To Suffer With

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Change

I lay my head down on the papers piled in front of me not even bothering to hide the yawn that escapes me.

"You alright?" a voice questions me.

I raise my head thinking it was entirely unfair that after five hours at this Eva still had the gall to look so enthusiastic. I was seriously regretting agreeing to be the liaison between EFA and the wolves. I had thought confessing to Eva that I was Roman's mate was going to be the hard part, but I had been wrong. Eva had taken it pretty well; I think she was excited by the prospect that Roman was considering lifting some of the restrictions on EFA.

"I thought this would be more exciting, but it really is just going through a whole lot of laws imposed on humans. And I ran out of angry and horrified two hours ago so now I'm just tired and grumpy."

"I think a lot of these laws are just left over from when the war ended. I doubt they're ever enforced. Which makes them an excellent place to start, cause its like you said if the wolves think they're unnecessary as well then they won't think we're asking for too much. It's a reasonable place to start," Eva replies.

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, a frown forming as she studies the tidy pile of papers and books in front of her.

"Can I ask a question?" she asks me.

I nod dreading what this question might be.

Eva flicks a pencil between her fingers avoiding eye contact with me, which meant I was right to dread this question. "I guess I just don't get why we have to prepare this change proposal and present it to the pack council. I mean you're the Alpha's mate and you're human, shouldn't that be enough?"

I laugh bitterly, "You'd think so," I mutter sarcastically.

Eva's frown deepens at my response.

I sigh, "Look if it was just up to Roman it would but," I pause here trying to find the right way to explain something I also thought was stupid, "I mean it is up to Roman but the pack elders are sort of old school and Roman doesn't want the pack to think he's a," I pause once more trying to find the right word.

"A human sympathizer," Eva jumps in at my silence.

"Yeah pretty much. If I was just human it'd probably be better, but I was resistance and the pack worries about my influence over Roman and if Roman effects change with no conversation that's probably not the best way to run a pack," I explain with a shrug.

Eva nods slowly absorbing my words, "I guess that makes sense. I just thought Alphas got to do whatever they wanted, and the pack just agreed."

I laugh once more, "That's what I thought to but apparently its more complicated. Which is a shame."

Eva's face brightens once more her enthusiasm seeming to have found its way back up to the surface. I allow myself another yawn imaging how nice it would feel to crawl into bed tonight. The fantasy died as I remember that I agreed to watch a movie with Roman tonight. It had been a week since we'd had spoken about our parents and Roman kept trying to suggest things to do together. Couple things. And when Roman ambushed me this morning my mind had completely blanked on an acceptable reason to not watch a movie together.

I didn't know why I was dreading it so much; I mean me and Roman spent time together a lot. But that always had a reason to it, this was just hanging out together for fun.

I shake the thought from my head refocusing on the papers in front of me.

By the time I emerge from the old building the sun is already beginning to set. My stomach rumbles as I'm reminded that I haven't eaten since breakfast.