I chuckled. “I bet you do. Trust me, Junior, I haven’t forgotten about you, but remember this is day one. Rome wasn’t built in a day.” It was funny telling him that, when not so many years ago I was demanding change from Alexander overnight.
“You formed this council, but you’re already at war with the Summits,” Junior insisted. “We’re already at a disadvantage.”
“Is that a problem?” I raised a brow.
He smirked. “I never said it was.”
I smiled broadly. “I thought not. You’ve gone head-to-head with the European Summit many times over the years. This should be no different.” I looked around the table, pausing on each face for several long moments. “Both Summits have a combined goal to dethrone me.” Everyone gasped.
“Can they do that?” Rowan asked, leaning her petite frame forward on the table.
I shrugged. “With probable cause, they might. But I’m not going to give them any reasons. Right now their goal is to reverse Alexander’s law for the lunas. We need to stop them.”
Maria slammed her fist on the table. “You’re the Queen! How can they undo the law?”
I sighed. “That’s why I got rid of the old Council and made my own. I need to be able to trust you all, and we need to have the same goals in mind, at least when it comes to the lunas. I refuse to take away their freedom.”
Junior leaned back in his chair and crossed his broad arms over his chest. “Can you replace the Summit alphas?”
“That’s an option I’ve already threatened them with, but making it stick would be a nightmare. There are too many of them to replace at once, and I’m not sure I want the headache.”
“We need to secure the law,” Alexander chimed in. “I admit, I made it too broad and it’s flimsy. I was in a rush when I did it.”
“It’s not your fault.” I held up a hand. “But strengthening the law is our best option.”
“We also need a female alpha,” Rowan suggested. “Once we have a luna in the summit, it will make things easier.”
I pursed my lips. “While that’s ideal, that also takes time.”
“A lycan doesn’t become alpha overnight. It’s a process,” Bash said. “But that’s definitely a goal we can have for the future. Maybe we can even start prepping someone now.”
“Sterling?” I looked at Bash for confirmation.
He shook his head “She’s a great captain, but she’s not a leader. We have to find someone outside our circle.”
I motioned to Ranulf. “Make note. I want alphas to nominate their best lunas. Just one from each pack.”
“That’s a lot to take on, Yer Majesty,” Ranulf noted. “Ye have enough on yer plate right now,” he said meaningfully.
“I know, but this is important. We should start preparing a luna to become alpha. It will only strengthen our laws,” I said. “Alexander, can you provide me with a brief that details the law? Reword it so it’s stronger. I don’t want any loopholes.”
He nodded. “Aye.”
“Good. Now, to be brutally honest, the Summits aren’t the only enemies we have at the moment.” I exhaled loudly. “There’s a demon loose in Caledonian Forest.”
“What?” they all yelled.
I held up a hand to quiet them. “It’s after me because it believes I have something it wants, although we don’t know what it is just yet. The Summits might use this as an opportunity to dethrone me, so be prepared.”
“There are demons?” Maria asked, shocked.
“We’ve seen them in South Africa,” Junior said, unfazed by the news. “Usually demons are after a soul.”
My eyes widened at his revelation. “Excuse me?”
He nodded. “Demons make deals in exchange for a soul. They don’t care much for humans, and rarely visit our plane unless they’re here to collect.”
I looked to Bash, and for the first time I saw genuine fear in his eyes. We’d never made any deals with a demon, or with anyone, except with the fae. My brows furrowed as I thought about that deal. Was there a loophole? Did I promise something I shouldn’t have? What did I do?
“Are ye sure about that?” Alexander tried to clarify.
“Those are our legends,” Junior answered nonchalantly and then turned to me. “You must have made a deal with a demon and now he’s coming for your soul.”
No. He wasn’t after my soul. He was after my baby’s soul.
Right after the council meeting, I let the others filter out until Bash and I were the only ones left in the council room. After that bombshell Junior dropped, my mind was racing with possibilities.
“You know what this means … if—” Bash started.
I put my pointer finger to my lips. “Shh,” I quieted him and pointed to the door, motioning to the guards posted outside. “We’re not alone.”
He nodded in understanding. “This means trouble,” he ultimately said.
I snorted. “When am I ever not surrounded by trouble? It should be my middle name.”
Bash stood and stretched his arms in the air. “Come on. The others are waiting for us.”
I stood and followed him out of the council room as guards escorted us down the corridor and upstairs toward the guest wing. When we reached that side of the castle, Bash knocked on one of the doors and waited.
After a few moments, the door opened and Jackson stood at the threshold. “Hey, man!” he beamed as he did a handshake and a half hug with Bash. His chocolate colored eyes sparkled excitedly at the sight of us. Jackson opened the door wider, letting us in as our guards stayed outside.
“Hey, Jack!” I hugged him and he squeezed me back just as tightly. Something he couldn’t do yesterday after the ceremony. There were so many rules on how to behave in the Queen’s presence and how familiar you could be in public. I hated it. I wanted my friends to still be themselves when they were around me.
“Hey, Kenz.” He ruffled my hair affectionately. “Amy is just finishing getting ready, and Ollie’s packing up.”
I sighed. “I wish you guys could stay longer.” But another
