Chapter 51

Nathan

Olivia didn’t know this, but over the past weeks I had been working tirelessly, pushing myself to the limits, all for the chance to gain the approval of the Alpha Council.

But no matter how hard I tried, it seemed that they never took me seriously.

It was late in the day on a Friday when I was supposed to attend an Alpha Council meeting. Normally, during these meetings, I spent most of the time keeping the minutes or taking notes.

Today, however, I was finally permitted to sit in on the meeting and have my first trial as a “member” of the council.

As I entered the council chambers, I could already feel the judgmental gazes of the other Alphas weighing heavily on me.

They whispered amongst themselves, casting disparaging glances in my direction. Ignoring their obvious disdain, I took my seat.

The air in the council chamber was heavy with tension as I took my seat among the other Alphas. Their disapproving glances sent a wave of unease through me, but I refused to let it deter me. I had worked tirelessly to earn their respect and gain approval for my ideas.

“Good evening,” my father said as he entered and sat down at his seat at the head of the table.

The rest of the Alphas rose to their feet. I stood as well. The Elders, however, stayed seated; they had no reason to stand for anyone, as they were the highest elites.

“Today, we welcome my son, Nathan, to his first chance to sit on the Council.” My father’s cold eyes slid over to me. I instantly felt my cheeks flush red with nervousness as everyone else turned to look at me as well.

As the meeting commenced, I waited for the opportune moment to bring up the crucial issue of commerce in our dying town.

“Excuse me,” I said, feeling as though the moment finally came when there was a pause after the discussion of land matters. “I’d like to bring the issue of commerce to the Council’s attention.”

My voice echoed in the silent room, weighing heavily on me like a ton of bricks as the Alphas slowly turned to look at me with disdain on their faces.

“Commerce?” My father asked, his voice dripping with annoyance. “This issue isn’t on the official agenda for this meeting. If you wanted to talk about it, then you should have made a proposal ahead of time.”

I felt my cheeks get hot. “Yes, but—”

“Let’s allow the boy to speak,” one of the Alphas, Mike, said, his voice gruff and condescending. “I’m sure he has some very important things to say.”

My father paused. His eyes burned with anger at my sudden request, but finally he nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Alright,” he said, clasping his hands across his lap. “Let’s hear it.”

I stood, swallowing the nerves in my throat as I began to speak. “Our town is facing record rates of business closure,” I said. “With the increase in clean energy initiatives, coal mining is a dying trade. But we have other goods that we could offer to neighboring packs—”

“Ha!” the same Alpha as before said, interrupting me. “What goods could you possibly be referring to?”

“Well, for starters, we have a booming fish market due to our location on the coast. We could—”

“You don’t mean to make us fishmongers?” another Alpha interjected. “It would ruin our reputation!”

“Sir, I don’t think it would ruin our reputation—”

My frustration mounted as my voice was instantly drowned out by the overpowering dominance of their angry voices rising in volume.

The more I tried to make my point, the more they silenced me, their disdain evident in their smirks and dismissive gestures.

Then, my father snapped at me, his voice cutting through the room like a whip and causing everyone to fall silent.

“This is not your place to discuss yet, Nathan,” he declared, his tone dripping with condescension. “As you are not an official member, your only role here is to listen and only speak when spoken to.”

My face burned with anger, but I held my tongue, unwilling to further provoke his wrath.

How could they disregard my efforts so callously? The weight of their dismissive words crushed my spirit, threatening to shatter my resolve.

But the blow didn't stop there.

“Maybe you should go home to your girlfriend and play some golf,” the first Alpha who let me speak sneered, a malicious glint in his eyes. “If she's even your real girlfriend.”

My eyes widened in disbelief and shock as the other Alphas, my father, and even the Elders burst out into laughter.

Anger surged through me, and I mustered the courage to confront him. “What do you mean?” I demanded, my voice trembling with fury.

The Alpha let out a hearty laugh, reveling in his cruel jest. “Oh, come on, Nathan,” he jeered. “She looked awfully uncomfortable at the hunt the other day when you two put on that vapid performance and kissed in front of everyone. It's almost as if you're not really together.”

His words cut deep. What hurt the most, though, was that he was right; my relationship with Olivia wasn’t real. I had worried that this would happen, that people would begin doubting us before our plan could ever come to fruition.

My frown deepened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “She was uncomfortable because she’s not used to the attention—”

But before I could finish speaking, my father's irritation escalated, and he silenced me once more.

“That's enough!” my father bellowed, his voice booming through the room. “Nathan, go home for the day. You're only distracting us from important matters.”

Anger surged within me, fueling my defiance. “No, Father,” I retorted, my voice laced with frustration. “I have every right to be heard. These matters concern our town, our people.”

But my father's stern gaze pierced through my defiance, extinguishing my resistance. “Nathan, I insist,” he commanded, his tone brooking no argument. “Leave now.”

The last thing I heard before the door slammed shut behind me was the sound of the Council laughing at my expense.

I had to get the approval of the Council. No matter how embarrassing it was to have my first meeting sullied by the Council’s poor opinion of me, I was determined to do better next time.

The Alphas may have thought that they were beating me down by quieting me at the meeting, but it only gave me a new resolve to try even harder next time.

As I walked home, the sun began its descent, casting a warm, golden glow across the town. Although the argument filled me with a strange sense of vigor, I was also exhausted. My initial intention was to seek solace down on the little private beach behind the villa.

When I negotiated the purchase of the villa with the treasurer — before he ran off after swindling me — I negotiated in this little strip of beach to add to the property. Now, we had a little private area where I intended on putting up some hedges or fences to ensure that it stayed private.

However, as I walked up to the villa, I caught a glimpse of Olivia.

There she sat, on the porch, bathed in the gentle sunlight with a book in her hands. Her presence was like a balm to my tired spirit.

I couldn't resist the pull any longer.

With a heavy sigh, I approached her, determined to find solace and understanding in a friend. She looked up and cast a stiff smile at me; no doubt she was still mad at me after our last argument over my so-called “depression.”

“Hey,” she said, shutting her book and furrowing her brow as she saw my perturbed expression. “Everything alright?”

“Olivia,” I murmured softly, my voice filled with weariness. “Walk with me.”