Game of Power Ch. 01

There was pure silence that followed. Although their romping scene was temporary, their word to the Windsor Alphas was life binding. Go back on your word and dire consequences pursued. No one could quite remember the last time a pack broke their words to the Windsors or The Council.

Wolves mated every day and no one ever went through the trouble of acknowledging it formally. But the case of two separate Alphas mating held more importance in their society. The number of shape shifters possessing the necessary Alpha traits—leadership, protectiveness, and dominance—was miniscule compared to their overall population numbers. It was a way to keep track of who was living where, who they were mated with, and the possibility of their offspring having the same traits. If the number of Alphas ever got too concentrated in one area, actions would have to be taken before a war of territories began. Their strict policies were for the safety and good of their entire race.

Still tightly embracing the small woman in his arms, the man cleared his throat of the wolf's growl that threatened to come out. He managed to find his voice, "I, Oliver Tremblay, Sir Alpha of the Tremblay Pack of Quebec, Canada, accept tradition and vow to be joined with my mate in body and spirit by the next Wolf Moon."

A grin flashed brightly on the blonde haired woman as she happily looked up at her new lover. Taking a deep sigh to calm herself, her blue eyes fell on the royal twins. "And I, Elizabeth Wilson, heir to be Lady Alpha of Australia's southern territory, accept traditions and vow to be joined with my mate in body and spirit by the next Wolf Moon."

"Let your words bind you to your actions. I count all in attendance tonight as witnesses to this destined pair." Airami nodded formally, raising her arm and circling it around to motion the on-looking crowd.

"I introduce you all to the newly mated pair, Oliver Tremblay and Elizabeth Wilson!" Daniel announced to all, and applause broke out again. His voice still rang high and clear over the noise, "Our night has only just begun and we've already been gifted by Luna! Remember what we're here for. And even if you aren't lucky enough to be introduced to your destined one, enjoy yourself! You are all honored guests, feel free to eat, drink, and dance to your heart's content. After all, we do only gather once every half a century."

The violin of the musicians in the corner started up, followed by its fellow instruments. Everyone returned to their previous activities and formerly paused conversations broke out again. The tight ring around the mated pair dissolved, as family and friends eagerly rushed forward to congratulate their loved ones.

"Accompany me to get a drink, m'lady?" Airami heard from beside her. Making eye contact, Daniel smirked. He formally bowed to her in an over-exaggerated manner. She couldn't help but giggle and take the proffered arm.

"So tell me. What did you think of them? Besides their show, your feelings on that are quite clear."

Airami snorted at his question. The two of them moved through the ballroom with grace and poise. Trying to move around this many people would have been difficult for anyone else, but their sea of guests seemed to automatically mold and shift so the duo could get by with ease.

"I'm just surprised that they knew had to correctly state the Binding Agreement without us having to say it for them."

"You can be cruel sometimes, Sweet Sister."

"Oh, you love it." The brunette grinned devilishly, letting go of Daniel's arm when they arrived at the self-serve drink station. Daniel reached over and filled an Old Fashioned glass with ice and then took a flute glass to fill with more champagne. A nearby Omega, who had been assisting guests with their drinks, immediately rushed over to them.

"Duke Alpha, I would be more than happy to do that for you, sir."

Daniel waved him off, "It's no matter. Please, Harry, attend to our guests. Thank you for your assistance though."

Harry nodded, and then turned to Airami who waited for the glass of champagne that her brother was fixing for her.

"Madam Alpha, I received notice from the door's keep that more guests have arrived in the foyer. The American party."

"It's about time." Airami huffed, shaking her head. She sighed and eyed Harry seriously. "Be sure that they do not touch or break anything on their way to the ballroom. We have far too many fragile items that they could lay eyes on."

The Omega wait staff seemed amused, but nodded and briefly bowed at the waist before leaving to convey her message. Their Omega's usually did not serve them and cater to them hand-and-foot like they were tonight. The ball was extremely old-fashioned, but Airami loved the regal formality of it. When it was first held, Omegas were the obvious choice to serve higher ranking guests. Currently, their pack knew the importance of tonight's occasion and many volunteered for the role of wait staff so that the night could progress smoothly.

Hundreds of years ago, Omegas were treated like servants all the time. It was never optional. It wasn't until Airami's parents reigned as Duke and Duchess Alpha did they begin to get more liberties and be treated as equals. It was the twenty-first century now, but the lower ranks of the packs were still the ones whose duties were to cook, clean, and other manual labors of housekeeping.

The night was young, but it could be considered smooth so far. For one, the mating that had just happened did not cause any damage. Last time, a male had fully shifted to his lupine state and had torn a tapestry to shreds to get across the room to his female.

"I highly doubt that they would break anything." Daniel said sipping the whiskey he had poured himself. "Perhaps something that glitters will catch their eye and tempt them to put it in their pockets.

Airami snorted. Their distaste for certain packs didn't come without reason. For centuries, all Alphas of all different nations and cultures had joined together at this gala. It's held one day every fifty years and many times certain guests are not able to attend. Whenever there was a death of a preceding Alpha or an Alpha lost the challenge to his ranking, the packs needed time to recover and organize themselves. Attending a party was simply out of the question. Every time the Americans regrouped and attended, they were rowdy and loud, and when Airami conversed with them she found them highly obnoxious.

While the two of them got a moment to themselves, a small girl approached them and asked Daniel if she could have his next dance. As the gentlemanly thing to do, he agreed and was whisked away to impress the room with his excellent coordination during the waltz. Airami was left alone for no more than a few seconds, but Maryse managed to find her again. She was going to need something a lot stronger than champagne with his woman was going to follow her like a devoted pup all night long.

