My 3 Contract Lovers

[9]

[Tyson]

Walking into the Convocation building had me on edge. It always did. I didn’t mind being around other wolf shifters, but I wasn’t all that excited to be around the other immortals. Especially vampires and dragon shifters. They were the worst. Full of themselves and full of s**t.

"Ah...hey, I'm here to see Mr. Baker," I said to the receptionist who sat behind quite an impressive white marble counter. She looked up from her computer and smiled brightly.

"Of course, Alpha Tyson, one moment please," I nodded before I turned to gaze around the receptionist area. It was bustling with immortals and humans. Of course, they were here to sign contracts and I was feeling rather...deflated. I should have been excited to meet my new consort but, for whatever reason, I just wasn't feeling up to the task. "You can go on up, Alpha Tyson," the female said from behind me, and I threw her a quick smile before I headed over to the elevator. Luckily, no one joined me and while the classical music irritated me, I sucked it up. I didn't like Mr. Baker. He was manipulative and sleazy. He was greedy and power-hungry, but then again, I suppose some would see him as driven. Money wasn't everything but I knew that the old man worked the fastest so that he could earn the most commission. He was the only consultant who signed the most consorts to their immortals. It made me sick and when the elevator came to a stop on his floor, I growled out in annoyance. I shouldn't get myself worked up, but I despised people like him. I lazily approached his office only to find the door open and immediately I picked up on a scent I didn't recognize. The smell of fresh rain and sunflowers made me smile as I entered the office without knocking. I spotted her instantly and although she had her back to me, I knew it was the consort I had chosen. She wasn't my mate but there was still something special about her.

"Welcome Alpha Tyson," Mr. Baker greeted me as soon as he saw me come in. The female turned and looked over her shoulder at me curiously and I was taken aback by her raw beauty and innocence. I smiled as she stood up and held out her hand.

"Hey," I greeted casually as I shook her hand before letting it go. I took notice of her bright green eyes which seemed to shine with uncertainty. Her golden hair shone under the fluorescent light of the office and her creamy skin looked pure and smooth. She wore a pretty dress and some sort of jersey thing, as well as a pair of red stiletto heels. Overall, she looked perfect.

"Alpha Tyson, this is Miss Bianca Fellam," Mr. Baker said as he looked between the two of us. "Bianca, this is Alpha Tyson of The Ancient Nightwalkers,"

"Hi," she said softly, and I shivered. Her voice was gentle, timid, and shy and, while this didn’t bother me, I looked forward to becoming friends with her. She not only seemed unsure or uncertain, but I happened to pick up her feelings of fear. Why would she be afraid?

"Shall we get started?" Mr. Baker questioned as he sat back down in his seat behind his large wooden desk. Bianca sat back down and while I was tempted to take the seat next to her, I didn't. Instead, I moved around the small office space.

"Go ahead," I said to the greedy older man.

"Do you have any questions, Bianca?" I was curious as to why he had turned to her and yet it suddenly dawned on me that this was probably her first time. I forced myself to take a seat as I gazed over at her. Suddenly, I understood her hesitance and it made my heart go out to her.

"What exactly do you want from me?" she finally asked, and I smiled.

"I just need a partner," I stated. "Someone who will take on the temporary position of Luna," I started to explain. "Unfortunately, times have changed, and an Alpha needs to have a partner,"

"Yes, but... I mean what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Oh, um, attend meetings, social events...that sort of thing," I said as I watched her relax. Her reaction and sudden relief had me laughing and while that was probably inappropriate, I couldn't help myself. "Mostly I just need you to be seen by my side," I stated. "Don’t think of our contract as something…” my voice trailed off as I tried to think of a word to describe it. I gave up and shrugged. “Think of this as us becoming friends,"

"Um, ok," she didn't seem happy, but still I could smell her relief. "How often do...I mean..." she shook her head as her voice trailed off and I eyed her curiously. Strange human creature.

"You don't have to stay at the estate, but it would be great if you could spend as much time as possible there," I said as I picked up on what she was trying to ask. She looked confused as she frowned, but I simply sat there and smiled. She was so damn cute.

"The estate?" she asked, and I nodded as I leaned back in my seat.

"As I said, times have changed. The pack is situated on my family’s estate. It's rather large," I blushed a deep shade of red because I hated sounding boastful. "But you'll see it soon enough," I hurriedly added. Bianca nodded and then she looked at Mr. Baker.

"Very well, let's get the contract signed," the process went rather quickly, and yet, I suddenly felt as though something was off. Mr. Baker left the office for a moment, and I stood up and looked over at Bianca.

