Scarred

Chapter 28: Unpleasant Surprises

I released more than one chapter at the same time. Make sure you started from Chapter 27 before you read this one. :)

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"It's time, Lucienne. Are you prepared?" Michael asked as he extricated them from their conversation. She heard a slight undertone of worry in his mental voice as he added, "There is no going back once you have been publically declared my Ruach. I wish you to be certain."

"Yes, Michael, I'm certain," she replied, reassuring him with her firm tone. "I will stand by your side gladly."

She heard a very faint growl rumble in his chest and a frisson of pleasure ran through her at the sound. She squeezed his hand again and smiled at him before looking over the Alphas whose attention was quickly focusing on them.

Michael began his welcoming speech, and Lucienne kept her attention on the crowd, only listening with half an ear for the moment when he would introduce her. Not exactly an easy task since the perfect beauty of his voice never failed to draw her in and wrap her up in its splendor.

She focused and scanned the crowd, suppressing a laugh when Carol gave her a toothy smile and a thumbs up while Christian merely sighed and rolled his eyes. As playful and joking as the pair seemed to be, she knew from their preliminary meetings they both had a steel core and she was happy to have them as allies in the crowd. After all, while most of the Alphas had expressed true pleasure for Michael having found his Ruach, there were a few that had been less than thrilled.

Not that it's a problem in of itself. Some of them might simply be concerned about potential shifts in negotiations and agreements. Still, they all need to be watched, she thought to herself.

"We have special tidings before we bring ourselves to business today," she heard Michael say and shifted her attention fully back to him since she knew her introduction was coming up.

"There are few events that hold greater meaning to vampires and shifters alike, than finding one's other half. Whether we choose to call them our mates or our Ruachs, that moment is cause for celebration. Today we not only gather for a momentous meeting of Alphas, but also to celebrate a bonding. I wish to present to you all my Ruach, Lady Lucienne Moore," Michael finished to applause as she stepped forward slightly, smiling at him before turning to the crowd.

"Thank you," she began in a strong voice, treating this just like any of the presentations she'd had to make to her VP at work. "A bonding truly is an extraordinary event. I am incredibly blessed that I can count myself among those who have found their other half, and I can hardly believe how lucky I am that my Ruach is Michael," she said, casting a quick smile at the flash of surprise and pleasure on his face. After all, she'd put together her speech with his input, but that was a little something she'd inserted on her own for him. She turned back to the crowd, noting most of the faces were smiling before she continued. "I look forward to strengthening the bonds between us all as this gathering proceeds, and..."

She gasped in surprise as Michael suddenly pulled her back and almost lazily plucked something from the air where she'd been standing before. There was a blur of motion and a moment later Elijah and Silas stepped forward holding a man between them.

Looks like a shifter. I wonder who his Alpha is? she thought to herself as she quickly turned her eyes to scan the crowd for reactions, noticing that Keane was still conspicuously absent.

Michael held up his hand to show everyone the dart he'd caught, and she heard a number of low growls from the shifters. Clearly a lot of them were not happy about the attempt, which was a positive sign for the rest of the proceedings.