Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“I know you’re not.”
“Then don’t treat me like one.” He looked angry.”
“You are not a kid, Reagan, but you’re still in university.” I explained to him.
“When you were in your first year of university Mom, you mated with Dad, became the Luna, the Queen, and the Goddess Incarnate. I don’t want to be treated like a kid that can’t do anything. I-.”
“And I don’t want you to miss out on the youth that I never got to have. Don’t get me wrong, Reagan, I wouldn’t change anything that happened to me over the last twenty years, but I would have liked to have had a normal life for at least a part of it. I am sorry that you’re upset, Reagan, but striving to have a life as hectic as mine is was not a goal. You need to think more realistically.” I saw the shock on his face and the moment that he realized that he had been wrong.
“I am sorry.” He hung his head in shame. “I didn’t mean that.”
“I know you didn’t, Reagan. You just got caught up in the moment. But don’t forget that there is a downside to all that excitement. It all worked out for me, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t dangerous and difficult. I want you to be safe and to have a normal life. There is plenty of time for you to have adventures, this doesn’t have to be one of them, OK?”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He nodded. “I will help, but not be on the front lines. And I won’t push the subject again.”
“Thank you, Reagan.” I knew that, as the son of an Alpha, he would always be chomping at the bit for power and control, but he needed to tread carefully as well.
For the remainder of the meal, we talked about many of the different things that we needed to do to finish the tasks at hand. Reagan, Rika and Talia were all trying to figure out ways to make this reveal work in our favor. And I knew that they just wanted to prove that they were capable and that they truly cared. They were good kids, they all were.
****
Riviana
****
The meal didn’t end bitterly like my lunch had. With the kids accepting what was going on, I was able to talk to them and feel like the food that I was eating was actually satisfying the hunger that was inside of me. That was a good thing too, because I needed to feed Reeselynn inside of me, and I knew that she would start complaining to me soon if I didn’t give her food. She was growing fast and strong inside of me.
After we left the tower, we went back down to my office to make the final preparations for the meeting tonight. I needed to make sure that we had invited them all and that all of them knew to expect the doors at the same time. I didn’t want this to take a long time when we were in a hurry.
When Vincent came to get me at about a quarter to eight that evening, I was startled by the fact that so much time had already passed. I had been sitting in Joaquin’s lap as I thought once more about what I was going to say to all of these people. Damn, but it was stressful.
“Riviana?” He called out to me as he opened the door. “It is almost time to begin. We need to get the doors prepared.”
“Yes, you are right.” I nodded at him. “Let’s head down.” As I spoke, I rose to my feet and opened a door in the room. It took us down to the throne room, and the waiting room behind it. Joaquin and I waited in the waiting room while I peeked through the doors into the hall. I opened the doors to the several different locations all at once. I had asked that some of the politicians, especially those that were close to each other, to come through the same door. It was almost like mystical carpooling. It was also so that I didn’t need to make hundreds of doors at once. The politicians that were in the US were primarily in D.C. at the moment, and that meant that they could all come at once, making it easier on me and my magic.
“Riviana?” Joaquin called out to me. “Are you OK?”
…..
“I will be fine.” I told him as I turned to face him.
“Yes, I know that you will both be fine. However, Riviana, can I ask one thing?” Vincent was looking at me a little critically.
“And what exactly do you want to ask?” I was a little confused by him at the moment.
“You need to change, Riviana. You are meeting with politicians and instead you look like you belong on a college campus with Reagan and Rika.”
“Ha ha ha.” I laughed sardonically at him. He was not being helpful just then.
“I am serious. We are both wearing comfortable and casual clothes. We need to dress for a political meeting if we want to be taken seriously.” He was explaining this to me as he looked at his own clothes. He usually just wore black jeans, a black t-shirt, and some sort of boots that made it easy to run and work in. Now though, he was wearing a business suit, also black, and Italian loafers that made him look much more regal than I did at the moment.
“Fine.” I told him stiffly, but I am not wearing one of the queen dresses. They are too uncomfortable at the moment.”
“That is fine. Wear something business-like.”
With a wave of my hand, and a flare of my magic, I changed my clothes from the casual lounge wear into a business suit for women. It was black with a light blue blouse and shining black heels. I had opted for a pants suit, because I didn’t want to wear a dress or skirt at the moment. I had put Joaquin into one of his black suits for work as well, so he would be more than adequate for the situation. His hair, styled casually as it was, would be fine for the night. Mine on the other hand, needed to be dealt with. So, I waved my hand again and made my hair twist itself into a loose chignon at the nape of my neck, and, of course, my makeup was done as well. I looked like I was ready to step into congress now, instead of my own throne room.
“Much better.” Vincent smiled at me as we heard the room outside swell with voices. The audience was almost fully assembled. “It’s almost time.” He stood stiffly and turned to face the door. “I will introduce you soon.”
“Yeah, I know the routine.” I shook my head at his back. He was always so rigid when it came to things like this. It was funny.
After about another five minutes I felt the doors closing in the other room. I had set them up on a timer, and they would close on their own when it struck eight. That was also when I heard Vincent’s voice boom in the other room.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I know that it is not easy to make such accommodations to your plans, but I know that you all also understand that Queen Riviana would not call you all here if it wasn’t of vital importance.” There was utter silence from them all as they listened raptly. “I will not delay you any further, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Queen Riviana and King Joaquin.” At Vincent’s words there was a steady yet subdued round of applause. They were waiting for me to come out and address them all.
As I walked into the throne room, I had my arm wrapped around Joaquin’s. He took me to the middle of the dais, and we looked out at everyone that was waiting for us. I saw that they all had their eyes glued to me. And, all of them, no matter what country they were from or what political party they were affiliated with, they were looking at me like I had the answers that they were seeking. Even the royalty in this crowd was looking at me like that.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice.” I repeated Vincent’s words from earlier. I knew that they would have more weight coming from me rather than him. “I have something of the utmost importance to discuss with you all.” I turned with Joaquin and went to sit in my throne that was raised high above them all. I was still able to see them all as they sparsely filled the large hall.
After I was in my seat, I lifted my head and shoulders, making myself appear taller and more confident. I didn’t want them to know that I was still iffy about this whole situation, even though it was my decision.
“Friends, people of my blood and kingdom, we have a problem that is facing us at this very moment.” I paused for a moment to let that sink in for them. After what felt like an appropriate time, I started to speak again. “There have been some people that have discovered, or at least suspected, what we are. There are members of the NSA that are investigating us. They have blood samples from the murders over the summer, and they are testing to see if they are human or not. It seems that they are learning that there had to be a reason that we got involved. And that if we aren’t human, then the people that we were so worried about weren’t human either. They truly believe that we are not what we say that we are, and they are intending to expose us to the world. And, if we are not careful, they will present us as monsters.”
There were some scattered murmurs in the crowd, but for the most part they just looked at me like they couldn’t believe their ears. They, like me, were shocked that someone would even think about this as a plausible scenario. We had thought that we were all keeping the secret so well, but here I was ruining things for all of us.
