Tears of the Moon

Diplomatic Discussions

Golden candlelight streamed down from a grand chandelier made of interlaced deer antlers and bronze spiraled vines of ivy, casting a warm glow throughout the village meeting lodge. The ornate light fixture elegantly dangled from the lofty center arch of the ceiling, with years of white candle wax mournfully dripping over its sides. A rambunctious crowd had been spilling in through the large wooden double doors, filling the log cabin's walls to the brim with a bunch of noisy mongrels. The lycan's seemed to have their own sort of style, as everyone was dressed in somewhat old-fashioned, almost gypsy-like attire. 

The pack council consisted of five mated pairs, all who sat at a long wooden table facing the howling horde. As the council spokesperson, Costache with the mustache and his mate, Crina, sat in the middle. I, however, was sitting in a chair beside the table, facing the crowd like a disgruntled curmudgeon. Haiden sat faithfully at my side. His grabby hand was latched onto my upper arm like a shackle, while one knee was angled out in front of my legs in a possessive manner.

Crina had stopped by earlier to let us know about the pack meeting, and also to thoughtfully lend me some of her spare clothing. She was very nice but extremely quirky. Out of boredom, I quickly glanced over to see her looking at an old record book. She immediately looked up and waved, with a big smile on her face and excitement twinkling in her bright silvery eyes. Her messy brunette top bun matched Costache's, making them truly look like two peas in a pod. I sighed and looked down, then smoothed my hand along the frilly skirt of the emerald green dress I had on. 

Haiden also fidgeted, catching my attention. I really, really, hated to admit it, but he did look mouth-wateringly handsome. He wore a navy blue jacket over a loose white shirt which was laced up along the deep V-neck, and black pants which hugged his muscular thighs and unremitting erection. His dark hair was pulled back in a half-up style, with its slightly wavy length falling just an inch or two past his shoulders. He noticed me accidentally eyeballing him up, then cockily smirked as I hastily looked away.

...Oh for fuck's sake, here we go... I thought to myself while he slowly leaned his face in next to my ear.

"No need to look away, dragostea mea. I already know that you like what you see. And I assure you, you'll be seeing a lot more once we return home." He purred.

"Unless you're planning to take your pants off so you can go fuck yourself, then please keep your goddamn clothing on." I gritted in agitation.

"Alright, alright, settle down everyone. Settle down." Costache's voice boomed over the unintelligible chatter and growls filling the room, while he clapped his hands to get the unruly pack's attention.

The crowd quieted down to a few hushed murmurs, while they all spun around once before taking their seats in the squeaky foldup chairs provided. A paper airplane swirled overhead, then crashed into the wall, as Costache cleared his throat, readying to speak.  

"Good evening everyone, and thank you all for coming." He formally greeted. "It seems like we've got quite the turnout tonight." 

"Most of us are here because we heard that there's some juicy gossip to be discussed." Some random lady hollered. Probably the village busybody. 

"Yes, yes, I am aware that that's what convinced most of you to crawl out of your homes and attend one of these humdrum meetings tonight." Costache held his hand up. "Now, let's just get right to it then. I know that most of you have been hearing a peculiar rumor spreading around the village today. And I'm here to say that, yes, it's completely true. Haiden does indeed have a human mate."

A clamor of shocked gasps and low murmurers filled the room as if that was the most unbelievable thing they'd ever heard. I rolled my eyes, wondering how shocking could it really be with the way the oversized bonehead had me imprisoned in his steely clutches. As if I honestly might try to idiotically sprint through a crowd of literal lycans, straight out the door, and into the unknown wilderness at any second... My eyes shifted to the door.