In the arms of no one (Completed)

Chapter Four

Tiernan's POV

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There are a total of three meeting rooms in Orion Moon Pack. The Pack meeting hall - a large space that we use for indoor pack meetings when every single member of our pack is requested to attend for big announcements. The Chamber - which is used by our Leading Four and their wives when big decisions that affect the well-being of the pack must be made. And then there is The Boardroom - a room where the Leading Four, their wives, leading dignitaries from other packs or warriors from our own pack congregate to discuss relations of any sort between packs or war strategies if times are proven to be tumultuous for our pack.

So, as I stand here before the heavy, wooden double doors with the bronze "Boardroom" plaque beside them, I can't help but wonder. Will this be an inter-pack relations meeting or a meeting to discuss possible exposure prevention options? This line of questioning only serves to further heighten my stress levels. What were they thinking?

Should I be nervous because this could expose us to the human world? Or should I feel angry that this newcomer could potentially be a supernatural, that could possibly unbalance everything we hold dear? I fucking refuse to acknowledge that my nervousness stems from seeing a picture of some fucking human girl from some fucking small ass country.

Am I nervous or angry? Can a person feel both nervous and angry at the same time? Because I can't decide which emotion I feel more.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I knocked on one of the double doors. We all know that our parents are in there waiting for us, because not only can we still hear their hushed whispers, we can all smell their distinctive powerful scents. Scents that, although subdued, cling to my friends and I.

Smells are a peculiar thing. Each and every living, and not so living, being has a scent. For us werewolves, our scents not only identify our pack, but also our family unit, with subtle differences for every individual member of the family.

For example, my father's scent is a mix between sandalwood, Queen of the night flower and his own individual marker of Pine. By comparison, my unique scent is a mix between sandalwood, Queen of the night flower and my own subtle marker of bergamot. Storm and Bianca's father, Beta Thomas, has his own unique scent of sandalwood, rain and freshly cut grass. His children and wife then scent sandalwood, rain and their own individual scent marker.

I can hear some whispered words on the other side of the double doors, but no one calls out for us to enter. Feeling a little impatient, I briskly rap my knuckles of both hands against the door a little bit louder. The fervent whispers continue, which is rather redundant due to the fact that supernaturals by nature have heightened senses, so we're able to pick up every single hushed word spoken. Finally, my father's strong, deep voice calls out for us to enter the room.

Glancing over my shoulder at my friends, I take note of all their expressions; Jared peers at me and rolls his eyes, clearly not feeling this situation. Kaiah's shuffling his feet from side to side anxious to find out what the fuck is going on, while Storm looks lost in thought with a frown marring his ethereal features. With a grim smile on my face, I turn to face forward and placed my hand on the door handle. With my shoulders and back straight, I enter through the doors, eyeing our parents with a straight face as I wait for my friends to fan out beside me. In sync, my friends and I take our first step towards the long meeting table, where my father is standing with his hand outstretched towards the empty seats facing our parents.

Once seated, my father smiles and steeples his hands in front of him, regarding my friends and I curiously before asking, "So, you four wanted to discuss our visitor?" His eyes linger intensely on my friends like he expects one of them to speak up. I don't even know why he bothers with that. I mean, he already knows that I would be the first one to speak for all of us, just as he did for them. These political games are to be expected, but at this point in time, I feel way too aggravated to exercise the patience required to play.