Mates of a Human

Part Six. Chapter Eleven. Michael

"You two know each other?" Alpha Haze began with a bright grin upon his face. I glanced over at my father, but chose not to elaborate, simply taking the seat opposite the woman that he indicated. As I had brushed past him, he had already warned me that my mate might be troubled should I not comply and unfortunately, those were not the words he used.

"That's right," Nadine replied, clearly not aware or perhaps not caring about the thick tension in the room. "Michael is working as a doctor in the geriatric's ward of my Uncle's hospital."

I glanced up slightly, how can I not understand the meanings of the words she was saying. I had been scouted to work there, but it seems that was not on my own merit. No matter how hard I worked or how good my skills were, my position was due to some arrangement on her part... her's and Alpha's Rider's. Whether she meant to or not, I felt a little belittled, but I refused to doubt myself. Earned or otherwise, that job had provided me with more than what she ever could. To that end, I allowed a slight smile to curve my lips and replied; "I am ever grateful that I was able to work in the hospital and meet many good colleagues and great friends, one in particular."

There was a slight flicker of annoyance in her eyes, she was aware of what I was referring too, just as I had interpreted her words. My father was very much unaware; "A great friend can become a great future partner," he drawled as he sat at the head of the table, my mother by his side. I tried not to smirk over his choice of words. "It was clearly fate that the pair of you met before this point."

"Fate is such a fickle thing," Alpha Rider said, speaking for the first time. "I don't like to rely on it. I'd much rather arrange things than rely on something that is out of my hands."

"Makes sense," my father agreed with him, his arse licking really horrible to observe. Adriel appeared in the dining room and paused as he saw me, before nodding in greeting. "Did you find your brother?"

Adriel's expression turned slightly cold as he glanced at our father, causing me to raise my eyebrows. Well, this was new. Adriel used to follow the Alpha around like a puppy on a leash when he was a child and hardly changed during his teen years, except the hours he was not at my father's side were filled with training his body to its peak. He changed from a dumpling to a mountain of a man. Until today, I had never figured out why he was so much taller that myself and Gabriel and neither of us lacked height. Of course, that veil had been lifted not so long ago.

He turned slightly as he stepped forward and Gabriel appeared. There was a distinctly feline scent stuck to his clothes. The Alpha curled his nose in disgust. "Why do you smell like cat?" He growled angrily and with clear distrust in his tone.

"There was a skirmish on the border," he replied smoothly and without breaking eye contact. "It has been dealt with, but it caused me to be late."

My father dismissed his excuse, unable to disbelieve it, seeing as it was all too plausible. "Go and get changed," he demanded. "I won't have you smelling like those things around the table." Gabriel excused himself and followed my father's bidding. Adriel sat beside me, his expression like stone. "My apologies," The Alpha again began his routine of sucking up to the other Alpha. "Those animals are nothing but trouble along our border."

"They are the only Pride in the area, are they not?" Alpha Rider said, which, although my father confirmed, I doubted he was actually aware of whether it was true or not. Growing up, I used to think that the Pride was of a similar size to our pack, that they had moved in to the land next to ours just to be difficult. I had no idea that actually they were ten times the size and only bordered us as they had expanded over the centuries until they were unable to expand any more in our direction. Were petty land wars still allowed in this day and age, no doubt they would have already absorbed us. But such wars were dealt with by paper tricks these days and if there was one thing that the many cats I knew seemed to hate, it was paperwork. "And their current King is a werejaguar?"