I placed my knife and fork down, having forced down every last morsel that Mercy had put on the plate. If I hadn’t finished it, the shifters would see it as an insult. My stomach felt huge.
“The battle for control of the pack took place on my premises, yes,” I answered. “Perhaps because your Principal had chosen to reside on my lands?”
“Because you refuse to move to the pack house,” Keira snapped. “If you hadn’t been so difficult you wouldn’t have left us exposed like that.”
I channeled my inner Eloise Roberts and leveled her with a stare. She held her ground, but blinked several times like she was trying to break the connection. She licked her lips. Doc Norbert sighed. “Without Cora’s intervention, none of us would have survived.”
“And what intervention was that exactly?” the shorter guy next to Norbert asked. Jessy was the alpha of the aviation shifters. That’s right, they had bird shifters. Not pretty little doves, these things were carnivorous eagles and hawks. Scary birds straight out of a Hitchcock movie. I resisted the urge to shiver.
“We’ve been over this, Jessy,” Hudson stated blandly. “A blow by blow account given to you by myself and the doc. Are you doubting our version of events?” Hudson sipped at his water as the weight of his words descended down the table. He’d laid down the challenge, let’s see if anyone was stupid enough to take him up on it.
“No, of course not Principal, it is still a little hard to come to terms with our massive losses. Forgive me, it was not a challenge, merely a quest to understand that fateful night.”
“There is no understanding evil,” I uttered. “True evil does not abide by the rules that the rest of us live our lives by. There is no honor, no purpose, no love, no passion. It is a useless endeavor to rationalize the things evil people do.”
“Why would the Devil pick your place for such senseless endeavors?” Gordon asked.
Dave stiffened next to me, being one of the few at the table who understood most of the story. He was in on the lies we had spun to cover up my true identity and the real reason Summer Grove House had become the epicenter of supernatural chaos. The portal to Heaven had been a beacon for my uncle Lucifer to try to invade his homeland. My father arrived and snapped it closed, but not before the sacrifice of shifters which fed the magic opened a Hell hole in the middle of my lawn. The air was charged with mistrust and deceit, but they would have to call their leader a liar to air their thoughts.
“I understand your pain,” Hudson said with a small snarl. Oh boy. “But you will not continue to challenge my mate on this matter. The discussion is closed.”
All eyes shot to me. “You claim him as your mate?” Keira asked. They all leaned a little closer while they waited for my answer.
I knew this was coming. It was why I’d put off the dinner, I needed a little reprieve from pack politics while I got my head straight, and if truth be told, I was giving Hudson the chance to reverse his decision once again to be with me. He hadn’t, but I would understand once the knowledge of who he welcomed into his bed had sunk in. I gave him too little credit, because he’d been nothing but attentive this last month. While I tried to push a wedge between us, he smashed it to pieces with acts of kindness and care.
I swallowed and glanced at Hudson. My fate was sealed, and I prayed he wouldn’t hurt me again. “I do.”
Chapter Three
Kissing me until I comply is a solid strategy.
The shock splashed through the shifters like they’d been electrocuted. I don’t know why it was such a surprise—their Principal had been relentless in his pursuit of me for months. Moving into my rented stables, then when it had been leveled flat by my father and his little display of power, Hudson had rented a room in my bed and breakfast claiming hismatelived with him. The more I pushed him away, the closer he came. Honestly, I couldn’t see myself with anyone but him, but my heart had a long memory.
“Christmas is an excellent time for a mating ceremony,” Keira said with a nod. “We can make it work.”
I blinked. “What? No, no mating ceremony.”
“The pack will never accept her,” Mercy sneered.
“The pack will do as they’re damn well told,” Hudson snapped. “And you will cease this smear campaign against Cora immediately.”
Mercy blanched and sat back, trying to make herself smaller, her gaze downcast to the floor. “Yes, Principal.”
That was enough. I could fight my own battles, and being cast as the helpless damsel wasn’t going to help my case. “Mercy, look at me,” I demanded. Her long eyelashes fluttered up and her blue eyes brewed with a hatred reserved for the worst of enemies. “I am not your enemy. You harbor affection for the man I love, unrequited affection, and that is a pain I would not wish on anyone.”
She stiffened and opened her mouth. I held my hand up. “But if you continue to try to undermine me, to play games when witnesses around the table can attest to the shifter faux pas that you continue to try to pull, then I will be forced to assert myself. Nobody wants to see that because I will always win.”
She gave me a stiff nod, but I doubted it was the last of it. Mercy Stephenson wouldn’t give up her desire to be Consort Royal. But for now, the gossiping powers of the pack had clearly seen I wasn’t backing down.
“Are we going to discuss who she is?” Jessy asked. “Because last I checked, we don’t need the granddaughter of Eloise Roberts inside our pack. I don’t trust that woman, and by extension, I don’t trust you.” Jessy’s eyes flash green.
“Don’t tarnish me with the sins of my ancestors,” I snap. “I am not perfect, but I do not have plans to maneuver the pack to my advantage. If anything, I think I have proven tonight that I am here for one reason and one reason alone—Hudson.”
“We cannot trust an elemental,” Jessy sneers.
Dave sucks in a breath and everyone stills. “I can attest that Cora’s loyalty is not with her grandmother. Our Principal has chosen his mate and tonight you bore witness to her acceptance of his claim. If I hear one rumor of dissension, I will not hesitate to deal with the cause.”
The pack’s chief of security had spoken. I had his blessing, and they would be stupid to go against him and Hudson. The air in the room sizzled with restrained magic. If a fight broke out now, and I had to help put these shifters in their place, it would only solidify their assertion that I was bad news for the pack.
