The Council Ch. 09

Loretta's brown eyes swiftly scanned the scene as she entered the Alpha's dining room. They tended to use that room for a full Beta meeting because there wasn't enough seating space in the study and it was a pain to carry chairs through when using the dining room would suffice.

She spotted Cedar standing talking to her brother and from the ready smile on Aaron Alexander's handsome face it was obvious that he had no idea what the upcoming meeting was going to be about. Her other two brothers were standing close by talking quietly to each other.

It was easy to see they were siblings. They had the same blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. They were also very tall as were all of the Alexander family. Jen, Aaron's mate, was the one oddity among the clan with her jet black hair and smaller stature. Not that the Alexanders cared, they all adored Jen almost as much as her Aaron did.

She met Cedar's eyes as her friend looked over at her and shot her a reassuring smile when she saw a trace of concern on her face. She would sit beside her when the meeting started to give her moral support when the shit hit the fan. For now she looked around the room until her gaze landed on the huge bear of a man standing beside the fire and she headed in his direction.

Rafe Hanlon looked up sensing her approach and he smiled his usual welcoming smile, his brown eyes flashing with pleasure. Loretta hadn't seen him in a couple of months because he spent more time at his home in the neighbouring city these days with his mate Lacey, than at the compound.

She hadn't realised how much she had missed seeing him around until now. He was the largest member of the pack, standing well over six feet tall with wide shoulders and an impressive chest. He was handsome in a rugged fashion with a shock of unruly dark brown hair. Rafe was a latent Alpha with no desire to lead. He accepted his responsibilities as Jared's second but he shied away from any talk of starting his own pack in the neighbouring city.

Jared had broached the subject after the war, when Aaron had nearly died on the journey back to the compound for medical treatment. The Alpha's logic was if there was a satellite pack in the other city then time could be saved getting Weres to medical facilities if they needed it. Rafe had flat out refused saying there already was a Hanlon pack and refusing to start his own pack under the Armand name.

He used to be Rafe Armand until the night he was attacked by a Rogue Were and declared dead to the human world and his sister Rhianna. He had adopted the pack name when he finally accepted that his human life was over and he was a pack member.

"Hey sweetie," he smiled as she reached him, giving her a quick hug and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. He had started calling her the excruciating endearment the night Andrei had carried her half dead out of the forest. It made her shudder but she knew he meant it as a sign of his affection for her so she let it slide. Most of the time. She didn't think he'd be calling her that for much longer anyway, not after the meeting got underway.

"Hey Rafe," she smiled back returning his hug with a brief one of her own. She didn't want to go back to Andrei with the scent of another man on her. The stupid vampire would probably flip out if she did. "How's Lacey?"

Rafe's expression glowed at the mention of his mate, a wide smile covering his face. "Perfect," he answered, a little sigh in his voice.

Loretta laughed softly. "You'd think after all this time you could come up with a better answer than that," she teased lightly. It was his stock response when asked about his mate.

He grinned. "Well, it's true," he smirked. "She is perfect. Though very busy at the moment. This teacher training thing on top of her actual studies is very time consuming."

"She deserves a medal for all the changes she's been through in the last year and the way she just dives into each new challenge with such enthusiasm," Loretta remarked with a smile. She really liked Lacey a lot, not just because she made Rafe so happy being his mate, but because she had been the final catalyst that helped her friend fully integrate into his life as a Were. She had a lot of time for the other woman.

"Don't you mean she deserves one for putting up with me?" Rafe joked, laughing.

"You said it," she quipped back, laughing at his mock outraged expression just as Jared walked into the room.

Instantly everyone was alert as the Alpha moved to his customary seat at the head of the table by the fire. Rafe slotted into the seat on his left and Aaron across from him in on the right. Everyone else pretty much sat wherever they wanted to so Loretta walked around the table and sat beside Cedar as she slipped in beside her brother.

