Having the new Alpha’s first ever Hustings at the same place as Scout’s trial may not have been the best idea in the world. The nervousness and unease Scout had been feeling all day was at a critical level. Normally that would have been detrimental for someone who was making their first official appearance as an Alpha, but “nervous” and “uneasy” on Scout looked a whole lot like “I’m going to eat your face off”, which was exactly the look she needed to oversee the Shifters and Seers version of a Supreme Court proceeding.
Jase wasn’t exactly loving the location either. The place held too many bad memories, but it was the only place that could hold a decent number of people without attracting a lot of attention. Not that everyone who came to the Hustings could actually fit into the activity building at the same time. The massive cabin and grounds were serving as a waiting room for the various Shifters and Seers who had issues to bring before the new, and hopefully improved, Alpha Pack. Liam had assigned Charlie and Joshua with vetting the crowd and setting up a schedule. The two of them were sort of the unofficial private security detail for the Alpha Female - Charlie because he felt like he owed a life debt to both Scout and Liam, and Joshua because… Well, because if someone chopped off his head, they could just reattach it and he would be okay. Being unkillable made him the perfect guy for front line defense.
Although, if you asked Scout, she didn’t need a security detail, which is why they worked in an unofficial capacity.
At least the room is set up differently, Jase thought, taking his seat at the u-shaped table at the front of the room. Neither Liam nor Scout were big on the whole royalty aspect of being Alphas, which meant they’d quickly vetoed the idea of having a dais like Sarvarna and Stefan had sat on. Instead, they’d thrown some long tables together with some folding chairs and called the set-up aspect done. Jase had made a few jokes about feeling like the Wal-Mart version of one of the Knights of the Round Table. “Come on, lady. I can totally save you from this dragon. King Liam and the Knights of the U-Shaped Table are just as good as the originals, but only require half the gold,” he had teased. But in reality, he really did feel like one of Lancelot and the boys. He’d seen the way Sarvarna and Stefan ran their Alpha Pack, and this wasn’t it. Liam and Scout weren’t in this for Liam and Scout, but to genuinely do the right thing. Jase was proud of his sister, and proud to be a part of it. He just hoped he didn’t screw it up like he did every other thing in this life.
“When Charlie said ‘nearly every Shifter in existence’, I thought he was exaggerating,” Talley said, taking her seat between Jase and Scout.
Not everything, Jase thought. I haven’t screwed this up. And while he often questioned whether or not he actually deserved her, he never questioned whether it would last. It wasn’t just that they were mates. Talley’s parents were all the proof anyone needed that a successful mating ceremony didn’t necessarily lead to a successful life together. Being mates doesn’t stop a couple from being selfish or keeping secrets. Agreeing to be someone’s mate doesn’t mean you agree to love them. In Shifter and Seer culture, matings were just formal, unbreakable alliances.
But for Jase and Talley, becoming mates was just an added layer of the relationship. They didn’t care about joining two powerful families or gaining positions in the Shifter hierarchy. They loved each other. For them, being together was all that mattered. If it took making a claim and going through a mating ceremony to ensure they got to stay together, then so be it. Jase would walk across hot coals and have his lip stretched out by a system involving a giant hook and heavy stones if that was what it took to be with Talley.
“They’re here for our mating ceremony,” he said with a put-upon sigh. “I hate breaking so many hearts, but a guy’s got to settle down at some point, you know?
Talley gave her head a sympathetic shake. “I almost feel bad for all those women crying themselves to sleep tonight.”
“Don’t forget the men who will be trying to drown their sorrow with a case of beer,” Jase said, knowing no self-respecting Shifter would ever cry over a woman. No, intoxication and acting like an ass in public was much more dignified. “Maybe I should mail Walker Helkamp some money for the liquor store.”
“Or you could just hand it to him.” At his arched eyebrows, Talley nodded to the left of the room where a exceptionally boring looking guy was doing a fairly amazing job of blending into the wall. He caught Talley’s eye and gave a small wave. “I’m sure he’s crying on the inside,” she said. “And I’m sure that puppy-dog look he’s giving the girl on his arm is just to mask his pain.”
Jase looked, and sure enough, Walker’s arm was draped around a girl who looked like she was trying to burrow into his side. She wasn’t one of the prettiest girls in the room, but he could tell by the way the other Seers were glancing at her that she must be packing some pretty significant power.
“Do you have any regrets?” Jase wasn’t quite sure where the question came from, but his insides froze as he waited for a response.
“About what? Walker?” Talley looked at the Shifter in question. “No. Not at all. He’s got a Seer willing to bear his children, and I’ve got you. I think things worked out like they were supposed to.”
“And us? Do you have any regrets there?”
Since she was Talley, she actually took the time to think about it instead of telling him what he wanted to hear. Although, for the record, Jase thought he would much rather her lie and tell him everything was perfect than to admit there were problems.
“Only one,” she finally said.
“Is it a big one, or a small one?” He needed to prepare himself.
“A huge one, actually.”
He locked his muscles, preparing for the impact of her next words. “And that would be…?”
“That we waited so long to admit what we were feeling to each other,” she said, and Jase thought he might slide out of his chair from pure relief.
“If I’m not mistaken, we only figured it out for ourselves a few weeks before.”
She leaned in, and despite the fact they were sitting in front of at least a hundred people, kissed him long and hard. “And when I’m lying on my death bed, looking up into the wrinkles surrounding your eyes, it’ll be those weeks that I’ll want to go back and fix.”