Bound to the Alpha

15. Council

Angelina woke up early.

She could barely remember the events from last night. It took her a while to conjure the images from Red Spot. She had to focus her brain to dredge up the gaps between the things she recalled. Some things were hazy but she willed herself to remember despite the slight twinge that throbbed at her temple.

After they had left the club, Mason drove them home in utter silence. Leo was swiftly forgotten when they arrived at the Pack House. She had been shocked when Mason walked her all the way to her bedroom door. He murmured a quiet 'goodnight'. By then, Angelina was already half-asleep on her teetering feet. She cracked open her door, stripped out of the dress and scrubbed the makeup off from her face. She was barely awake by the time she pulled on a silk gown and snuggled under the layer of sheets draped across her bed. She was tired beyond thinking, so it was easy to sink into a deep slumber.

Now that the sun was streaming into her room, she couldn't just stay in bed any longer.

She caught sight of the business card Leo had extended to her. It sat untouched on the bedside table. She plucked it from its place, holding it to her view. She would keep it close for now.

She forced her legs to take her to the shower. She needed a good, hot shower before she could function properly. It felt like there were cobwebs clouding her memory. When the steam clouded the mirrors, she tugged off her gown and stepped below the cascade of hot water. She moaned, letting the water drench her hair and relax her muscles.

It didn't take long to get ready. After moisturising and drying her hair, she pulled on a pair of ass hugging jeans from the pile of clothes in her suitcase and a slightly translucent turtleneck that exposed her obsidian bra. She bundled her hair into a bun and tugged on some ankle boots with no heels. Her feet were still aching from last night's adventure. She had made herself proud for avoiding face-to-face contact with the floor.

Downstairs, everyone had already made their way to the kitchen. Casper was the first to catch sight of her from his peripheral as she approached the kitchen. A pan of hashbrowns sizzled on the stove and the waft of creamy, scrambled eggs, freshly pressed juice and seasoned bacon floated around the kitchen. She breathed in deep, relishing the tantalising smell.

"You arrived just in time." Riley spoke first, arranging plates around the table, "We were wondering when you would be joining us next."

She observed Drake who was already seated. He winked in her direction without a word. Dani thumped the latter's back in exasperation. Riley plopped beside Drake, stealing a sip of the green concoction in his glass cup. She promptly gagged, swiping her lips. "That's disgusting stuff there Drake. How can you even swallow that?"

Mason sat the head of the table, his gaze raking over her in a timely manner. "Join us."

Angelina wasn't quite sure if it was a smart move to take a seat. Mason hadn't been angry but rather annoyed last night before they separated into their own bedrooms. This morning, there was an added layer of tension in his body.

"You seem tense." Angelina spoke, claiming the empty spot beside Dani. She blatantly ignored Casper's scowl. She probably had stolen his seat. Oops.

"Don't mind him. It's Council Meeting today." Drake informed her. "We have one every month."

"I heard that your Pack had a Council. How does it work?"

"What have you heard?" Mason probed. He was probably wondering how much she already knew.

"There's twelve of you? Six men and women?"

"Anything else?" Drake piped up.

"No. In truth, I thought it was a rumour but clearly I was wrong."

"Oh, it's very real. In fact, you're looking at almost half of the Council members at this table." Drake revealed, taking great pleasure at her shock. "We all have something we're in charge of in the Pack. I'm the male Head Enforcer. Casper deals with all the complicated paperwork and computer stuff. Mason is obviously the Alpha, self-explanatory. Then we have Riley. She takes care of the finances and business of the Pack. Dani is the female Head Enforcer. We also have Tamsyn. She's the Healer. Her Mother Irene -scary woman- stay clear from her. She takes care of the education in the Pack. I've heard you met Lucien, our Beta. He takes care of things Mason can't immediately attend to. We also have Wren. You won't see her a lot. She's away at university finishing off her engineering degree. She'll be our Head Designer. We also have Evan, Riley's brother who is a great blacksmith. Makes the coolest blades around and we also have Killian, Mason's old man who acts as the Peacemaker or neutral party of the Council."