"Before we get started, "Jared began in an authoritative tone. "I know it usually goes without saying that anything discussed in these meetings remains confidential until I say otherwise, but in this instance I want to make it abundantly clear that is the case. If anyone here thinks they may have an issue with that then let me know and I will Command it of you. I'd prefer not to do so but this matter is so grave I need to be sure that everyone is able to keep their own counsel about it."

The room suddenly went deathly quiet as everyone looked at the Alpha in surprise. Loretta watched each Beta carefully. Her eyes fell on Brody and Connor Alexander. They were sitting further down the table, closer to the door. They were as light hearted and jovial as their siblings usually, but they looked very pensive at their Alpha's words.

How were the Alexander brothers going to feel about keeping quiet when it came out about Cedar's mating? They wouldn't be able to tell their parents and other sister, Willow. The family were so close that she didn't think they had any secrets from one another.

She reached under the table and found Cedar's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Having to keep secrets from their family was going to make the brothers react even more strongly than they were already likely too.

"Okay," Jared continued when no one spoke, taking their silence for their agreement that the meeting was completely confidential. "In the last couple of weeks a serious issue has come to light, one which could possibly impact on the safety of the pack though it could also possibly come to nothing."

The Betas sat up that bit straighter, surprise etched on Rafe's face as he looked at his brother. As Jared's number two he was very seldom left out of the loop when it came to the safety of the pack. He was frankly stunned to find out that there was some issue he wasn't aware of.

Jared looked at Rafe and then Aaron before he took a deep breath. "We have had three new matings within the pack, though they are of a controversial nature," he announced quietly. "Three of our pack members have found their mates in vampires."

For an instant nothing happened and then the room suddenly exploded in a riot of male voices all trying to talk over one another. Jared held up his hand for silence, waiting for the room to settle down, giving the Betas time to initially vocalise their shock at the announcement.

"How can that be possible, Jared?" Rafe demanded, a frown on his face. "A vampire can't complete the mating ritual because their bite is lethal to a Were. It can't be a true mating, not in the sense of what other mated pairs share."

There was a hasty murmur of agreement around the table at his words and Jared struggled not to let out a weary sigh. He had been expecting someone to broach that subject, to somehow try to invalidate that it was a true mating.

"If Lacey had chosen not to bite you but you had bitten her would you say she was not your mate, Rafe?" he asked quietly.

Rafe's frown deepened further, turning his expression into a dark scowl. "That wouldn't be the same thing, Jared, and you know it," he argued. "Lacey would be my mate because my wolf recognised her as so."

"As have the wolves of the Weres involved," Jared countered. "The vampires involved have also acknowledged the mating and allowed the Weres to pass the wolf gene onto them. These are proper matings. Matings that I am acknowledging and supporting." His tone left no further debate on the matter.

"What are the vampires saying about it?" Aaron demanded, his expression concerned. "We're still sitting around wondering when or if they're going to take any punitive action for last year. They're hardly going to sit still for us suddenly wanting to mate with them." His immediate thoughts were for Jen. He had to keep her and their babies safe. They were his life.

"The Ancients know as do the vampires involved obviously," Jared answered. "The rest of their kind has no idea what's happening. Pretty much like the pack. Those that need to know are being informed. Those that don't, shouldn't have to be worrying about something that may not come to pass."

Aaron didn't look pacified in the least but it was Connor who spoke next from the bottom of the table. "Who are the Weres involved?" he asked quietly.

Loretta felt Cedar stiffen slightly beside her, saw Aaron's head swivel in her direction as he sensed her movement too. She watched Cedar return her brother's gaze and saw instant understanding cross his face.

Aaron's chair slammed back to the ground as he jumped up, growling loudly, his wolf dangerously close to the surface as he bristled with fury.

"Aaron!" Jared yelled rising as well as all eyes turned to look at Cedar. She swallowed hard and raised her head.

"I am mated to Alexei Romanov," she announced loudly, ignoring Aaron completely as he quivered in fury at her side, looking down the table at her other brothers to see their reaction.

Brody looked stunned, simply staring back at her while Connor looked as angry as Aaron.

