Jonas had come on this little trip with optimism and amusement. He was a bit flattered that he was chosen to come with Nate, something that didn’t officially mean anything, but sent a message nonetheless. And he was looking forward to getting his first glimpse of the infamous city wolves. He’d heard stories his whole life, of course, but only a few in his pack had ever actually met any of them. They had no reason to venture into that maze of metal and trash, and from what he’d heard, they were too pampered and scared to come out past their city boundaries. Plus, he’d wanted to see the alphas’ interactions for himself. 

So when they’d pulled up to the bar that was the packs’ meeting place, he’d been grinning, piling out of the truck with the others, looking around for sign of the other wolves. There were a few sleek cars parked in front of the place, impractical little things, so he figured they were already there, and was proven right when they walked in.

The otherwise empty bar had a large table situated in the middle of the floor with a few chairs around it. One half was already filled by unfamiliar faces, but the general scent was telling. Jonas had taken a spot standing to the side, not being important enough to warrant a chair, but it allowed him the opportunity to stare around at these new creatures. They all seemed so cold and pale, but maybe it was just the lighting, he mused. 

He admittedly had lost track of the meeting--he had nothing to add, of course, so why worry--and took a moment before he stepped forward at Nate’s signal. 

“And for ours, we offer Jonas Walker,” Nate said in a stiff voice. Jonas frowned, looking from his alpha to the people on the other side of the table. Standing opposite him was a woman, situated just behind the alpha. Just like him. Her face was in shadow, so he couldn’t tell if she was confused as well, and he looked back to his leader. 

“It is official then,” an older man--the bartender, it seemed--said from the middle of the table, writing something down. “The two packs shall form a bond for the mutual protection of their people, as modeled by the two chosen members, to be linked together in marriage. I need the signatures of the two alphas,” he added in a less official voice, sliding the paper first to the city’s leader, then to Nate, who signed it quickly and stood.

“You look like you’re going to be sick, Jonas,” he said, peering into his face. “Buck up, man, it’s not like we got you an ugly one.”