The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 148

ETHAN

I stepped out of the car first, scanning the area for any potential dangers or traps. I stood in front of a little coffee shop in the next town over. The owner was a werewolf, and she agreed to let us use the space for the meeting on her day off. While the shop was owned by a werewolf, the town was mostly human, with the exception of a few mystical beings who decided to live among the humans.

Not many werewolves made that choice, especially because they knew there were consequences if humans ever discovered their true nature. Having this meeting in human territory made me even more nervous. If the vampire king wanted to cause issues, it could easily become a disaster. However, King Claude refused to meet us in our own pack, and Winston hoped the vampire king would behave if he knew humans were around. Vampires had just as much to lose from human discovery as we did.

At least that was what we hoped.

The shop owner unlocked the door for us, and Winston and Kalli stepped out of the car. Kalli wore a white coat and a large pair of sunglasses, and Winston had on a button-up shirt and black slacks. Together, they looked like celebrities. Anywhere else, they may have been revered as celebrities, but they were unknown to the population of this town.

"Velma, thank you so much for letting us meet here," Winston said, taking the shop owner's hand.

She smiled, but it didn't meet her eyes. "Of course. Anything for the alpha." She dipped her head and slipped into the shop. She was on the older side. I had met Velma a few times in my childhood, but she moved out of the pack before the incident with James. Her mate was a warrior, and the day he didn't come home was the day she decided to leave, deciding it was too painful to stay around other werewolves who still had their mates.

"I'll be in the back if you need anything," she said, slipping away. She had no desire to be around vampires.

I ordered two warriors to stand by the door, waiting for the vampire king's arrival. They were here for backup, in case anything went wrong. I wanted more warriors, but Winston insisted we limit the number of Moon Warriors waiting for the arrival of the vampire king. Too many could make him feel threatened. I understood the logic, but after the battle with vampires and my father, I felt on edge knowing such a powerful enemy was coming with so little backup to help if he decided to ambush us.

For the first time since she left, I was grateful Juniper wasn't anywhere near here. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do my job properly if I knew she was so close to a vampire after all of the threats on her life.

A limo pulled up, and the energy in the air changed. A man jumped out of the front and scurried to the door. He smelled human, but his eyes were sunken in, and he was thin.

They feed on him, I linked Kalli and Winston. The realization boiled my blood.

We mustn't say anything, Winston said. It's not our place to judge.

I understood why Winston said what he did. We knew most vampires fed off humans. That was no secret. Werewolves had gone to war over that fact a long time ago. However, neither species proved to be able to overpower the other, so it ended in a treaty. The same treaty we were trying to protect.

The vampire king had no reason to bring a human he fed on to this meeting. He was doing it to taunt us, and even though I hadn't met the vampire king, the small gesture was enough to show his arrogance. He wanted to rub it in our faces that he could do as he pleased with his human slaves, and there was nothing we could do without risking war.

The human opened the door to the limo, and a man with slicked back black hair stepped out. His clothes looked as if he had stepped out of the Victorian era. His deep red vest matched the red pulsing through his eyes, and a black petticoat and ascot completed the look. He straightened his clothes, as if it were a crime to look even slightly disheveled.

Two other vampires stepped out of the car behind him, both similarly dressed, only without the pop of color. The Moon Warriors opened the door to the coffee shop, and Winston was the first to greet him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, King Claude. I am Alpha Winston of Pack Validas, and this is my mate, Luna Kalli. I want to thank you for accepting our meeting invitation." Winston held his hand out.

The Vampire King turned his nose up to Winston's hand. "Yes, I'm sure it is an honor to meet me, and I couldn't very well turn down the invitation after one of your own caused the deaths of my vampires."

Kalli stepped up. "It is quite unfortunate. Especially since one of your vampires kidnapped and tortured one of our people." She had a smile on her face, but there were razors in her mouth. She wasn't about to let King Claude throw all of the blame onto werewolves. "I did hear about that. It's a shame really." The vampire looked at me, and his red eyes sent a chill down my spine. "And you must be Beta Burrell."