"This is your first time being a consort," it wasn't a question. It was a statement, but she nodded anyway. "You seem awfully cool about this," I then remarked and her cheeks went a beautiful shade of pink.

"I should...I mean, my mother is bedridden with cancer and I need the money," her whispered words gave me chills and I simply nodded. Most consorts didn't have many issues with things because of the money. I shouldn't have been surprised and despite her reason being completely valid, I felt as though there was more to it than that.

"What aren't you telling me?" I dared to ask, and I could feel her despair. "What is it?" I urged. I had meant what I had said to her earlier. She should consider me a friend and I wasn’t asking as her immortal but as a new friend. Granted, I may have been a bit forward, but I had every right. After all, this female was going to come into my territory. Into my pack as my Luna. I had to be able to trust her and she had to trust me.

"Before you...I mean, I got...shit, this is bad…" she looked up at me and I froze. Her eyes bored into mine with a fierceness that took me completely off guard. "I just finished signing with Dante!" she exclaimed. My eyes went wide and I gasped in surprise.

"Dante? As in Lord Dante Hudson? The vampire?" I was disgusted and disappointed. However, before either one of us could say anything further, Mr. Baker returned to the office and the man actually had the audacity to look surprised to see me still standing in his office.

"Oh, I thought you would have left," he remarked nervously, and while I found him distasteful, I suddenly had the urge to rip his head off for interrupting. However, before I could open my mouth and say something to him, the smell of smoke, ash, and wood hit me, and I wanted to gag. It was then that I spotted King Lucien Owen standing in the doorway and I frowned.

"What are you doing here?" I growled out as I tried to calm my wolf, who had decided that now was the time to come out and play.

"I could ask you the same thing and yet...this is the place we come to sign our contracts for our consorts," his sarcastic response made me growl low in my throat. "Oh please," he drawled out. "Save it for someone who cares," although his tone was now casual, I could smell his hatred and anger. I clenched my fists by my side as I tried to control not only myself but my wolf as well. Mr. Baker suddenly stepped forward, obscuring my line of Lucien.

"Um, Alpha Tyson, was there something else?" I shook my head before I turned to Bianca. I immediately noticed that the female looked deathly pale and sickly.

“Bianca?” I questioned as I reached out to her. She flinched back as if she were afraid of my touch and even though she avoided eye contact, I knew something was terribly wrong. “What is it?” I asked softly and as much as I wanted to reach out and hold her hand or even hug her, I stopped myself.

“Honestly wolf, it shouldn’t surprise me that you’ve gotten your consort all upset and scared,” Lucien lazily remarked, and I squeezed my eyes closed. I was going to rip his head off instead of Mr. Bakers.

“I’ll be in touch,” I said to Bianca before I forced myself to leave the office. I did, however, make sure to bump my shoulder against Lucien’s as I left. I paid no attention to anyone else as I left the building and headed for the SUV that was parked across the street. For once, I was actually grateful that Eric had stayed back at the pack. I needed a couple of minutes to calm myself down. However, the longer I sat behind the wheel, I suddenly came to the realization that Lucien was probably going to have a meeting with Bianca. What about Dante, though? Was it truly possible that she had been chosen by three immortals? I frowned at that. I didn’t like it. I wasn’t happy about her signing with a vampire and I most certainly wouldn’t be happy if she signed with Lucien. I knew what type of dragon he was and even though I had no romantic or lustful feelings toward Bianca, I hated the thought of him destroying her. And I knew he would. I took a deep breath and watched the building. I tried to zone in and listen, but the organization prided itself on privacy. That meant the offices were soundproof. I sighed loudly as I leaned back in my seat.

“What are you doing?” I jumped in my seat and snapped my head to the side. A man was standing right next to my window, and I smiled apologetically as I pressed the button. The window rolled down smoothly and I faced the man.

“Sorry, daydreaming,” I lied. He didn’t look convinced though, but I wasn’t about to share my drama with some stranger.

“Well, if you are going in, get going, if not, get moving,” he looked behind him and I glanced in the review mirror and saw that I was probably holding a potential parking space for someone else.

“Sorry, officer,” I said to the man. He stepped back and nodded as I turned on the ignition and the SUV hummed to life. I wasn’t feeling good about the situation, but I couldn’t do anything. At least, not right now. Bianca would have to work out her schedule extremely well if she was to accept three immortals. As I pulled out of the parking spot, another thought hit me. What if she had more than three?