Chapter 171 – Separation
Ella
When Sinclair left, all my wolf wanted to do was climb up to the highest tower of the Prince’s palace and howl into the sky, to cry out for our mate until our combined voices went hoarse. Instead I allowed myself a single hour of wallowing – I climbed into a bubble bath, turned on the saddest song I could find and cried until my tears ran dry. Afterwards I pulled myself together and got dressed, even though I could feel Sinclair slipping further and further away with every minute that passed.
We’ve never been this far apart since my wolf woke, and I’m amazed by how keenly I can feel his absence. As he drove away, Sinclair’s beloved voice continued to sound in my mind, I love you, Ella. I love you, Rafe. But it faded in perfect synchrony with the widening gulf between our hearts, and eventually it went completely silent. Now the only way we’ll be able to communicate through our bond is in dreams, otherwise we’re stuck with the technologies I knew as a human: cell phones and emails.
I know the best thing for my agitated wolf is to keep busy, so I start my day by meeting Cora and Gabriel in the King’s study, to begin planning the political summit Sinclair suggested. My sister is still half-asleep and sulking about the fact that Sinclair left Roger behind as added protection for us, but she offers me a sympathetic squeeze all the same. “How are you doing?” She murmurs, her arms locked around my back.
“Well I mate it out of bed and I’m not crying anymore… so better than expected.” I confess, burying my face in her neck.
“Tsk, poor thing.” Cora replies, rubbing my back. A note of humor enters her voice then, “My intrepid wolf sister, brought to her knees by a boy. I never thought I’d see the day.” She teases, even though this isn’t truly a fair assessment.
Sometimes I think my big sister is blinded by the relationship we had as children, because though she’s remarkably perceptive about my personality in many ways, there are other facets that go over her head completely. She sees the protector, the martyr who suffered without complaint and then shut out all the pain for so many years. She doesn’t see the love-starved girl so desperate for affection that she settled for scraps from a scoundrel. No, in fact if there’s one of us who avoids attachments at all costs- it’s her. Even as I think it, two new scents enter the room, as if they heard my inner musings and appeared to prove me right.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t let Dominic hear you call him a ‘boy’.” Roger’s husky voice has Cora pulling abruptly away from me, a scowl on her pretty face. He and Henry are framed in the doorway, though my sister doesn’t seem to notice my father-in-law at all. Her full focus is on Roger.
“What are you doing here?” Cora inquires rudely.
I give her a little pinch on her arm, and she yelps and pinches me back,” Hey!”
“Play nice.” I instruct in a low mutter, even though I know the men can hear us perfectly well.
“TelI him.” Cora snipes, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to look at the wolf now grinning at her like the cat who caught the canary.
I shoot Roger a withering look, and he has the decency to wipe the smirk from his face. “Alright.” Gabriel chuckles, taking the opportunity to steer us back to the matter at hand. “Let’s talk about the summit, we’ve got a lot of work to do and not much time to make it happen.”
“What exactly are we expecting?” I inquire, trying to recall the details Sinclair had shared with me in between sessions of our marathon lovemaking.
“Well, if all the Alpha’s turn up we’ll be looking at about twenty pack leaders with their mates, betas and guards.” The King explains. “We have gatherings of this sort a couple of times a year, so luckily my staff is well versed in housing, feeding and entertaining the lot – that isn’t anything we have to worry about.”
This is some relief, but my mind is lingering on all the refugees sleeping on rough cots in the camp near the air field. “What exactly is the palace’s full capacity? In terms of the number of shifters it can house?”
“We can support a few hundred people – not all at the same level of luxury of course. The guards and lower ranked members of each delegation will join my own in more modest quarters. Alphas will have suites similar to yours and Dominic’s, and betas somewhere in between.” Gabriel answers thoughtfully. “Why?”
“Well I know it’s not what we’re here to discuss right now, but I’ve been thinking about finding better lodging for the refugees from the continent. I hate leaving them in such stark conditions.” I frown. “I was wondering if we might be able to put them up here, though I know that’s a huge imposition.”
