Bonds And Betrayals

13.

BELLO.

Damn it. I was late again.

But it was worth it. It was worth missing a better part of the meeting, and if I could have stayed back, I’d have missed the meeting entirely.

Because Sasha was worth it. She was worth everything.

My feet moved quickly, echoing down the corridor as I adjusted the sleeves of my white kaftan. It was crisp and clean, ironed to perfection, but I still hated how it clung to my skin, too tight around the chest. Or maybe that was just the tension waiting for me on the other side of that carved wooden door.

I hated meeting days. I hated the subtle show of dislike the court members showed Turk. I hated the fake smiles and shows of respect, even if most of them did it simply because my mother was the luna.

“You look like you had a good night,” Elliot murmured behind me. He had been waiting outside my quarters for over an hour before I finally emerged. Thankfully, the House Of Assembly was only twenty minutes away from the pack house.

Dressed in a simple cream coloured caftan, Elliot and I looked too…alike. As kids, even though he was older than me by a year, people assumed we were twins. His hair was locked in tiny twists that he sometimes chose to pack into a bun and leave freely, as he did now despite the black cap he paired his clothes with.

A small smile tugged the edge of my mouth. “Almost,” I replied, thinking of her pain last night. Why now?

“Almost?”

“I prefer when you are quiet, Elliot. Like during the car ride. If you could maintain that, it would be appreciated.” I grumbled.

“I was just asking,” he half shrugged, coming to my side. “Seeing how it is your first time ever experiencing something so beautiful.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Definitely something beautiful. Exquisite.” I closed my eyes, recalling the feel of her wrapped around me.

‘Don’t have such thoughts when we are about to enter the hunters' den, Bello. Have some decorum!’ Conri snapped.

I ignored him. “Lois is feeling okay to help with her?”

“Of course. She had been excited since I told her about it last night and couldn't wait to meet her. I am sure she's already there by now.”

I smiled. Elliot’s house was just a ten minutes walk from mine, only his was a small bungalow outside the pack house.

“I should see Aunt Neisha and explain things to her before your wife does.”

“And you will be in a deep mess,” he chuckled.

I suddenly stopped, turning to face him. “Do you think I should get a tattoo too?”

His eyes widened a fraction. “A what now?”

“Don't,” I gritted, eyeing the ink peeking at his neck. “Do you think I should tattoo her name like you did Lois?”

I could see him struggling to hold back his laughter, but then he shook his head. “If you want to. But we both know tattoos aren't your things. So maybe you can express your intense love another way besides the tattoos?”

I stared at him for a second, annoyed that he was right before I turned and resumed walking, only stopping at the entrance of the assembly hall, nodding at the guards in answer to their greetings before I stepped in.

“… could have your pick of any woman in the pack. Lamido’s daughter would be a disastrous union, Sabbene.”

Senator Audu, overseer of foreign affairs, froze as soon as I walked in as though he wasn't just going against his Alpha.

All the men stood up at the same time. One by one, they bowed before me in respect, uttering “Ranka ya dade,Yallabai” (may you live long, your highness).

Their eyes were all trained on me with the same emotion stamped across their wrinkled faces, and I knew it was respect, and something else I didn’t want to see. Something that shouldn't be there in the first place because it had only succeeded in creating a huge gap between me and my only brother.

Hope.

“It's so nice to finally have you join us, Yallabai,” Senator Shehu smiled, yellow teeth showing.

“Your presence is surely appreciated, Yallabai,” another senator said.

“I doubt my presence is that needed,” I smirked. “Seeing as the Alpha is already here.”

They all kept quiet.

The reality of our mothers conflicting status made everything muddy, and even though Turk didn’t say anything, I knew it pissed him off. I could see it in his eyes, in the way he gritted his teeth in annoyance, and the way his eyebrows twitched whenever he was upset.