"So exciting to see a mating happen so early! Do you expect that we will have many more?" the French woman gushed. Maryse was already mated with a man that belonged to a bordering pack; she hadn't met him at this event. As to why she made a point to come every year, it was purely political.

"Perhaps several others, depending on who attends that hasn't met everyone already. Though, I don't how many more Bindings I'll be able to handle."

"Oh, those old things. I understand their importance, but aren't they such a formality? Traditions are getting a little old. I think a change would suffice—"

"A change?" Airami's eyes cut to her, interrupting her mid-sentence. "Need I remind you they are the foundation of our civilization? Traditions are followed for a reason. We follow the guidelines of our ancestors, ensuring that we learn from the mistakes of Luna's first shifters."

"I didn't mean anything by it. I mean the formality of it all must be tiring after all," Maryse defended herself sheepishly.

Airami sneered. "Tiring? I do not find being a civilized, proper, and well-raised Duchess Alpha of all allied packs to be tiring, Maryse. You'll do well to watch your tongue. I'm growing weary of hearing your insignificant ideas of change time after time."

Airami knew the French woman could easily continue on with this debate, but she was smarter. It was never a good idea to argue with a Windsor. Especially Airami; she wasn't opposed to shifting and putting Maryse in her place if she needed reminding.

Their conversation didn't get a chance to continue. The grand ballroom doors opened. Airami watched as a group of people moved in, an equal mix of men and women. Perhaps ten in total. A few she had met before during previous encounters, but there were young ones present that she didn't recall from memory. One of them caught her eye.

He was gorgeous.

He was neither the biggest man of the group, nor to say he was small. Average. From what Airami could tell from looking at his suit, he fit into it well. His hair was the color of sand, styled longer on the top and trimmed on the sides. His skin was tanned, a sun kissed glow from being outside for long hours. She could sense an Alpha aura around him, but it wasn't dominating or threatening.

He wasn't her type; she didn't aim for her equals. Her lovers had always been pack member in low rank than her. Control was her game and she always won. She never looked high and low for her mate; she preferred the power she gained when claiming men of her pack and ordering them to her bedchambers.

She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. She admired how he sauntered, the movements his chest made with each breath of air, and his handsome features. Airami observed as he gently placed his hand on the elbow of an American woman that walked in with him, leaning dangerously close to her as he whispered into her ear.

Airami's inner wolf snarled, hackles raised aggressively. Why did he have to be so close to her? Even the touching of the elbow bothered her. Why? Why on Earth did she care?

Airami bit her lower lip gently, watching with concern. She saw his lips move and, thankfully, begin to move away from the female.

As if he could feel her locked gaze, he turned his head to look at her. Airami saw the bright eyes of this stranger. Green. No, emerald. Her favorite gem. Unlike her gems, his eyes shined with energy and life. She felt something she never had before; she felt like she was looking his soul, his very existence. And he was looking straight at hers, too.

She heard something she never had before.

A howl.

Not like the one she heard from Tremblay before. This one was entirely different. It was beautiful. It was like sweet music. A song of searching and longing. Her eyes slipped shut in serenity, the wolf inside of her howling in unison. She felt like she was floating on air. When she opened them the next second, she saw it was her gorgeous man making the noise. His head was pointed straight up to the ceiling, his song sadly coming to an end.

Airami could hear the shuffle of feet, the sound of a mass movement. She didn't know where they were all going, but her gaze was transfixed on the sandy-haired man.

He lowered his head and his eyes locked directly on her. Before they were emerald; now they nearly glowed. A power erupted from them, and his wolf was in full control of his body.

Airami couldn't have been even more turned on by that.

She watched him dash across the ballroom floor at a superhuman speed. Her eyes witnessed the events in slow motion. Regardless of his speed, He wasn't moving quick enough for her. A desperate and urgent feeling of longing consumed her and all she could think of was this male she had never met.

He finally made it. Airami didn't know what to do; her mind was too consumed with the high levels of excitement she suddenly felt from his closeness. Luckily he knew exactly what he wanted to do with her. With a dominant growl, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up into the air. Automatically, her arms twined themselves around his shoulders and their lips met.

His lips claimed hers while he held onto her waist firmly. Airami's lips parted for air and he didn't waste a single breath. His tongue eagerly slipped into her mouth and Airami graciously allowed it. His lips were soft, mashed against her. On her chin, she could feel the slight stubble of his face rubbing against her tender skin. She felt everything, her nerves were on fire. She even felt the bulge of his crotch bumping against her leg.

'Mate,' her wolf whispered, nearly purred, to her subconscious. The canine spirit inside of her was taking over, having a new found energy. Airami soon realized her wolf wasn't speaking to her. A male presence was beginning to appear in the silhouetted shape of a massive dire wolf.

The blackened figure howled, though the sound seemed distant to her ears. She heard him beginning to run, getting closer and closer. The pants of his breathing and the drumming of his large paws pounded in her ears. A harsh voice demanded her attention, snarling at her with great force.

'MINE!'

"No!" Airami screamed out loud, breaking the deep kiss in which she was involved.

Her eyes shot open. She escaped her drunken state, wrestling control back from her wolf. Her head was throbbing and she noticed the close proximity of this man. Seizing her arms from his shoulders, she used all of her strength to push herself away from his chest with another shrill scream.

In his surprise, he lost his grip on her waist and she slipped from his grasp. He staggered backwards and she fell to the marble floor.