Gabriel offers me a gentle smile. “It wouldn’t be, but I’m not sure that’s the best option. We could feed them and put a roof over their heads, they could be near their leaders,” he acknowledges, nodding to me. “But in my experience coming into the lap of luxury when you’ve just lost everything you own can be a cruel reminder, and the palace isn’t exactly the warmest environment. I would suggest finding local families willing to offer their guest rooms so that the refugees can have a sort of home stay. Between us, we could find a way to supplement incomes to support the extra mouths being fed, and the shifters from the continent would be welcomed into the arms of a real family and a real home.”
“I like that idea.” I agree, “and it would also help them integrate into the community here, to feel accepted. If there’s resistance to their presence among your own pack, this would also be an important way to build support. It would be especially good for the orphans.” I add, my mind returning to the children. “Maybe we could even place some of the parents who lost pups with the unaccompanied minors.”
Henry smiles, “Brilliant. Though you’ll have a time convincing Isabel to give them up.”
He has a point. The she-wolf I place in charge of the orphans has taken the job to heart, becoming a fierce protector and loving guardian for each of the parentless pups. The orphan tent has become something of a sanctuary under her leadership, and I doubt she’ll want to relinquish her new babies to other families. “I’ll talk to her.” I vow, “besides it’s good to have someone like Isabel in charge of placing the children anyway, she’ll ensure the foster families are top notch.”
“Ella’s right.” Cora pipes up, sending me a meaningful glance full of understanding, appreciation and bitter memory. ‘You can’t be too careful with children in these circumstances. And we could move her and the unplaced pups here in the meantime.”
“Agreed.” Gabriel nods, “And your point about public sentiment here is well taken. That is going to be one of our challenges with the pack leaders at the summer. If Damon continues to expel people at these rates, we’re
going to need to expand homestay placements outside of the capital. No shifter would begrudge the wolves fleeing his violence, but some of the leaders will be worried about the strain on their resources. I can think of a few particularly stingy Alphas who will require significant funding before agreeing to such a thing.”
“Sinclair has plenty of money to spare, even with the war effort.” Henry assures Gabriel, and I belatedly realize I don’t know the first thing about my mate’s finances. I know he’s a billionaire, but I don’t truly understand the extent of his wealth or liquidity – especially after fleeing the continent. My father-in-law turns to me now, ‘You two might have to make some hard decisions between winning the war and saving enough to rebuild afterwards, but I think that’s a ways down the road. For now I can work with you to appropriate funds to support the refugee efforts.”
“Thank you.” I profess, squeezing his hand before turning back to the King.” And the rest of the summit? What do we need to worry about most?”
‘Well, by the time they arrive, most of the Alpha’s will have already made up their minds about whether or not they’ll offer an alliance. One or two might withhold judgement to see which way the others vote – to follow the popular tide as it were.” Gabriel explains. “Still, I think I can fairly predict who will be for and against you. It will be our job to focus on the latter.
There are four or five Alphas whose minds you’ll have to change, and we need to structure the events around the summit so you can do that, Ella.”
At first, I assumed he was speaking to all of us as a team, but when Gabriel calls me out by name, I blink in surprise. “Me?” I utter dumbly.
“Who else?” The King laughs.
“But I’m not… they don’t even… why? How?” I stammer, sounding painfully uncertain of myself.
“Because Dominic will have demonstrated his strength and leadership and made all the logical arguments.” Gabriel answers easily, “Where logic cannot sway, there is only emotion, and if anyone can soften their hearts to the cause, it’s you. And as for the how? All you have to do is be yourself.”
I can’t quite believe my ears. I thought that my usefulness to Sinclair was strongest in terms of supporting him, not in the actual politics. “If that’s true, then why didn’t Dominic take me with him?” I question. “I mean I know he was worried but, if I can actually help…” I trail off, doubting my mate’s explanations for the first time.
“Because we don’t want to give them too much time to think about it.” Gabriel shares slyly. The logic will be weighing on them for weeks, and the emotional impact will move them in the moment, but it will likely wear off after a few days. That’s why Dominic decided to do it this way. You can stay safe here with us while he travels and plants seeds in the minds of the leaders, then we bring them here – and you make them bloom.”
My wolf swells with pride, but at the same time I have to wonder. “I don’t get it. If this was the plan all along, why didn’t he tell me?”
“Because,” Henry smiles gently. ‘You wouldn’t talk to him.”
I flush scarlet. “Right.” I owe my mate a big apology.
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