Seeking Eternity Ch. 08

He was not looking forward to it at all. Alphas generally tended to respect each other's authority, but with Ambercrest getting affected by Anderson's oversight, Nicholas would have to step in. Thankfully, Noah and his men had taken care of the immediate problem, making it unnecessary to talk to Anderson right away and thus giving Nicholas time to resolve the situation involving Raine.

There was a knock on the door, prompting Nicholas to straighten his posture before giving permission for his guest to enter. It was a very serious-looking Cassandra who came in, which meant that the woman was here for business.

"Cassandra." Nicholas stood up and gestured for her to take a seat on one of the chairs by his desk. The woman gave him the perfunctory bow before sitting down. "I was wondering when you'd come."

"I knew you would be waiting, but so was I," the old woman responded. "It's hard to predict the best time to approach you. You are a busy man, after all."

"I always have time for you, Cassandra," Nicholas told her before walking toward the shelf of drinks in his office. "Whiskey?"

"Please and thank you."

The sigh that followed her response made Nicholas smile. He poured her a glass of whiskey and himself another one before returning to the desk. "Has the congress made up its mind?"

"Of course." Cassandra accepted the glass with another thanks and took a sip from it before continuing. "We will help Raine, but the members asked that I convince you to do something in return."

"And here I was thinking that you were all eager to repay the debt you owe me," he said. "How the hell do you think you'd ever do that if you keep on asking me for favours when I try to collect it?"

Cassandra smiled. "Someday, Lord Nicholas, when your ass needs saving, perhaps we can repay you then."

"Right." He swallowed a mouthful of whiskey, hoping that Cassandra's 'someday' would not come anytime soon. The idea of getting into some serious trouble that would prompt others to come to his aid was not something he had a taste for. "Anything else that you guys want? An arm and a leg maybe?"

"Just your assurances that you will do as we requested," the woman said smoothly.

Nicholas chuckled. "Requested? More like demanded." When Cassandra raised an eyebrow, he shrugged. "You know that I have no choice in this. Without the congress's help, I might not succeed in coaxing Raine's wolf out in time."

Thankfully, Cassandra did not ask him to elaborate on that. She merely nodded, understanding what he meant. They both knew that the Council would be descending upon their pack sooner or later, and they needed Raine to be ready before that happened.

"About our request..."

"You want me to hand Raine over to the vampires," Nicholas finished the sentence for Cassandra.

Cassandra smiled. "Why, you know us more than we will ever know you!"

"It's the best solution to the problem," Nicholas commented, drinking from his glass again. He did not know what Cassandra personally thought about the idea, but the woman was too professional to hesitate about doing something against what had been agreed upon by the whole congress. "We need to get her out of the clutches of the Council, and her presence in my house will hardly do that."

"You will hand her over to Hayes-Crowe, then?" Cassandra asked.

Nicholas shook his head and leaned back on his seat. "You see, Cassandra, as much as I would like to keep Raine safe, I cannot 'hand her over' like a piece of property. I don't own your granddaughter, just as you - or anybody else for that matter - don't."

"Some people would say otherwise," Cassandra said. "You are leader of the pack. She is yours to command, to do with as you wish, wherever she is and whatever she thinks."

An amused smile tugged at the corner of Nicholas's lips. "And you think I'd like to build my relationship with Raine on those grounds?"

"No, but - "

"No buts," Nicholas cut her off. "Raine is an adult; she can make a decision for herself. You may tell the others that I will let Raine know of your terms and conditions." When the woman frowned, he continued. "I will not command her to return to the vampires if she doesn't want to. We have to respect her wishes whatever they might be."

"This is madness, Nicholas," Cassandra objected. "As you said, you have no choice in this if you'd like the congress to help you out. Just give her the order and be done with it."

"Again, I don't want my relationship with your granddaughter to be founded on orders and commands," Nicholas insisted. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Cassandra would truly want him to put the pack's wellbeing above that of her granddaughter's. "Raine must decide which path to take. Belonging to a pack does not have to mean giving up her freedom to choose."

