“What about the news from the previous day about his resignation as CEO?” Shauna asked.
“Yes, the news that Sebastian Creed was retiring as CEO and appointing his son, Wyatt Creed in his stead, did certainly add more buzz to his upcoming testimony, with many analysts speculating that he was collapsing under pressure and even predicting he might tear up the capitol. But after holding up under five hours of questioning and never once faltering or buckling, it seems Mr. Creed has not only proven that he was untroubled by the inquiry, but had now spawned the term ‘cool as a dragon under fire.’”
The corners of Shauna’s mouth turned up in a half smile. “And we’ve all seen the memes. Speaking of dragons, it has also come out that Creed’s son-in-law, King Karim of Zhobghadi, who made headlines last year when he married Dr. Desiree Creed, is also a dragon shapeshifter. Queen Desiree, as she is now known, is a supernatural being herself, a werewolf or ‘Lycan’ as they preferred to be called.”
“Well, King Karim was also invited by the subcommittee to testify, but he has politely declined.” The screen changed to a graphic of a document with the royal seal of Zhobghadi on top. “Instead, the government sent an official letter to the committee reminding them that ‘… Zhobghadi is a sovereign nation, and His Majesty is head of both the parliament and military. Any attempts to impose on our independence shall not be tolerated and will be met with equal force.’ It remains to be seen if the Senate or POTUS will reply to the letter.”
“Now,” Shauna continued. “Lucas Anderson, CEO of Fenrir Corporation, the largest privately-held company in the world, also testified before the committee yesterday.”
“That’s right, Shauna, and what a testimony it was. Anderson, the so-called Alpha of New York, did finish his testimony yesterday afternoon, right before the committee convened.”
The screen changed to a view of one of the internal chambers in the capitol, before zooming in on the face of a man with graying hair and glasses, dressed in a dark suit, his face drawn into a grave expression. The nameplate in front of him read “Senator Greg Houseman.”
“Now, Mr. Anderson,” the senator began. “Let me ask you the question that everyone seems to be tiptoeing around: Are you and your kind a threat to the rest of humanity?”
The camera focused on Lucas, who looked calm and collected, his hands folded in front of him. “Let me put it this way, Senator,” he said into the microphone. “If we were, we wouldn’t be here having this conversation now.”
“Wha-what do you mean?” Houseman blustered.
Lucas unfolded his hands and leaned back in his chair. “Think about it: We’re faster, stronger, and we can heal from injuries, plus we have not one, but two dragons. Yet, we choose to live among humans in peace, and even count many of you as ours—whether as our True Mates or natural born human children. We prefer to live quiet lives, and in the history of Lycans, we have never sought to take over the rule of humans or acted as aggressors in war. Humans have always had the numbers, perhaps it’s to keep the balance in nature, yet in the last hundred years or so, humankind has never been a more destructive force, overruling this planet with pollution, wars, sickness, greed, and lust of power and wealth. So maybe, the question isn’t if we are a threat to humanity, but if humanity is a threat to us?”
Senator Houseman’s face turned red, while the rest of the committee, and the entire room, were stunned into silence.
When no one else spoke, Lucas continued. “The only thing I can say is that if anyone wants to mess with us, they better be prepared.”
“Are you watching that again?”
Ransom looked up from where he sat on the couch in front of the TV. Isabelle was coming down the stairs, Evan on her hip. “I can’t help it,” he said. “I just love watching Lucas wipe the floor with those assholes in the Senate. And he didn’t even lift a fucking finger.” He already had respect for the Alpha, but now, it had grown even more, especially with what had been happening in the last couple of weeks.
It had been a nightmare, being exposed to the world like that, and as always, his number one priority was his people. Isabelle and Evan had gone back home with him to Kentucky to escape the madness in New York with the paparazzi and the protests, but he knew he couldn’t hide out forever. Silke was disheartened by the people who cancelled their reservations at the lodge that first month. But once it was known that she had Lycans living with her—and that she herself was a human child of a Lycan—people all over the country and the world were calling up for reservations, hoping to get a glimpse of the Supernatural beings. They were booked up for months in advance now. The rest of the MC, except for maybe Logan, seemed to be enjoying the attention, especially since the town had come to their support because of all the good they did for the community.
“God, I was so nervous I couldn’t watch it without wanting to throw up,” she declared.
“Are you okay?” He rushed to her side and placed a hand over her belly. “Maybe you should lie down. And you shouldn’t be carrying Evan anymore,
