Chapter 7 : Negotiations

*Frederick* The wind was blowing hard through the common ground, creating a howling sound through the open gazebo as Frederick waited. His guards stood back in the darkness, waiting for direction. He hoped they would not be necessary. He hoped they would be able to find a peaceful conclusion to this difficult situation that they now found themselves in. The rest of the forest was unnaturally quiet; it felt almost eerie, but it allowed Frederick to hear Keith and his entourage coming forward even from a distance. Frederick took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself for what he knew would be a difficult conversation. A light mist gathered around the edges of Keith's jacket as he stepped through the trees into the hallow clearing. His expressionless face didn't shift at all as he made his way up to the gazebo to meet Frederick. Keith's guards mimicked Frederick's in their position just inside the tree lining. It was almost as if they were setting up a perfect game of chess. Frederick swallowed hard and continued to hope that they could find mutual ground and a resolution. Much to Frederick's surprise, Keith reached out a hand. Frederick took it hesitantly. The two Alphas stood staring at each other quietly, for much too long. Frederick shifted his weight and started to have an unsettling feeling. Keith had always been a difficult man to read, and Frederick did not relish the idea that he might now be on Keith's bad side for something he had no control over. "I'm sorry we have to be meeting under such disappointing circumstances," Frederick started. His strong voice carried on the back of the wind and echoed through the clearing. Again, Keith remained emotionless. Frederick had a terrible feeling about this situation and did not feel as if Keith would be open to much positive conversation. "Disappointing indeed. I was certain, as was my daughter, that this would be a final uniting of our packs. This was supposed to be a healing moment for us. However, it seems the Goddess is not pleased with that idea. Clearly, our union is not what the Moon Goddess wants," Keith stated with a sense of finality to his voice. Frederick felt taken aback. He had expected Keith to be forceful and upset but not this accusatory. He felt a deeper sense of worry and panic spread through him. "Mae still matched with Nathan, a member of my pack. The Moon Goddess can't be completely against our union of packs," Frederick offered. Keith scoffed. He turned away from Frederick as if just the idea of it offended him. Frederick did his best to stand tall and continue to seek ways toward peace. "You're grasping at straws, Fred. You know as well I do, her mating with that weakling doesn't call for a union of our packs. No, you had one shot to make things right and that was this wedding. To be honest, this wedding was a pathetic attempt at peace and union as it was." Keith started pacing around the deck, causing Frederick to feel a bit more uneasy. Frederick instinctively adjusted his position to stand a little farther back. He scrambled his brain trying to find the right words to say. "What do you mean to make things right? I thought we decided that we were working toward the union of our two packs? We are supposed to be finding peace, Keith. Wasn't that the point of supporting our children's love for each other? Wasn't that the point of them mating? How can you flip on me so quickly?" Frederick shot back. Keith's eyes looked a little wild as they locked with Frederick. "Look where that left us! I don't know about your son, but my daughter is heartbroken! She can hardly leave her room, much less look at her mate and start her future. Now, they are both upset by having been torn apart, and there's no wedding to bring anything together. You want to know how I could flip so quickly? What other solution do I have to this complete disaster?" Keith barked. Frederick flinched a little. "Yes, I know. Henry is just as upset as I'm sure Mae is. None of us expected this outcome; it's a tragedy. But I don't see why it has to be the end all. We can still come back from this," Frederick offered. He could feel his panic growing inside and was desperately finding anything he could say to stop Keith's growing hostility. Keith was already shaking his head. He placed his hands on his hips and stomped his feet on the ground. His eyes glared harshly at Frederick, and he swallowed hard, straightening up. He tried to position himself to look equally as strong as Keith. "How do we come back from this? We were already wedged apart, and this is only pushing us further apart. Our packs were not exactly on good terms, and you're expecting me to start in an act of peace as if everything is fine, despite this final travesty?" "Please, can't we try to find a peaceful middle? Even if we can unite our packs together, can't we at least find another solution?" Frederick pleaded. He held his hands out, hoping that Keith would budge, even a little bit. But