Chapter 84

Grace

"Why Mooncrest?" I frowned. "I think you know enough to know that I can barely keep my own pack together."

He shook his head. "You are learning who is actually pack and who is not. That's not the same. And everyone loves an underdog story. Aside from that, you produce over half of the medical supplies used across the States. Your pathway to a seat would be far more... straightforward than mine has been."

I winced and shook my head. "I don't think I have the head for that level of politics."

Just the thought of having that much power to mismanage that many people to let down gave me chills. I may not want to ever hear anyone tell me I was better off letting a man take over, but I definitely didn't want to be that in charge.

The thought made me wonder how on earth Charles, at eighteen, had thought, felt, and known he was ready to take responsibility for his entire race.

"Don't underestimate yourself."

My eyes widened as I looked up and met his gaze. "You may not have the experience, but you have the heart, I think. Something the States need. If even half of the Senate gave a damn about anything other than their fear, we'd be living a very different life."

I sat back. "You really believe that?"

"I do," he said. "I've seen what change from the top can do. I've initiated it in Silver Crest and watched my work flourish. It's been painful and rewarding. I think as things settle in Mooncrest, you'll see it too."

I wasn't certain about it, but I smiled.

"It sounds nice, and I'm open to an alliance, even if it's just an informal one."

He lifted his glass. "I look forward to the impact we will make together."

Gabriel walked me down to my car, and we made plans to meet up again so I could give him a tour of Mooncrest. My mind was whirling with all the possibilities and ideas that Gabriel had. It was inspiring, and for the first time in I didn't know when, I felt like there was someone else in the States who saw at least a few of the problems I saw with the world we lived in.

More than that, he was trying to do something about it. The future felt hopeful and open, not as daunting or uncertain as it usually felt. I felt filled with energy. The longevity drug felt like it would fit in with that future where werewolves and lycans had more of an understanding of each other and other species. I got home, practically bouncing on my toes, thinking about it all. I changed into something cozy and settled in the living room with my research notes and a cup of tea.

Closer to midnight, the door opened, and I heard the familiar shuffle and rustle of Charles coming in the door.

"Grace?" Charles asked, coming around the corner. He loosened his tie, and his entire face lit up seeing me. His scent filled the air, enveloping me in warmth. As he drew closer, his smile and joy faltered. His eyes drifted over me. A bit of light flickered in his eyes.

I lifted my nose, trying to get a scent from him, but all I could smell was his cologne.

"Grace," he said, his voice was steady and tense. "There's... Whose scent is that?"

I blinked and lifted my arm to sniff. "Scent?"

He nodded and drifted closer, shrugging out of his jacket and leaning close. I shuddered at the warm puff of his breath against my neck as he sniffed me. He let out a disgruntled and frustrated sound.

He pulled back. "An alpha lycan... Young."

I blinked and nodded. "I had a meeting with Gabriel Black of the Silver Eclipse Pack tonight. He said he was half lycan, but he never said he was an alpha."

I hadn't even realized that was something that Charles could tell. I sniffed my arm again. Had Gabriel been able to smell Charles on me? I looked up and met his gaze. His eyes were filled with light. His jaw was tense. There was a flash of possessiveness that flickered in his eyes. I could sense it, the subtle shift in the air around us, but he said nothing for several more seconds, simply staring at me.

A few moments passed before he walked around the couch and sank onto the couch beside me.

"How was your meeting?" Charles asked.

I frowned at the tension in his tone. A bit of me bristled at it, defensive and angry. Part of me knew it was childish and ridiculous. Either I trusted Charles or I didn't, yet still, I had to ask.

"How was yours?"

The question hung in the air for a few moments before Charles blinked. His expression softened. The light vanished from his eyes, leaving a relieved and clear green as he smiled at me.

"Good. More dramatic than I anticipated but productive... Isolde, who is that platonic trouble I told you about, is as... wiley as ever."

He sat back with a sigh. "How she manages to scheme so much and still have time to drive her Clan out of ruin, I don't know. I'm exhausted thinking about the energy it takes to hold that kind of a grudge against anyone."

"A grudge?"

He shook his head. "Isolde has issues with my mate that have festered over the years."

I swallowed. Isolde wasn't his mate? Was she the runner-up to be queen or something? I wasn't entirely sure how the Clans were set up, but I thought that the chiefs were basically like our Senators, except every Clan had a chief that had some importance to the king.

Charles sighs and relaxes into the cushion.

"I know it must have seemed suspicious that I didn't call you soon after that conversation, and I apologize. I hadn't expected it all to get so complicated. That's not an excuse."

Then, he told me who Isolde was, and while I was wary about hearing that they had thought they might be mates, I was glad to hear that they had never slept together.

"Lycans... have to sleep with their mates to be sure?"

Charles grunted and nodded. "There is a draw, of course. Compatibility is important, but until you have sex, there's nothing to say that you are mates, and that's the point where you typically get married and registered. We have a whole system about it since our marks are very distinctive."

I nodded. "So you said before."

He nodded. "So, what did the alpha of Silver Crest want?"

I grinned and told him everything we talked about. Charles bobbed his head as I explained Gabriel's plan to get Silver Crest a seat by the end of the year.

"Do you think that you might want that in the future?" Charles asked.

I shook my head. "I'm barely pulling us out of the red! I wouldn't know what to do with all that money and all those people."

He chuckled. "There's a saying that someone who can manage three dollars can manage three million with ease."

I scoffed. "Well, they certainly don't know what it's like to manage three dollars when you need five million."

He chuckled again. "Gabriel seems like he'll be a good ally..."

"I agree." I narrowed my eyes at his expression. "I'm sensing a but..."

"Would you be offended if I offer to look more into him for safety's sake?"

I smiled and shook my head. "As long as it's not out of jealousy..."

He chuckled. "I'll give you a full dossier on Isolde... Including the fact that you shouldn't cross her and then go to sleep when she had free access to a pair of scissors."

I snickered and lifted up on my knees to wrap my arms around his neck.

"Is she the real reason you're sporting the world's tiniest man bun?"

He scowled. "I have never put my hair up this short. It's a waste of time, and I learned after the last time."

He wrapped his arms around my waist. "And you? Think you can keep Gabriel from getting any ideas?"

"Are you going to rub your scent all over me?"

"Would you like that?" He asked, his eyes growing dark and heated. "Smelling as if you had just crawled out of bed with me... Maybe still dripping?"

My face heated. Heat pulsed between my thighs at the thought, and my gut clenched.

"Charles, you can't... just say things like that."

He nipped my lip. "That was actually an offer."

He leaned down, pressing our lips together and pushing me back onto the couch. A girlish laugh bubbled out of me as I wrapped my arms around his neck, gleeful and so warm.

I threaded my hand through his hair as he nipped his way down my neck and slotted his hips between my legs.

I shuddered and started to fumble for his belt when he went still and pulled back.

"Charles?"

He stole one last kiss before I heard the door open. He stood and straightened his clothes, sighing heavily.

"Let's... reconvene about the path forward, hm?" He asked as Jackson walked into view, and Charles grabbed his briefcase. He rounded the couch and leaned down.

"Think of me tonight," he whispered to me, his voice a seductive promise. "I'll be gone by morning."