Chapter 164 Convergence pt 2
Duncan
She smiled, and for a minute I thought the cheers rolling through the hallway were for her beautiful face. Then her eyes went glassy with tears, and her hand covered her mouth. I turned to see what she was looking at and found my head warrior spinning around, a brunette in his arms smiling down at him.
“That’s two, Duncan! Two fated mates finding each other today!” Seren bounced up and down, her joy infectious. “Oh, I can’t wait to meet them!”
I couldn’t help the grin on my face at seeing her so happy. “Well, come on then. Let’s go join everyone.”
We reached our table and settled in. Gideon and Cora joined Cian and Gwen at the head table on the dais, the Elder Council filling in around them. Our table was the first in front of theirs, a place of honor reserved for Seren as the Princess of the Realm but not the heir. As our team filtered in, taking their seats, I looked around at them. When Alex joined us with his mate, it was an almost physical click. Our entire leadership team was now fully paired with their fated mates. I could feel the power that brought us, and the little seed of hope for our future rooted and bloomed.
Introductions went around. Alex’s mate Iris and Eric’s mate Tabitha were bombarded with questions from Kayla and Seren, while Alexis just sat back and watched with a smile on her face. Alex and Eric were both clearly besotted, and I doubted it would be long before they took their mates to their rooms to bond fully. I met Gideon’s eyes and saw the same hope I felt – he recognized the work of the Goddess here, too, giving us this last piece of strength before we moved into the final battle.
After everyone had eaten, King Cian stood. The chatter died down to silence as everyone looked at him.
“Welcome, everyone, to the territory that was formerly Blood Moon Pack.” He let his gaze pass over the tables packed into the dining area. “This tournament is both a momentous occasion and a sad one. Momentous, because a tournament like this happens once in a lifetime. Sad, because conditions in this pack reached a point where the only answer was to remove the entire leadership group.” He paused again, letting that sink in. “We will not allow our people to be abused. Whether omega or Princess,” he looked at Seren, a soft smile on his face, “everyone deserves safety and respect. I have faith that the new leadership team will remember that and carry it into the future.”
Light applause rippled through the dining hall. When it quieted, Cian continued. “The winners of the tournament will choose a new name for this pack. Blood Moon will be a footnote in our history—a warning to those who come after—showing the cost of pride and greed.” Once again, his gaze swept the room. “Now, those of you who will be participating tomorrow, I recommend you get a good night’s sleep.” Laughter rippled at his words. “Alphas and Lunas, please stay behind after dinner. Betas optional if you choose. We need to have a meeting.”
At his words, several people looked around in concern. Braxton met my eyes from his seat several tables over, but I simply gave a small shake of my head. It wouldn’t be long before the room cleared.
Julian leaned in. “King Dorian and General Zephyr have just arrived,” he whispered to me and Seren. “Tristan wants to know where he should send them.”
“Tell him to bring them here. Cian will probably want to introduce them to the Alphas anyway.” He nodded, then his eyes glazed over as he followed my orders.
Seren leaned her head against my shoulder, stifling a yawn. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her against my chest. “Tired, little wolf?” I murmured.
She nodded. “Today has been a lot. There are so many people! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people in one place before,” she said. “And all I want is to curl up in a fluffy bed and sleep for twelve hours.”
I grinned. “Well, it may not be for twelve hours, but I do know we have a nice, fluffy bed waiting for us. We just need to get through this next meeting.”
The dining hall emptied of everyone except those King Cian had requested, and he signaled for the doors to be shut just after Tristan led King Dorian and General Zephyr in. Elaine waited for them to close, then cast a spell with a few words. Sound suddenly cut off from the hallways. She nodded at Cian, then stepped back.
My father-in-law stood, once again commanding the room from the center of the dais. “First, I’d like to introduce you to our allies. King Dorian Bloodthorne from the Darkshade Coven, his second-in-command General Zephyr Valtheron, and High Priestess Elaine Thorsson from the Sacred Oak Coven.” He indicated each person as he named them. “They’re joining us here today because you’ll be seeing their people around the tournament grounds tomorrow.”