Peace Maker

Seth arrived at Silver Lake already in a bad mood, they had left Black Water late and had been further delayed by a punctured tire on the way and now they had to wait for the peace talks to begin. He hated waiting and he was against coming here from the start but his Beta Grayson had convinced him otherwise and now he stood glowering at him as he tried to lighten his mood by making an ill-timed joke. The Silver Lake Beta, Andrew, hurried towards them, apologizing profusely for the delay before ushering them into the large conference room.

A long oval mahogany table dominated the center of the room with chairs lined along either side and two at either end, Seth was shown to one of these chairs and he sat down while impatiently looking around him. Grayson and the rest of his men filed in behind him and took seats beside him on either side of the table while representatives from the Silver Lake pack followed suit from another door at the other end of the room. Once everyone was seated, the door opened again and Alpha Blake stalked in, his eyes surveying the room as he sized up the Alpha of the Black Water pack and his men. Taking his seat at the opposite end from Seth, he turned to his Beta, Andrew, and nodded for him to begin the meeting.

After the meeting started Seth’s mind began to wonder while he continued to listen to the monotonous dialogue around him. Staring out the windows he noticed the trim, well-kept gardens and gently rolling slopes that led down to the lake, after which the place had been named. The sunlight reflected off of the water’s surface covering it in a dappled display of iridescent lights that moved and gently lapped along the edge of the embankment. It became clear to him then why they had called it Silver Lake and why so many spoke about it with such high regard.

The minutes stretched into hours and lunch was served in the conference room as the talks continued. The sun had only just begun its descent across the sky when they finally came to an agreement and the peace talks were concluded. Leaving the building, Seth paused outside the doors and breathed deeply of the fresh, clean air as he rolled his shoulders and neck. He heard someone come up behind him and quickly turned, all his senses on high alert, but it was only Alpha Blake.

“We have a peace offering for you Alpha Seth, a token of our commitment and appreciation for the peace treaty between our packs”

“I hardly think that’s necessary”, Seth responded bluntly.

“Please we would be most grateful if you accepted our offer, it is after all a gift, of sorts”, Blake’s smile was not reflected in his eyes and Seth wondered what the old bastard was up to now.

“Very well, as you wish”

Blake signaled to his Beta, who disappeared into another door in the building, returning a short while later with a young girl of no more than eighteen, if Seth guessed correctly. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he turned to look questioningly at Blake, who was smiling jovially in his direction.

“What the hell is this?” he growled, clearly not amused.

“Why your peace offering of course”, Blake’s fake smile grew wider still, the sight of it made Seth want to punch it off of his face.

“This is a human being……not an object to be gifted”

Blake looked at Seth with amusement in his eyes, he was clearly enjoying this, and this only infuriated Seth even more.

“This is my daughter Layla and my gift to you”

Seth tried to hide his amazement as he stared at the Silver Lake Alpha, not only was he presenting him with a human being as gift but she was also his own daughter. What kind of sick duck was this guy, he thought to himself. Gathering his thoughts he turned to look at the girl, who stood quietly beside her father, avoiding his gaze as she stared off into the distant rolling slopes.

She had beautiful almond-shaped eyes that were hazel in color and thick auburn hair that was tied up in a high pony-tail. Her jaw was firmly set and she was dressed more like a warrior than the daughter of an Alpha in tight black pants and shirt and jacket. She looked like a vengeful doll but without the malevolence and he sensed a certain air of vulnerability about her too. Blake gestured for her to come forward and meet Seth and she moved with a confidence and grace that seemed too mature for her years.

“Layla this is Alpha Seth of the Black Water pack, your new master”

“I’m not her or anyone’s master”, Seth grimaced with distaste at Blake’s introduction, “Just call me Alpha”

Layla nodded her head and lowered her eyes, looking up in surprise when she saw his large hand swim into view. Their eyes met for just a minute before she averted her gaze and took his hand which was warm and soft and completely enveloped her own small one. She felt him stiffen and pull back slightly, as if he was in pain, and looking back up at him she saw a fleeting look of an emotion she didn’t quite recognize before it disappeared behind his impassive mask.

Seth quickly released her hand and stepping back, he turned to Gray, with a quizzical look on his face before he began walking towards the car.

“Alpha Seth!” Blake called after him, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“I don’t want nor need a slave”, he didn’t pause as he continued walking towards the car.

Blake hurried after him, taking long strides to catch up, and falling into step as he reached his side.

“You can’t refuse my peace offering in front of my pack, it would be seen as an insult and a direct violation of the peace treaty”

“I already told you…”, Seth growled when Gray cut him off.

“He’s right Alpha. It could hurt what is already a very fragile peace treaty”

Seth turned to him, eyebrows raised, as he glared at him.

“Alpha, I strongly advise against you rejecting this peace offering”, Gray emphasized the word “strongly” while giving Seth a meaningful look.

Seth stood his ground, glowering at his Beta, before abruptly turning on his heel and heading to the car.

“She can travel with you, I don’t want anything to do with this”, he called back over his shoulder.

Layla stood behind them, confused and undecided, when Blake turned back to her and gestured with his chin for her to follow the Black Water Alpha and his Beta. She remained where she was for a moment, still unsure, when Gray looked back at her with a sympathetic look and a small smile.

“Come on, where are your bags? You can ride with me”

She hefted her single bag onto her shoulder and walked up to him when he reached behind her and grabbed the bag from her before she could protest and started toward the second car in the convoy of vehicles waiting to take the Black Water representatives back home.

Settling into the comfortable back seat of the black SUV as it pulled away from the kerb, Layla couldn’t help but wonder what she was getting herself into and whether she was doing the right thing but she quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind and staring out the tinted window began plotting her next move.