He was seated at the far end of the room on his throne, draped in his navy blue babbar riga, with golden embroidery glinting in the candlelight. His turban was tight and high, his posture straight, but I saw the tightness in his jaw, the stiffness of his neck, and the quiet rage bubbling beneath the mask of royalty.

Tall windows stood on both sides of the room, draped with sheer curtains that allowed the now rising sunlight filter through. A large wolf statue stood beside Turk’s throne, while Blade and Carl stood on either side. One woman stood on each side, fanning Turk, despite the weather being a bit chilly that morning.

Overseeing his throne was a large table, housing all seven members of the court.

I walked past them all and bowed slightly before him.

“Forgive my lateness, Ranka ya dade, Sabbene,” I said, trying to remind everyone in the room that no matter what they hoped for, no matter what they might have in mind, I remained loyal to my older brother. He was our Alpha, and that alone should command their undying loyalty.

But he didn’t respond, or even acknowledge me. He just stared straight ahead, his eyebrow twitching even more. When I realized he wasn’t going to answer me, I straightened up and took the empty seat beside him, and only then did the others sit.

“As I was saying,” Senator Rufa’i, overseer of the pack’s trading sector began, his tone still heavy with the words he hadn’t gotten to finish, “that Lamido is not a man we should ever align ourselves with.”

Turk’s fingers drummed lightly on the table, and he calmly said, “You’re overstepping, Senator.”

“With all due respect, Sabbene, I don’t think I am.” Rufa’i straightened up. “I and every member of this court have the pack’s interest in our mind before anything else.”

Another Senator cleared his throat, and he said, “Sabbene, Lamido is very interested in seizing Kaura city, despite knowing the damages the rogues there were making. I heard he also made a deal with them, and while they have not pledged loyalty to him, they still trade together, their taxes now fund his militia.”

I said nothing, but the mention of Kaura clawed at something in the back of my mind. It was a large territory, maybe as big as our pack or more. And it was close to the sea, which gave trading opportunities with the western and eastern regions across the sea. I’d passed through the region a few months ago, and the memory still sat uneasily with me. It was an unclaimed city, and the people had refused to bow to any of the alphas. They were mostly rogues, wild and dangerous. Their lips moved in prayer, but their eyes held nothing but dread and emptiness.

I’d heard the whispers even then about them moving like shadows beyond the farmlands, slipping through the forest at night, raiding cars and caravans, and killing without cause. Some claimed they weren’t rogues at all, but former warriors from different courts who were discarded and angry. Others insisted they swore allegiance to no one, only their own kind. But whatever the truth was, Kaura had become a wound that never closed, and now it was bleeding straight into our chambers.

“Lamido has disrespected the agreement made by all alphas of the region,” Senator Adamu added. He oversees the military. “And now you want to marry his daughter?”

“This isn’t just a marriage,” Rufai said. “You would be making Lamido a very powerful man in the north. Perhaps even as powerful as you. Or more.”

The table went quiet, and no one dared to speak after that. Turk’s eyes scanned the room slowly, and I felt his aura sharpen. I knew that look, and I knew he wanted to lash out at someone. Maybe he was even about to bare his teeth. But instead, he forced a laugh that didn’t reach his eyes.

“You think I’m surrendering?” he chuckled. “You think I would hand over our land for a woman?”

They didn’t answer, which said everything about their resolve. Turk stood up slowly, and fixed his gaze on each of them.

“I chose Jamilah because it is my right to choose,” he said. “I will not be dictated to by men who hide behind protocol and pretend it is tradition.”

“And what of tradition?” Rufai said, his voice rising just a little bit. He wasn't much older than Turk, but he succeeded his father for the position after his death. “Every alpha before you has chosen a bride from within the packs. The bloodline is sacred. We do not mix with outsiders.”

That was it. I’d had enough. The sound of my palm slamming against the table made them all jump, and my temper was just about to explode.

“Enough,” I spat, forcing myself to remain seated. “You forget yourselves, senators .”