Chapter 132 132. A New Cooperation
Tabitha’s POV
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Alpha Eliott announces, lifting his glass once more. “Allow me to introduce our special guests tonight. Augustus Kingsley and his son, Andrew Kingsley.”
The room responds with polite murmurs and raised glasses, but I barely hear any of it. I am too busy staring at Andrew standing beside his father. My brain lags behind the sight in front of me, as if it needs a moment to process that my friend is standing at the center of this gathering of Alphas and power players. What’s crazy is that they’re humans! And the kind who are probably not aware of the existence of werewolves—much more the fact that they are surrounded by them right now!
Andrew scans the crowd until his eyes land on me. He smiles and winks. I manage to return a shaky smile. He has no idea that this place is brimming with predators. During the Tropical Thunder Circuit, there were plenty of humans around, but tonight is different! This is an all out werewolf gathering with only a handful of humans like me, humans who know what they are standing among. The Kingsleys are walking into a territory they do not even realize exists.
Beside me, Luca clears his throat and reaches for a passing staff member’s tray. He takes a glass of champagne and brings it to his lips while frowning.
Alpha Eliott steps down from the podium and greets Augustus with a firm handshake. He speaks animatedly as he guides him toward the other Alphas and some important guests. I watch as Augustus is folded into a circle that includes Alpha Emery, my mom, Alpha Yoseff Beckett, and Luna Irina. Arthur steps in to greet him as well, and Andrew drifts a little farther out.He does greet Elsie, Evelyn, and Melanie, whom he has already met a few times before. He also exchanges a curt nod with Arthur.
At some point, Alpha Emery lifts his hand and gestures in our direction. The group turns, and they begin walking toward us.
“There goes my one minute of fun,” Jace exhales as he taps Reed and Evren on the shoulder. “It’s networking time, boys.”
“Fuck,” Reed mutters, draining his glass in one gulp. “I should’ve grabbed more booze. I’m way too sober for this shit.”
They reach us moments later. Alpha Emery smiles.
“Augustus, allow me to introduce my sons—Luca, Evren, Jace, and Reed.”
Augustus studies them with interest. “Are they all the same age?” he asks curiously.
Alpha Emery lets out a short laugh. “Yes. My first wife gave birth to quadruplets.”
“Fascinating.” Augustus nods while staring at the brothers as if he’s never seen anything like them before.
Alpha Emery turns slightly and places a hand near my shoulder. “And this is my stepdaughter, Tabitha,” he says. “She’s a remarkable girl, this one.”
I smile and dip my head.
“Tabitha?” Augustus repeats, then glances at Andrew. “Is this the friend you have been telling me about, Andrew?”
“Yes, she’s the one,” Andrew confirms and punctuates it with a quick wink in my direction.
The sharp sound of breaking glass cuts through the moment. I flinch and turn around to see Reed holding what is left of his champagne glass, the stem snapped clean in his grip. Every eye turns toward him.
“My bad,” Reed says flatly. “Guess the glass couldn’t handle me.”
“Reed…” Alpha Emery says, his voice low with warning.
Alpha Eliott laughs and waves it off. “It is quite all right,” he assures him. “What is a party without a few broken glasses?” He signals to a staff member. “Please take care of that.”
Once the glass is cleared, Alpha Eliott claps his hands once.
“Now,” he says, smiling broadly, “let us have dinner served!”
Guests begin to move as staff guide everyone toward long tables draped in white linen. We are escorted to a table near the front, and I quickly understand that this is where Alpha Eliott and his family are going to sit as well, along with the Becketts, the Aldairs, Augustus, Andrew, and a handful of faces I recognize from Alpha Emery and my mom’s engagement party. This is the definitely the VIP table, alright.
As we walk, Andrew falls into step beside me and grins. “So… parties, huh?”
I smile despite myself. “I know, right? Looks like you are getting the full Kaelara experience.”
He chuckles.
“This island has a personality. It never fails to surprise me every week.”
We both laugh. Then, he glances at me.
“By the way, you look stunning tonight.”
“Thank you,” I say, smiling. “You clean up pretty nice too.”
I take my seat just as Andrew reaches for the chair beside me. But Jace gets there first and sits down without hesitation. He even throws Andrew a smug look. Reed claims the seat on my other side immediately after. Evren sits next to Jace, and Luca takes the chair beside Reed.
“Oops. Seats are occupied here. You might wanna find another one, Circuit King,” Jace drawls as chews on the olive from his margarita.
I give Andrew an apologetic look, but he only smiles and takes the chair beside his father at the adjacent seats. Alpha Emery and my mom sit on my left beside Luca, while Alpha Eliott and his family occupy the adjacent seats with the Becketts and Kingsleys. This table sure is long because it stretches to accommodate more than twenty five people!
As the staff begins serving the food, the conversation easily begins to flow.
“Emery Aldair…” Augustus starts, turning toward Alpha Emery. “I have heard a great deal about you.”
Alpha Emery smirks. “Let’s hope they were worth hearing.”
Augustus smiles faintly. “From what I have gathered, your leadership has kept Kaelara stable in times when many islands failed to hold their ground in terms of maritime safety,” he says. “That is no small feat.”
“Kaelara has been the home of my grandfathers and their grandfathers,” Alpha Emery says, lifting his glass slightly. “Generations of my family have served these waters, and I intend to leave them safer than I found them. As naval commander, that responsibility never leaves my shoulders.”
I sip on my water as I feel Jace mentally sneering through the mindlink.
“How astounding. On the surface, Kaelara appears to be just like any other developing island in the country. But who would’ve known that it has such a rich history?”