Chapter 32: The Elders

Amara grunted in agitation as she scrubbed the pack house floor with hot, soapy water.

"This really sucks!" she thought.

"It does!" Dakota agreed.

Amara dipped the scrubber in the bucket of water and took it back out to scrub the floor some more. She'd been at this for hours now and she silently cursed the amount of pain she was in.

Once she was done with the hallway, she went and emptied the dirty bucket of water and refilled it with clean, hot water. She put a little soap in it and swished it around to make bubbles appear. Amara grabbed the bucket and went into the kitchen next. As she was scrubbing the kitchen floor, the head Omega, Clara, came in to check on Amara.

"I see you finished the hallway. Nice job, Amara," she said.

"Thank you, Clara," Amara said gracefully.

"I can do the kitchen. Benjamin needs help with the windows outside."

Amara blinked and looked over at Clara in surprise. "Benjamin's doing work on the house?"

"Yes. He's going to be working with us Omegas for ar least a couple of weeks. Whatever he did must've been bad," Clara remarked.

Amara smirked and handed the bucket to Clara before grabbing her coat and heading outside. She walked around the house a bit to find Benjamin on a ladder washing some windows. While she was still furious with him, she couldn't help but notice how cute he looked cleaning.

"Hey!" she called out.

Benjamin stopped what he was doing and looked down at her. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Clara said you needed help with the windows. Where should I start?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Anywhere, I guess?"

Amara frowned and nodded before looking around at the lower windows. She found a bucket of cleaning supplies and grabbed some stuff before heading to a set of the first floor windows. She sprayed a panel and started wiping with a towel.

Amara went at this for a good hour, cleaning all the first floor windows around the house while Benjamin finished up the second floor. They took turns working on the third floor windows considering there weren't that many. They didn't speak much, at least until they started cleaning the windows on the inside of the house.

"So...Scotland, huh?" Benjamin asked.

"Yeah," Amara replied. "Scotland."

"Hmm."

They went back to washing in silence for a few more minutes before moving to a new set of windows.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Benjamin inquired sadly.

"I'm sure. Rory really misses being Alpha and apparently his brother is having issues being Alpha, so we're going to relieve him of the responsibility," Amara explained.

"I see. So why did Mr. Shaw leave the position in the first place?"

Amara bit her lip, wondering if she should even say anything. "It's not really my place to say, Ben."

He smiled and nudged her side softly. "Oh c'mon, you can tell me."

Amara's mouth quirked up to the side as she looked at him amusingly. "Alright. He had a mate, she rejected him."

Benjamin almost dropped the cleaning towel he was holding. "You're shitting me. Who was his mate?"

"The current Luna of their pack."

He let out a whistle and shook his head. "Damn, that must be awkward."

"It is. I saw her this morning and I had to keep Dakota under control from coming out and biting her head off."

Benjamin wheezed out a laugh. "I really am gonna miss your feisty attitude when you're gone, Amara."

"Thanks."

He went back to spraying more liquid on the glass and rubbing with a towel. "So, if I may ask, how is he gonna juggle teaching and being an Alpha?"

"Before he left, he was going to teach night classes a few nights a week. You know, like a hobby."

"Ah," Benjamin said, spraying more of the window. "Is he still planning on doing that?"

"Yeah," Amara replied, scrubbing the glass. "Just a few nights a week, though."

"Huh. Well then, I wish you both the best of luck."

Amara stopped scrubbing and looked at him. "You're not mad about me leaving?"

Benjamin frowned. "I am...a little. But what can I do about it? Nothing."

Amara also frowned. "I'm sorry, Benjamin. But...it is what it is."

"I know."

The two finished the window and went on to the next one. As they sprayed and wiped, they continued talking. Amara was still mad at the guy but she had a tendency to not hold grudges against people, she found. At least not big ones. After a while, they were all done with the windows and were told they were done for the day. Amara and Benjamin left the pack house and walked on home.

Amara worked her ass off the next day at the pack house, but then Wednesday morning came and she was nervous and dreading the Elder meeting. Wearing a red silk frilly blouse and black slacks along with red high heels, some make up and her black locks in curls, she walked to Gabriel's car. Gabriel was standing next to his mustang in a black suit with a red tie and a white button down shirt.

"You look nice," Gabriel complimented.

