Sacred Decree

•Chapter Twenty• Emergency Meeting

Aubrielle

It came as a complete shock finding out I was pregnant. But what did I expect, I am a werewolf after all? Not to mention how many times Marcus and I have mated since we marked each other. I could feel my face heat up as I thought about our various matings, and all the places we did so. Facepalming myself, I waited until my face cooled down before I removed my hand, then placed it reverently on my flat belly.

It was apparent by the way Marcus was acting, that he's as happy as I am about this pup. What's more, word had spread like wildfire and the entire pack was also happy. My mother was over the moon, seeing as this would be her first grandchild. It is weird to think that my child and my sibling would be just months apart. Still, it's an exciting time for me. Not only will I become a big sister, but I will also become a mother as well.

Though this should be a happy time for us all, there's a veil of anxiety looming over those of us who know not all's well. We likely have had trespassers on our lands and the reason for that is unknown. Not to mention, we're having an emergency council meeting taking place on our territory. Necessity demands it, especially now that there was a possibility wild rogues have entered our borders with no one noticing. It's worrisome indeed.

Movement outside the window of the suite we now occupy catches my eye. I look down to see two dark SUVs with tinted windows had stopped in front of the guest house, causing me to wonder who had arrived. I didn't have long to wait since shortly thereafter the occupants disembarked one vehicle to reveal four burly male occupants. Seconds later, five other males stepped out of the second vehicle.

Judging by the way they were all dressed, these guys were WOLF team members. As I watched, Elder Mathew appeared to greet the newly arrived wolves with a grateful smile. All ten men bowed to Elder Mathew, then each took turns to shake the Elder's hand. As they greeted each other, a dark limo drove up and two men and two women stepped out. It was evident that Elder Mathew knew who they were, though I have never seen them before.

As the four occupants walked forward to greet Elder Mathew, the limo drove away, while two pack members hurried over to the SUVs to move them to appropriate parking spaces. While I watched, arms slipping around my midsection caused me to squeal and jump in reaction. Quickly looking over my shoulder, I sigh with great relief to see Marcus looking down at me with a cocked brow and a half-smile on his lips. "You ok, babydoll?"

"Geez Marcus, you startled me!" I say as I turn in his arms with a small laugh and look up at my wonderful mate. "I thought you were meeting with Jacob and Elliot." Sliding my hands up his firm, muscular chest until they reached his shoulders, I then wind my arms around his strong neck.

"I did," Marcus confirms as his hands on my back, pull me close against him. "We concluded our business and now I have returned. What were you doing babydoll?" Marcus asks as he looks from my face to the window.

"I was watching the arrival of two WOLF teams," I inform him. "And four other unknown people. Your father greeted them, then led them into the building. I was momentarily lost in thought until u freaked me out," Nodding, Marcus pecked my nose.

"Dad was right, we need extra manpower until further notice," Marcus confides as he lifts a hand to my face and strokes my cheek while looking into my eyes. "Now that we are royals, our lives may be in danger. I want to ensure not only your safety but also that of our pup." Marcus moves back to drop a hand down to cover my flat belly, tenderly cupping it.

By the look in his eyes, I knew he was troubled. He was always trying to hide things from me so as not to worry me but I knew him well enough by now to know when he was hiding things. "Want to tell me what's wrong?" I encourage. "And don't try acting like everything is fine, because I know better," I tell him with a cocked brow.