ETHEREAL

15

"I hate being rushed." He whispered into her ear, listening to the breath in her throat hitch with a slight smirk before placing a kiss to her throat, standing up straight again.

His face hardened as he traced her lips, tinted redder than usual before meeting her gaze once more. "This meeting, Rosa," he began with an evident scowl. "You need to understand. I am alpha, but they are my council. Their opinions are respected, and I shall humour them but you come first. Speak freely, if anyone undermines you, know I cannot let them leave with their head intact." He grunted, clearly holding his wolf back from the mere thought of his precious love harmed in anyway shape or form.

She stood on her tiptoes, despite her black heels, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips gently, as though she had merely brushed them instead. "It won't come to that. And if it does, we'll handle it together. Always." She reassured, watching as his bright blue eyes shut tightly at the slight touch of her lips, her hands raising to his biceps.

"Together." He nodded in agreement, before stepping away from her slightly and taking her hand, kissing it again before leading her towards the pack house.

—
Rosa sat at one end of a large oval table, whilst Dante sat at the other, both staring at eachorher as the heads of the room, seated away from one another and yet both radiating strength and power in two completely different manners.

Dante was forceful, his power demanded attention and his strength brutal. It was fear that dominated the men around the table, mixed with a large dosage of respect that had been gained continuously over the years he had been Alpha. He was fair to them, but also just. He possessed a sort of intensity that was almost unheard of, a god like dominance that was exclusive to only him - something that cowered many.

Rosa, however, was perhaps the complete opposite. Her strength was her warmth, her kindness to all those around her that solidified her as a woman of reliability. Her nature was what deemed her so worthy of such a pack, in Dante's eyes, for she treated each and every individual as though they were born from her very soul, and therefore protected with them with the same fierceness. It was her love that protected many; and their love for her made her influential. That, alone, was one of the most dangerous things in the room.

The men sat around the council table were mainly diplomats and high ranking commanders. Lon sat beside Dante, sneaking in a supportive grin towards Rosa when he could to which she responded with a weaker sort. The fire in her stomach burned, but it seemed to dim when the reality of the situation hit her. This was real. This was the start of her journey for revenge, and it scared her. As the thought flashed in her mind, her eyes pulled towards her mate who looked at her with an intensity she had yet to see prior to said moment. She breathed out an audible breath, as she understood his silent message. He would be with her. Together, she repeated in her mind. 

The men chattered as the situation was discussed in detail, Dante often chiming in but Rosa was visibly uncomfortable for obvious reasons. It was evident they were mitigating their words out of kindness to her new found trauma, and despite being grateful to an extent, she was also annoyed by it. She remained quiet, however, and simply observed, allowing Dante and Lon to speak confidently as they presented their theory forwards as to who it was.

"With all due respect," One of the older men began, making her eyes fall upon him. He was a balding man, with beady eyes hidden under thick rimmed glasses, and slight stubble on his chin. A diplomat, she evaluated rather quickly. "How do we know that this was an act of war?" He asked, with an eyebrow raised. "Your mate is often in the greenhouse, alongside many chemicals used for her...gardening. It may be the obvious answer of spilling here and there that caused such a result." He offered.