The Council Meeting

                          Zion's P.O.V.

   The meeting with King Arnald and Beta Mark went better than I expected, with him offering to help us. Now, we are on the way to the war room that hasn't been used for a long time for a meeting with the council members and their current leaders. When we reach the door, I take a deep breath, readying myself for what we are about to walk into.

 The last time the council members were left alone, it turned into a complete shit show. Thankfully, Rain showed up to put them all in their place like the true Queen she is. But we have King Arnald and his Beta with us this time, so I hope they can all behave themselves.

 "Everything will be okay." Rain links me, feeling my hesitation. I give her a nod, and we open the doors.

 "Good Morning, my Queen." Every council member says as we walk into the room. They are all in their seats, looking calm and collected. It doesn't even bother me that I wasn't greeted at the same time. I lead everyone to their seats before taking mine beside Lady Ezmerelda and sit before pulling Rain into my lap.

 "It is good to see you alive and healthy, Queen Rain." Lord Demetrius says.

 "It is good to be alive, though it's been a struggle to keep hidden and not be with my people and helping to prepare for this war." She says, making everyone nod in understanding.

 "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," I say, waiting for them to respond before I continue. "We have Alpha King Arnald from the Northern Kingdom and his Royal Beta joining us for this meeting as he has graciously volunteered some of his elite warriors to aid us in this war."

 "What does King Arnald get out of offering his men?" The current leader of the fairies, King Marronie, asks.

 "We will not go into the details of him being here with you because it's not our story to tell, but he has agreed that the Rouge King Douglas has to be put down. Remember, it's not just the southern territory he's trying to take over; we're just his first stop on his true conquest." Rain states matter of factly, making eye contact with everyone at the table.

 "I will tell you the jist of it. Douglas killed my Betas daughter, and her head was sent to King Zion. He called me, and here I am, willing to help however I can." King Arnald says.

 "We are all sorry for your loss, Royal Beta." Everyone echoes, giving a nod of solidarity.

 "Thank you. As my King stated, we are here to help stop Douglas. No one should have to endure the terror that he's trying to inflict on all supernatural beings." Beta Mark states.

 After clearing everything up, the meeting goes on as we discuss our plan of action. We decided that a few warriors from each species would be on patrol at all times and housed together to create a sense of camaraderie. The goal is to get everyone used to the other species so everything runs smoothly between them during wartime. Then we move on to discuss sending out multiple scout groups in different directions since we still need to figure out what side he will attack from. 

 "Okay, now that we have everything ironed out for the most part, we can end this meeting and get lunch. Remember that no one speaks of Rain being alive for the time being. Lunch will be served in the dining room for everyone." I say after a few hours of discussing everything in this council meeting. Everyone nods in agreement and stands to leave the war room.

 "Annie will bring our lunch to us in the suite," I tell Rain, Lady Ezmerelda, Jessica, and Orian before turning to King Arnald and Beta Mark. "You are welcome to join us or join the others in the dining room. Our suite will be less formal than I'm sure you are used to."

 "I could go for something less formal than normal." King Arnald says with a smile, and Beta Mark nods in agreement. We leave the war room and head for our suite, with Orian and Jessica walking ahead of us to ensure the halls and elevator are clear.

 "Annie isn't preparing all the food alone, is she?" Rain asks, her voice full of concern.

 "No, my love. We ensured she has as much help as she needs in the kitchen." I tell her, easing her mind and making her smile.

 "I'm glad you thought all of this through. I'm not sure I would have remembered everything." She says with a light laugh.

 "That's what I'm here for, my Queen. Being completely prepared comes with time. As you get accustomed to everything, you will begin thinking of even the smallest details." I tell her as we wait for the elevator to come back down after Orian took it up to ensure the hall on our floor is clear.

 "How long have you been Queen?" King Arnald asks her as the elevator arrives.

 "A little longer than I've been pregnant. We actually found out I was pregnant the night of my crowning ceremony." She says.

 "And you've gained such an aura of dominance in such a short period of time? That's almost unheard of." He says in awe as we start to ascend.

 "Well, my existence is almost unheard of. I think it has a lot to do with my bloodlines. I am a descendant of the deceased Witch King, and my father was an Alpha, though I never met either of them." She says, sounding slightly sad. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close to me while her mother rubs her arm gently.

