Chapter 135

Gavin’s POV

Gavin saw the blackmailer and his entire body had gone numb. Erin sensed something was wrong because she kept asking if he was okay.

But he could barely speak.

He wasn’t afraid of her, more like assessing what she was doing and what her game plan was.

He stared at the redheaded masked woman from across the room; she was talking to a couple of different gentlemen. Placing her hand on their arms and laughing at whatever they said.

They had no idea the kind of dangerous woman they were dealing with.

It was unclear if she had noticed him yet, but he was hoping she hadn’t.

He couldn’t be too focused on her because he needed to gain the respect of other Alphas and the shareholders around the kingdom.

“Alpha Gavin,” a voice sounded walking through the crowd of people, bringing Gavin to the present moment.

It was Alpha Peter or the Redmoon pack; another fierce competitor who already has so much respect.

“Who’s this lovely woman?” Peter asked, his dark eyes sparkling as he held his hand out for Erin to take.

Gavin could hear his wolf growling. Before he could answer the question, Erin spoke first.

“Erin… I’m Gavin’s mate. It’s wonderful to meet you,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “My father was also an Alpha, so I know some of how this works. Unfortunately, he passed away years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Peter said with a frown. “I had no idea Gavin had a mate.”

“We have a complicated history. But I’m here now,” Erin said, stepping closer to Gavin. “If you’ll excuse us.”

She took Gavin by the arm and pulled him away and toward a new crowd of people. He had to admit that he was impressed by her.

He didn’t expect her to be so assertive; it was like she put on a dress and reverted to her old self once again.

Erin continued to dazzle the room and Gavin attempted to do the same, however, he couldn’t stop glancing over at his blackmailer’s direction. He worried about what she was about to do. It didn’t seem like she had noticed him there yet; at least, she was pretending that she hadn’t.

“Alpha Gavin! Where have you been hiding this one? She’s delightful,” One of the Lunas chuckled. “You must come with us to brunch next week, Erin darling.”

“I would love that,” Erin said in return.

“Tell us how you and Gavin met,” another Luna said thoughtfully.

“I wish the story was a little better,” Erin chuckled. “But we were high school sweethearts. Unfortunately, we parted ways shortly after graduation, but we recently reconciled and found out we were mates.”

She stretched the truth a little bit, but Gavin admired her ability to think on the spot.

“That’s so romantic,” they all breathed.

“You are so lucky to be mated to the incredible and fierce Alpha Gavin Pierce. Anyone would kill to be in your position.”

“You are also quite beautiful!”

The Alpha Convention was nothing more than a popularity contest.

That much was clear.

Erin was clearly gaining a lot of popularity, which meant Gavin was too.

The highest-ranking Alphas are the ones who can get the most supplies for their packs and the most resources. The shareholders would provide them with the funding they need to support their packs without having to raid for supplies and fight with one another.

They would also sign whatever leasing is required to open new buildings in the pack.

Gavin’s business was doing incredibly well, and he was already the richest Alpha in the werewolf world, but without the support of these important shareholders and investors, it could ruin everything he had worked so hard to build.

This convention meant everything to him, and it was being contaminated by a blackmailer who could potentially be the leader of the Slayer organization.

Gavin found himself, once again, looking in the direction of his blackmailer and this time, to his surprise, she was staring directly at him.

She gave him a knowing look before turning away and speaking with yet another gentleman.

It seemed she was working the room.

“Good evening, everybody,” the announcer said at the front podium. “Thank you all for coming to this year’s Alpha Convention. As you already know, each Alpha is expected to make a speech on behalf of your packs. We expect to hear about the resources you need, the reasons behind them, and how they would benefit your pack. Keep the speeches professional. Once the speeches are done you may continue to enjoy the convention until the voting is completed.”

One by one each Alpha made their incredibly compelling speeches. Gavin wasn’t worried because he’s always been good at making speeches and he’s very successful, usually, during this convention. He has an extra, and very much needed, boost this year though because he brought Erin.

He was worried for a while that if he showed up alone, again, it would tank his reputation.

Soon, it was Gavin’s turn.

He stood at the podium and gazed around at all the wide and curious eyes. Eventually, his eyes landed on Erin’s who gave him a confident smile.

He found himself relaxing until he spotted his blackmailer in the distance, folding her arms across her chest and narrowing her eyes at him.

He turned his eyes from her, not wanting to entertain her for another moment.

“Shareholders, investors, people of the convention, I come to you because my pack is in need of a new hospital and a new school district for the children. Our pack is forever growing and unfortunately, the schools that we have and the hospitals that we have don’t hold enough people. I have sick pack members with not enough beds at the hospital to care for them. So far, we treat them at home which isn’t sustainable. There are children who are about to be the age to attend school, but not enough desks or even teachers to teach them. To accommodate the new additions to my pack, I would also like to expand our hunting grounds.”

There were some gasps in the audience; in order to expand, they would be taking a portion of someone else’s hunting ground. Murmurs started and for a moment, Gavin thought he might have lost everyone.

But Erin stepped forward and turned in her direction to the crowd, much to Gavin’s surprise.

“Gavin and I would like to have children once we are married. I personally want the best for my children and the future of our pack. I want my children to be able to attend the best schools and have the best medical supplies when they are sick. I want them to be able to hunt without the worry of crossing onto someone else’s territory and possibly being hunted themselves. I also fear for the safety of the pack, of all our packs. The Killers and Slayers are out there, and they are stronger and meaner than ever. They don’t care who they hurt as long as they get the blood of those gifted. I know there are many gifted wolves in our packs, and we want to protect them. I feel we should expand our gammas and train more fighters. Not just for our pack, but for all packs.”

There was silence for a moment as everyone took in her words; even Gavin was silent as he stared at Erin with shocked eyes.

A Luna speaking on behalf of an Alpha was unheard of.

Then, they applauded and cheered.

Gavin felt incredibly relaxed; that is until he saw the furious look on his blackmailer’s face through her mask.

She stared directly at him and motioned for him to follow her as she went into the back room.