Chapter 5- A Small Meeting

Mary had spent the last twenty minutes prodding and prodding me, playing with my hair, twirling my eyelashes, and choosing my dinner gown. Eventually, she settled on a vivid crimson gown composed of a silky material that stopped just above my upper thighs.

"Don't you think it's short?" I muttered as I looked at the job she had completed in the mirror. I couldn't help but comment on how amazing I looked and how well the dress's color complemented my skin's pale tone.

She said, smirking, "It's perfect," to sum up.

"Who is he?" Through the mirror, I fixed my gaze on her.

"He is Master Damon, alpha of the Northern land."

"He's one of them right, Tessa called him a beast, he's a wolf-man isn't he?"

"You would never dare say it to him. Please address him solely as Master."

I let myself to consider "Why am I here?" for a moment in silence.

"He will explain everything to you."

Tessa had arrived to usher me down the winding staircase. I felt like Tessa's glare could kill me as my heels sounded loudly against the marble floor. At some point, she took me into a dining room and along an all-white hallway. A large wooden table that could seat twelve people was positioned in the center.

There were just two sets of plates and silverware on the table, one of which I assumed belonged to the Alpha, Damon, at the head of the table. Tessa showed me to sit on the other side of him.

She said, sneering, "Wait for him here," her long blond hair falling hard against her back as she strode off.

The table remained empty of any food or items, and the room remained vacant. The young man who had brought my meal momentarily stopped by to offer me some water. Suddenly, I realized that this had to be Bocote as I stroked my index finger across the glossy table.

The only thing I could think of was that Bocote was the priciest kind of wood, but I couldn't remember how I found out what kind it was. I heard sounds coming from a hallway not too far away. For a moment, I wondered if it would be okay if I looked into it. I was, after all, looking for answers, and I had a strong sense that no one was going to be willing to give them to me.

Another wave of sound rolled into the dining room, and I thought of Maria's forlorn expression. It was the sound of males, a good number of them conversing.

I rose gently from my seat and continued walking until I came to a pair of double wooden doors, similarly constructed of Bocote. I pressed my ear to the cool surface and listened.

"Let's make this quick, I have a big day tomorrow, Luke. Have the funeral arrangements been completed?" was the first voice I instantly recognized.

It was deep and teased with a hint of insatiable masculinity. It belonged to the handsome man from my room.

I managed to squint one eye and peek inside through the gap left by the two colliding doors. Inside, twelve men, all bearing identical tattoos, were arranged around an oval table in brown leather chairs. Maria was standing to the side of Damon, who was sitting on a chair that was marginally larger than the others and resembled a throne. I could hardly see him.

"Every body part we could discover for your father was gathered. Everything is set up, and the funeral is scheduled to happen in two days.”

Despite his height and slender build, Luke was dangerously threatening due to his thick black beard and deep raspy voice.

"Dylan, have the patrols reported anything unusual after the fight?"

Dylan was one of the twelve men assembled. "Joseph and Paul’s bodies were found, bloodsuckers got to them, pathologist says they died around three days ago, same time as your dad," he said.

Dylan had huge rocks for arms and veins that seemed ready to burst at the slightest wrong word, making him the complete antithesis of Luke, who was tall and slim.

"We'll bury them all together, in two days, along with any more bodies that are found," replied Luke.

"Who's still missing?" questioned Damon.

"Richmond."

For a minute Damon just looked down at the table. He appeared to be thinking quite a bit. Finally he said,"maybe we should push the funeral back, until all the bodies are found."

"We've got two dozen wolves out in Somber Forest looking for him, I'm certain that if he's out there, we'll find him before the funeral," Dylan this time.

He looked to the man he assumed to be Benjamin and said, "Benjamin, double that. Let's get this done as soon as possible. I'll give it two months before the vampires try to attack once more. Training the new Half-Bloods must take priority."

"Have you begun working on the doll yet? "And what about your Half-Blood?" he inquired. If something were to happen to you, it would be the last member of your bloodline.

"The doll was delivered securely. As a matter of fact, I will reveal her name to her tonight. Soon, you will receive your half-blood."

"Will you keep her to make more?" He was questioned by someone whose back was to me.

I recognized at once that I was the person they were discussing. Tessa had revealed that Damon was using me to breed me, and the man from the lab had called me the alpha doll. The picture of Damon's empty eyes on mine as he icy-drained me gave me a shudder of fear. I had never experienced a man's touch; this was not my destiny.

Will you keep her? What does he mean? When he was done with me, was his intention to murder me or to sleep me for ten more years?

"We only need one Half-Blood to continue the generations of Alpha," Damon continued," I will have no use for her after."

"And the patrols?"

"We'll double the patrols and let the bordering states know that there may be an attack soon, I'll also ask my guy in DC if he's heard anything," the man said.

"Well done. Tomorrow, I'll be visiting Akbur Hills, and I'll drop by The Stationary to see how the Half-Bloods training is going. I should be back in time for the funeral."

"It's not safe for you to leave alone," Luke responded, "I'll come with you."

Damon interrupted, saying, "You're more needed here."

Abruptly he rose, and he started to adjourn the conference. I sprung to consciousness almost instantly, pirouetting around on my heel to confront Tessa.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She grew enraged.

"I-I got lost-"

"I told you to stay!"

"I needed the bathroom."

"Get back to the table, Master should be joining any second now, you idiot!"