Carver cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Worry filled his eyes while he studied me, his gaze piercing against my skin. He didn't say a word while I calmed myself down, waiting with a patience that could only come from him.
I took a deep, shuddering breath and cleared my throat while I turned around and faced my advisor. "What do you suggest?" I asked, relaxing against my mate while he continued to rub my skin, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake.
"Contact them," he replied, and I opened my mouth to retort but closed it when he raised his hand. "Now, now," he scowled, and I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Do not be like that, Kathrine Evelyn. You do not need to try and make a retort about what I had to say."
I huffed and dipped my head in apology. "Of course," I said, letting him hear the dissatisfaction in my voice because I wasn't able to retort. "My apologies."
Carver bit back a snort and cleared his throat. He knew that I wasn't sorry for wanting to retort and knew that I wanted to do it, but he chose not to comment.
Instead, he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat again while he set his hands in his lap. "Invite them here," he said. He looked at Brody. "If that is ok with you, of course."
Brody waved his hand, brushing off his concern. "It's fine," he said. "They are able to come here. I will have to learn about the alliances that you all have with the other species."
He wanted to be brave and make it seem that he wasn't nervous or afraid, but I could tell that he was. He was very nervous and a little afraid of what was to come.
Like the rivalry between the Cat and Wolves species, there was a huge rivalry between Vampires and Wolves. They were sworn enemies, taught at a young age to never cross paths with each other.
And now, I wanted to bring a Vampire, not just any Vampire but the Royal Vampires, onto pack lands so that I could make sure that the treaty between us still stood and make some changes if needed.
I looked at my mate and studied him, letting him know that I knew he was nervous and didn't have to hide his feelings from us.
"I can ask the pack to see if they are all right with them coming over," I said. "If not, then Carver and I can go to the safe place for a day or so while we get everything situated."
"No," Brody said instantly, and I raised an eyebrow in question. He scowled and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, we can ask the pack, but you are not leaving the pack with Carver."
"If the pack isn't fine with them coming, then I have to go somewhere else. Unfortunately, I am not able to have a meeting at one of the other kingdoms until Romanov is taken care of."
"Then I'll go with you," Brody said, "and Carver. Dad will be able to take care of the pack while we are gone."
I nodded and pressed my lips into a thin line. I knew that he would be worried about his pack while we were gone, and I would be worried too, but I had to do this. I had to set things right with the other species.
"My suggestion is for you to call a meeting with the pack first and see how they would react to it," Carver said, and we looked at him. He studied us and cleared his throat. "If they feel uncomfortable with the other species coming, then we shall go from there."
I nodded, deciding that was the best option. "Then I guess we call for a meeting with the pack now and then send word to the species that I request a meeting with them soon."
"When?" my mare asked.
"In three days," I said. "We will have a meeting in three days' time."
My mate nodded. "Then let's call a pack meeting and see what they want to do."
***
I was nervous while I watched the pack gather into the meeting room. My whole body was tense while I watched them, praying that they would accept my plan of bringing the kings and queens of each species here so that I didn't have to go somewhere else with my mate and Carver.
The pack bowed their heads in respect towards me and mumbled a simple greeting that had me bursting with pride and my tiger growling in approval.
"Luna," and "Your Majesty," left multiple lips, and I had to vote back a beaming grin because it felt that they accepted me and not only my position in the pack but as the queen of the cat species when I could dethrone my uncle.
As soon as everyone was seated, I stood and walked to the front, stopping at the podium. I ignored the curious glances of my mate and Kaden, who stayed seated because this wasn't dealing with them but me as the queen of the cats and needing their support.
"Thank you for coming on such a short notice," I said, my voice calm and collected while I looked at my pack. "I appreciate that and for those of you that called me "Your Majesty" and "Luna" on your way to your seats. You have no idea how much that means to me and how much it warmed my heart."
I gestured to both Karen and Brody, who stayed seated, watching my back to make sure that nothing went wrong. "I know that some, if not most, of you all, are wondering why they are not calling this meeting in order but instead me."
There were a couple of murmurs of agreement from the pack, but no one said anything negative, not even Silas said a word.
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath before letting it out with a soft whoosh. "The reason why I am conducting this meeting is because this affects me and my clans more than it affects the pack, at least for now."
Again, I looked around at my pack and stood taller. "As you all know, or should know, my kingdom has a treaty with the Werewolf species." I paused. "They are not the only species that we have a treaty set with thanks to my father and his hard work to make sure that we were connected."
I cleared my throat again before I looked around the room. "Not only do we have a treaty with the Wolves, but we also have a treaty with both the Warlocks and Witches as well as the Vampires."
Tension in the room grew thicker, and some wolves shifted just a bit to cover their children's ears. Mumbles of unrest sounded throughout the crowd but were silenced when I raised my hand so that they could hear me speak.
"I know about the rift between the Vampire clans and Werewolf packs. I know about the deep hatred between both species and how you all despise each other, more than one combined species."
I paused and cleared my throat, my stomach turning with nerves. "I have been informed that I don't have the Warlock king's help for the battle to come, and I am sure that the Vampire King has said that he won't help either."
There were a few protests and some comments about treaties and breaking them if they didn't help. However, they quickly grew quiet when I raised my hand again.
"I don't have a treaty with other species," I said, my voice carrying over the larger room. "I had not contacted them when I first remembered who I was and see if what my father has set with them carried over to me."
"But King Paul did it instantly," someone said, interrupting me from talking. "Why didn't he decline to help because you didn't contact him?"
"Because I am mated to a Wolf," I said. I shrugged and grimaced. "I am sure that there are other reasons why he was willing to help without me contacting him, but it is not my place to say."
"Where are you going to have this meeting?" someone else asked. "And when?"
"The meeting will happen in three days," I replied. "I was hoping to have the meeting here, but because of the rift between the Wolves and Vampires, I wanted to see if that would be fine with you all first."
"And if not?" Silas asked in a tone that had a few people around him growling in warning. He simply glanced at them before he looked at me and raised an eyebrow, hiding back his nervousness. "What then?"
I pressed my lips into a thin line and didn't comment on his behavior. "Then I will go somewhere else," I replied, choosing not to tell them where. I gestured to Carve and my mate. "Carver and my mate will go with me while I have this meeting."
"And what if it is a trap?" Silas asked. "What then?"
Again, there were many growls of warning from pack members around him, and he merely brushed them off, but I could tell that he was nervous that they would react aggressively if he kept it up.
I glanced at him before I focused my gaze on my pack. "This is not a trap," I said. "If anyone lays a single hand on him, then they will feel the wrath of my Tiger Spirit."
"Hmph," Silas said but didn't say another word. He folded his arms across his chest and scowled while he stared at me, and I had a feeling that he wouldn't approve either way.
"Now," I said and looked at them. "With a show of hands, who will allow me to use the pack as a place to go over the treaties and see if they are still on my side?"
Silence followed before, one by one, the pack members raised their hands, giving me their support to let them come over and support my decision of going over the treaties with them.
Soon, most of them had their hands raised with a certain few not doing so, and I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, biting back a friend. A majority of them were fine with them coming here and hosting them.
"Then it is settled," I said. "I shall send them a message, and we will receive them in three days' time. Thank you for your support. You are all dismissed."
And with that, the pack stood, bowed, and started to leave and go about their day before I had pulled them away and got their opinion on what I should do with the pack.
Goddess, please let this work, please.