The Council Ch. 16

He closed his eyes and tried not to think of the upcoming conversation he had to have with Freya. How the hell he was going to talk her around to having babies in the family, he had no idea!

Sighing softly, Nors let his mind drift into sleep, content to have his wolf home safely and to know that they had so much to look forward to in the future.

*****

The wait at the compound had been excruciating. It had seemed as if many hours had past when in fact it had been a little under two hours before Demetri had appeared with news. The whole room had let out a collective sigh of relief to hear that Loretta and Ashleigh had been saved and the Vampire Council had been taken down with as little loss of life as possible.

A large number of Daniel's army had eventually withdrawn from the fight, shocked and stunned by the power of the Ancients. Despite being held in awe by most of the Younglings and quite a few of the Elders, none of the Vampire Nation had every truly understood just how powerful the Ancients really were until tonight. They were completely lethal and they had the numbers to follow them if they truly needed an army to back them up.

Demetri had initially decided to take Mara home immediately but ended up staying. His wife was cooing over Millie's children along with Rhianna so he sat in a comfortable chair beside Jared and simply watched his woman's face shine with love as she tenderly held one of the babies.

She looked so beautiful, so radiant that he felt a stab of regret that she would never know the joy of being a mother. Was that why his Mara had taken so long to decide to join him as a vampire? Had she been coming to terms with the fact of what she would be truly giving up by allowing him to Sire her?

If he had truly loved her then maybe he should have let her go. He could have found a way somehow. They could have taken down the last Council as they had taken down this one. He could have let her go to become a mother, to find love with someone who could give her everything he couldn't.

And yet, he knew he would never have managed to be that selfless. He loved her too much. She was the very air that he breathed and he couldn't be without her. Last year had taught him that much.

She looked up at him, frowned slightly and then turned to pass the child back to Millie. She rose and crossed the room to slip onto his knee and he felt instantly complete as he wrapped his arms around her.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly, leaning close to brush her lips against his ear. "You feel sad through our bond, Demetri. What's troubling you?" It was so unlike him to let her feel anything other than his cockiness or his incredible sensuality through their bond. It disturbed her to feel this regret.

"Do you ever wish things had been different?" he murmured quietly, his lips tracing lightly over her slender neck. "Do you ever wish you could have been a mother, Mara? You look so natural holding that child. You have so much love to give to a little one. I've taken that from you."

Mara raised her head and rolled her eyes though her smile was soft and loving. "Is that what's worrying you?" she asked softly, leaning forward to rub her lips gently over his. "Do you seriously think I would ever give you up, Demetri? You are mine, my arrogant vampire. I wouldn't trade you for anything in the whole world. I'm more than content with the decisions I've made in my life."

He tightened his arms around her, feeling her love rolling through their bond, hearing the truth in her words and relaxing. He smiled up at her secure now that she didn't regret a single thing, that she truly wanted to be with him no matter what. "I love you, my Mara," he whispered, his deep green eyes glowing with the wealth of emotion rocketing through him.

"I love you, Demetri," she sighed against his lips, kissing him gently before she snuggled down against him and rested her head on his shoulder. She met Rhianna's eyes and rolled hers again in mock exasperation, bringing a smile to her friend's lips.

Rhianna smiled down at little Mina in her arms and kissed her gently before she relinquished the child to her father's arms. The relief that everything had worked out fine was welcome but she wouldn't feel any real peace until Caleb returned from the Council chambers.

She knew how much tonight had taken out of her vampire despite the necessity of it. He didn't want their people to lose their lives needlessly. He wanted to bring them together but to do that he first had to break down the old ways which was never an easy thing to do.

She was concerned about Rafe too. He had disappeared into Jared's study with him when they had arrived at the house. She knew that he had been telling the Alpha what his decision was regarding the new pack.

She also knew that Rafe had realised that Loretta and Ashleigh were now his pack members rather than just pack mates. Her brother was very smart. It wouldn't have taken him long to work that out and then his strong sense of responsibility would have kicked in. He didn't speak of it to her when they had come out of the study but she knew his increased tenseness was because of that fact.

This was why she had slipped away a little while ago and called Lacey to come to the compound. Rafe needed his mate but he wouldn't impose on her while she was busy with her studies. So Rhianna had done it for him. He might be annoyed with her for doing so but she'd deal with that. Sometimes her brother really didn't know what was best for him.

She watched Rafe stiffen slightly as he stared out the window, hearing the sound of the approaching car. She smiled softly as his head whipped around to stare at her, his brow drawn down in irritation. She shrugged her shoulders innocently, her eyes twinkling with amusement as he scowled more darkly and then suddenly smiled ruefully at her, shaking his head.

Rafe didn't move from the window though his eyes were fastened intently on the doorway, waiting for his mate to appear. His breath caught as it always did when the door opened and Lacey entered the room, closing followed by Jen and Aaron.

He had eyes only for his mate. She was stunningly beautiful to look at, long platinum blonde hair tumbling down her back, her light green eyes concerned as she quickly scanned the room until she found him. Her face lit up in a beautiful smile as she found him, her love rolling through their bond as she quickly made her way over to him.

"Rafe," she breathed softly, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She was almost as tall as he was so she didn't need to stretch too far to give him a light kiss. She gasped when he crushed her tightly to him, surprised as he deepened the kiss into something that bordered on desperation.

"What's wrong, baby?" she whispered when she could catch her breath again. "Annie said you needed me. Why didn't you call me, Rafe?"

"Annie should mind her own bloody business," he retorted loud enough for his sister to hear but there was no heat in his words. He had needed Lacey and he knew it. Just having her in his arms was enough to soothe some of the turmoil going on within him. He kissed her gently and stroked her perfect cheek. She was so incredibly perfect she took his breath away every time he looked at her.

