Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Politics

Rose

“It’s so nice to finally meet you in the flesh,” I greet, shaking his hand. “You’re just as tall as your voice made you sound, Mr. Consigliere.”

He chuckles. “You flatter me, Miss. Carver,” he replies as he takes a seat. “But, yes, I’m glad to meet in person finally. We share borders with Black Opal Pack, so I’m sure we can relate on a great number of things.”

I draw in breath through my teeth and raise my eyebrows, sharing a moment of commiseration with him.

“Have you heard the rumors?” He asks, resting his temple on his knuckles.

“About what?”

“About-”

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Victor announces as he enters my office. Dane, the Clan Leader of the Shadow Ridge Clan, isn’t one for much fanfare, so I figured a smaller, more casual setting would suit him better than the formal meeting room.

“Dane, this is my second in command, Victor,” I introduce. “He’s just gonna be here taking notes if that’s okay?”

“Perfectly fine,” he answers. “After all these years being alive, I still have a horrid short-term memory.”

I giggle, running my hand through my hair, and ask, “Anyways, continue what you were saying.”

“Well, my husband, Mario, is a bitten werewolf, so he has friends in the werewolf world. His former pack was Black Opal, and he has nieces and nephews who reside there currently.”

“How old are they?” I ask.

“In their forties at this point,” he answers. “When Mario was a wolf, Genevieve’s father had just come into power, and Gen and Margaery were but a twinkle in his eye.”

“Interesting,” I murmur. “He must have great insight into how things have changed, then.”

“Well, you would think that,” he grunts. “But his nieces and nephews, and their children, are very tight-lipped about what’s going on there. They claim everything is wonderful and incredible, but he says something about how they say it…”

“He doesn’t believe them?” I ask.

“Nope,” he replies. “And he’s not allowed onto the territory since they have a No Vampire policy unless one is invited. The only way for pack members to invite vampires into the territory is to get approval from the Luna, which has never been granted in Mario’s case. I assume it’s because he’s my husband.”

“Have they been able to leave to visit him?” I ask.

“Yes,” he replies. “They can come and go as they please as long as they return in. I think it’s three nights unless they get approval from the Luna for more extended travel. If they don’t, their membership is revoked, and they’re rogues.”

“I’ve never heard of a pack operating like that,” I reply, grimacing. “I don’t have much experience with them, but I know Adelaide Ponira of the River Run Pack, and from what she has told me, that’s not how Alpha Evander runs his pack. Or how most of them operate.”

“It is bizarre,” he answers. “Almost like a cult.”

“So, are those the rumors you’ve been hearing?” I ask. “That the pack is run like Genevive is the second coming of the Moon Goddess, and all must worship her?”

He laughs, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “I don’t know. Maybe she just runs a tight ship? I understand the fear of outsiders, especially since vampires and werewolves have only recently been on better terms.” He pauses, raising his eyebrows mischievously. “But that’s not the rumor I was referring to.”

“Well, then, what is it?” I ask, leaning in, anxious to hear what he has to say.

“I’ve heard that Black Opal and River Run will be at war soon.”

“What?” I ask, dumbfounded.

“Well, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic,” he corrects. “I’ve heard that the tension between Genevieve and Evander is growing by the second. She’s getting more and more brazen with her anger over what, to me, seems like petty bullshit.”

“If it’s petty bullshit, I doubt they’d start a war over it,” I reply, hoping to ease his worry. I don’t want any other Clans or Packs goading the two of them into a war. That wouldn’t be good for Asher.

“Either way, I believe we ought to start picking sides,” he replies. “Now, if we were to base it solely on who I like more, I’d back River Run. However…” He trails off. “If Genvieve runs her ship as tightly as I’ve heard, then I have to believe her military might could match Evander’s.”

“River Run is the reason vampires have liberation,” I argue. “And their military is the strongest in the region. Plus, they’re at least four times the size of Black Opal.”

“That’s in land, maybe not necessarily in population,” he argues. “Nobody really knows how many members either pack has. Again, I’m not saying that River Run would be easily defeated by any means, but… It would certainly be a bloody fight. I think Alpha Evander would underestimate Luna Genevieve quite a bit.”

“And where does Alpha Asher fit into all this?” I ask, hoping not to sound too interested in his fate.

