Chapter 6: Negotiations

River

The situation with Crying Wolf wasn't going as planned, and River wasn't sure what to do with it. As he sat at his desk, looking over reports from his Omega border patrol warriors, it became clear that he was going to have to show some force to get the mad men to the north to stop pushing into his territories. Brett had been keeping a careful eye on things, and while he was certainly adequate in that position, River was looking forward to getting his true Beta, Allen, back in a few weeks, when Sam and baby Simpson had settled into a routine.

The door to his office opened, and his mother, Patricia, walked in, a big smile on her face and what appeared to be a large white envelope in her hands. "Hello, honey," she said in a sing-song voice that gave him pause. Something was up, and River wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.

"Hi, Mom," he said as she sat down in one of the leather chairs across from him. "How are you?"

"I'm great," she said, that smile still beaming from her pretty face. She had a few more wrinkles than she'd had a few years ago, when River had taken over this position, and he had to take responsibility for that since she'd had to continue her Luna responsibilities, but it was good to see her smile.

"What's that in your hands?" he asked, glancing down at the envelope.

"What? This?" she said, playing coy. "Oh, nothing. It's just… an invitation."

River groaned on the inside and out. "Mom, you know I'm not going to a Moon Goddess Ball, right? At the moment, I'm not going anywhere." He looked down at the reports on his desk. The idea of going anywhere when he had such an important matter to tend to didn't sit well with him.

"Oh, don't be silly," his mother said, letting go of the envelope with one hand to swat in his direction, though she didn't come close to hitting him. "That stupid pack has been causing problems for ages, and they'll keep doing it for many years to come. No, listen, it's not a ball, but it's just as good." She slid the envelope across the table to him, leaving it sitting next to his stack of papers, and then pulled her hand back with a grin.

Slowly, River picked up the envelope and looked at it. Though it was addressed to him, she had opened it, which didn't surprise him. The return address label caught his attention. "Michael Knight?" he said. He couldn't remember the last time the Alpha of the Swift Wolf Pack had contacted him for anything. Or was he still the Alpha? Technically, it was his daughter leading the pack now, but he was fairly certain Ellie, a woman he'd never met but had heard a lot about, liked to be referred to as Luna.

He pulled the paper out of the envelope and glanced at it, noting how odd the colors were. Reading through it, he almost laughed out loud. "A tournament?" he said. "What are we, a bunch of gladiators?"

"Sure, why not?" Patricia asked with a giggle. "Oh, come on, son. It'll be fun!"

River shook his head. It seemed as if the Alphas of the six closest packs to Swift Wolf had been invited. The tournament would take a week, and there would be three contests. While all of them did sound like fun, he wasn't so sure about the prize: the hand of Ellie Knight in marriage and a joining of the two packs as one which the new couple would jointly rule.

"Mom," River began, setting the envelope aside. "This doesn't sound like it's quite my thing."

"Come on, River! We've been talking about this, remember? This is your opportunity to finally find a woman to help you lead our pack! There simply isn't a more qualified candidate alive, and since you refuse to find your fated mate or look for someone you can fall in love with, why not a contract marriage? From what I've heard, Ellie Knight is a beautiful woman. She's intelligent and a wonderful leader. She's clearly the best woman for the job. And… I'm not getting any younger."

There it was--the guilt trip he knew was coming. Not that his mother wasn't vindicated in anything she had to say. He couldn't blame her for being tired. "Mom, I just don't think now is a good time."

"When will it be a good time, River? You're twenty-six years old. There's always going to be work for you to do here. There's always going to be something you can say you're busy with. It's one week. Brett and I can handle everything that comes up while you're gone."

"You're not going to go with me?" The words blurted from his mouth before he realized what he was saying. He sounded like a little kid who didn't want to go to a birthday party without his mommy.

She laughed at him. "Do you want me to go?"

River shrugged. "I mean… it's your idea."

"Fine. Trinity can handle things, I'm sure. I'll be more than happy to go. Does that mean you're going?"

River had to think about this. Checking the date on the invitation, he saw that it was almost a month away. That would mean Allen would be back on duty and could go with him. If he didn't want to leave Sam and Simpson, they could come, too. The invitation said that he could bring up to ten guests. He couldn't even think of ten people he'd want to take with him to something like that, but then, he knew some of the other Alphas had quite the entourage.

There were two problems with the possibility of competing in a tournament for the hand of a woman. First of all, River hated to lose. The idea of letting any of the other Alphas beat him at anything did not sit well with him. That being said, winning wasn't particularly appealing either. Why would he want to marry a woman who was willing to marry whoever happened to win a tournament? It seemed like even if he won, he'd lose, and if he lost… well, he'd still be a loser.

His mother reached across the table and took his hand. "River, honey, please, I'm begging you, just do it. Stop putting it off. Maybe Ellie is the answer we've both been looking for. Maybe she's not. We won't know--unless you go."

With a deep breath, River reluctantly nodded his head, getting a squeal of delight out of his mother. He had a feeling they would all end up regretting this--especially Ellie Knight--whether River won or lost.