Chapter 165: A Seat She Never Expected

Nova looked down at the box, then back up at the head omega, then at Alpha Thunderfang, still not understanding.

"For you to open right now and put on," he stated, in a tone most people reserved for ordering an execution.

"For me?" she asked because she thought she might have misheard that.

"Yes," the head omega answered. "My name is Don, by the way. Here, let me help you, Mrs. Thunderfang." He lifted the white box out of her hands and drew out a holo-band. "Your ID is on there, and money, and a way to contact you."

Nova’s brain short-circuited at Mrs. Thunderfang and flatlined completely at ID.

ID. Money. A way to be reached as if people wanted to reach her. Three things Nova had never been permitted to own, delivered together, by a smiling man named Don, like a starter pack for being a person.

Alpha Thunderfang appeared to not even have heard ’Mrs. Thunderfang’ because he was looking in the opposite direction.

She looked up at the back of Alpha Thunderfang’s head, her chin beginning a tremble that was about to make Don deeply uncomfortable.

"T-thank you. This is very kind of you, Alpha Thunderfang."

He didn’t say anything or turn around.

Don fastened the holo-band on her without a word. Nova did not have the heart to tell him that her last name was Emberclaw. Alpha Thunderfang didn’t seem to hear it, so no harm no foul.

"I like this one, Alpha," Don announced before turning on his heel.

Alpha Thunderfang was already walking again. Nova moved quickly to keep up.

They entered the war room. Nova knew a war room when she saw one because she used to clean Alpha Starborne’s war room. Standing in one while not cleaning was a brand-new genre of confusing.

Then she saw Maria, and, to her genuine surprise, Maverick, bent over a glowing holo-table beside Tavian, walking him through how Emberclaw ran its defenses differently, the two of them collaborating like some Alpha study-abroad program.

That would never, not in a thousand years, have happened under Alpha Starborne’s roof. Yet here it was, trust built brick by brick while she wasn’t looking, and it warmed something in her chest she’d thought had frozen over for good.

More captains filtered in.

Maria, Maverick, and Tavian looked up, clocking her at the same moment.

"There is my partner in crime." Maria closed the distance, pulling Nova into a hug like it had been years.

Maverick was right behind her, pulled Nova into one of his own, then drew back examining her neck bruises.

Tavian fired off a pair of finger guns from across the room. "Nova. I heard you saved an Alpha’s life today."

Nova didn’t have a response for him. She wasn’t aware that was the official version of the story until right now. The Alpha had apparently decided she was a hero, which explained why she got to soak before he showered. Technically she did save his life. She had also been standing on his bed and he said nothing after so she wasn’t sure what to think.

"Astra had the soak you’d referenced in stock," Alpha Thunderfang commented. "I wasn’t a believer until I saw it. She said it made a world of difference."

Nova’s lips parted in surprise. Maverick was who suggested that soak. And Alpha Thunderfang had heard her earlier. She had mentioned it made a difference but she wasn’t sure if he had been listening then.

"Faster than I expected, honestly," Maverick replied to Alpha Thunderfang. "Glad it worked."

Nova watched two Alphas be reasonable at each other and felt the specific vertigo of witnessing something that shouldn’t be possible.

Astra entered next. She stopped in front of Nova, inspected her neck, then gave Maverick a nod of approval. "I have never prescribed that before but I stand corrected. But I can see it. Good call, Alpha Emberclaw."

Maverick accepted the credit without any hesitation. "I have my moments."

Why they were worried about her neck over her shoulder was beyond her. She thought they had moved past the neck bruises but apparently she was incorrect.

"Come sit by me, Nova." Maria didn’t wait for an answer. She looped her arm through Nova’s good one and steered her towards two seats along the side, dropping into one and patting the other with the authority of a woman who had claimed real estate on Nova’s behalf before Nova knew she wanted it.

Maverick pointed two fingers between Maria and Nova, already half-turned towards the door. "Don’t have too much fun without me."

"No promises," Maria called after him.

Alpha Thunderfang stood at the head, Tavian at his right shoulder with a drink he had clearly carried in from the lounge and had no intention of apologizing for.

The doors opened. Sebastian came through with Sierra. He caught Nova’s eye across the room and dipped his chin at her before taking the seat at Alpha Thunderfang’s other side. Sierra slid into the chair next to Nova, which sandwiched Nova between her and Maria.

More people entered. A cluster of captains. High-ranking officers. A handful of elders. Astra was already seated among a group that Nova assumed were the master experts in certain fields for the pack.

Somewhere between watching another captain enter and an elder sit, Nova realized this was a real meeting that she was being included in.

Today was full of firsts for her.

Then the doors opened one more time and Dante Vaelstrom walked in.

Nova sat up. Beside her, Maria did the same, both of them lighting up at once like someone had turned a lamp on under each of their ribs. Dante caught it, the twin reaction, and the corner of his mouth moved as he lowered himself into a seat.

Alpha Thunderfang spotted him across the table and leaned back. "Special occasion?"

"Every day is a special occasion when you reach my age, Alpha. You wake up, you check." Dante folded his hands over his stomach. "Freya’s upstairs having tea with the High Luna, so I made myself scarce before I became the topic of it."

Alpha Thunderfang’s gaze moved to him, and something in his posture eased by a degree.

"Glad to have you, Elder Vaelstrom."

The door shut with a click. Alpha Thunderfang was the only person standing and he got down to business right away.

"For everyone who wasn’t here yesterday, my engagement to the Emberclaw princess ended yesterday morning. And for everyone outside of my Beta: the Starborne princess was arrested this morning in my chambers."

He announced the end of his engagement and an arrest the way most people announced the weather, and the elders went off like a kicked hornet’s nest.