He could tell that Cassandra did not expect what he had said, and for that, Nicholas was glad. Cassandra was a good woman, but she got used to the way things were run by Nicholas's forebears. She was like most of the Ambercrest wolves in that sense. Nicholas knew that there was virtually no one in his pack who would dare to criticize him - what more go against his wishes - just because he was alpha, but that did not sit well with him at all. He would rather lead a people who would truly speak their minds than cower before him: a people who could be like Conrad Randall and call him a fool to his face - although his reaction to Conrad earlier would not have set a good precedence of how he wanted things to be, Nicholas thought ruefully.

"You are a strange one," Cassandra commented after a while, taking a gulp of whiskey. "I have never known an alpha who refuses to give commands in order to make things run a little more smoothly."

Nicholas could not tell whether or not the woman's comment was meant to insult him, but, at this point, it was not really important. Besides, it was not as if he cared. Cassandra could insult him as much as she would like, but there was no way she would change his mind. "Things might run a little more smoothly for you, but definitely not for me. Raine does not take commands very well."

"So it's all about what she wants?" Cassandra asked, looking amused.

"It's all about what she wishes," Nicholas replied. He would never admit it to anyone, but respecting the wishes of the members of his pack was probably one of the most difficult things that Nicholas did every single day. His wolf always bristled at the thought of not getting its way - his way. The urge to dominate was almost instinctive and it took most of Nicholas's willpower not to snap and start ordering people around.

"I will not force her to do something she doesn't want to do, Cassandra," he continued. "I have no power over her. Besides, I love her too much to do that."

Cassandra nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "Your ancestors are likely turning in their graves right now, seeing how you run things."

"They can turn in their graves all they want," Nicholas said, "but I'm not changing my ways to please them. If they had wanted to perpetuate the way they run the pack, they should have done their best to stay alive."

The woman nodded but said after a while, "If you're prepared to give Raine that level of freedom, I hope you have a back-up plan."

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said, "but I don't expect to resort to it. I'll convince Raine to return to Hayes-Crowe and his family."

Cassandra's left eyebrow shot up, much to Nicholas's amusement. Gods, what had possessed him to assign this woman as head of the congress of elders? Her apparent lack of trust in his abilities to convince others was quite offensive - if he was so easily offended by such gestures, that was.

"And how do you plan to do that?" the woman was asking.

Nicholas grinned at her. "Do you really want to know?"

"If it involves you fucking the wits out of the girl, then, no, Lord Nicholas, I do not," Cassandra snapped.

"I thought so," he said, prompting Cassandra to shake her head.

"You don't want to let anyone know of your plans," Cassandra said, taking a sip of her drink. "I get it."

Nicholas said nothing. In truth, he would have had no problem letting another wolf know of his plans, but Cassandra? No. He could already see the vehement objection that she would raise. After all, the plan involved another vampire - one without a family. A renegade, so to speak, and Cassandra did not trust renegades at all.

"But if this back-up plan of yours doesn't work?" the woman continued.

"Ouch." Nicholas made a show of putting a hand over his chest. "You really don't have any confidence in me at all, do you?" When Cassandra opened her mouth to say something, he grinned. "Never mind. If my back-up plan fails, then I will face the Council and plead for Raine's case. That's why it's crucial that we help her transform. If she could show the Council that she is, first and foremost, a wolf, then they might consider letting me take care of her. It's a long shot, but it might be the only way to keep the Council at bay."

"And if her wolf refuses to come out?" asked Cassandra.

"I might have to start a war against the Council," Nicholas said with a grin.

Cassandra chuckled. "You are not considering letting them have her at all, are you? Even though the prudent thing to do is to give her up?"

"It might save the pack trouble, but I will not give Raine up," Nicholas said. "Especially not if those who want her wish her ill."

"Hmm." Cassandra smiled, putting her glass of whiskey on the table. "I had thought that, being the responsible leader that you are, you will always put the pack first. I'm surprised to know that there are things that you refuse to do for the pack just because you have no appetite for it."

Nicholas returned her smile and finished his drink before responding to that. "There are some. This is one of them. I'll do everything in my power to protect Raine."

"Thank you, Nicholas," Cassandra said. "With all my heart."

His smile widened. "I love your granddaughter, Cassandra - and with all my heart, as well."

