Word Count: 1647

~Brielle

The Alpha's didn't start arriving for another four hours after Ren left me.

Most of that time I spent hurrying around, trying to ensure everything is running smoothly. Almost everyone that I talked to is as nervous as I am. Even Mabel, who won't be seeing the Alpha's in person. Just the idea of them being in the same building as her has left her almost useless to Ambrose, who has failed to calm her down when she realised she would be in charge of cleaning the Alpha's linen when they were done with it.

Others are simply struck by the fact that Ren is having guests. It's an event that is unheard of to those who have worked here many years. Nevertheless, an excited buzz prevails.

Before the guests arrived, I had just enough time to dress in something Ambrose lended me, and allowed Mabel to braid my hair back. Nothing about how I presented myself is amazing. It's not meant to attract attention from anyone.

The first Alpha to arrive was Alpha Jasper of the Devotion Pack.

His security came in first, assessing the situation. Jasper surely would be able to deal with threats, but in a vulnerable position like this one, it would not be ideal. So I give up my name and why I'm here before the Alpha of Devotion wanders in.

Walking in, mate beside him, Jasper seems immediately at ease with the situation. His smile is warm, as if to melt whoever comes victim to it. I find myself flustering over my pracided greeting.

He's just so...Pretty.

The moment that thought comes into my head I scold myself. Each of these Alpha's are blessed with looks that make anyone want to get on their knees and thank the Moon for creating them. So I force a polite smile onto my face, and take the invitation from his hands, pretending like I need to check it to ensure it is him.

Luna Thea, his mate, sends me a soft smile. She has eyes like him - a swirling violet colour full of mystery and unknown.

Other Alpha's follow, each handing me their invitation and politely greeting me. Most didn't pay me much mind, while some were friendlier than others. Most were gracious, and I swear Alpha Isaiah of the Passion Pack winked at me when he passed through. Surely I was seeing things, though.

Once everyone was through, I lingered by the door for a few moments longer. I'm not going to follow them in, but I wish I could. I wish I could hear even a snippet of the conversation between them, as unlikely as that is, considering it's surely private and classified.

For over an hour, I didn't know what to do.

It seemed as though time passed slowly the more I wandered around, checking everyone was doing as they needed, and that everything once they stepped out of their dinner would be perfect.

For the most part, nothing seemed to be wrong. Each time I walked past the closed entrance, the dining room seemed quiet, no heated discussion seeming to go on.

Yet still, I couldn't help but feel anxious. It seems as if I'm worried about Ren, and how this night is going for him. I know he hasn't done this in a long time, and for a reason I haven't figured out yet, I want it to go perfectly. And not just because my job will be on the line. After seeing how nervous Ren seemed to be, I believe it has moved onto me.

"Hey Brielle," Rose says, coming up behind me. She has a tray full of a empty water glasses. "Would you be able to go in and grab the rest of these cups? I would get the kitchen girls to do it, but things seem tense in there and I'm sure Ren would appreciate you in there more than those blushing girls.

"Oh, of course," I say quickly, before she rushes off.

I guess I'm going in, which is the last thing I expected from today. However, I hope Ren will appreciate me being the one to collect the glasses and hear a bit of their conversation. I know the girls from the kitchen will come straight out of it whispering between each other.

When I approach the room, I don't knock. The idea is to be a whisper in the background. Someone who goes unnoticed to them, as not to disturb the important meeting.

Gently pulling the door open, I slip through and into the room.

Everyone is surrounding the table, talking calmly, one at a time. Once I step into the room, many don't take notice. I catch Ren's gaze for a moment, but he doesn't pay me much mind either, turning his attention to the Alpha who's speaking. However, he seems immediately uncomfortable. I can't tell if it's from me, or from the conversation.

"You know we appreciate you being honest," one Alpha says, accent so clipped and precise I know where they are from despite never visiting that Pack. Wisdom Pack. And I assume it's Alden. "A few of us had our assumptions."

I quietly sneak around the table, looking for empty glasses in front of Alpha's or Luna's that I can take back to the kitchen.

"Well, I appreciate everyone being so accommodating," Ren says warmly.

As he speaks, I foolishly raise my gaze up to him. He watches me now, jaw clenched, eyes slightly narrowed. He's no happy I'm in the room. Whatever this conversation is, he doesn't want me to hear.

"We have to stop it though, right?" another Alpha says, a frown upon their rather immaculate features. Their skin is what bothers me the most about them. Always so perfect and youthful. I believe it's Grayson, with those distinguishing stormy grey eyes. "There has to be a cure."

"A cure? Unlikely," Alden quickly reprimands. The smartest man in the room.

I lean over the table, swiping a glass up from in front of Asher, the Alpha of Desire. He smells so wonderfully of jasmine, it takes me by immediate surprise. I feel guilty as my stomach flutters, knowing his mate must be at home. She is quite lucky, but must feel nervous that most females in his presence feel that incriminating feeling in their stomach.

He smiles at me. It's fleeting moment that I respond back to quickly. I don't want to be unprofessional. Especially not in front of Ren.

"I've been trying to put an end to this for a long time," Ren says slowly. He is holding something back, and I have a feeling it's because of me. "At this point, I'm so lost on what to do, which is why I brought this to your attention."

"We will figure something out. I'll take this idea back to my Pack. There are expertise that will help," Alden says to reassure Ren.

What is he hiding?

Consumed with that thought, I lean forward to grab Alpha Noah's half empty glass, however, it slips right out of my hand. With a loud clink, it hits the table, the water spilling out onto the surface, before it washes across and over the side of the table onto the Alpha's lap.

He jumps back slightly, but doesn't react in anger like I assumed he would. Appalled, I grab a few napkins that had been left on the table, handing them to him. I don't want to go dabbing his crotch.

"I'm so sorry Alpha," I say quickly, watching the fabric of the napkins soak up the water.

He glances up at me, eyes of pure emerald green. "That's perfectly okay. It was an accident."

"He would never hold something like this against a girl as pretty as you," Asher taunts from beside us, a smile of pure feline amusement dancing across his face. I find myself blushing, as Noah breezily laughs off Asher's taunt.

Ren clears his throat from the other end of the table. "Okay, none of that."

"Touchy, Alpha?" Asher says devilishly, wanting nothing more than a reaction out of Ren.

My skin is burning up like a torch, I want nothing more than for flames to consume me and take me away from this situation. With glasses still in hand, I move toward the door, mumbling my apologies. I'm not sure what I just witnessed or was apart of, but whatever it is, I want out of here.

"As kind as your offer is, Alden, I can't have anyone else knowing about this secret," I hear Ren say, just before I slip out the door and close it behind me.

That did not go how I thought it would.

Walking into the kitchen, I dump the glasses, hoping to leave quickly so I could have time to think what just happened through. But of course, the kitchen girls waited no time to intercept me before I had any chance of leaving.

"So, we heard you went into the room with all the Alphas?" one girl asks, whose name is beyond me. "Did you hear anything interesting?"

I stare into her wide eyes, knowing there is nothing she can say to get me to tell her anything. There is no way I'm about to throw Ren under the bus when he seemed so nervous about it. I'm not even sure what they were talking about. All I know is he needs a cure for it.

I shrug dismissively. "Boring Alpha stuff."

Tonight they will hassle me more, for sure. Right now, I'm too concerned with what Ren is hiding.

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Want more of Ren!? On the site Radish, Ren is considerably ahead, so go check it out (:

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I've also just posted the second novel in the Immortal series (in no way in correlation to book one which is Fate

It's Time!

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~Midika 💜🐼