Page 52 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

“Messages from Bae,” I say with a sigh. “There’s a meeting at Shelley’s.”

“Should I come?”

“Definitely. You’re still head witch, and we’ll need you.”

Amanda nods, a faraway look in her eyes. It feels like in the last few moments, she’s traveled miles away from me, even though she’s still sitting by my side.

“I’ll get ready,” she says, getting up and turning her back on me. I have a terrible feeling that something has just gone horrifically wrong, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what that might be.

Don’t worry about it too much. This is a stressful situation. She’s allowed to process it.

I tell myself this over and over as I get dressed, but I can’t make myself believe it. She barely speaks to me, and when I reach for her hand, she pulls away and shakes her head.

When we get to Shelley’s, the place still looks like a war zone. The parking lot and nearby gardens are littered with broken tables and chairs, as well as shattered glass bottles and other random weapons. I was so injured last night, I hadn’t really noticed, but it looks like the fight was a lot worse than I thought.

The back room of Shelley’s is crowded with witches and wolves from every pack. Bae is sitting at the long table with Gina beside him, and Jack, Rider, and Peter sit across the other side. I have a look around the room and see a small group of wild wolves, some from New Hope and a fair share from SilverMeadows. In the back corner are a few witches with wolves I don’t immediately recognize.

“Thanks for coming, Body,” Bae says. “I think we’re all here now, and we need to talk about the incident last night.”

Bailey looks worn, as if he’s been up all night. The others don’t look much better, but it appears all of us have recovered from our injuries. He looks around the room, waiting to see if anyone wants to speak. When no one does, he sighs, a sound somewhere between frustration and regret.

“I called this meeting so that all of us can have our say on what happened, and the direction we want to take in the future,” Bae begins. “We can’t have any more violence. I want to preserve my alliance with Decker, but if he insists on fighting, then I will have no choice but to respond in kind.”

“He’s not happy,” says one of the guys up the back. He’s holding the hand of one of the witches. She snuggles close to him, stroking his arm.

“We want the alliance to survive,” the witch says. “It’s important for us to mingle with the wolves and make connections—and find mates.”

“Zoe,” Amanda says to her, “are you saying you’ve found a relationship already?”

“It’s none of your business,” growls the wolf, tightening his grip on Zoe.

“No need to get defensive, Grant,” one of his friends mutters.

“Decker practically just ran us out of town,” Grant shoots back. “And as yet, we have no guarantee of safety here. So I’ll choose what I want to share, thanks.”

Bae waves his hands. “I want to make it clear that any wolf, from either pack, who asks for sanctuary here shall find it. We won’t turn on anyone who is genuinely seeking refuge, especially if it’s because they don’t support war.”

“I don’t know if I support war,” Kelta says. “But I’m not sure I support peace, either.”

“Speak plainly, Kelta,” Bae commands. “Now is not the time for you to practice your usual stoicism. You are part of my pack, and I command you to speak.”

“We were fringe members of your pack for years!” she snaps. “Silver Meadows practically forgot about us until you needed our skills—and it was because of conflict with other packs.”

“I disagree with a lot of the sentiment there,” Bae replies, “but I can understand why you feel that way. Please tell us your intentions for the future—if you plan to move on or not.”

Kelta shoots a glance at the witches, her face twisted in obvious disgust. “I will need to meet with our elders, but I know that most of them feel it is a good thing that witches were driven out years ago. They won’t support marriages between wolves and witches. The ancient tradition of being enspelled against our will is too well-remembered.”

“Some of us don’t believe that,” Nate steps forward to stand beside his sister. “The younger generation is open to relationships with witches, in whatever form they take. Many of us also want to come into town and learn your ways.”

Kelta glares at him. “I’ll be returning to the mountain tonight,” she hisses. “Do not come with me.”

“Are you afraid of any voice that opposes yours?” Nate shoots back. “Have you become so spineless?”

Kelta bares her teeth and growls. The sound comes from deep in her chest and echoes around the room.

“Enough!” Bae shouts. “Stop it, both of you. Kelta, with all due respect, I excuse you from this meeting. Return to me when you have word of your intentions.”

“As you wish, Alpha,” she says harshly. She gives a sarcastic bow and strides out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

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