Page 66 of Magical Midlife Conclave

As if hearing Armendale, even though he was on the other side of the large room, Austin addressed everyone.

“Something I didn’t mention outside but will address here within the more intimate leadership setting—you will realize that we do not do things the traditional way here. How could we, with this many different magical creatures, each with their own traditions? We have a leader for each magical faction in this convocation. Ours, within this territory, but also those packs and cairns and basajaunak uniting with us. They are each alphas in their own right, some with more experience and better pedigrees than me. Than many of you. They are our equals, trusting in me to work with Jess to bring it all together. To pretend they are anything but alphas and leaders is to tell me you are insecure in your placement and must rely on titles to distinguish you. Power is in the person, not the name badge. Besides, if I allowed my alphas to go out there and mingle with your people, you’d probably lose a good few enforcers to their charms.”

“I’d lose my whole cairn to Tristan!” Gerard shouted, holding up his glass. Other gargoyles laughed.

Shifters looked Aljoe’s way, faces tight. If he were any other “beta,” they might push back. Austin’s speech would’ve worked against him. But these shifters knew Aljoe, whatever name he went by. They knew his legacy. Hard to argue, when not too long ago, he’d been at the top of the alpha pyramid, respected and listened to.

And because they wouldn’t argue about his right to be here, they wouldn’t argue about Sue’s or Tristan’s. They could feel Sue’s power, and Tristan was his own planet, clearly highly respected amongst the gargoyles. They wouldn’t want to cause a problem and not be able to rise to the challenge.

“Is he trying to rile up Armendale?” Nina wandered closer, wearing a tailored suit like Jessie’s with a colored pocket square and lace-up shoes.

“I thought the plan was to announce that you’d joined the convocation later on in this thing?” he asked.

She sipped her wine. “Sue called.”

“Oh?”

She gave him a stern look. “In an official capacity.”

He put his hand to his heart. “I would never meddle in your dating life.”

She snorted. “Since when?” She turned to look at all the alphas chatting and mingling. “He’s smart. Definitely an alpha. Obviously, he has the power, but he’s got a certain something that some of the powerful lack.”

“He does. He’s really come into his own under Austin’s tutelage.”

“Hmm,” she said thoughtfully. “Speaking of Austin, you vouched for him. Publicly.”

“I did. I believe in what he and Jessie are doing here.”

“It’s not like you to stick your neck out.”

“I couldn’t really afford to back in the day. When I did, it so often came back to bite me. This is different. If someone tries to cut the legs out from under me, there’ll be a female gargoyle ready to rip that someone apart from the inside out.” He smirked. “I’d kinda like to see it, too. She seems sweet, but she can really widen the eyes. I saw a video of her handling a corrupt pack.” He paused for a beat. “What magic words did the Formidable Sue say to change your mind about how you attended the conclave?”

She gave an annoyed huff at his needling. She tended to be a very private person about her romantic life, and very choosy. Given her body language, though, and the slight embarrassment, Sue definitely had her interest.

“We got to talking. He mentioned his past. Heart-wrenching.”

“It is. He’s not the only one. I’ve heard a lot of stories about how mages are going about their…business, we’ll say.”

“Yes. It terrifies me when I think it could’ve been us. We got lucky the mages didn’t come for our pack for whatever reason. We are larger than Kingsley’s, but that doesn’t seem to matter. We have a lot to discuss. It’s a pity we have to do it in this conclave. Half the people here can barely hang on to their beasts. There’s going to be unsanctioned fights regardless of what Austin said.”

“I know. We’ll handle it, you’ll see. We’re prepared.”

She took another sip of her wine, paused, and then made a disgruntled sound. “I know about Sue’s past, but he seems…” Her shoulder twitched upward. “He seems interested. When I was here, he seemed attentive and open to chatting, and then when he called, he didn’t rush off the phone. He lingered.”

“Are you actually asking for advice?” He smirked at her. “I’m touched.”

She huffed. “I’d rather not, believe me. You’re proving why right now.” He nudged her with his shoulder playfully. “It’s hard to read him. He’s subtler in his movements than I’m used to. Has he said anything?”

“No, but he’s often quiet and standoffish with people. A lot of people are saying he’s coming out of his shell, though. If he’s making an effort, I’d say it’s probably a good sign. But I’m no expert.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” She nudged him back. “Speaking of, when are you going to get out there? There’s nothing holding you back now. Maybe it’s time to finally take a mate.”

“You’re the one looking for advice, not me.”

“Just a thought.”

“I’m just trying to fit into a new place. Let’s pump the brakes a bit.”