Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate (PDF) novel Chapter 237

Accidental Surrogate for Alpha by Caroline Above Story Chapter 237

#Chapter 237 – Human Meeting

Sinclair

It’s no easy feat to calm my wolf.

The moment he sees the cold-hearted human who confronted us after Damon’s rogue attack at the Solstice, he begins clawing at the surface of my skin, begging to get out. I desperately work to keep my face blank, though I know my mate can sense my surprise and fury. She rests one small hand on my thigh, gently caressing my tense muscles. My wolf relaxes slightly, but not nearly enough. He’s growling in my head all the way through the introductions, which take much longer than I’d like.

When it’s my turn to greet her, I summon my strength. “Madame Mayor.” Somehow I manage to say it without enmity, “I didn’t realize it was you who would be joining us.”

“I think you’ll find I’m the only reason anyone is joining at all.” The former Moon Valley mayor, a woman by the name of Sabina Kelly, replies coolly. At first her words don’t make sense, but then the video pans out, revealing that she is far from the only guest joining this call. Grim-faced men line the table on either side of her, and though some are as unknown to me as any stranger, others are surprisingly familiar. I see legislators, governors and leading activists from the human world, even a few politicians to whom we reached out with no reply. I can scarcely wrap my mind around the a*sembled delegates before Sabina is speaking again. “Nor can I rightly claim the title of mayor since Damon saw fit to depose me.”

“Well with all due respect, you are an elected official – Damon is not.” I reply, falling back on my diplomatic training to smooth the troubled waters between us. “So I would prefer to call you by the title your people afforded you.”

I’m thankful my mouth is still working, because my mind is reeling. The last time I spoke to this woman she seemed to truly hate me – not that she cared for shifters in general. I’ll never forget the way she sneered the words “your kind” at me that day, foisting blame for the attack onto all wolves as if we’ve all been cut from the same cloth. Of course that was merely one incident in a hundred. I can’t remember ever having a productive conversation with her throughout the entirety of our acquaintance.

“Thank you.” Sabina answers hesitantly. “Though I want to be very clear that we only agreed to this meeting to hear what you have to say. Those of us in power have known about shifters for some time now, but the last month has inflicted lasting scars on our people. We cannot overlook the violence you have inflicted upon our communities as of late.”

“I understand, and I must tell you that humans are not the only ones suffering under Damon’s rule.” I reply steadily. “Our own people are suffering gravely under his tyranny, and it is our greatest wish to remove him from power.” I turn my gaze on each of the humans individually.” Whatever Dmaon has led you to believe about humans and wolf-kind, I’m here to tell you that he does not speak the truth. We are not all so backwards and violent – we do not all think as he does.”

‘Then how do you think?” A man I don’t recognize inquires.

“Perhaps it would be best if you heard from someone to whom the knowledge of wolf-kind came as a very recent surprise.” Gabriel suggests, nodding to Ella.

My mate leans forward, resting her clasped hands on the table. ‘Thank you, Gabriel,” She begins hesitantly, “It might surprise you to hearthat, despite my current position, I was raised among humans in Moon Valley. In fact, I believed I was human until a couple of months ago, so there are actually a few of you who have been in on the secret even longer than I have.” I watch the humans closely as Ella’s words hit home, noticing a few confused expressions and curious grumbles.

Sabina clears her throat, and I hold my breath – praying she won’t say anything to undermine our message. ’The reason I asked you all to join me today is because I have insight from the experience of working with both the Usurper and Alpha Sinclair. Before the coup and my exile to Sevka, I thought much like you did. I put up with shifters because I had no other choice, and I didn’t like it.” She confesses. “Frankly, I believed that Alpha Dominic was full of it. Damon convinced me that his public persona was all a show – that he was nothing more than a con artist who hoped to steal the crown by acting like a moralizing, bleeding heart, charmer.”

“Then the war came, and I saw that I’d believed the wrong man.” Sabina carries on, shamefaced. “Alpha Dominic tried to expose Damon’s crimes, but instead of answering for them the Usurper sped up his plans for takeover. In truth, I’ve come to believe that Dominic’s accusations are the only reason we’ve held off as well as we have – they forced Damon to rush and act before he was ready.”

My jaw drops, and Ella sweetly sets it back in place with one small finger.

Perhaps I’m an idiot, but that possibility – the idea that I might have helped lessen the damage by speaking out when I did – has never occurred to me before. I can’t express how badly I want it to be true, though I know wishful thinking can be a dangerous thing.

“I made the mistake of believing Damon when he told me you weren’t a fit ruler.” Sabina forges on, speaking directly to me now. “When he told me that he would protect humans and wolves alike if he came to power. It isn’t easy to admit just how wrong I was, but it would be an even greater betrayal of my people to do nothing now, when you have reached out to us in friendship.”

Again Sabina looks to the other humans. “We have a common enemy with these shifters, and the situation is dire enough that we cannot be choosy. Luckily that’s not a problem, because Dominic is the ally I would choose above anyone else. He is a good man, a selfless leader who cares more about wolves and humans alike. He is brave enough to stand for the things that truly matter, strong enough to defend us, and smart enough to know when to fight and when to hold off. I encourage all of you to give this alliance your full consideration and spread the word throughout your network. We do not have to be alone in this fight.”

To my amazement, a number of the other humans are nodding in agreement. I can scarcely believe this is really happening, but when I look to my mate, she’s sending me an incandescent smile. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.