Page 97 of Magical Midlife Conclave

“Where’s he?”

Austin glanced at Aljoe’s sisters, standing near the bar. Only Nina had actually watched the fight, but all of their eyes were lit with humor.

“He decided he was tired of the company of alphas,” Austin said flippantly. “Something about the terrible jokes.”

A few people huffed out laughs. More of them were showing a modicum of expression than they otherwise would in a situation like this. He wondered if that was because of the original alphas or because of the territory. Maybe Austin himself. He was far less guarded than any shifter he knew. Except maybe Aurora, who’d found facial expressions and never looked back. At least in mixed company.

“You did well today.” He nodded at the other man. “Very. I don’t think anyone saw it coming. You’ve got some new moves.”

Drex laughed. “You made a mockery of me. I had to get serious.”

Austin greeted the alphas he knew from Drex’s territory and met the new ones. Then he went about meeting the others from the growing network.

“Alpha,” a woman said, inclining her head at him. “You’ve got an original setup here. I didn’t see how it could all work together until a thunderbird was chasing me down the street, spitting lightning at my heels.”

“I had a garhette slap me, kiss me, and tell me I needed to dye my hair black.” The man’s—Ron’s—lips twisted to the side. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“And now you have black hair,” one of the guys said.

“Looks great,” a woman said, and everyone chuckled (or the equivalent).

“I’ve actually gotten a lot of compliments,” he murmured.

“It’s hard to say no to that breed, but they are a huge asset.” Austin signaled for a drink. “Or so my mate keeps telling me. She is also hard to say no to.”

“They are a huge asset,” Kingsley said. “My pack loves them. We get visits often. And so is your mate. Jessie shone today.”

“She shone?” A woman arched an eyebrow. “Did you see the battle with the mage? The hunched one who very clearly doesn’t want to be out in public?” She shivered. “How can you fight against him? How can you fight against an army of them? I see now what Kingsley has been trying to explain.”

“Yes, that’s the issue.” Kingsley nodded at everyone. “That has always been the issue, something I was forced to understand by Austin and his team.” He turned to Austin. “What about these mages that breached your territory boundary?”

Austin took a sip. “They’re lurking. Gathering information. You remember the drill. We’re not totally sure what they’re after. At the moment, we’re watching them watch us. We’ve had the conclave to worry about. We haven’t had the time to devote to this new threat. Once the conclave is done, the breach will be our chief priority. Mages in general will be. We need more on our side.”

“We do,” a few people murmured, and more nodded their heads.

“I was here when they first found the breach.” Nina looped her arm through one of her sister’s. Austin hated to admit it, but he couldn’t tell if that was Zara or the one he’d only briefly met. “Their pa—convocation is incredibly organized. I was prepared to join it for the sake of my brother. After seeing them work, I was sold. It isn’t just battling—though from seeing how they handled the issue earlier today, we know they are experienced in hostile situations. They handled that breach in a way none of us—not one of us—could duplicate. Not without training.”

“Not you, Kingsley?” someone said from the back. Austin couldn’t see who.

“No,” Kingsley replied. “When Jessie and Austin were in my territory, our leadership styles clashed. As a solution, I let Jessie lead her team. I loosened the pack rules—and my personal rules—to give her free rein. I did not regret it. I can’t do what she does. Nina’s right. It’s a special setup, led in equal parts by a soft touch…and riding Yazanth Golden Fang like a pony.”

More people actually laughed this time, unable to keep it in.

“I saw it firsthand,” Drex said. He told them about the mages showing up in his territory. “She’s ruthless in challenges. She needed the mage to temper her, and Tristan, the big gargoyle.”

“Did you see that gargoyle put James in the tree?” said Kurt, one of the previously neutral parties.

“Did you see him fight?” Evelyn said, and the desire was plain in her voice.

“That battle was embarrassing for that shifter.” Sam, someone Aljoe’s sisters had brought in, scratched his head. “Very embarrassing. That gargoyle is alpha caliber. He was bored!”

“I mean, really…” Drex met Austin at the bar. “When he shifts, he’s as big as a basajaun, he has claws, and he has humanlike arms and legs. He can fly. Add in the power and fighting know-how—are we really confused about what a powerful asset he is?”

“How has no one challenged him before now?” someone else said.

“They didn’t know how to read his power,” Austin answered. “Or maybe they simply discounted him because he’s different.”

“I doubt anyone will challenge him now and risk ending up in a tree.”