“Is another ten years and a couple of kids going to stop you from loving her?”
“No.” Theo shook his head. “Her dying will stop me from loving her, and I won’t let that happen.”
I cleared my throat as I walked back into the room. “It’s ready for you.” I gestured to the hallway where the guest room was.
“Thanks, Mango,” Caddy teased. I groaned.
“I thought we were done with that,” I hissed at him, rolling my eyes. He shook his head and looked over at Theo.
“When she was little, she couldn’t say her own name correctly, so I told her it was spelled the same as mango. So, until she was eight, she thought her name was actually spelled Mango.”
“I hate you,” I growled playfully. Theo laughed loudly as Caddy, and I playfully shoved each other back and forth.
“No, you don’t,” Caddy teased, raising his eyebrows provocatively. “You love us.” He dragged out the word ‘love,’ nearly singing it.
Theo laughed and pulled on my arms until I fell into his lap, clumsily. I hid my face, half because I knew if they ever became friends, I would never have a peaceful moment again, and half because I didn’t want to admit that Caddy’s words might be true.
Plummeting Heart Syndrome
The meeting reconvened in the morning, much like Theo suggested. The house was filled with people when I finally got up and made my way downstairs. I had the good sense to get dressed and fix my hair before I left the bedroom, unlike my usual messy hair and pajamas I lounged in.
I was surprised to see so many women in the living room waiting for Theo’s council meeting. The world of shifters was often dominated by powerful men, but it gave me hope to see the council wasn’t biased. Although an Enforcer ruled directly over the packs of their continent, they also had a council made of other dignitaries and retired Alphas meant to help with important decisions.
“Margo!” My name was shouted. Most eyes looked over at me slowly, trying to be coy, but many were shocked that I was still human. I excused myself around the groups of people and found Theo and Caddy waiting for me.
Theo greeted me by kissing my forehead. “Morning, little one. I fixed your breakfast.” Reaching behind him, he grabbed a plate of food and handed it to me. I smiled my thanks to him and sat at the counter, eating quickly, and put my dish in the sink.
“What are we waiting for?” I wondered aloud.
“We’re just waiting for Cam who was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.” Theo was peeved, scratching the back of his neck.
Cam came through the door a few minutes later with Tansy on his hip. “I’m so sorry I’m late, Gemma had speech therapy this morning, and our babysitter canceled on us last minute,” he heaved out, tucking Tansy’s hair behind her ears and adjusting her weight on his hip. “You’re getting heavy,” he told her quietly in her ear. Tansy’s giggles filled the air, and she squealed, lighting the room’s atmosphere.
“Okay, everyone, let’s take this to the conference room,” Theo announced, pulling me forward with him.
Everyone followed us back to the large room on the other side of the stairs. Theo sat at the head of the table, per usual, and I sat next to him on his left. Cam sat next to me on my left, Caddy next to him, and everyone filled into the empty seats and lined the walls.
Cam began to tell everyone the situation at hand, including every detail. The council started taking notes, profusely writing, whispering, and nodding along.
“When was the first threat sent, the document sent to Enforcer Weston?” a woman asked. She was middle-aged with faded red hair chopped short to her shoulders.
“The document arrived four weeks ago,” Theo told her.
“You received a threat four weeks ago, and we’re just hearing about this now?” Her voice was derogative to Theo; her eyebrows were raised.
“You didn’t need to know four weeks ago, Keziah,” Theo told her, trying to control his temper by tapping his pen on the table.
“An Alpha is making threats against humans, and you don’t think we need to know?” she sneered.
“This had nothing to do with humans until two weeks ago,” Cam stepped in. “When the threat to humans and other packs was made directly, the council was informed. Theo did nothing wrong.”
“Well, that’s very noble of you to step up for him, but now we have one dead Alpha, a pack on the verge of war, and a threat to humans. Reed Porter is not alone in his beliefs. This could separate packs everywhere,” Keziah said, looking around at other council members who were nodding in support.
“There is nothing I can do to change the past,” Theo admitted, dropping his pen and lowering his eyes. “If I would have known this is what would spawn from the document, I would have immediately brought the council together. I did what I thought was right. If you disagree with me, that’s fine, but I’m the one who ultimately gets to decide. I called us here to create a plan of action to combat these injustices and protect the innocent.”
Keziah settled in her chair, looking back to Theo, who had regained attention and dominance.
“I’m sure this issue is very close to your heart, Enforcer,” another man said hesitantly from the corner of the room. He stepped away from the wall and bowed his head. Most eyes in the room shifted to me and my human-ness. “But most of us have grown fond of humans ourselves over the past years. They have been helpful and innovative in creating the kind of pack dynamic we had always hoped for.”
“If Reed Porter wants to start a war against humans, he’s going to start a war against good wolves as well,” the
