sidelines."
The blonde guy growled. "Do not change the subject. Where are you at with negotiations of the territories?"
"Nowhere because it is not up for negotiations. My territory is mine. If you believe that I cannot control it, then challenge me in the proper way for it."
"There is no need for bloodshed, Lykos. The neighboring territories are struggling! A good Alpha would help those in need."
Lykos pointed at him, "Nice try, Myles. A good Alpha protects his own before he protects another Alpha's pack. I am not the King of Lycans. I do not need to spread myself thin like he does, nor will I. My pack has handled this territory since the beginning of our people. I will not give it up just because someone whines for it."
Are they arguing over territory lines? Right here, in this hallway? This guy has more balls than I thought.
"We are not the only pack struggling. The whole kingdom is struggling! Something has to be done about it before they all descend into the Old Ways!"
"Arguing here and now is not going to do anything. This is not for us to debate. If the packs want the territory lines to be redrawn, bring it up to Fenry!" Lykos snarled as he walked away.
"Do not turn your back on me!" Then there was stomping coming from Myles.
Remy watched Myles disappear after her father down another hallway. She wanted to chase after them to hear the rest, but she knew Lykos would not be thrilled about her butting into pack business just yet . They still needed to bring her back into the pack so she could be considered part of the pack once again—stupid Pack Laws. The best thing for her to do was to go up to her room, shower, and return to the party before anyone noticed she was missing again.
Ugh. I am already over politics, and I haven't even been home that damn long.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chase's amber and oak scent was now off her, and Remy could return to the party. She hated herself for missing the scent on her, though. As much as she wanted to tell herself that she did not want the bond between them, Remy missed his presence and how he challenged her. When realizing that they are talking to a child of an alpha, most people immediately change their tune and no longer treat them like they are their own person. Remy had dealt with that her entire life and was quite honestly sick of it. To have somebody treat her like she was her own person and not some kind of royalty was a breath of fresh air. But she had to remind herself that she still did not know enough about her previous mate. For all she knew, Chase was connected to him somehow. If she weren’t careful, her mate could come back into her life and ruin everything she had built. She would also feel the pressure of fixing their bond to strengthen her Lycan. Most alphas did not understand how second-chance mates were as powerful as original mate bonds.
Hell, maybe even stronger.
Kaida's mate bonds were proof of that. The Dragon Queen now had four second-chance mate bonds, and the bond between her original mate was completed as well. Because of those bonds, she is now the ruler of the Dragon Kingdom. If Kaida could have strong bonds with her second chance mates, why couldn't Remy? Her bond with Chase would differ from the one she shared with her original mate, but it could be just as powerful. Once Remy could confirm that Chase had no dealings with her original mate, she would feel safe enough to complete their bond. It sickened her that she did not know who that man was or why he rejected her. She was still confused about why the memory would not come to her, no matter how much she tried to remember. Her gut told her it was all clues to a more sinister plot than she could fathom, but what that plot could be, she had no idea. Until she breaks down the wall inside her mind to allow her to see what that memory entails, Remy would have to play it safe and keep Chase at arm's length. Her Lycan whined at the thought, but Remy had to ignore her.
When she re-entered the room, the music called to her. Remy quickly got back into the fold and started dancing before anyone noticed she had been gone for a long time. Before she knew it, the music was cut out, and there was a crowd of groans from everyone in the room. Her mother and father stood on the small platform by the speakers beaming down at Remy. It was time for her to be welcomed back into the pack.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to Remy's Assimilation Ceremony!" Her father's voice boomed through the room.
The crowd cheered and started to scream her name. Lykos held out his hand and waved his fingers toward himself to beckon her forward. Remy gave in and walked through the crowd as it parted for her so she could make her way to her parents. They were beaming with pride as she did, and Remy wanted to roll her eyes. She agreed to return to the pack for her safety. Running around the kingdom without a pack affiliation was never a good idea. Rogues were known as outlaws because it was Pack Law to reside with a pack.
Remy wiggled her way between her parents before settling herself down. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she waited for her father to finish his speech about how Remy was left on the island by her previous mate but found her way home. She heard many growls within the crowd at hearing how she was rejected and had gone because of being shipped off to the island. Lykos did well at making her seem like the victim, though Remy still felt like it was the best thing that could have happened to her. While on that island, Remy forged new friendships with the most powerful people she had ever met. As a future alpha, she knew creating bridges with allies to consume power was always good. No one inside the pack would know that she had more power within her allies than her family ever did on their own. She would keep that close to her chest until she had a reason to share it.
"Now, without further ado, I present to you, Remy Howell! Our future is yours, and I welcome you back into the Great Plains pack!"
Tala's hand was on her shoulder, and Remy leaned onto her mother's side as Lykos handed her a goblet. Inside the cup was wine mixed with the blood of each pack member. Remy grabbed the cup and downed the contents within two gulps. The grapes' sweetness and the blood's metallic taste were not the best mixture she’d ever tasted in her life, and she did her best not to grimace as the thick mixture slid down her throat.
