Chapter 146

Sarah POV

I’ve never been one to sit on a problem, so when Melissa texted me about meeting for a strategy session on the Abrigan Mine, I turned it into a lunch date. I even suggested it be just the two of us when she talked about bringing her publicist.

“Should we get pizza again?” she asked, laughing.

“I was thinking of the Oceana,” I said.

“I love seafood! See you there at noon?”

“I’ll make the reservation.”

The Oceana was a new place I’d heard good things about. As I walked with Danielle casing the joint behind me, I smiled at the lovely use of windows overlooking the view of the city, the tasteful nautical pieces, and the fresh flowers. I gave my name to the hostess and was taken to a booth in front of a window.

Melissa looked up from the menu and smiled, and I took my seat across the table from her. Then I noticed Danielle was looking at a man wearing a black suit and standing by the wall in a way I found familiar.

“Got your own now?” I asked, nodding toward him.

Melissa sighed as Danielle claimed her own bit of wall.

“After the bomb, yes.” Melissa looked annoyed. “I’m supposed to say something about how I don’t need him and I’m strong and all that, but in all honesty, I’m thrilled he’s here. He could take out his gun and show everyone, and I’d be fine with it.”

I chuckled and opened the menu.

“You look great, by the way,” she said, which was nice of her. I’d picked out a blue suit but made it casual with a cami and a little jewelry.

We ended up both getting a Chardonnay. She got stuffed clams, and I got a crab salad. While we waited for the food, I waited for awkwardness to descend.

Instead, Melissa took a table out of her purse and pulled up a calendar. I did the same, and we spent the next fifteen minutes synching up some appearances. When the food came, we switched to discussing the new school at the mine and some progress reports on safety improvements. By the time we were splitting a slice of key lime pie for dessert and enjoying coffee, we were talking about the latest video Melissa had posted for a new children’s toy, Spinoffy.

“Doing toy reviews is how I established my brand, and I need to remember my base.”

I laughed, and she looked puzzled.

“Sorry. It’s just that not long ago I wouldn’t have known what that means, and now I’m sitting here thinking about how on top of things you are.”

“Thank you,” she said, smiling. “Anyway, the thing’s cute as can be with no little parts to worry about. There are four themes to choose from, ladybug, firetruck, unicorn, and rainbow. It’s great for developing a child’s hand and muscle strength.”

“So, five stars?” I asked.

She laughed. “You’re right. I sound like an Amazon review.”

I took a bite of pie.

“I’m interested in Zane,” she said.

I managed to swallow my pie bite and reached for my coffee to stall.

“I see,” I said.

“You know my ultimate goal is to unite werewolves, the way we used to be. Zane Cavendish is not just some Pack Alpha. He’s a leader who knows how things should be. I find we are in agreement about the future, and with us at each other’s sides, we’ll both be able to do more, achieve more.”

“I believe that.”

“I’m thinking, well, I don’t want a Pack Alpha to show be on one of my videos, not at first. I’ve been trying to coordinate a few appearances through Whitfield, but he keeps talking about things like union meetings and legislative sessions. I realize he wants to show Zane being the boss, but I want us to focus on long-term change, not the daily business of keeping things going.”

“I see.”

“I also think it will be good for us to show up in something that looks vaguely domestic. Of course, no one’s going to believe we’re going to fall in love with each other, like we’re teenagers. This will be a mating of equals who want what’s best for both our territories.”

“Do you see a merger of Thibodaux and Cavendish Territories, then?” I took another sip of coffee and made sure not to let the slightest hint of my resentment toward her show in my voice. The way she was just assuming Zane was hers for the taking made me want to throttle her.

Even though she was probably right.

She shook her head. “No, there would be no benefit, and we’d be talking about one of the largest territories on the globe. Neither of us would welcome the bureaucracy that would follow it. We’d be spending the rest of our lives just trying to get things settled.”

She leaned forward, her eyes dark with passion for her topic. “The uniting of wolves in peace shouldn’t be linked to territorial unions. We’ll just get involved in more land wars, and no one wants that.”

She gestured to the cityscape out the window. I realized I could see a bit of the Cavendish University campus, though it was obscured by office buildings.

“What we need is for wolves to feel comfortable, safe, and productive in their own territories, with their cultural practices and beliefs protected by law and custom. They there will be no need for the sort of conflicts we’ve been seeing.” She frowned. “You heard about the protests in Erinose Territory?”

“And the clash with the local police that left almost a hundred dead, half of them human?” I asked. “Of course, I’ve heard.”

“But what were they protesting? Basic rights to live their lives the way they want. As horrible as what happened is, those protests demonstrate that people as different as wolves and humans can come together for their shared interests. It should be all that much easier for alphas, betas, and gammas.”

And you’re still not talking about omegas, I thought, but otherwise I agreed with her.

“Perhaps that would be a good joint appearance,” I said, thinking about it.

“What do you mean?”

“Next week, they’re holding a memorial service for the victims of that protest at the site. I know your father doesn’t like to travel. You and Zane could go as representatives for your territories.”

She looked at me in pleased surprise. “That is an excellent idea!”

My heart hurt. She and Zane together, alone. I wanted to tell her to keep her paws off Zane, but I had no authority, no reason to even be jealous of her and what she and Zane could do together.

“Think of the optics,” she said next. “Zane and his girls, me, and you, their goddess-mother, all there to show what a family unit can look like, human and wolf.”

“You would want me and the girls to come with you?”

“Of course! Oh, Sarah, this is an incredible idea.”

Yay, me. I’d get a front-row seat to the future mated alphas as they paid tribute to the protesters and to each other.

I made sure to smile warmly and raised up my almost empty coffee cup in a little salute. “If Zane agrees that it’s a good idea, I’m all in.”

“That’s excellent.”

After all, I had to admit I had no business standing between Melissa and Zane, not when I considered what they could do together.