Crescent (Tribes, Book 1) [completed]

Chapter 23

Every wolf in the clan knew that something terrible had happened at the very moment their alpha summoned them for a tribal council. Nowadays, tribal councils were more like town hall meetings than bonfire rituals, but their seriousness never dwindled. To call every wolf together at once meant trouble had found them again.

It would have been a routine meeting, if not for the doctor's instructions to keep Liana at Conner's side. Conner had thought long and hard about how to please everyone with the arrangement, as humans were generally discouraged from attending the tribal council. Those more traditional wolves wouldn't like the idea of allowing Liana to sit in.

None were more traditional than Conner's father. None disliked Liana as much as Macon, either. Macon grumbled about the whole thing, but for once Conner found himself taking the role of acting alpha instead of his father. For the good of his mate, Conner insisted on getting his way.

With that kind of argument, Macon couldn't reasonably win the debate, so he gave in to Conner's plan.

Now, a little human woman sat cross-legged on a beanbag in the corner, with a book in her hands and a pair of headphones over her ears. The noise-canceling technology would disallow her from hearing everything said in the room, but she was close enough that Conner could hear her heartbeat. The steady rhythm, uninterrupted by Liana's illness, calmed Conner's nerves long enough for him to manage the meeting.

That wasn't to say that it would be easy. Each man that entered gave a curious, sometimes annoyed, glance to the girl in the corner. A few might have said something unsavory, if not for Conner's protective glare. Even Conner realized the sheer power of the alpha aura he was emitting.

He didn't care. They didn't know all the things he knew. Liana stayed, no matter what anyone said.

Even after everyone had arrived and taken a seat, the awkwardness continued. To be fair, a tribal council had never allowed a human inside. The men around the table must find it odd, and Conner could understand that. But he had no intention of endangering his mate, even for age-old traditions.

"Get on with it," Macon ordered grumpily.

Conner eyed the wolves around the table, none of whom paid any attention to their alpha and his son. Twitchy glances kept skittering toward Liana's corner. Some of the men fidgeted nervously.

Fine. Conner would address that first.

"Due to reasons you don't need to know, the tribe doctor insists that my mate remain by my side at all times right now." Conner leveled his sternest gaze down the table. "Do you have a problem with that?"

One of the older wolves cleared his throat. "Of course not. But... a human at a tribal council?"

"I provided the headphones. She can't hear us."

"Maybe she can't hear us, but I can hear her music." One of the younger wolves rubbed at his ear. "What is she even listening to? All I hear is EDM, sirens, and a foreign language."

"She's listening to whatever she wants to listen to." Conner turned his head to pierce the young wolf with his fiercest glare. "Just ignore it."

Even if the young man wanted to argue, no one dared to come between their future alpha and his mate. Wolves could destroy whole cities to find their mate, without the power of an alpha. How much more damage could Conner do if he felt that Liana had been threatened?

"Are you all satisfied with the explanation?" Conner phrased it as a question, but it was more of a command. Be fine or leave.

Murmured agreement rose from around the long table. After that, perhaps because of the threat of Conner's anger, the wolves paid more attention. All for the best.