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Had something happened? What was the delay about? Where was he? Had he found Blake’s future wife? The thought left a sick taste in his mouth and he cringed.
He made his way quickly to the table where his friends were waiting.No point assuming, he thought quietly to himself.Guess I’ll find out soon enough.
Callahan looked up from a sports newspaper. “Swell. Look who decided to show up.”
Blake made a rude gesture at him with his hand and then turned to the others. “Hey, guys.”
Rowan scooted over and extended a hand. “Brother. You good?”
Blake shook the proffered hand and settled heavily into the seat beside Rowan. Articus and Asher offered muted greetings as well, and Blake acknowledged them with a nod. He flagged a waiter for a beer.
“You good?” Callahan asked. “You said this was urgent. Plus, you look like shit.”
“That obvious, huh?” Blake glanced out the window, wondering where Xander was. They were supposed to bring it up together. Why was he taking so long?
“It’s glaring,” Articus joined in. “If you had gray hair, I’d have mixed you up with Asher.” Asher glanced at Articus and Articus shrugged noncommittally. “Come on, I know you see it too. What’s got you all worked up, Blake?”
Blake glanced out the window again. There was still no sign of Xander.Screw it. He took a long pull from his bottle before he spoke. “So, remember that ancient blood oath that the Yellow Cicada pack made with the Moon Shadow pack?”
Rowan frowned. “I think so. The one that activates after ten generations?”
“Bingo.” Blake glanced out the window again. “According to what I was told, after ten generations, the alpha of the Yellow Cicada pack would marry a woman from the Moon Shadow pack. They went on to seal this arrangement with a blood oath.
“A few months ago, the pack elders informed me that the Yellow Cicada seal had awakened. Meaning, it was time for me to do the ancestral duty of marrying a wife from Moon Shadow. I put it off as long as I could but I can’t put it off any longer.
“I presume that the reason Xander is running late is because he’s currently in the process of finding a wife for me from his pack. Apparently, the seal has to pick the woman. So the process is entirely random, and I currently have no idea who it’s going to be.”
All the men at the table watched him quietly, none of them knowing what to say to that. Blake took another pull from his beer and stared outside with a bitter expression on his face. “Looks like congratulations are in order, huh?”
The front door opened and all the alphas turned at the same time. Xander had his usual scowl on, so there was no telling what was going through his mind.
Blake fidgeted impatiently as Xander made his way over. He had barely sat down before Blake assaulted him with questions. “Well? How did it go? Found anyone yet? What took you so long?”
Xander coolly waved for a beer, ignoring all of Blake’s questions. He was usually slow to speak and Blake should have known better than to hammer him with questions.
Talk died down at the table and all heads were turned in Xander’s direction as he slowly drank from his glass. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact and took his precious time. Finally, he looked up at Blake and shook his head.
Blake frowned, confused. He exchanged a glance with Rowan, who looked just as confused, then turned his attention back to Xander. “Speak up, man. Well?”
“The seal hasn’t found anyone yet,” Xander said. “The elders have been going at it for hours, and so far, there’s been nothing. When I left, just a handful of women were remaining.”
“That’s strange,” Blake said, drumming on the table with two fingers. “Is it broken? I mean, could the seal have worn off somehow over the decades, or did they mess up the timing?”
Xander shook his head. “I don’t have a clue. The elders don’t, either. They seem just as confused about it as we are. I don’t think they expected it to take this long.”
“What’s the implication of this?” Articus asked from the other side of the table. “I mean, if the seal doesn’t find a mate, then what next? What happens to the blood oath? Do you still have to marry a Moon Shadow woman?”
“I really don’t know what happens in that eventuality,” Xander said. “There was an air of uncertainty among the elders when I left. I don’t know if contingencies were put in place for that situation. I have to assume the seal will work.”
The table went quiet after that and Blake looked out the window. His life was good. He enjoyed the way things had been before this blood oath business. He hated how it had come in to mess up his balance.
“This is a load of crap.” Blake’s bitter tone matched the angry scowl on his face. “I mean, my whole time as alpha, I’ve done my best to establish new and progressive practices in the pack. I’ve tried to improve how we live, work, and protect ourselves.
“And then the elders come from nowhere with some oath from ten generations ago? That’s crap. The worst part is that I don’t have a say in this. It’s set in stone and all I can do is follow along without protest.”
His friends watched him in silent shock. They had never seen him speak so strongly, especially not against his pack or elders. Most of them were still processing the fact that he was being forced to honor an ancient blood oath at all.
“Come on,” Rowan said. “We’re alphas. I’m certain we can do something to break this tradition, right?” He looked around and a few of them nodded. “I mean, that’s kinda why this group exists.”
