He Will Be Mine

Chapter 87: Awkward

*** Alyssa's POV ***

The ride back to the apartment is surprisingly subdued, with everyone seeming to feel utterly exhausted after the stress and emotions of the day. On the other hand, the general consensus between Devon, Caleb, and Alex is that my argument and presentation were impressive, and Tyler joins in on their enthusiastic reassurances that we nailed it. Whatever happens, we did the best we could. The rest is up to the Elders.

"It was very kind of you to choose Marissa to stand with you there at the end," Devon comments after everyone has grown kind of quiet on the issue. "She was probably feeling rather anxious about having to speak out about her opinions of your relationship. It's not our place to voice opinions about stuff like that when our job is to keep you safe, and I can't believe that woman put her in that position."

"I can. She seemed to be one of those people who enjoys making other people uncomfortable," Tyler chimes in.

"She did, but it was still uncalled for and poor form, if you ask me," Devon tells him. "Though, of course, I'd appreciate if that stays between us. It's also not my place to have outspoken opinions about the Elders. But still, I did appreciate that you gave Marissa that moment, Aly, and made it publicly apparent that you're not upset with her for what she said."

"If I'm being honest, that did run through my head, but it wasn't the reason I picked her. Not entirely, anyway," I admit to him. "I do trust her to do her job, regardless of any personal feelings, but it's more than that. I was also hoping that it might give her a push toward starting to trust and open up to me finally. She's been extra moody lately, and I think it's because we have a lot we need to talk about and work out, but she always does what she can to avoid interacting with me as much as possible."

"Well, if that's the case, then I still think you did a good thing," Devon assures me. "Especially if you are to become Alpha, which we all hope you do. I think even Marissa would agree with that. But if you do, then it's better that whatever personal issues she may have with you get worked out now. It will only get worse once you're in a position where speaking freely just can't and shouldn't happen anymore. Regardless of how you feel about that, Aly, because I know you're probably about to argue that your people can always come to you and speak their minds, but the fact of the matter is we can't. It's not in our natures, and we hate doing it. That's exactly why the Elder woman shouldn't have called Marissa out like that."

He does seem to know me well because I did have an urge to say something like that. It bothers me a bit that once I become Alpha people won't feel comfortable voicing their honest concerns with me anymore, so it has me pondering over how I can somehow create an environment where it's more comfortable for my pack to speak freely. Even so, I do want to work things out with Marissa sooner rather than later. Holding onto all her resentment and baggage against me will only make things harder for us to work together once I'm in charge.

"I agree, and if you want us to make arrangements so that you two can be in contact more often, let us know," Caleb offers, breaking through my thoughts. "I don't want to force the issue, but if that's why she's been avoiding duty shifts as much as possible, then it's ridiculous. And Alpha Kane grouped her and Tasha together, so Tasha has to suffer through just sitting around with her until she gets over herself, and that isn't fair to her."

"Yeah, don't go out of your way to make it happen, but also don't let her do that. She should be pulling her fair weight at the very least," I tell him.

"Agreed, but to be fair to her, Alpha Kane's orders did specify that the whole purpose of them being along with us is so that there are women available when you need them," Devon points out. "In my mind, that means there is no reason why she should have to be on the schedule as much as everyone else because her job is different than ours. Her job is to be on-call around the clock and be ready to come whenever Aly needs her. I'm sure everyone appreciates the reprieve from her foul moods anyway, but I suppose that since Tasha is stuck with her around the clock, that also means that Tasha has no escape from her moodiness, and that probably does get pretty miserable."