Page 68 of Soul Bound

Marshall crossed the room and stood against the far wall to Aaron’s left. Aaron flicked an enquiring eyebrow at him, but Marshall gave him an imperceptible shake of his head. Rafe stood to his right and nodded in greeting. Blake was on the other side of the room, and Marshall felt a pang of want for his best friend. He felt he might need an ally, and he’d yet to earn the Pack’s respect.

He took in the other members of the room and was mildly surprised to see Aaron’s cousin Harlan there. He was sure Aaron had said that he worked for an insurance company, so what he was doing there with members of the Assembly was suspicious.

“Alpha West,” a tall man greeted Aaron, holding out a hand.

“Secretary Fuller.”

“You know Councilor de la Reue, but I’m not sure if you’ve met Councilor Osborne?”

“No, I haven’t had the pleasure,” Aaron said with a small smile as he shook hands with the other two party members. “Harlan, I’m surprised to see you here.”

“I’ve been working with the Assembly as an administrator,” Harlan said, raising his chin defiantly.

“I didn’t realize you’d changed jobs,” Aaron commented, waving to them all to take a seat.

“Ah, yes. A few weeks ago. I needed a change, and this opportunity came up.” Harlan shifted in his seat under Aaron’s steely gaze. A wave of irritation washed through Marshall. His mate was not happy.

“Well. I hope it works out for you.” Aaron switched his attention to Secretary Fuller. “It’s unusual for the Assembly to call in unannounced. Is there a problem we need to be aware of?”

“Not a problem, per se,” Fuller responded. “We’ve had reports that maybe the Pack was heading towards a period of instability, and as the West Mill Pack is one of the largest in the country, we felt it prudent to check for ourselves.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean by instability,” Aaron said. He glanced at his father, who was sitting impassively on Aaron’s right. “I’ve been running the Pack for nearly five years, and with no disrespect to my father, we’re doing better now than we have ever done.”

“This is true. Your last quarterly report was up on last year, and your pack membership has increased.”

“Then what instability has been foreseen? Has the Assembly Seer had a vision?”

“No, I haven’t,” Councilor Osborne said with a smile. She was a petite woman with dark red hair that lay in waves over her shoulders.

“Then I fail to see what the problem is?” Anger flowed through the soul bond, and Marshall sent calming thoughts toward his mate. He wasn’t sure if it would work—they were still trying to work out how the damn thing worked—but he was willing to try anything.

Aaron’s shoulders twitched, and Marshall got a quick side eye from his mate. He flashed a wink back and saw some of the tension dissipate.

“There have been reports that your health is not the greatest and that your wolf has not been seen in several months,” Fuller said. “There are concerns you will not be able to continue as Alpha of the West Mill Pack for much longer. We want reassurances that the Pack will have a smooth transition to your successor.”

“My brother is my successor if, for any reason, I need to step down. He has received the same training as I have and is more than capable of leading this Pack.” Aaron’s irritation was obvious in his tone.

“We know Josh is next in line to lead the Pack. As you say, he is a very capable person. However, that doesn’t lessen our concerns over your health.”

“What has been said about my health?”

“Over the last two years, your health has deteriorated. You need a cane to walk, and that you can be incapacitated for days with a migraine.”

The look Aaron threw at Councilor de la Reue should have had them submitting, but de la Reue was fae and they submitted to no one.

“Do you deny these observations, Alpha West?”

“No, Councilor de la Reue, I do not.”

A smug look flashed across Harlan’s features for a second before he hid it. Marshall stood a little straighter. Here was the instigator of the reports. He fought the urge to drag the disloyal traitor from his chair and throw him out. Beside him, Rafe gave a low hiss, echoed across the room by his twin.

Fuller glanced at both panthers before settling his gaze on Marshall. He frowned. “I didn’t realize you had a human on your security team.”

“I don’t… yet,” Aaron said with a smirk in Marshall’s direction.

“Why would you want a human on your security team?” de la Reue asked. “The D’Eath brothers are exceptional and there is very little threat to the Pack.”

“Mr. Cavendish is a highly decorated Special Forces operative in his own right,” Vaughn interjected. “He led an elite team and has worked on highly classified missions.”

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