Cassandra stood up and headed to the shelf of drinks, grabbing the bottle of whiskey that Nicholas opened earlier. Nicholas swallowed down a groan. The woman had not finished her glass yet, which meant that she was grabbing the bottle for him - which, in turn, meant that she was not done with this visit yet, and whatever it was that she wanted to discuss would either be quite painful or infuriating.

"I hope you were serious when you said that you will always have time for me, Nicholas," Cassandra said when she came back. She filled his glass before sitting back down. "If you weren't, you better tell me now."

"What is this all about?" he asked.

"Your outburst earlier," Cassandra answered. "It might not be my business, and feel free to tell me so if you think I'm overstepping my boundaries, but I'm still the head of the congress of elders and we are worried about you."

Both painful and infuriating, then, Nicholas thought. "What had you worried?"

"You know exactly what it is," Cassandra said. When he said nothing, the woman sighed and drank from her glass. "You're still mad about what happened three years ago."

Nicholas took his time responding to that. "What else would I be?"

"I always thought you are the forgiving type," Cassandra said.

Despite the subject, that made him smile. "The forgiving type? A Collbreed?"

"You are not like your ancestors."

"No, I hope not," Nicholas said. He took a deep breath. "But, what did you expect me to feel? Happy? Proud? What I have done was not entirely something that could elicit those feelings."

"You were forced to do it, Nicholas," Cassandra reminded him.

"Don't turn mellow on me now, Cassandra," Nicholas warned. He might not like to talk about it, but perhaps this was the right time. "Nobody forces a Collbreed to do something he doesn't wish to do. It was distasteful, I admit, but it had to be done. I had a choice. I could have said no but I didn't."

Cassandra nodded. "Why didn't you, then? As you said, nobody forces a Collbreed."

Nicholas sighed. "If not I, who would have done it? Aryanna would have initiated a blood bath, and what would have become of Ambercrest? My relationship with Aryanna cannot outweigh my responsibilities to the pack. My father was gone. Nobody wanted to lead. I had to do what must be done if I didn't want my pack to fall."

"I admire that in you," Cassandra admitted. "You stepped up to the plate when you could have just as easily turned your back on us."

Nicholas finished his glass before responding. "It will be my downfall, I'm afraid. There are things that I do for the pack even though I have no wish to do it."

"And we appreciate that," Cassandra said, pouring him another glass. "I would like you to know that the congress is always at your disposal. We owe you loyalty that goes beyond keeping your secret and helping you coax Raine's wolf out. We're aware of what you have sacrificed..."

"It's one I'd be willing to make again if I were given the chance to turn back time," Nicholas said softly, finally realizing that he meant it. "I'm still furious that I had to do it, I admit, but who else could have done it without suffering the repercussions that could have followed?"

"Indeed," Cassandra agreed.

Nicholas spent the next few moments sipping from his glass and consumed by his thoughts. He would not speak about it to Cassandra, but, he also recognized the fact that, had he not done what he did back then, Aryanna would have died. Yes, she would have killed as many of the congress members as she could, but Ambercrest still boasted some of the strongest wolves in the country, and the stronger members of the pack would have hunted Aryanna down if she had laid her hands on any of the elders. Besides, killing a member of the congress would definitely have drawn the Council's attention, and then Aryanna's life would have been truly forfeit.

No, acting upon the request of the congress was indeed his only choice, Nicholas knew. By sacrificing his relationship with his sister, he managed to protect her and the pack. Now, Ambercrest was one of the most feared packs in the country, and Aryanna was still alive and thriving. That was all that mattered.

"Does it not worry you that Aryanna sits in the Council?" Cassandra asked after a while.

"Sometimes," Nicholas admitted. "I wonder if our decision would bite us in the ass one of these days."

Cassandra took a deep breath. "You still hold power over her. You're the leader of Ambercrest. Even the Council cannot override the hierarchy within our pack. Aryanna can try to unseat you, but we know where the loyalty of the pack lies, and you're much stronger than she is. Give her a direct order - "

"You know as well as I do that she will never listen," he interjected.

"No, of course not, but you can always try."

"And then what?" Nicholas knew where Cassandra's line of thought was heading: if Aryanna refused to obey his order, she would be subject to the worst form of punishment for her mutiny. "I will never resort to killing my own sister. Not even if the Council orders it."

