From Above the Treetops

XIV

My brain had fast become consumed by Nico.

Whenever I saw him around school, his poor eyes were puffy and pink-tinted from tears. The bags below his eyes were growing day by day and he always seemed to be at work. My concern for him was all-encompassing and I couldn't wrap my head around how he was juggling all of this alongside school.

I had some serious respect for him that was tied up in sympathy.

My father clearing his throat brought me out of my internal thoughts and back to the current reality of a pack meeting. He was looking at me with an expression of confusion as it wasn't like me to zone out of a pack meeting. I had a lot of thoughts as of late, however.

I sipped my black coffee and sat up straighter in my chair, focusing my attention back onto the elder who was rambling on. This meeting should have been wrapped up a while back now. The elders had a habit of talking just to seem important. See, elders were formed of past-pack Alphas who had come out of retirement and they tend to consider their days as Alpha to be the glory days. Xavier's father, for instance, was not interested in becoming an elder and spent his days baking with his wife. He was content to let that title go.

"There is one more issue that I would like to discuss." The elder caught my attention again.

"It's not an issue." Xavier interjected, his Alpha voice leaking into his words.

I glanced down at the itinerary but couldn't see anything else added that we hadn't already covered.

"It's an issue I'd like to discuss." The elder reiterated, "Alexandros has found his mate."

That statement damn near gave me whiplash. Obviously word travels fast in a pack, but it still felt so raw and new to be tackling this problem and I wasn't exactly ready to hear the pack elder's views on it. Icarus was immediately defensive.

"I know who it is but he is not yet eighteen."

My voice was on edge but I was trying to take control of this conversation as best as I could.

"And how is that possible?"

The words hung in the air uncomfortably. They were met with dead silence from both myself and Xavier. How the hell do I explain this to them without making myself seem irresponsible? A headache split across my head even thinking about it. I could feel my father's stare but I didn't dare to look at him.

"They were in a relationship prior to this and it just so happens that they're mates." Xavier lied through his teeth for me, "The mate bond had been sealed before Xan even knew and the boy has the pack's scent."

While I was both surprised and appreciative of Xavier advocating for me, I could practically feel the scrutiny as their eyes all turned to me to stare and consider what they had been told. There was no way out of this, for me or them, and that was something I was slowly coming to terms with. Even if they wanted me to reject him, I physically couldn't. I had a feeling they might have made me if they had their own way. They tend to make things difficult.

"Him carrying the scent could pose a number of risks to him, you know?" My father was the first to speak up, looking at me with a heavy stare.

"I know." I nodded, "I've been looking out for him."

"So who is looking out for him right now? While you're here?"

I looked down at the desk, knowing he was right. If a rogue came across a human smelling like our pack they would have a field day with it. The thought had crossed my head but I hadn't thought it was a real threat since we hadn't had many problems with rogues in my lifetime.