Keith narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest–a clear rejection of Frederick's offer for peace. He seemed determined to create a bigger problem and potentially start a war. "You want a solution? Start with all the money you owe me from the last war. Since you have no grand wedding to pay for now, I'm sure you have some to spare." Keith's words shot out like vinegar. Frederick found himself, once again, surprised at the new lows that Keith was pulling out. "What?" "You owe me money from the last war we went through. I'm demanding payment now, in full." Keith stood firm in his stance and sounded almost menacing in his tone. "Keith, please, I don't have that kind of money. I thought we were working together," Frederick pleaded again. Keith scoffed and pushed out a harsh laugh. "Please, we had a deal as long as this wedding went through. You're no longer holding up your end of the bargain!" "I wasn't the one who decided they wouldn't be matched together! I am not the reason this union didn't go through. What do you want me to do, Keith? Force them into this wedding anyway? Even though they aren't matched?" "Yes! Follow through on your end for once, Frederick! Force the wedding regardless," Keith barked. "How could you possibly ask me to do that? What about Nathan? Or Circe? This would go against the design of the Moon Goddess! Clearly, there would be worse repercussions if we forced them to marry anyway!" Frederick cried out, no longer caring how worried or afraid he sounded. "That's not my concern. Make this happen," Keith demanded. His voice was as cold as ice and felt like frozen needles stabbing into Frederick. "You can not ask that of me." Frederick felt like his heart was pounding too hard for his chest. How did this impossible situation happen? How is it that he found himself stuck between impending doom from disobeying the Moon Goddess or a potential war with Keith's pack? "Fine, if you will not command the wedding anyway then I'll give you a week to come up with the money you owe me, Frederick." "A week? What do you expect I'll be able to do in a week to make that much money? If it'll help ease your frustration, I'll give you the money that was meant for the wedding. But only if we are aiming toward peace and a more lasting union between our two pacts," Frederick offered. Again, Keith scoffed. "I don't see there being anything you can do to help lead us down a path of peace. The wedding was our final opportunity to avoid war." Keith's eyes turned dark and narrowed in sharply on Frederick. Frederick felt the weight of the dilemma and almost felt consumed by it. "Come now, Keith, please. You can't seriously be thinking of starting a war?" Frederick's voice was shakier than he intended. In his own mind, he had wondered if it might come to this. He feared he would have to defend his borders against Keith, but he never guessed that Keith would be so quick to fight. That he wouldn't even entertain the idea of peace "Surely, you don't want to put your people through that. Think of your daughter, she's still in love with my son." "I do think of her, every day. Whatever hold your son has on her needs to end if you will not allow this wedding to happen regardless of their designed mates. You'll find a way to pay back the money you owe, or by the Goddess herself, you'll have yourself a serious problem." "Keith, please, please don't do this. Please let us find a more peaceful solution. I beseech you," Frederick implored. Keith paused for a moment and looked back and forth between his troops and Frederick. He looked for just a moment like he might change his mind, but his expression quickly hardened again. He held up his fist as a gesture of finality–he would not be moved in his decision. "You have till the week is out," Keith demanded again before stomping back off in the direction in which he came. Frederick stood watching him disappear behind the trees, his entorage of wolves alongside him, feeling lost and dumbfounded. Standing silently, he felt crushed and defeated. He was in complete disbelief that Keith wouldn't even consider giving peace a chance. Frederick felt scared and worried for his pack, though part of him felt an angry grudge toward Keith, he didn't want a war. He didn't want to lead his people into a war. He knew Henry wouldn't follow him into a war against Mae's father. For a moment, he considered ordering Henry to marry Mae anyway. He knew that's what his son wanted. But Circe and Nathan would be left alone, hurt, and abandoned. He had no idea what the Moon Goddess might do if they went against her order of things. Frederick shuddered at the thought. He had heard stories, rumors of wolves and Alphas long since past that had turned against her. No, Frederick would not doom his pack to such a terrible fate. He would have to try again to calm Keith and find a way to move on together. Frederick sighed, lost in a mental battle. He hung his head and turned to lead his wolf warriors out of the common space.