Cam breezed in through the open doorway. “But I’m afraid we don’t have that luxury.” He took his seat at the head of the table. “I’m aware how difficult this will be for you both, and you have my sincerest apologies, but I need us to be ready. I promise to make it as quick as possible.” He stopped and tilted his head to the side. “They’re on their way up.”
A few minutes later, the heavy scent of sex wafted in through the open doors. Alec rolled his eyes. Newly bonded shifters were insatiable.
Not that he had a leg to stand on this morning.
Tim blushed as all eyes landed on him and Seb, but Seb glared back, shoulders straight, and if Alec wasn’t mistaken, he caught the white flash of fang.
Possessive and protective.
Alec felt a curl of satisfaction knowing Tim had that in his corner. Seb’s feelings might be amplified by being newly changed, but Alec would bet they wouldn’t lessen all that much.
Good.
Tim deserved someone to watch out for him.
Jared came through the doors next, giving off much the same vibes as Seb. He might not be a full shifter, but the bite had left him with enough of the traits to carry it off. He oozed protectiveness, the bond between him and Nathan so strong, Alec could feel it in the air. Nathan followed close behind him, head down, subdued.
Alec’s chest constricted, a tight, invisible band around his ribcage. For a second Nathan became that heartbroken eighteen-year-old boy again, angry and lost, looking for someone to blame. His words flooded Alec’s mind, forever burned in his memory.
A myriad of emotions surged through him: anger at Nathan for calling him out like that in front of the whole pack and still making him relive it ten years later, followed by a wave of crushing guilt, because deep down he knew Nathan was right.
As Nathan took his seat, he glanced up and met Alec’s gaze, just for a second. His expression was unreadable, but the small nod he gave seemed like an acknowledgement. Of what, exactly, Alec wasn’t too sure, but the atmosphere in the room seemed to settle, and Cam cleared his throat.
“Right, let’s get started.”
The rest of the pack slowly filed into the room for the pack meeting. The earlier meeting with Cam had been quick, as promised. He’d had the names of the council members visiting tomorrow and a list of who they wanted to talk to first. Basically they just had to tell the truth. Cam might have broken the law with Nathan and Jared, but the councilshouldturn a blind eye since all the paperwork was now in place and the human authorities hadn’t been involved.
Alec watched four of his unit come through the door and walk over to him. He nodded in acknowledgement, his wolf settling at their presence. The remaining two were guarding the prisoner, who was also on Alec’s list of people to see today. As his unit took their seats beside him, Alec’s phone vibrated with either a message or a call.
He slid it out quickly, not all that surprised to see a message from Mark.
Pack meetings are boring as fuck.
Looking around at the full meeting room, knowing that Cam was just going to repeat everything Alec already knew, he smiled.Couldn’t agree more.
His phone buzzed again, twice in quick succession.
Wow, I thought you’d tell me to pay more attention to my alpha.
And Will wants to know why I smell all minty.
The thought of Will scenting Mark set Alec’s teeth on edge.Tell Will to mind his own business.As soon as he hit Send, Alec cursed silently. What did he care if Will scented Mark or not? Fuck.And pay more attention to your alpha.Although that was probably hard to do with Newell. He did tend to drone on and talk bollocks. Alec could only imagine the shit he was saying to explain the upcoming presence of the alpha council.
The closing of the meeting room doors signalled for quiet, and Cam moved to the front of the room. Alec listened along with everyone else as Cam explained what would be happening over the next week.
As he finished up, Cam asked, “Any questions?”
Kirk, one of Alec’s unit, raised his hand. Cam nodded for him to speak. “How long do you expect the investigation to take? And what’ll happen with the rogue?”
Good question. Alec knew some of that answer, but it wouldn’t hurt for the rest of the pack to know it.
Cam smiled. “Hopefully the council will find the answers they need within a week—the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned—but your guess is as good as mine.” He glanced over to the side of the room, in the direction of the flat where the rogue shifter, Felix, was being held. “As for the other matter, that’s up to the council. I’ve done all I can on his behalf.”
“Anybody else?” Cam looked around the room, but no one else spoke. “Okay then. The four council members will arrive tomorrow morning. If you see them around the pack buildings, please be courteous and respectful at all times.” A murmur of assent went around the room, then the doors were opened and the space began to empty.
Alec waited with the rest of his unit; it’d be easier to get where they needed to be when everyone had gone.
Cam walked over to them and stood in front of Alec. “You doing okay?”
