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“Unfortunately, we have tried.” Xander shook his head. “We threw everything we had at them, but they didn’t budge. Both packs are together in this and they are unshakable in their resolve.”
Blake banged the table, his anger boiling to the surface. No one flinched. No one looked at him. They all understood his frustration.
“How about this,” Callahan said. “Blake, why don’t you go into this pretending to be on board? That way, you make the elders of both clans happy, but after a few years, you could come up with a new rule and annul your marriage with the woman they’ve picked for you.”
Articus was already nodding. “That could work. I don’t see any law preventing you from ending an arranged marriage. I mean, it’s rare to see mates split, but it happens. Yours may be a little more technical, but I don’t see why it can’t work.”
“Whoever the woman is, we’d have to make sure she understands and she’s on the same page,” Rowan added. There were nods and murmurs of agreement to that.
“One thing, though.” Xander had been quiet for most of the conversation. He’d spoken in his usual quiet voice, but it had a way of cutting through conversation. He looked at Rowan. “Seems to me like we are missing the whole point of the pact in the first place.”
Rowan raised a brow. “Yeah? Care to elaborate?”
“We are forgetting that there’s only one goal of this blood pact,” Xander said. “It’s meant to create a stronger bond between the two packs. Strengthen our unity. I don’t see how an annulment after a few years does this. If anything, I expect it would only push the two packs further apart.”
Blake slumped into his seat. Xander did make a strong point. An annulment was going to be a really bad look. It really came down to how they went about it, right?
They’d gone full circle and had returned to the same conclusion. He was going to get married to a stranger, and he couldn’t see any possible way out of it. Not from where he was sitting, at least.
“I think it could still work,” Articus said suddenly, rousing Blake. “It would hinge on how well you and your… wife sold it to your elders and pack. Lead them to believe that you are fully on board, and earn their trust.
“From there, it’s a small jump towards voting to outlaw the pact. All you’d need is a majority vote at a general meeting and you could end this blood pact. That done, I don’t see why you can’t annul your marriage.”
Xander was already nodding in agreement. “We would need to have something else to offer, though. A different pact, one of friendship and trade. Marriage surely can’t be the only way to unite two packs. Certainly not in this day and age.”
Rowan looked from one face to the other. “Gentlemen, looks like we have a plan. Blake? What do you think? Think you can manage to pull it off?”
Articus nodded. “I think so. But, as I said earlier. Everything hinges on the woman, whoever she is. This plan doesn’t stand a chance without her. Looks like we have no choice but to wait and hope for the best."
There were several murmurs of agreement among the men, but Blake had slipped into a thoughtful silence. It really could work. But he had another problem on his hands. Would his soon-to-be wife be willing to go through with their plan?
Chapter 3 - Eleanor
Elders Tony and Pierce were waiting with their hands behind their backs when Eleanor opened the door. Her frown deepened as she looked from one face to the other in irritation.
“What?” she asked impatiently. She hadn’t forgotten her moment with Tony earlier, and from his grim expression, neither had he.
These two were the most vocal with their complaints about her mingling with humans and her constant travels around the world. She tried her hardest to avoid them, but somehow it seemed the harder she tried to avoid them, the higher her chances of running into them.
And now, they were outside her door. What could they possibly want?
Xander treated the elders with respect and reverence and they ran roughshod over him, in her opinion. But Eleanor was not her brother. So they had to have a pretty good reason for disturbing her, or heads were going to roll.
The two men exchanged a look, and then turned to look at her simultaneously. They remained motionless and watched her silently, with a shared look on their faces as if they didn’t quite remember why they had come seeking her in the first place.
Tony was not a tall man. He was built like a bull—stocky and covered in black hair. His uni-brow had always terrified Eleanor, even as a child. He always spoke the loudest and drank the most, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him when he wasn’t speaking.
Pierce, on the other hand, was tall and lanky. He had a balding top with receding white hair that he slicked backward to cover the bare circle that seemed to widen every day. His thin, white brows made him look like he was in a constant state of bafflement.
In short, the men were stark opposites as far as appearances went. But if there was anything they agreed on, it was their distaste for Eleanor’s life choices. While Tony was brash and foamy, Pierce was more condescending and made sure he was eloquent about how disappointed he was with her actions. She hated both of them.
Their silence, therefore, was alarming. She had no idea what they wanted, but she was sure something was wrong. Her irritation turned into impatient concern. Had something happened to Xander?
Their faces looked solemn, like they had drawn the short straw to carry out a distasteful task that everyone else had sighed a breath of relief to have avoided.
“Well?” she tried again, this time struggling to keep her worry out of her voice. “What do you want?”
Tony glanced at Pierce once more, and this time, Pierce nodded tightly. Tony straightened his collar and cleared his throat, meeting Eleanor with his dark eyes.
