"A human, huh?" Isabelle laughed as she walked into the living room.
"What a surprise."
"This is so messed up," Rick Marcelo said to his sister as he glanced out of the living room window, staring right at Dorian. Had Miguel lost his mind? Never before had he heard of a human being chosen as a candidate, let alone becoming an alpha's mate. He knew the juvenile was naïve in the ways of the world, still being young and all, but a human?
And Rick knew there was nothing he could do about the nominee. It was pack law. He couldn't refuse Miguel's choice. Miguel and two others had won the pack vote to choose a mate for Rick.
As if his life wasn't complicated enough already. What the hell had the changeling elders been thinking when they wrote that law? He didn't need a mate at his side to rule his pack effectively. Why in the hell did they think that someone warming his bed equaled strong and solid leadership?
Rick ran his hands over his face in frustration. He didn't even want to pick a mate. He was perfectly happy as a bachelor. Why mess up a good thing?
But Miguel had made his choice, and Rick was willing to give Dorian a shot. He was thirty-five, and his pack was demanding he find a mate.
Sighing, Rick held his hand out and his sister immediately came to him.
He enveloped her into his arms as he stared out of the window at his pack mingling in the backyard, seeming to enjoy themselves. Dorian still looked a bit stunned, but at least he was talking with Miguel now instead of trying to beat his ass. As much as Rick wanted to interfere, that would have made Miguel weak in his pack's eyes. Besides, Rick knew Miguel had held back.
The juvenile was changeling strong, able to crush Dorian without much effort. Rick was glad Miguel didn't unleash his capabilities onto Dorian.
The werewolf was learning how to control himself better, which was a good thing. It showed Rick that Miguel was going to make a fine enforcer when he was ready. "It was Miguel's choice."
Isabelle smiled as she gave him a tight hug. "He has just reached his maturity stage. I'm guessing he didn't know any better."
Changelings were considered juveniles in their pack until they proved themselves and established where they belonged in the hierarchy. The term had nothing to do with age and everything to do with placement. Besides being a pup, juveniles were the lowest ranking. Rick knew that Miguel was going to work his way up the chain with no problems. Even though he was still young in age, Miguel possessed alpha qualities that were still developing. He could see the young werewolf becoming the next alpha when Rick finally stepped down—which wasn't any time soon.
"Knowing better or not, I'm stuck with the choice. People at my job already suspect I'm changeling. If Dorian says anything, I'm screwed," Rick said with weariness. He wasn't sure how much longer it would be before his job insisted everyone's blood be tested. Rick was dreading that day, but knew it was coming from the way corporate was talking more and more about the changeling issues.
Isabelle pulled from his arms, walking over to the window in a movement filled with nothing but fluidness and grace. Her dark auburn hair spanned out behind her, reaching down to her buttocks with waves of silkiness that gleamed in the fading evening light. "I could make him disappear."
"He's a candidate, Isabelle. You can't touch him." Although that would solve some of his problems. But Rick knew he wasn't that type of changeling. He didn't resort to dirty tricks or deceit to get what he wanted.
But he wasn't below mind games. He couldn't just outright kill someone just because he feared losing his job. That was a coward's way out.
Isabelle turned, her hazel eyes shining with intelligence beyond her years. "It was just a suggestion. Who else was chosen?"
"Silvia and Omar."
A finely arched eyebrow rose. "Three? You sure do know how to stir things up, Enrique."
Isabelle was one of the few who called him by his chosen name.
Everyone else called him Rick. He knew why his sister was so surprised, though. Normally only two became candidates for the alpha to choose from.
Three was unheard of. It seemed he was breaking all kinds of fucking records today.
Wasn't he such a lucky bastard? Gee, if any more luck rained down on him, Rick just might drown. Maybe then he wouldn't have to choose a
mate.
Rick began to feel old as he stood in the living room of a pack member's home. Rachael and Thornton Vargas—Miguel's parents—had been gracious enough to allow the pack to meet there. Usually, with a number this large, they met in the Great Oak Forest.
But today had been special for his pack.
Their alpha was finally giving in to their demand and allowing candidates to be chosen.
He could smell the steaks and other meats grilling outside and see the pups running around the mature adults, having a good time. It all seemed so normal, yet Rick felt as if his very own choices were being stripped from him.
He didn't want to find a mate this way. Maybe a part of him believed in what the humans believed in, finding someone to love and settling down.
The other changelings could do that, but as alpha, he was ruled by a different set of laws.
"You'll grow to love whoever you chose, brother."
Isabelle was always good at reading his facial expressions, and she was usually good at comforting him. But today no one could bring him comfort.
He was being forced into obeying this barbaric law, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"It feels like speed dating and whoever I chose, I'm stuck with for the rest of my life. What if I chose wrong and we end up hating each other?"
"I trust you to make the right choice," Isabelle said as she kissed him on the cheek and then slid her arms around his waist, giving him a light squeeze. His sister was short, only five foot four, but capable of making any man fall to his knees, ready to give her whatever she wanted. Rick had witnessed that firsthand. "You are a pretty good judge of character, brother."
Now that his future rode on making the right decision, Rick wasn't so sure he would be able to think straight. He had only been an alpha for four years, winning the fight against the previous alpha. The man hadn't been the best person to lead the pack, and Rick had tired of watching the changelings suffer for the idiot's laziness.
An alpha's job was to protect the weaker pack members. But all Lorenzo had done was throw around his power and abuse those too terrified
to either stand up to him or too weak to defend themselves. He had been a bully and a piece of shit.
"Nathaniel is coming," Isabelle announced as she walked out onto the patio, smiling at Rick's top enforcer before joining the pack in the backyard.
He grinned as he watched his sister work the crowd. She was such a social butterfly. The entire pack loved her. He couldn't blame them. Isabelle was the sweetest person Rick knew.
"Three," Nate said teasingly as he walked inside. "No shit."
"And I saw you snarling at one of them," Rick said, remembering the way Nate had blocked Dorian from leaving. "You could have been politer."
Nate laughed, his jade-green eyes sparkling with humor. "I was polite.
Normally I would have just tossed him over my shoulder and dropped him onto the patio to stop him from leaving. I even smiled at him."
Rick shook his head. Dorian being human, he was probably scared shitless. He was glad they hadn't gone too far with Dorian. The human just might have had a heart attack and died in the backyard. "What is the pack saying?"
"About the human or the fact that you have three people vying for the position of your mate?"
"Both."
Nate shrugged as he took a seat on the couch. He was a pretty big man and filled up two couch cushions. "They are not happy about the human. If you choose him, watch the pack closely. With shit in an uproar on the political side of things and hate groups popping up everywhere, the wolves are hesitant to let a human into our pack."
It was understandable. Rick had been receiving reports from other changeling groups that they were losing their shifters to brutal attacks.
Humans who thought them abominations were burning down homes they suspected belonged to changelings. Some changelings left for work or school and simply never returned. Others were beaten so badly that some didn't survive.
Rick was frustrated as hell. He was alpha, but he found out about an incident after it had happened. It seemed the harder he fought to keep his pack safe, the harder the humans fought to destroy them.
And Miguel had nominated Dorian.