"And if it ever comes to that?"

"It will not come to that," he said calmly. "Just as I refuse to order Raine, I refuse to order Aryanna to do something she does not wish to do."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Because she will not obey it anyway?"

Nicholas shook his head. "Because I have already taken away the person she loves most in the world. I will not take away her freedom to choose for herself as well."

"Then you know what will happen."

"She will go after Raine if she still holds a grudge against me," Nicholas said. "She will not even bother going to the Council. She will try to kill Raine herself. After all, I owe Aryanna a debt of blood."

"And still, you'll refuse to kill her?"

"I will protect Raine with my life, but I will be damned before I kill my sister," Nicholas reiterated. "That is where I draw the line."

Cassandra looked exasperated. She leaned back on her seat and closed her eyes. "Ah, Nicholas. Most of the times, I admire you for refusing to succumb to the level of your forebears, but there are times when I wish to strangle you myself."

Nicholas was amused. "May I remind you that strangling the alpha is akin to suicide? Treason is highly frowned upon. Besides, you can ill-afford to kill me today. There will be chaos within the pack."

The old woman chuckled and stared at him. "Why do you assume that today is one of those rare moments when I would like to commit treason? Maybe I admire you for having the backbone to withstand outside pressure."

"In this moment, I highly doubt it."

"What if your sister goes after you?" Cassandra asked. "What will you do then?"

"I said I will not kill my sister," Nicholas clarified, "but I never said that maiming is out of the question."

That caused Cassandra to laugh. "Ah. You are a Collbreed, after all."

Nicholas chuckled, slowly drinking from his glass. "Let me worry about Aryanna when she attacks. That is, if she attacks at all."

"Gladly," Cassandra said with a smile. "You're the alpha. Those of us in the pack do as you command, and we will heap the problems upon your head before dealing with it on our own."

"That's what I expect you to do." Nicholas returned Cassandra's smile and drank from his glass again. "Anything else that you would like to discuss?"

Cassandra shook her head, slowly swirling the contents of her glass. "Not at this time."

"Good." Nicholas finished his drink. "Where are you headed now?"

"Home, of course," Cassandra answered. "Unless you need me to work on something urgent tonight?"

"Everything can wait for tomorrow," he responded. "I was thinking of going home, as well."

"Excellent," Cassandra said with a smile as she stood up. "This day was exhausting, and I'm too old for the likes of it."

Nicholas rose, too, chuckling at her comment. "Can I give you a lift home?"

Cassandra grinned as she walked toward the door. "Really, Nicholas? Don't you think you had way too much to drink? I know that alcohol does not affect us the way that it does humans, but still..."

Nicholas grabbed his jacket from the rack on the way to the door. Clearly, the old woman was pulling his leg, and he realized that he was in the mood for jokes, too, despite the conversation that they just had. "I'm such a good driver that no cop will ever pull me over. If by some rotten luck they do, they don't have to know that I've been drinking, do they?"

"You think you can fool them?" Cassandra asked, laughing now. "The smell of alcohol is quite distinctive, young man."

"Ah." By now, the two of them had reached the front of the private elevator that only stopped at Nicholas's floor and the ground level. He pressed the button and the door opened. "Ever heard of garlic? It's good at taking away the smell of alcohol from your breath. It's also apparently excellent at keeping vampires at bay."

Cassandra stepped into the elevator before him. "Of course. It works well in keeping some wolves away, too, I bet."

Nicholas chuckled, pressing the button to the ground level. "Or so they say."

"Maybe you should convince that granddaughter of mine to stop eating those damn things," Cassandra suggested with a grin. "Then maybe you'll have better luck at helping her transform."

Nicholas was amused. "Maybe."

The lift reached their destination in almost no time, and Cassandra stepped out of the door ahead of him. "Take care not to get her pregnant, Nicholas. You don't want a bigger problem on your hands if she doesn't agree to our plans and you end up pleading with the Council. You don't want to give them any more advantage than what they already have."

"Ah." Nicholas was still grinning, although he understood where Cassandra's concerns originated. "And here I am, thinking that you're ready for a great grandchild now."