"Thanks, so do you," Amara replied.

"Is your mate coming?"

"He should be out any minute."

Right on cue, Amara could smell her mate's scent and grinned. Soon he came up behind her and kissed the top of her head.

"You look radiant, mo caraid," Rory said in the mind link.

Amara turned around to look at Rory. He was in a a light gray suit with a dark blue tie and dark blue button down shirt. His hair was slicked back with product and he was clean shaven.

"You look good enough to eat," Amara said in his mind.

Rory chuckled and pecked her lips. "We better get going."

All three werewolves climbed into the mustang and headed out. It was a long drive to where the Elders were. At one point, Amara fell asleep in the back seat next to Rory, dreaming about her old pack, but she was jolted awake before it could turn into a nightmare.

"Amara..." Rory whispered with an arm hooked around her.

"Mmm?" she mumbled.

"We're here, baby..."

Amara pouted and opened her eyes to look out the window at some big buildings. They all got out of the car and Gabriel gave his keys to the valet. They walked into one of the buildings and Amara realized it was a very fancy hotel. They were greeted by a couple of men in suits and were then escorted to a big conference room. Amara wasn't sure what to expect but once they walked in, she was taken completely by surprise.

It wasn't just the Elders and Alpha Franklin that were there. There were some rogues, too, including the twins from Minnesota. However, they no longer smelled like rogues. And then there were other werewolves that must've been part of Alpha Franklin's pack. Amara immediately felt fear and clasped her hand around Rory's and Gabriel's hands.

"Relax, it's going to be okay," Rory said in the mind link.

"Easy, Amara," Gabriel said in the pack link.

Amara loosened her grip on their hands and held her head high as they walked to the big conference table and took their seats. She narrowed her eyes at Alpha Franklin who merely smiled at her. She scoffed and looked down the table at the Elders. There were five of them. Four men, one woman. All had long, gray hair and had various eyes shades of gold and silver. All were in black business suits. Amara immediately recognized the woman as Elder Raquel.

"Alpha Forrester, it is a pleasure to see you again," Elder Raquel offered. "And this must be young Amara. Gosh, you've really grown up."

Amara giggled with a nod. "Yes, Elder Raquel."

The head man at the table cleared his throat. "Now that we are all gathered, let the meeting begin." Everyone took their seats and the head Elder ran a hand through his hair. "Now, we are here to discuss the placement of one Amara Jenson into the Blood Pearl Pack, but I understand there are objections to this motion?"

"There is," Gabriel answered. "She simply does not want to go and she has declared that she will be joining her mate's pack in Scotland."

Amara watched Alpha Franklin who furrowed his brow at this revelation. The Elder raised an eyebrow.

"I take it this man is her mate?" he asked, pointing at Rory.

"Yes."

"Hmm. You both are fully mated now, yes?"

"Yes, Elder," Amara and Rory said.

"Well, that does complicate things. Alpha Franklin has a contract that says Amara was promised to him."

Amara stood up abruptly. "That contract is a fake."

"And you have proof of this falsehood?"

Amara stared down at the Elder. "Only that Alpha Morrison claims it was made when I was a baby. My father had trained me almost my whole life to become the future Alpha of the Pale Moon Pack, so why would he promise me to be in another?"

The main Elder looked over at Franklin. "Really..."

Franklin cleared his throat and got out of his chair. "Clearly, her father was training her to be Luna, as Alpha and Luna training are quite similar, and only said he was training her to be future Alpha. Clearly he didn't have the courage to tell her the truth."

Alara slammed her fist on the table. "How dare you insult my father!"

Gabriel placed a hand on her arm. "Easy, Little One..." he said. "Even if that was the case, Elder Portman, you can't ignore the fact that Mr. Shaw and Amara are fully mated. You can't possibly think about tearing them apart, especially over some questionable contract that no one had knowledge of until not even a week ago."

Elder Portman rubbed his chin, obviously deep in thought. "Alpha Morrison, why is it that you want Miss Jenson as your Luna?" he asked.

"She's a black wolf. Black wolves are blessings and produce extraordinary offspring," the Alpha replied.

Rory growled at Franklin. "If you think you're going to be impregnating my mate, you've got another thing coming!"

Elder Portman raised a hand. "Mr. Shaw, please calm yourself."

