The Alpha Triplets And The Rogue
Chapter 171

Raven’s POV

I walk into the dining room to find it tense. The room is clearly divided between Alpha Harry and his men and those that are traveling with me. I cannot help but wonder what sort of drama I missed while I was hiding upstairs.

There are two empty chairs at the table, one beside my grandfather and the other beside Alpha Leo. Whichever seat I do not take will leave the other open for Elise. Feelings of jealousy rise in my chest as I think about Elise sitting next to Leo, but I don’t want to give him the wrong idea. So, I bury those feelings deep down and take the seat next to my grandfather.

Elise gives me a confused look and I gesture for her to sit beside Leo and her face turns several shades of red. As she sits down, Leo scoots his chair discreetly away from her and refuses to look in her direction. I let out a little sigh as the jealousy within me begins to subside.

“How nice of you to finally join us,” Alpha Harry says with an annoyed look on his face.

Placing my napkin in my lap, I place the fake smile I have learned so well across my lips. “I do apologize for being so tardy. The trip was long last night and your beds are incredibly comfortable. I couldn’t bring myself to get up.”

Alpha Harry’s Luna, Rachel, seems pleased with this explanation and places her hand on his arm to stop him from interrogating me any further. With a disgruntled look on his face, Alpha Harry continues to eat his breakfast without speaking another word to me.

Sitting in my own comfortable silence, I eat my breakfast while two conversations happen around me. On my left, I listen about how a Queen is not needed to look over the packs and certainly not one that was chosen because of a simple birthmark. On my right, I can hear my father grumbling to anyone that will listen about the consequences of disobeying the Moon Goddess.

Finally, Grandpa Aaron turns to me. “And just what is your opinion on the matter, Little Bird?”

His question takes me by surprise and I choke on the little bit of egg that I am chewing on. No one has asked me my opinion on the matter before. Taking a sip of the water I prepare to speak when my father interrupts me.

“Of course, Raven wants what the Moon Goddess has set before her,” my father says with a proud look on his face.

“Actually,” I say trying to hold my head high. “I can understand the hesitation of some of the packs. Change can be scary. But I think what some are failing to realize is that for the past eighteen years, the Elder Council has been doing the job that I will be doing. In fact,” I pause. I am not sure if I am ready to admit the plans that I have. “I thought it would be beneficial for all of us to keep the Elder Council intact.”

“What?” A chorus of voices asks from around the table. I look at Alpha Harry and he has an inquisitive look on his face.

I look at my grandfather and he has a huge smile spread across his face. “Every Queen needs advisors that represent the people that she is serving.”

“This is the first I am hearing that you are forming a court,” my father sounds wounded.

“I have had a lot of time to think over the past few years. Even though you don’t think I have been listening to both sides, I have. And both sides make good points. Plus, I am only eighteen. I don’t exactly know what I am doing. A court could help me make the right decisions while I learn along the way.” I try to keep my head held high but with everyone’s eyes on me, I cannot help but shrink down in my chair a little.

“If you will excuse me,” my father says as he throws his napkin on the table. He storms out of the dining room and I suddenly feel like my idea was stupid. Is it possible that I just embarrassed my father so badly that he would leave the room?

My face flushes and I look back down at my plate. Pushing my food around on my plate I have suddenly lost my appetite. I didn’t realize that my idea was so stupid. I thought that I was forming a plan that would please both sides. Peeking up from my plate I realize that everyone in the dining room is silent. It is as if no one wants to speak first.

Alpha Harry clears his throat and I turn my attention back to him. I try to keep the tears that are welling up in my eyes from falling as I look up from my plate.

“You are pretty smart for an eighteen-year-old,” Alpha Harry says with a smile on his face. “Perhaps having a Queen won’t be so bad after all. I know you are already familiar with our pack but I would like to show you around anyway.”

“You mean you don’t think my idea is stupid?” I whisper quietly.

“On the contrary,” Alpha Harry says with a smirk on his face. “The reason that many of the original packs are against a Queen is they are concerned that you are going to come in and make a lot of changes.”

“That is not something that I had planned on doing,” I admit. “I see no problem fixing problems that do not exist.”

“After hearing what you had to say today, I think that I can convince the other packs to back you as well,” Alpha Harry says with a smile on his face. “Now let me show you around my pack.”

I let out a sigh of relief as I look across the table. Leo has his head c****d to the side and is looking at me with great interest. It is almost as if he can read my thoughts and I begin to feel uncomfortable.

“I am going to change into something more comfortable if I am going to be touring the pack,” I say as I get up from my seat quickly.

As soon as I stand so does everyone else around the table. One by one they bare their necks to me and this time I am unable to hold back the tears that stream down my face. For the first time, I feel like I could actually be the Queen.