"Beta Ethan," I corrected. I couldn't stand the thought of going by the same name Anthony had.

"Oh right. That was your father, the one who got my people killed. I heard you were the one who took your own father's life. That's very Oedipus of you."

"I don't take kindly to anyone who betrays my pack," I said.

"I can see that." King Claude's smirk grated my nerves. He was making it harder and hard to keep my cool. "How is your brother doing? Is his brain still scrambled?"

I repressed the urge to lunge at the vampire king in front of me. Bringing up Nathan was another taunt. He did his research before coming here, and he was ready to use anything to rile us up.

"He is doing much better now," I said, relying on the emotionless mask my father had taught me to wear. While his tactics had been harsh, the ability to suppress my emotions was the only reason I was able to face the vampire king without starting anything. My mask was wavering, though. I wasn't sure how much more I could handle.

King Claude hummed, as if he was disappointed. "And what of your mate? I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping Juniper would be here. I wanted to see the pretty face that caused so much trouble for the both of us."

A low growl slipped from my mouth. I hated that he knew Juniper's name, and it was even worse that he had it on his tongue.

Kalli stepped in front of me, saving me from having to respond. "Juniper did nothing to cause issues. It was Anthony Burrell, and we made sure he got what he deserved. Please, let's have a seat to discuss things further."

King Claude looked past Kalli, as if she was a ghost. He kept his eyes on me. "From what I understand, Anthony Burrell was trying to kill Juniper. It was the reason his sons turned against him. She must be pretty special if she can turn four sons against their father." I gritted my teeth, wanting nothing more than to bash in his face. He knew too much about Juniper and my father, and it made me nervous.

"The issue was much more complicated than that," Winston answered for me. "Come, why don't we sit down and discuss everything?"

King Claude waved his hand. "There's nothing to discuss. Besides, I'm not interested in hanging out in a place that stinks of werewolves for any longer than I have to."

"I understand this may not be the ideal situation, but we need to make sure the air is clear between us," Winston insisted. "The actions of Anthony Burrell are not reflective of the werewolf community. We have no intention of starting war with the vampires, and we made sure to take care of the issue on our end."

"Not without the death of several vampires," King Claude said simply.

"No one forced those vampires to attack us," Kalli said. "Our pack was the target of both vampires and werewolves, and we suffered losses from it, too."

King Claude waved his hand. "Yes, yes. I understand. I have no interest in starting a war with the werewolves. It'd be too much of an inconvenience." Kalli's shoulders relaxed, and she took a slow breath. "You could've just said that."

Winston shot Kalli a look, as if to warn her not to be too brazen with the vampire king. However, King Claude looked more amused than anything.

The vampire king reached out and placed a single finger under Kalli's chin. "I could have, dear, but it was so much more fun to come here and meet you all in person." His eyes landed on me, and my muscles tensed. I couldn't bring myself to say anything, knowing it would only cause issues if I did.

Kalli stepped back, keeping her composure like the perfect luna. "I can see that, and as long as we are on the same page, that neither party is interested in war, then I believe there's no need to waste our time any longer."

King Claude smirked in return. "I suppose you are right. You are quite the firecracker luna. I'm interested in seeing how the werewolves fare under your care." He looked at me again. "Say hi to that beautiful mate of yours. I look forward to meeting her in the future." "That's not going to happen," I said firmly. I didn't know why the vampire king had such a keen interest in my mate. I had a feeling it was more than the reasons he gave, and it unsettled me. I swore to myself I would do whatever it took to make sure Juniper and King Claude never met.

King Claude chuckled. "We shall see, won't we?" He turned to leave, but just before he exited, he paused, turning back to us. "Oh, and I'd still be careful. Just because I don't have an interest in starting a war, doesn't mean there aren't those out there who want revenge."