 "You should have seen her the first time she met the council. They were all fighting in the dining hall, and when she walked in, she automatically put them in their place, calling them out for their actions. It was amusing to watch." I say with a laugh as I recall the incident.

 "Can you use an Alpha command?" He asks after joining in on my laugh.

 "I can. I'm not sure how I did it, though." She answers with a smile.

 "She even used it on me once, and I had no choice but to submit," I say, causing her to let out a light laugh.

 "That's amazing!" Beta Mark exclaims as we exit the elevator and reach our suite door.

 I open the door, letting Rain walk in first, and we hear a squeal of excitement as Odett runs and jumps up in my arms.

 "Mommy, Daddy, and E.E. are back." She yells at Sam and James, causing everyone to laugh.

 "Odett, this is King Arnald and Beta Mark. They are from the Northern Kingdom." I tell her.

 "So they are like you and Mommy?" She asks, looking from them to me.

 "Yes, and you, Princess," I tell her. She still doesn't seem to realize that she's Royalty now.

 "Are they hybrids too?" She asks.

 "No, little Princess. We are just normal werewolves." King Arnald tells her humbly.

 After introducing everyone, we made ourselves comfortable on the couches, and I'm automatically grateful I decided to get the more oversized couches when I redecorated. We all sit and talk while we wait for Annie to bring up our food. In the middle of a conversation about Rain and Jessica leaving the orphanage with Odett, there is a knock, and Sam jumps up quickly to open it as Annie pushes in the trolly filled with food.

 "Ohh, smells like grilled burgers and veggies." Rain says as she practically drools.

 "You got an excellent nose on ya. Oh, and I have your strawberry and banana smoothie with extra protein supplement." Annie says with a laugh.

 "Thank you, Annie. This is King Arnald and Beta Mark. They will be here with us for a bit." I introduce them as she bows before handing out the food. When she's done, she goes to leave. "Did you eat yet?"

 "No, my King. I was waiting for everyone to get their food before I could sit down to eat." She answers.

 "Go grab your food, and you can join us here," I tell her. Shocked, she looks at Rain for confirmation. It's uncommon to have an Omaga join a meal with the high ranks from other packs or kingdoms, but I could care less because Annie is family.

 "Yes, sir." She says before quickly walking out the door after Rain gives her a nod of agreement.

 After five minutes, Annie returns with her own plate and joins Odett and Sam at the table while we all eat our meal. We all fall back into conversations as we eat, joking and laughing, resonating through our suite.

 After a while, Orian links me to let me know that Mia and Morgan have arrived for Rain's reemergence ceremony that they have all planned. I didn't think they had planned it so fast, but I have been too focused on Rain and everything else going on. I guess I haven't bothered to ask how it was going.

 "Do we tell her they are here and about the ceremony, or do we try to keep everything a secret for now?" I link him. I wasn't the one to plan this, so I didn't want to act like I was in control of anything when it came to this surprise.

 "I think we tell Rain they are here while keeping the ceremony a surprise until the last minute," Orian tells me, and I agree.

 "Why don't we get them to come up? They can keep our mate's company while we make our rounds to ensure everything is going smoothly around the territory." I ask him.

 "I'll have one of the warriors bring them up right away. I hope you don't mind, but they will be sharing your extra bedroom." He says, catching me off guard and making me choke on my soda, which catches Rain's attention as she asks if I'm okay. I give her a slight nod before sending Orian a glare as he laughs.

 "What the hell, Orian?" I ask.

 "Sorry, but it was the only room available, and it's for our Queen. We didn't think you would mind." He says with a shrug.

 "Who is we?" I ask him, knowing I won't like the answer, but he's right. I would do anything to make her happy, even if it includes having even more she-wolves in our suite.

 "Everyone. It was a unanimous vote." He answers with a laugh.

 "Fine." I get out right before there is a knock on the door. I quickly tell everyone not to move before helping Rain up from the couch and asking her to get the door. She looks at me in confusion before nodding and heading to the door. I barely have time to mouth the word 'sorry' to King Arnald and Beta Mark before she opens the door, and they all let out a loud squeal of excitement.