"No fucking way," Connor growled standing up, leaning forward on the table to glare at her. "You are not mating with a bloody vampire, Cedar! End of discussion."

She met his glare with a firm expression on her face. "It's not up for debate, Connor. It's already done. I've claimed him." She swallowed hard again as she saw his face darken further and heard a loud growl at her other side.

"We should have killed that bastard when we had the chance," Aaron hissed, referring to Cedar and Alexei's first meeting during the war.

It was Cedar's turn to rise, turning to glare at her younger brother furiously. "You will leave my mate alone, Aaron, or so help me I'll make you so sorry you were ever born," she growled stabbing him in the chest with one of her fingers to emphasise her point. She couldn't believe he had just said that. He wanted to kill her mate? He knew what that would do to her!

"How could you do this?" Aaron growled back, his eyes blazing with fury. "You're endangering the pack, endangering Jen and your nieces and nephews. Did you even stop to consider that before you let a filthy bloodsucker crawl into your bed?"

A sharp stab of pain blossomed deep within her at her brother's words. She had known her family would not be happy about the mating but this outright hostility, this rejection from Aaron in particular was really hard to swallow. She knew it was his concern for not only his mate but also herself which was making him react the way he was. It didn't make it any less painful to hear though and it didn't stop her from lashing back at him in hurt.

"Yeah, like you and Rafe really stopped to think about how many of the pack would die to protect your mates," she ground out hoarsely. "Why don't you go over and tell Ashleigh that she isn't allowed to find happiness in mating with Nors because it's a danger to the pack, Aaron. She only lost every single member of her family that night so you could have Jen and Rafe could have Lacey!"

Aaron paled instantly, moving further away from his sister as their Alpha roared loudly. "Enough!" His tone was laced heavily with his Command, the Alexanders wilting under the weight of it.

"I know this is difficult for the Alexander family," Jared said in a more even tone. "But you are not here as a family right now you are here as my Betas and I expect you ALL to act accordingly. Everyone sit down now." He waited until everyone resumed their seats, Aaron shifting his as far from his sister as possible.

"Aaron, that will be the one and only time you will abuse one of this pack for being with their mate," Jared said coldly. "None of the mated Weres are to be treated any differently than any other member of this pack. If you can't agree to that then you are free to leave at any time. The same applies to you, Connor and anyone else who thinks similarly," he added looking down the table at the other man.

He turned to Cedar. "I know you were only lashing out because you're hurting, Cedar, but if I ever hear you assign blame to anyone for what happened last year you will no longer be welcome in this pack," he said equally as coldly. "I know that may be a moot point for you anyway because of Alexei's dislike of us but it still stands. The only person responsible for what happened last year was Richard Graves and he was dealt with."

He took a deep breath and looked around the room slowly. "I'm disappointed in all of you," he finally said quietly watching just about everyone's heads lower under his disapproval. "When this first came to my attention I too reacted as you are doing and Millie reminded me that we were a pack and we stood together and always will. I took comfort from that, remembering how we stood side by side last year, how we refused to allow anyone to threaten our way of life, our right to have our mates at our side. Now look at us."

The room was totally silent for a long moment, Cedar and Aaron shifting uncomfortably in their chairs, Connor not looking very comfortable either.

"So, if Cedar got Alexei and Ashleigh got Nors, I take it that means you got Andrei, Loretta?" Rafe finally said breaking the silence, a slightly sardonic note to his voice.

Loretta looked at him, trying to judge how he felt about it. His expression was hard to read so she decided 'what the hell?' and grinned slowly. "Guess you could say I drew the short straw," she quipped lightly trying to alleviate the tension in the room a little.

Rafe snorted at her answer but he still didn't look angry. Rather he just looked resigned to the situation. "How do you want us to handle this, Jared?" he asked turning the Alpha.

"It stays in this room for now," Jared answered. "Andrei is monitoring things on their end, keeping a close watch on what the Vampire Council is up to so we'll know if anything happens on their side. For the moment everything is to go along as normal but keep an eye out for any signs of unknown vampires hanging around the forest."

