Page 4 of Arranged Wolf's Nanny
But then, his eyes flicked up towards her, and she nearly lost her footing, unable to tear her gaze away. He considered her for half a heartbeat, eyes narrowing slightly, before losing interest and turning to murmur something to Felix.
She let out a heavy breath.
“Come, my dear,” her father said, firmly guiding her forwards towards the grand staircase. “Let me get you settled in the lounge. They’re close to calling the session to order.”
Rosalia obediently allowed him to guide her away, her heels clicking against the polished tile.
She didn’t dare look back.
Chapter 2 - Rick
“And so,” the obnoxious male concluded, puffing out his chest as if any of the drivel that had just come out of his mouth was worth the oxygen he’d expended saying it, “it’s obvious that separation of military powers between humans and shifters is essential to our continued autonomy.”
The corner of Rick’s lip twitched.Autonomywas an awfully large word for the oafish brute facing them from the other side of the enormous table.
Felix shifted in his seat, the almost imperceptible movement designed to catch his eye. He flicked his gaze over, raising an eyebrow.
Now?
Felix’s eyes didn’t move from Carter’s form as he shook his head, the motion subtle enough to evade all but Rick’s keen senses.
Not yet.
Rick settled back into his chair with a smirk. He was a patient male. He could wait.
There were a few agreements, a few murmurs of questioning, but nothing substantial. After all, Raph was sitting beside Carter, daring anyone with his sheer presence to speak out against him.
Rick’s nostrils flared slightly. Since when had the alpha of the Black Claws allowed another to speak in his place? He scented the air again.
Ah. It seemed Carter was his whelp. Well, that explained the embarrassing display of inadequacy. The boy was green as fresh grass.
Someone cleared his throat, and Rick glanced over. John Heath stood, adjusting his tie, tapping one finger against the table.
Rick cocked his head. Of course, he’d noticed the Green Mountain Pack alpha was in attendance. He had noticedeveryonein attendance.
But he had paid special attention to this particular male. Firstly, for the boon he held over Felix’s head, payment had not yet been given for aid during Red Teeth’s attack on Silvermist.
Secondly, for the female he had stupidly brought with him.
If he was hoping to gain favor by dangling her like some shiny distraction in front of the other alphas, he had better be damned sure of his security. A tasty little thing like her wouldn’t last a second unprotected in this seething cesspool of alpha testosterone.
John smoothed his hair back, nodding to Carter. “A fine argument, sir. I commend you.”
A few other alphas snickered as he spoke, elbowing each other with a mocking glint in their eyes.
John was hardly even a player on the board. A no-name nothing pack from the craggy foothills of the Appalachians. Well, not quite a no-name. There were some ties to an ancient French bloodline, if Rick was remembering his history correctly, but it was hardly the sort of thing worth remembering. Not with the current insignificance of his pack.
But still he continued talking, “The human threat is not to be underestimated. I would second your opinion that we keep our fighting forces separate.”
“Only because you don’t got no opinion of your own,” a young bear shifter hollered. “You gotta ass-kiss your way up to relevancy.”
John’s eye twitched, the only tell of a loss of composure. As he battled back and forth, Rick found himself almost admiring the way the older alpha held his ground. But when childish sniping turned to more vicious insults, Felix sighed, glancing over.
Rick let a feral grin carve its way across his face.
Felix considered him, expression tense with familiar concern. Rick was a weapon that the other packs were getting more and more frustrated at him using. And Felix did love his diplomacy.
But not, apparently, more than he wanted to avoid any bloodshed.