Rory relaxed and Amara rested a hand on his shoulder before sitting down, glaring over at Franklin. He looked over at her with a smirk before sitting down.

"There's also the issue of the attempt on Mr. Shaw's life," Gabriel said. "We have no actual proof but we do suspect Alpha Franklin had something to do with it so that Amara could become unmated."

"And what makes you suspect this?" Elder Raquel asked.

As Gabriel explained the details of what happened at the Xcel Center in Minnesota, Amara stared at Franklin to try and gauge his reaction. The man had no visible movement to the accusations. He merely watched Gabriel talk with an emotionless expression on his face.

"Hmm, well, that does sound suspicious," Elder Portman said, looking at Franklin. "Is there any truth to their accusations?"

Franklin shook his head, interlocking his fingers together. "No, Elder Portman."

Amara scoffed and crossed her arms together. Of course the bastard was going to deny it but she knew Franklin was involved with the assassination attempt.

"Hmm. We have much to discuss on this matter. Alpha Morrison, Alpha Forrester, Mr. Shaw, Miss Jenson...would you mind leaving the room for a few minutes?" Elder Portman asked.

They nodded, got out of their seats and left the room. Franklin's large entourage bowed to Amara as they exited the area and she rolled her eyes. They were already treating her like their Luna. Amara went and sat on a bench outside the conference room and Rory joined her, holding her hand and kissing it.

"Everything is going to be fine," he said. "You are not going to become his Luna."

Amara gave him a nod before resting her head on his shoulder, tightening her grip on his hand. "What if they favor Franklin? I don't think I'd be able to stand being without you, Rory," she said sadly.

He lifted her chin and pecked her lips. "That is not going to happen. Even if he ends up winning this, I'll start a war over it if I have to. I'll send every single one of my allies over here with every single warrior just to make it known that you belong with me and not him, understand?"

Amara nodded and nuzzled the crook of his neck. "What if he tries to...before you could gather up all the warriors, what if he-"

"Don't finish that sentence. You fight that man, kill him if he lays one finger on you. You are a strong Alpha blooded wolf. I'm certain you can take that son of a bitch on."

She giggled and kissed his knuckles as Gabriel walked up to them. He sighed and sat on Amara's other side and looked over at Rory.

"So, Mr. Shaw...have you put in your two weeks yet?" Gabriel asked Rory.

"Yes, I did on Monday," Rory answered.

As the two men conversed, Amara became lost in her own thought. What was the Elder council going to decide? Was she going to have to join the Blood Pearl Pack? If so, how long would it take until she had to move in with them? And how long would it take until Rory could get an army together to rescue her? Amara suddenly felt dizzy and leaned forward, holding her head in her hands.

"Are you alright, mo caraid?" Rory asked, rubbing her back gently.

"No," she replied with a sob. "The anticipation is killing me."

Rory shushed her and pulled her up into a hug. "Chan eil duine gad thoirt bhuam. Na bi a-riamh," he whispered in her ear. [No one is taking you from me. Never.]

Amara sniffled and buried her face into his shoulder. She had no idea what he said but it was comforting to hear him speak Gaelic anyway. She felt Gabriel grip her shoulder and her hand went to his as both men comforted her in her time of need.

"Luna?" Someone said.

Amara lifted her her head and glared at the man standing before her. She immediately stood up with a growl.

"I am not your Luna," she snarled.

The man bowed his head. "My apologies. The council is reconvening. They have made their decision."

Amara nodded and her men stood up with her. They walked back into the conference room and she took her seat as she watched Franklin amble in with his small group of werewolves. The man disgusted her and she sneered at him. He noticed her gaze and he merely chuckled.

"The Elders have come to a decision?" Gabriel asked.

"We have," Elder Portman replied. "We find the contract null and void now that Amara Jenson has found her mate."

Amara's eyes went buggy and she breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately gazed over at Franklin. He looked unphased by this answer and that worried her.

"How can he be so calm about this?" she wondered.

"This is great news," Gabriel said. "We appreciate your time on this matter, Elders. Thank you very much for a quick decision."

Everyone stood and bowed to the Elders before they were dismissed. Amara grasped Rory's hand tightly when her eyes met with Franklin's. He had a look in his eye that made her blood run cold. It was a simple look that said only one thing.

This isn't over.