Mated to the Alpha Twins

The hour after my somewhat feral s*x with Kade had gone by in an instant. His mom was back ten minutes later, fixing my hair and ignoring what had clearly gone on between me and her son. She put a light coating of make-up on my face, darkening my large eyes and making the two different colors more pronounced.
The meeting before the High Table meeting wasn’t a formal event—it was more like business than anything else. Assessing potential enemies, seeking out weaker Alpha’s, and generally causing havoc for most of the lower ranked werewolves.
Kade’s mom helped me into a slate grey dress, zipping up the low-neck back in a smooth motion. The dress reached my knees and was tight around my curves. It showed just enough cleavage to look classy, and brought out the silver tones in my one blue eye.

It was best everyone viewed me as a capable adult, and not an emotional teenager. They needed to believe I wouldn’t use my abilities recklessly, or for my own vengeance. I found the whole thing to be somewhat absurd. Isn’t it my choice how to use the abilities I was gifted with?
She left my hair down hoping to remind everyone that while I was a cool and collected adult, I was still young and inexperienced to this world. I had to say—she did an incredible job. The dress made me seem mature and responsible, but my eyes looked larger with the makeup she had put on me—brighter and more vibrant.

“Alright, you’re ready.” She huffed, settling herself down after fussing over my hair for another half an hour. Her eyes went brittle and the faint lines around her mouth deepened, “You’re already late, but that doesn’t matter anymore—the news about Alec, it’s already spread.”
“I thought it was being contained?” I scoffed, grinding my teeth against the thrashing beast that was now held on lock-down inside of me. Thalia couldn’t be trusted not to hunt Zayne Novak down and use our power on him without warrant.
“It was.” She laughed dryly, her eyes disbelieving. “Why would they want to contain anything? Now everyone believes they know how to control you. The smart ones are keeping their distance, waiting for you to snap. When you use your abilities, they’ll most likely put you to d***h.”
“It seems like you know a lot about the High Table.” I commented.
“We all do.” She grunted, “They’ve k****d more of us than any other species.”
As Kade and I were escorted through the twisting and turning halls of the hotel, we were debriefed on the more important guests at today’s meeting.
Marcus Novak sat number one at the High Table, holding the largest pack and influence in the country. Cunning and brutish, he believes in moves and counter moves. Perfection is what he and his pack strive for.
Second was Desmond Deville, known for being the oldest unmated male. His reputation was one earned through hard labor and copious amounts of—partners at his disposal. He doesn’t run the second largest pack in the country for nothing, the man is built like a submarine.
Third was Brayton Cliff, probably the most studious and logical of the five. He’s less ruled by a dark need for more power than the others, and can turn the tides of any ruling.

Fourth is Jaspar Fox, an enigma clad in tight leather, silver piercings, and cerulean eyes that would bring any woman to her knee’s. It’s rumored that Jaspar Fox had a bad upbringing, and was sold to some rogues as a toddler. He has scars all over his body, but no one has the gall to ask what happened.
Sebastian Sable is last, and is one of the slimiest of the bunch. It’s rumored he works closely with Marcus Novak, though no one knows the exact details of the arrangement. Sebastian Sable is what most would classify as a sociopath. He’s much like Marcus, but without the cunning and subtly that makes for an incredible villain.
The five Alpha’s of the High Table were in this room, mingling with the smaller Alpha’s of the country. Their votes were used in the process of coming to a decision, though the High Table had the final vote.
The large events room of the luxurious hotel was the perfect business-casual background for the meeting. Thick c******s hung from tall windows, and sleek black tables sat around the back half of the room. There were employees dressed in black, toting around large platters and offering flutes of bubbling champagne.
“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Kade grunted low.
Our eyes remained forward, but I hoped he could see the slight twitch to my lips. He was making this easier on me, even though he believed he couldn’t. Having him by my side, it was all that kept me from going feral.
“Are you kidding me?” I scoffed quietly, “The only thing I remember is what she said about the High Table, everything else was a blur.”
“You are so incredibly responsible in the face of danger, sweetheart.” Kade chuckled incredulously, linking his arm in my own.
We were escorted inside and were nearly bombarded with packs that wanted to talk. Most of the Alpha’s spoke with Kade—though their eyes would often stray and linger on me for far too long. They spoke of truces and alliances, potential partnerships that might benefit both packs. Kade noticed those hungry glances, yearning for power—those men were lucky Kade had some form of restraint. Not all were bad, though. There were two who seemed a little more than pissed an Alpha would be kidnapped to aid a feud between white wolves and other werewolves. Kade didn’t get along with any of them, but he’s always been more abrasive than Alec.
“That’s Marcus Novak.” Kade murmured quietly, squeezing my hand lightly.
We had stopped for something to drink, and I stopped myself as the urge to guzzle the dry tasting champagne fell over me. My mouth was horribly dry from speaking and smiling, laughing and chatting like an innocent, beautiful, girl would.
At Kade’s words, my head whipped around. I’m sure that’s not the reaction he wanted me to have, but I couldn’t help it. I had heard so many bad things about this man. I expected a shaved head and thick face scars, something that identified him as an immediate villain.
There was none of that.
Marcus Novak was a conventionally attractive man, much like his son. Their faces were perfectly angular and chiseled. Full lips, strong nose and cheekbones, and full eyebrows and lashes. Very muscular but not overly bulky, and he even had a charming smile.
I felt a bit robbed that someone so supposedly evil looked so normal. You think I’d be used to monsters having human faces, but I don’t think I am.
“You’re disappointed?” Kade questioned, his head tilting to the side and his eyes burning with curiosity. “That emotion doesn’t make sense in this situation, Aurora.”
I tried not to laugh at the confusion on his face, or the way his hair shifted from the movement and fell over his forehead.
“He looks…normal.” I elaborated with a frown, “So yeah, I’m disappointed. I expected this big bad Alpha, but he doesn’t look like a bad guy.”
“Of course he doesn’t look like one.” Kade grunted, “Marcus Novak is all charm and smiles. He lies so well that I think he truly believes them, eventually.”
“So, how do we beat a liar?” I mused, tapping my chin with a freshly painted fingernail. They were the only thing I had a choice on. The twin’s mom wanted to paint them white, for purity and protection—I scrapped that idea. I picked ruby red—the color of fresh blood.
It was foreshadowing, you see. I knew that sooner or later I’d have the blood of Alec and Tori’s kidnappers on my hands, and I welcomed my fate.