Page 4 of Love in Unexpected Places

“Sorry about that,” Chance said as he led them to his office.“You can understand better than a lot of people what it’s like not to agree with your leaders.”

Sullivan snorted.“We can, but if any of us ever dared stand up to our leaders like that man did, we wouldn’t make it to the end of today.You were incredibly gracious.”

“I don’t know that Francis will feel the same way.He didn’t expect me to let him leave and choose the safety of the entire pack over him and his family.To be honest, I’m not happy that we’ll lose the rest of his family because they’re good people, and they deserve to be protected, but Francis made his decision.Hopefully, his wife will make a different one.”

Sullivan supposed that was one way to go about it.If Francis’s wife decided she wanted to stay, Chance would no doubt allow her to.Sullivan wondered if Francis had kids.What would happen to them if their parents separated?

Instead of sitting around the desk like they had the last time Sullivan had been here, Chance guided them to the couches by the window.There was more space here, which they would need since there were four mages present instead of one.

Braden sat on one of the couches, taking up almost half the place.Michelle squeezed next to him while Ryan and Sullivan chose the other couch.Chance had the only armchair, which wasn’t a surprise.

“So, Braden,” Chance started.

Before he could continue, there was a quick knock on the door before it opened.Theo came in carrying a tray.He slammed the door shut with his foot and smiled, his gaze stopping on Sullivan.“It’s good to see you again.”

Sullivan had talked to him a few times, and he liked him.“It’s good to see you, too.Are you saying for the meeting?”

“I am.I might not be an alpha anymore, but this is my home.”He put down the tray.“I brought coffee, but if anyone needs anything else, just let me know.”

“This is perfect,” Braden said with a smile.

Chance caught Theo around the waist and pulled him close.Theo didn’t sit in his lap, but it was close enough since he settled on the armrest.“So, Braden,” Chance started again.“You’re a coven leader.”

“I am.In our coven, it’s something that follows family lines.My mother was coven leader before me.”

“Yet you allowed the coven to attack the dragon clan and decimate it.”

Luckily for everyone, Braden wasn’t a hothead.He didn’t take offense easily, no matter what other people said to him.Instead of snapping at Chance and ruining any possibility of an alliance, he leaned back against the couch.“I tried to oppose that plan.I voted against it, but it was me against the four other coven leaders.We follow the majority, and as you can imagine, I don’t often get my way.”

“The other leaders are opposed to peace?”

“Pretty much.I might be able to sway one of them, but the other three?That would be impossible.The only thing that will stop them is death.”

Theo sucked in a breath.“Is that what we’re talking about here?Killing people?”

“We might not have a choice,” Sullivan told him.“I don’t think anyone here wants more people to die, but you don’t know the coven leaders like we do.They won’t stop for anything, and they don’t care about the coven, not really.We’re in as much danger from them as you are.One wrong step and the leaders wouldn’t hesitate to kill us.”

“Which is why you haven’t done anything against them yet,” Chance said.

Braden nodded.“Precisely.I’m not the only one in the coven who wants to stop what’s happening, but there aren’t enough of us.Most of the coven is too afraid of the other leaders to want to take a stance.I don’t blame them.They have families who would get hurt if they were to stand up to the leaders.”

“And you don’t?”

Braden sucked in a breath.Sullivan knew his history, and he didn’t think Braden would go into details.He never did.

“Not anymore, but even if I did, I would find a way to make it work.The problem is that, on my own, there’s nothing I can do.”

Chance nodded.“Which is where the pack comes in.”

“The pack won’t be able to do anything against the coven by itself.The only way to do this is to work together.Between your people and ours, we can do this.”

Chance took a moment to think about it.He and Theo looked at each other, and when Theo nodded, Sullivan knew.

Chance had already agreed to an alliance but wanted to meet Braden since he was a coven leader.Sullivan wouldn’t call him the leader of their rebellion, but he was the closest they had to one.

“Let’s talk about this,” Chance said with a smile.

They talked about every aspect of what was happening, including the ones Sullivan wished he didn’t have to think about.Sullivan disliked admitting he’d done anything wrong, but he had.He might have been forced to because he wanted to stay alive, but that didn’t make him any less guilty.By the end of the meeting, though, he felt slightly better.They were finally doing something to help the mages who didn’t want to follow their leaders’ orders.

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