He scoffs. “Who fucking knows. I’ve never met the guy or heard a damn thing about him. Sounds like he’s probably her puppet and will do whatever bidding she wants.”

I know that’s not necessarily true…

But he’s not wrong either.

“I don’t think war is inevitable just yet,” I caution. “So we shouldn’t go backing any horses. I don’t want to instigate a fight between two allies.”

“Agreed,” he answers. “I just wanted to see where you were at to gauge if we’d be on the same side.”

“We’re vampires,” I reply. “We’re always on the same side. Whether I back River Run and you back Black Opal or vice versa, it doesn’t change the relationship between the Clans. I won’t take it personally.”

“I’m glad you have such a level head,” he applauds. “Shocking that you haven’t found a partner yet.”

I chuckle, blushing a bit. “Yeah, dating is a little difficult, being such a young vampire. Plus, my hands are full.”

“Well, I have plenty of suitable men and women who would love to meet you,” he replies. “Could make our relations even better than they already are.”

I chuckle, standing up, ready to finish this part of the conversation. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

I glance at the clock, realizing it’s almost time to visit Asher. “I do have to be off on some business, though,” I tell him. “We’ll keep in touch if anything changes regarding our fiery wolf neighbors.”

“If only they were as diplomatic as us,” he quips, shaking my hand. “I will be in touch, Rose. Lovely meeting you.”

“Safe travels,” I reply, opening the door for him, and he speeds off.

“That was informative,” Victor says, finally speaking. “Got a lot of information from him for free.”

“Yeah, I wonder what his angle is,” I think out loud. “For someone who insinuated that he’d back Black Opal, he sure talked a lot of shit about them.”

“Personal feelings and business are often separate things in politics.”

“This is very true,” I murmur, my chest tightening.

If a war is to break out, the best thing for my clan would be to back River Run. We’ve been strong allies with them, and they’ve never done anything to harm us. Not to mention, I have a good relationship with Alpha Evander, and my relationship with Luna Genevieve is, obviously, a strained one.

But…

How could I go against Asher when I love him? How could I aid in his pack’s defeat? Potentially even his death if it came down to that?

I wouldn’t have the strength to do anything to harm him.

I hope it never comes to that.

“Rose!” I hear someone shout from beside me. I jump, a little startled.

“What the fuck, dude?” Victor shouts. “Have you been camping out here? This is not open to the public!”

I roll my eyes when I see it’s Cadmus and rest my hand on Victor’s shoulder. “It’s alright, he’s new.”

“There are literally signs posted on the perimeter,” Victor deadpans.

“Sorry, must’ve breezed past them,” Cadmus replies. “I wanted to talk to you, so I tracked your scent.”

“That’s a little much,” I tease, turning to Victor. “I’ll be fine. If you wouldn’t mind, we should set up meetings with the other regional Clan leaders to see how they’re feeling about the potential conflict. Or if they’re even aware of it at all. It wouldn’t hurt to corroborate these rumors he’s hearing.”

“Alright,” Victor grunts, eyeing me warily. “It wouldn’t suit us to discuss it any further now that we’re not in private, but I’ll do that and let you know. Didn’t you say you had somewhere to be?”

“I do,” I reply, glancing at Cadmus. “You can have one minute of my time.”

“I just wanted to say thanks for taking me in,” he replies, biting his lip as he looks me up and down. “And that you look incredible today.”

“Is that all?” I ask, picking at my nails to make sure he knows I’m unimpressed.

“You are a hard woman to please,” he teases. “But I’m eager to do so.”

“That so?” I ask, arching my eyebrow. “Do you want to know what would please me the most?”

“I think I could answer that for you,” he flirts, winking.

I roll my eyes. “What would please me the most is if you paid attention to signs and stayed off prohibited areas. This is my personal space for a reason. I don’t need any groupies following me to my meetings.”

“Groupies?” He asks, gasping. “So I have competition?”

“It’s only a competition if you have a fair shot,” I reply, patting him on the shoulder. “Your minute is up, and I must be on my way.”

“It was the best minute of my life,” he shouts after me. “I’ll anxiously await the next one, Rose!”

“That’s Miss. Carver to you!” I shout over my shoulder before speeding off, my lips curled in a smile.

But not from what Cadmus said.

I’ll be seeing Asher in a few short moments.