That he knew. No one could make Camille do anything she didn’t truly want to. As much as she bent to accommodate her vicious mother, and as much as she liked to please, when Camille got something into her head, she became a whirlwind of claws and teeth and fury.
He loved that about her. Always had.
“You let me worry about that. I just need you to open the door for me.”
He’d won her twenty years ago, despite the divisions of class and race and enmity. He could do it again. All he needed was an opening, something to force her hand into spending the smallest sliver of time with him.
“What will happen if it becomes public knowledge that Viktor is being considered for a union with Cammie?”
Theodore ran his claws through the wispy strands of hair that had escaped Margot’s updo. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I hadn’t considered it. My hope was that unions would become defunct when the moratorium on Other consorts was lifted, but we’re a stubborn bunch, so I guess I’m not surprised by its staying power.”
He looked at Viktor. The softness bled out of his voice. “If word gets out, it could swing one of two ways: Either elves could see it as a remarkable opportunity for new and lucrative unions across the UTA, or they’ll lose their minds all over again.”
And, Viktor thought, pacing again, it will tank our chances with the Alliance.
He didn’t say that, though. Theodore didn’t know about his negotiations with the Alliance, and Viktor was keen on keeping him in the dark until things were settled. What his pack did or did not do wasn’t the sovereign’s business unless their actions were in violation of the law — though the elves rarely saw things that way.
Which was why his people needed their own territory outside of the smothering oversight of the EVP. They needed their autonomy. True autonomy.
And that was what they stood to lose if it leaked that he was in negotiations with the Solbournes. Not simply because it would look a lot like he was double dealing, but because shifters would find the idea of an arranged mating repugnant, unnatural. It would look like he was not only betraying an instinctive honor code, but an entire way of life.
It was a massive risk. On one side, his pack — the people who had supported him, who were his family, who believed in him even when he was a boy trying to learn how to be a leader.
On the other side, Camille — the woman who made him feel a wild, fierce sort of joy that he could compare to nothing else, and the woman who made the thought of the future bearable.
The loyalty to mate and pack were never supposed to come in conflict. One was the other. To feel like he couldn’t have both made something deeply fundamental in him wither.
But if I do this right, if I win her before word gets out, then it won’t matter. Certainly, the Alliance might still reject him, but they were still shifters. If they knew she was his mate, they would understand and respect the sacred bond between them.
If she wore his bite, there wasn’t a damn thing they could say about it.
Viktor pulled himself upright, his shoulders moving back as the tension eased out of his muscles. Yes, he thought. That’s what I have to do.
Everyone, including the Alliance, would be forced to accept her if he claimed her properly. If he had to play elvish games to make that happen, he would do it.
But he had to do it fast.
“Tell me about how this works,” he demanded, rounding on Theodore.
“Well, typically a family makes a list of eligible partners and then they put out feelers to see if anyone is interested in discussing a possible union.” Theodore frowned, his distaste for the practice clear. “Obviously, word usually gets out unless things are kept firmly behind closed doors, and offers can be submitted to the head of the family for consideration. For instance, if you were an elf, this wouldn’t be that unusual. You heard Cammie is looking for a contract, so you petitioned the head of her family for a place on the list.”
He shifted so that Margot could lean her back against his chest. She looked up at him with big eyes, her expression intent. Obviously, she was just as new to this as Viktor was, and appeared just as eager to learn.
“After the final list is approved, a contact is made with each family. First in writing, to confirm that both parties are willing, and then in a series of meetings to negotiate terms and assess compatibility.” He paused, expression tightening. “It is considered deeply insulting to pull out of negotiations with any family before the final meeting. It is a sign of respect to give every family a fair shot. If everyone played favorites from the start, it would make the gene pool that much smaller — something we can’t afford to do.”
Viktor smiled thinly. “So if you approve my place on that list, she has to meet with me.”
“Yes. Though, knowing Cammie, she will try to find a way out of it.”
He waved that thought away. Of course she would try to outsmart him. That was another thing he loved about her. She made him chase. “And what do these meetings involve? Do you have to be there?”
“No.” Theodore shuddered. “Gods help me, I don’t even have time in my schedule for that sort of thing. Three meetings with every family? I’d rather jump off the bridge.” He sniffed, clearly relieved that he didn’t have to manage Camille’s suddenly crowded social calendar, though Viktor might have felt better knowing she had her cousin there looking after her.
“No, Cammie is technically the head of her family unit. She took the dominant position when Marian passed. That means she is fully within her rights to negotiate her own union, so long as all assets brought to the table are in her name only.”
That, at least, he understood. The elves were very similar to shifters in their hierarchy. It wasn’t based on age or gender, but on the readiness and willingness to lead, to take care of those below you. Camille was strong enough to take over her small family, but nowhere close to dominant enough to rest control of the entire Solbourne family from Theodore, putting her neatly under his supervision.
In the same way, the families that made up his pack were tiny packs of their own, with their own internal hierarchies giving them structure and security. Those families ultimately looked to him for guidance, but they would always have a level of autonomy within themselves.
“The meetings are not terribly structured, but they tend to escalate in terms of contact and length as the negotiations progress,” Theodore continued. He began to tick points off on his fingers. “First, a brief meeting with the head of each family to discuss basics — major points within the contract like living arrangements, social obligations, young, and so on. Nowadays, this is typically done virtually. Second, an in-person meeting with the head of the family and the interested parties. This assesses compatibility.”
He briefly dipped his head to nuzzle Margot’s hair. Viktor watched, envious, as Theodore’s catlike pupils expanded in a rush, like even the scent of his consort was something intoxicating. “Finally,” he continued, softer, “the last meeting is the longest and the most private. It can be anything from the pair having dinner to spending a week together in a villa, assessing everything from routine compatibility to sexual attraction.”
Viktor tensed when Margot made a soft sound of surprise. “Wait,” she said, sitting up a little, “you mean a meeting could be afternoon tea or a week-long sexathon? With every candidate?”