Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 238 - Human Meeting

Sinclair

It's no easy feat to calm my wolf.

The moment he sees the cold-hearted human who confronted us after Damon's rogue attack at the Solstice, he begins clawing at the surface of my skin, begging to get out. I desperately work to keep my face blank, though I know my mate can sense my surprise and fury. She rests one small hand on my thigh, gently caressing my tense muscles. My wolf relaxes slightly, but not nearly enough. He's growling in my head all the way through the introductions, which take much longer than I'd like.

When it's my turn to greet her, I summon my strength. "Madame Mayor." Somehow I manage to say it without enmity, "I didn’t realize it was you who would be joining us.”

"I think you’ll find I'm the only reason anyone is joining at all." The former Moon Valley mayor, a woman by the name of Sabina Kelly, replies coolly. At first her words don't make sense, but then the video pans out, revealing that she is far from the only guest joining this call. Grim-faced men line the table on either side of her, and though some are as unknown to me as any stranger, others are surprisingly familiar. I see legislators, governors and leading activists from the human world, even a few politicians to whom we reached out with no reply. I can scarcely wrap my mind around the assembled delegates before Sabina is speaking again. "Nor can I rightly claim the title of mayor since Damon saw fit to depose me.”

"Well with all due respect, you are an elected official - Damon is not.” I reply, falling back on my diplomatic training to smooth the troubled waters between us. "So I would prefer to call you by the title your people afforded you."

I'm thankful my mouth is still working, because my mind is reeling. The last time I spoke to this woman she seemed to truly hate me - not that she cared for shifters in general. I'll never forget the way she sneered the words "your kind" at me that day, foisting blame for the attack onto all wolves as if we've all been cut from the same cloth. Of course that was merely one incident in a hundred. I can't remember ever having a productive conversation with her throughout the entirety of our acquaintance.

you." Sabina answers hesitantly. "Though I want to be very clear that we only agreed to this meeting to hear what you have to say. Those of us in power have known about shifters for some time now, but the last month has inflicted lasting scars on our people. We cannot overlook

steadily. "Our own people are suffering gravely under his tyranny, and it is our greatest wish to remove him from power." I turn my gaze on each of the humans individually." Whatever Dmaon has led you to believe

do you think?” A man I

be best if you heard from someone to whom the knowledge of wolf-kind came as a very recent surprise." Gabriel suggests,

on the table. 'Thank you, Gabriel,” She begins hesitantly, "It might surprise you to hearthat, despite my current position, I was raised among humans in Moon Valley. In fact, I believed I was human until a

what makes adjusting so difficult is that shifters are as varied and diverse as any other society." She pauses, making eye contact with each of the faces on the screen. "I would never dream of meeting someone from Sevka and assuming that they represent every being on that continent. There are good and bad

glances at me for reassurance, and my wolf purrs through our bond as she continues. ‘The point is simply that while shifters share a great deal in common biologically, culture and personality are different matters entirely. Damon is, in my opinion, the worst of the worst. It would be a mistake to judge him for being a wolf, because that isn't the proper frame of reference. He didn’t take over our home because he's a shifter, he did it because he's a power-hungry narcissist with too many resources in reach." She purses her lips, uncertain about her next

centuries you lied to us?" Another human counters

sorry,” Ella sighs, "But what nation hasn’t lied to one another in order to advance their own peoples? Have you all

of the activists objects, "as you said, we lived side

Your leaders knew of shifters, and select humans were brought to work with shifters because of their expertise in their fields. Our governments have been working together all along, and though the secrecy among the general

scenario only occurred because of the secrecy, not despite it?" A