He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "I know this is a surprising development. Frankly I'm more surprised that none of us recognised the possibility existed due to the amount of increased contact we've had with the vampires recently. We don't know if the vampires will ever be able to complete their part of the mating. We're looking into whether or not anything has happened before in the past but haven't managed to turn up anything."

Rafe had a thoughtful expression on his face. "What does Caleb have to say about this? The vampire's archives may contain something?"

Jared rose and paced around the room, pausing to lay a comforting hand on Cedar's shoulder before moving down the table. "He's keeping an eye on the Council. I've not had time to ask him directly about searching his own archives. Loretta visited some of the surrounding packs recently but there was nothing in ours."

He turned his gaze to the brunette. "Can you ask Andrei to check through his archives, Loretta? If it's possible to do so without causing any suspicion among his people."

Loretta tried to imagine her vampire with his nose buried in a library of books and wanted to laugh at the thought. She hadn't seen him read much since they'd been together but then, they'd hardly made it out of the bedroom in most of that time.

"I'll ask him," she answered with a small smile tugging at her lips. "He'll most likely complain about it but I think once the idea is in his head he'll see the wisdom of doing some research. He can probably get Alexei and Nors to help him if it's too big a task to do on his own."

The Alpha nodded to her as Brody spoke for the first time. "Does this mean we're going to be seeing the Romanovs around the compound a lot, Jared? Because if so, we're going to have to tell the pack something otherwise there will be a lot of speculation and possibly a few encounters with the younger members that we could do without."

Jared frowned looking at Cedar and Loretta. "With the exception of Nors who is already a friend of the pack and practically a regular around here, there will be no new vampires suddenly showing up," he said with a regretful tone to his voice. "The Romanovs must stay away from the compound as much as possible. They are allowed here only by express invitation. I've already told Alexei that and Andrei doesn't appear to be the least bit interested in coming here. Still, Loretta, you will make it plain to him that he is not permitted on pack lands until I say so?"

She nodded her agreement. As long as she stayed at Andrei's place he would have no need to come looking for her at the compound.

"Any more questions?" Jared asked.

"The Council will obliterate the pack when this comes out," Aaron said in a cold hard tone. "How are we going to defend ourselves from that, Jared?" He saw his sister stiffen, her head bowed and he tried to ignore her, still reeling from what she had said to him. He felt a bit bad for hurting her but it was a valid question, one that had to be asked.

"We're going to have to rely on our friendship with the vampires," Jared answered. "We don't have a hope in hell of combating an outright attack from the Vampire Council. It won't be like last year and we all know that. But we have the most powerful vampires as our allies and they're completely invested in this pack for a number of different reasons. If it comes down to a fight, we won't stand alone."

Silence once more reigned in the room as the Alpha waited to see if anyone had anything further to say. When it became apparent they had no more questions he quickly closed the meeting.

"Do I need to assign a referee for you two?" he asked looking at Cedar and Aaron.

"That won't be necessary, " Cedar answered quietly, standing up abruptly, releasing Loretta's hand which she'd been clutching tightly underneath the table. She gave her friend a grateful smile before she turned back to her Alpha. "I won't be around the compound much from now on. Like you said, Alexei has no love for the pack. I will go where my mate is not only comfortable but also accepted." She turned and headed towards the door refusing to look any of her brothers in the face.

"Cedar," Brody called, catching her arm as she walked past, standing to pull her into a big bear hug. "It doesn't matter to me, sis," he whispered quietly. "Once everyone calms down a bit everything will work itself out."

"Thanks, Brody," she answered in a quiet voice, returning his hug and trying not to hold on too tightly. Just having one of her brothers not hate her was some comfort. She moved out of his embrace and continued out of the house.

"You can't just walk off as if nothing has happened," Aaron ground out as he followed her from the house. He was mad at his sister for what she had said inside but he knew he had been out of order too with what he'd said. It was just the shock of the situation, his concern for her as well as his mate. They needed to talk , to sort it out. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a fight with Cedar it was so long ago. He didn't want to be at odds with her.