Page 2 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

“Who are you all taking out with you for this hunt?” he asked, his cool expression never changing.

“I have a hand-picked team already. Two of my guys will be going while I’m leaving Asher to stay behind.”

I watched my father’s jaw tense, and his face filled with anger. “So, my son gets the short stick?”

Westley gave me a side glance, and I sighed. “Jesus Christ,” I grumbled under my breath.

“Asher is staying behind because I’m not leaving the pack completely defenseless.”

“But you guys said that the witches put up a barrier, so why does it matter?”

I watched Brandon’s fingers curl on the podium, the first sign he was getting frustrated. “I’m not talking about hybrids but the internal. Someone needs to be in charge while I’m away.”

“Then why isn’t your second in command staying back?”

Was my father trying to start a riot? I took a step forward. “I’m staying back because we need someone here to protect the outer circle of the barrier. Just because they can’t break in doesn’t mean they can’t wait for them to get back from their trips. And I’m the most experienced in quick-thinking situations.”

My father looked at me, his face revealing nothing of what he was thinking. I didn’t like it. I knew that I got that ability from him, learned it from years of childhood.

“If anyone would like to talk with me further, please do. My door is always open.” Brandon placed his hands on the podium, making his word final. The meeting came to a close, and I yanked my tie free. Westley snorted. “That didn’t last long.”

“I hate suits,” I grumbled as I unbuttoned the top button on my shirt. I looked back toward my father. He wrapped his arm around my mother and started walking toward us.

“Oh, this ought to be good,” Westley said, with a hint of humor. I shoved him in the shoulder.

My father pulled them to a stop just in front of us. My mother gave me a soft smile, and I returned one.

My father looked at Brandon. “Brandon, great speech. Don’t mind my questions. I just want to make sure my son is being treated fairly.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I treat all the guys fairly,” Brandon said, a little clipped, clearly irritated with him.

“Good,” my father said, looking at me with the same cold expression. I knew that I looked like a copy of him. I had his dark hair and his dark eyes. I had his nose and his facial frame. I even stood like my father.

My mother was softer, with light brown hair and light blue eyes. She had a smile that lit up a room and a contagious laughter. I remembered wishing I had taken after my mother more, had her looks and features.

“Thank you for allowing us to join the pack. We were eager to get close to Asher again after being away from him for so long.” My mother offered Brandon a smile.

“Of course.”

Brandon had tried telling them now wasn’t a great time. Once we had Belrose safer, he would be more than happy to help them. My father refused, arguing that they wanted to be around and were more than capable of keeping themselves safe if any danger arose.

I still wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I had moved away, so I had some distance from them. I got along just fine with my father and my younger brother. We argued, but I grew accustomed to just drowning them out. My mother and I got along well, but she was very docile, never wanting to upset my father.

“Are we going to be seeing you for dinner soon? Your mother has been wanting to try a new stuffed chicken recipe. Can we count you in?”

“Not this week.” I had too much on my plate, but I knew that excuse wouldn’t last long. “Next week. With them starting the hunt, we have things to figure out.”

He grunted and nodded his head. My mother offered me a smile before my father tugged her along.

It was just us guys and the gals after they left, and Jade sighed loudly. “Well, that went well. Does anyone else feel like they were hit by a truck?”

Brandon made a face, and she walked over, reaching her hands up to him. She kissed him, and he sighed softly against her.

“So, why are we deciding to hunt them now?” Nora asked, moving closer to Kaleb. He wrapped an arm around her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

“We’ve been tracking the numbers, and they have grown, but with the barrier up, we don’t need to worry about what’s going on in the pack while we are out there,” Brandon stated.