Andre’s POV
I watched my kitten take a deep breath. I could see the fear in her eyes, so I offered my arm to comfort her.
She smiled lightly and looped her arm through. I bent down, kissed her lips, and savoured the look in her eyes.
“I’ll be with you. You don’t need to worry about anything.”
She nodded, and I pushed the gate open. We strode in together, and I saw that all eyes were on her. She gripped my hand tighter and lowered her head, fearful of all the eyes that gave her judgmental looks.
I could hear the wagging tongues chat about us.”
“Why is he holding her like that?”
“Where is the Luna?”
“What is he doing holding his stepdaughter in such an inappropriate way?”
I said nothing and simply kept my head straight. I didn’t care about what they thought. Olivia dominated my mind. I was here to announce her as my mate and Luna, and no one was going to say otherwise.
We got to the stage, and I gestured for her to sit in a reserved seat near the front, where she wouldn’t have to look around and feel uncomfortable from all the questioning looks.
I gave her a wink and climbed the stage alone. The garden was deathly silent; all eyes were on me.
This was it.
“Good evening, everyone. I know that this meeting was held on such short notice, but I am glad that you all made time in your schedules to be here. It gladdens me greatly.”
Just as I expected, Councilor Fentris stood up and smiled at me with detest. I couldn’t help but chuckle. I had specially prepared for him. He was in for a real surprise.
“Alpha, you called this emergency meeting?”
“Yes,” I said firmly, my eyes narrowing coldly down on him.
“Then, in that case, I suggest you get on with it. The evening is far spent already.”
I couldn’t help the smile that tugged on my lips and the arrogance in my voice.
“I suggest that you sit tight, Councilor. You wouldn’t want to miss this.”
I expected Fentris to sit down, but he continued to stand and glare around. I knew what he was looking for-or rather, ‘who’.
“Might I ask where the Luna is?”
I didn’t answer his question and acted like I hadn’t heard him.
“Alpha Andre, I think the members of the council and the guests present would like to know where the Luna is. You didn’t walk in with her.”
I raised a brow and glared at Fentris.
“Is there something that you would like to get off your chest, Councilor?”
He stammered a bit, seeming caught off guard. I felt my chest swell with pride. He seemed to always have something to say.
“Uhm… I… Actually… I… The members of the council seem a little concerned. We are glad that you have accepted Luna’s daughter as your own blood, but it seems quite… Uhhh… far-fetched that you walked in with her instead of with your wife. We would just want you to clarify some misconceptions here.”
I smiled and relaxed. I took in all the anxious faces and prepared myself for the onslaught.
“You seem to be in too much of a rush, Councilor. That was actually why this meeting was arranged. You will all get answers to your questions.”
I paused for a while and glanced at Olivia. She was pink all the way up to her ears; the tension was killing her. She hadn’t raised her head since.
“I would like to announce to you all that from this day forth formally, Nicole will no longer be addressed as my Luna.”
Gasps filled the air, and astonishment filled all the glaring eyes. They turned to each other and murmured curiously. I wasn’t going to make the chatter die down. For one, I was relishing the surprise on Fentris’ face.
Finally, everyone hushed up. They all turned back to me. Fentris was red in the face, and beads of sweat decorated his forehead.
“This is preposterous! What are you talking about, Alpha? You know the pack law. The Alpha must have a…”
Fentris’ ranting was starting to irritate me, so I shut him up immediately.
“Enough!”
My eyes glared daggers at him, and he backed down in fear and shock.
“One more word from you, and I will make known every damn filthy thing that you did when you were on the West Coast all the way to the time that you joined us here.”
His eyes grew wide, and he clutched his chest in shock, but I didn’t stop here. I was prepared to give him a stroke.
“You think I didn’t know about all your secret deals. And here you are, posing as the most ‘sensible’ member of the council, but all you do is hide behind your position to carry out your heinous crimes.”
I felt my wolf breaking out. I was barely in control.
“Alpha, I…”
“You are a wanted man, Fentris! If you dare think of crossing me, I will hand you over to the other people who are looking for you. You think you can just walk into my pack and make the rules like you own the place. A pack that my family has run for decades! You should have covered your bases before you thought of strutting in here to challenge me!”
I was heaving, and all eyes were now on Fentris. Even Olivia had turned her head in curiosity to see who I was roaring at.
“How… How did you get that information?”
“That is none of your concern. I’ll only warn you to stay in your place.”
Fentris slinked backward. He was filled with fear, yet he refused to sit and still seemed to have something to say.
“If Nicole is not coming as your Luna, then why did you call this meeting?”
I smirked and took a few steps forward, getting down from the stage and lingering around Olivia.
“This meeting was called because henceforth, I would like you all to recognise my mate and the future Luna of this pack”
I turned and faced my kitten.
“Olivia Grey.”
The crowd was silent. No one dared to breathe.
This was it.