Frank paced the floor, occasionally looking my way. When he turned his attention, I would glance at Gus. He'd give me a shrug in response which was not helpful at all. Usually, he would lean closer to what I wanted or, at the very least, point out that I wasn't being unreasonable. His shrugs meant that Gus agreed with them, which was not surprising.

They were all vocal about me finding a mate, but Frank was the loudest. Some might say he had a strong interest in my predicament considering he had several sons, but I'd happily tell them that as the eldest was fifteen, he wasn't a contender. At all.

No, Frank's determination wasn't about securing a connection to the Alpha. It was the same as the rest of the Betas. Ensuring the health of this pack. Frank just happened to be the loudest.

"Frank is right," Gus offered when he finally found a moment to speak. "It is the duty of the Alpha to provide security to the pack across the board. That includes a permanent placement of a Beta and the creation of the next Alpha."

"And spares," Frank said softly.

I caught sight of his glum expression before he turned away. It was a grim subject.

Stanley, the youngest of the Betas, turned his attention to me. I knew that this wouldn't be good if he was going to put his thoughts into it. Stanley rarely entered into the conversation, keeping his thoughts to himself unless he felt it was necessary to say something.

He was also shaping up to be a good asset in the office. The wolf knew his way around a computer and had fixed many things here.

"Midland Peak is just around the corner," he offered.

"I'd rather not attend the meat market, thank you."

"We've discussed this and think it would be a good idea for you to attend with the other pack members who are going," Charlie added.

It was clear that they were ganging up on me regarding this subject. Usually, I had a couple of days of their bickering and indecision but apparently not today. It seemed as if they'd already come to an agreement which meant that they'd been talking about it a lot.

"You know that it is standard for a pack to book several rooms for the gathering. Stanley has done that, Megan."

Yay for Stanley.

"In fact, he booked a room for you as well. All you have to do is get on the bus with the other young members of our pack, go to Midland Peak, and meet some wolves. Now is a good time to do that, Megan. Your friends are attending this year."

"They are?"

And why didn't they tell me?

"Yes." Stanley offered with a vague smile. "Joey, Noah. Even Alec has decided to go this year."

Of course he has. Shame he didn't say anything to me about it. As for that little rat Joey, he'd get his ear twisted off for this.

"Maybe next year," I murmured.

"Do you really wish to wait another year, Megan? You risk the other packs looking at this one with the belief that you're not coping. A leader who stands tall and proud does not falter when it comes time to find a mate. They all know that Anders is not our Alpha. They know that he is not with us anymore, just like Stephen. They know that you have taken on the role of Alpha, and the expectation is that they will see you at the gathering. Failure to attend will have them questioning what is happening here, and they will start sniffing around. They will question our value as Beta if we cannot convince you to attend. Then you face one of them strolling in here with determination and death on his mind. We scraped through the last attempted coup, and I, for one know that the only reason Konrad backed off was that he was trying to stop his own pack from falling. All we ask is that you go to Midland Peak, be seen by the other packs, and show them that you're doing what is normal for a young Alpha. No one expects you to find mister perfect, but you have to at least try."

I stood, perhaps a little angrier than I should have been at that moment. Was I sick of this conversation? Yes.

"But that's the thing, Frank. I'm female. How many wolves do you know that will be willing to take on a subservient role? All those wolves at Midland think that they're going to get a mate that will be nothing more than a baby maker. They're not interested in a woman that will have a higher standing in the pack. I can go if that is what you really want, but I don't see the point in it."

They exchanged glances. Gus sighed as he stood. Gripping my shoulders, he looked at me with a soft smile and a calmness that I always found relaxing.

"There is always a point to everything that we do in this life. Go to the meeting. Search, be seen, and ensure the other packs see you as a strong leader. That is what is important here. It is far grander than the subject of your mate. You are a new leader, and you are female. Two aspects that will make this world see you as weak, so you must react. Besides, you never know what you will find there. You may just find a wolf with no interest in social standing."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Gus lived in a wild fantasy land, just like the other Betas.

"Fine. I'll go home and pack. What time does the bus leave?"

"Noon."

Glancing at the clock, I realized I had just under two hours to get home, pack and be ready for the bus to pick me up.

"What about the pack?"

"All pack business will be on hold in your absence. Besides, our beloved barman is going with you, and no one can figure out how he makes those Old Fashioned so perfectly."

"We've tried," Charlie groaned.

"You're all lame," I muttered.

Grabbing my bag, I pushed through the door and entered the main room. Alec leaned on the counter, looking at me with a lot of amusement.

"So, I take it that they convinced you?"

"Yeah. Save me a seat, and you're in trouble for not telling me you were going. Wait till I find Joey."

Alec chuckled as I made my way out of the pack house.It was going to be a long weekend of pure frustration, and I was not lookingforward to it.