"Lacey, something happened tonight," he said, his tone slightly nervous. Rhianna said to trust in his mate but he knew what she'd been through at the hands of Graves and Sandro. He didn't want her to be afraid again, to be worried about anything.

"Talk to me, Rafe," she urged softly. "It doesn't matter what it is. As long as we have each other we can face it together. Let me help you, baby."

He rested his forehead against hers, cupping her face tenderly between his big hands. "I'm an Alpha, Lacey," he groaned, closing his eyes. "Not just any Alpha either. I'm the Alpha of the mated vampires." He held his breath as he waited for her response, felt her stiffen slightly against him. Slowly he opened his eyes to look at his mate.

Lacey digested his words slowly. Her first thought was to laugh out loud. Of course he was a bloody Alpha. He always had been, he'd just been denying it to himself all this time. But she held in her amusement because he was struggling so hard with it.

It took her another moment to realise what that meant for both of them and she sighed softly. Alpha Bitch to the Romanov twins? She didn't mind Nors so much as she knew him from visiting the compound and her friendship with Ashleigh. But the twins? That was going to be a complete pain to deal with until things fell into place.

She met Rafe's concerned gaze wondering why he was so tense. He looked so worried, as if he was holding his breath waiting for her reaction. It suddenly occurred to her why he was so anxious and her heart swelled with love for him. "Oh, Rafe," she sighed softly. "You're not worrying about how I'd take this, are you?"

Lacey saw the truth in his eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around him, feeling him let his breath out slowly. "Don't be worried, baby. I'm not. They need you, Rafe. Lord only knows how confusing it must be for them having to deal with the wolf gene and all the extreme changes going on in their lives. I can relate to that because it wasn't so very long ago I had the same changes happening to me. I don't hold all vampires responsible for what Richard did to me. I never have and I never will."

"You're amazing, my Lacey," Rafe whispered against her neck. "Annie told me to trust in you and she was so right. I should have had more faith in you, but it's so hard when all I want to do is protect you and keep you safe." His relief at her easy acceptance of the situation overwhelmed. Her capacity to love and forgive defined her as a person and made her the perfect mate for him.

"Thought you'd learned by now not to argue with your sister," she laughed softly, giving him another tight squeeze and then stepping back. She turned to smile at her sister, silently thanking her for calling her to come ease her mate's mind.

"It could be worse," she added with a wicked smile. "I could have to be Alpha Bitch to Demetri!"

"Hey!" Demetri growled in mock indignation while everyone laughed loudly and the atmosphere within the room lightened noticeably.

"So, what does all this mean?" Aaron asked with a frown on his face. He'd sat down on one of the sofas, pulling his heavily pregnant mate down beside him. Jen was frowning slightly too, her hands resting on her stomach.

"Are you starting your own pack now?" she asked quietly. If Rafe and Lacey left the pack then she'd be without her best friend just as her babies were due to be born. Luke had told her they were having triplets and she had been relying on Lacey to help her out. It was a scary prospect becoming a mother so soon after becoming a Were. Three babies was a lot to deal with.

Rafe pulled Lacey across to the sofa and sat down on the edge as Lacey sat down beside them and took Jen's hand in hers to give her some support. She could see her friend's anxiety and automatically wanted to soothe her.

"Jared and I have talked about it," Rafe said quietly. "We're going to set up a satellite pack in the forest close to Wicked. The pack owns the land there so there will be no obstacles and it makes sense to have our new compound close to the city where quite a lot of us are now living."

"So who is going to be in this new pack?" Aaron queried, his face still wearing a frown. "Obviously if you're Alpha to the Weres then that means Loretta, Cedar and Ashleigh are part of your pack now."

"I am!" Rhianna smiled, her eyes twinkling with delight.

"You are what?" Caleb asked from the doorway, his golden brown eyes glinting with amusement as he headed into the room to gather up his mate and drop a quick kiss on her lips. He'd heard every word but he liked to tease her when he could. He sat down beside Millie and settled his woman on his lap.

"Joining Rafe's pack," Rhianna grinned up at him. "I have to, Caleb. It's the Armand-Hanlon pack."

Caleb pursed his lips in mock thoughtfulness and then grinned back at his mate. "Well, in that case, I suppose we're joining Rafe's pack," he laughed lightly. "Can't be having an Armand-Hanlon pack without an Armand in it. It will help ease the vampires into pack life too."

He turned his gaze to his brother in law. "You probably are going to need a bit of help getting the twins in line at least," he smiled. "Nors shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Rafe gave him a grateful smile. Having Caleb's backing would be as much of a help as knowing he could still come to Jared if he needed to. His former Alpha had refused point blank to remain his Alpha but had offered to be there for him any time he needed it. They were brothers after all.

Mara shot Demetri a teasing smile and he growled loudly at her. "Don't even think about it!" he ground out. "We're vampires not bloody Weres!"

"But Caleb and Annie are going pack," she laughed, her big brown eyes glowing with amusement.

"Rafe is Annie's brother," he countered frowning down at her.

"You adopted Annie," she shot back, her whole body nearly shaking as she tried to contain her laughter as his face turned darker. "And you adopted Rafe as your brother too," she reminded him.

"I am not joining a pack of bloody wolves," he growled softly. "And that's the end of the subject, Mara." His tone brooked no argument and she couldn't contain her laughter anymore.

"Yes, Demetri," she said meekly resting against his shoulder and meeting Rhianna's lavender gaze. They grinned at each other as Demetri snorted loudly in irritation.

He certainly had no intention of joining Rafe's pack but he was equally as certain that his wife wasn't about to give up trying to convince him otherwise. He smiled at the thought of the delicious little battle they would have over that one. His Mara was a very determined woman when she wanted something but he was just as determined to not let her have her own way. The ensuing battle of wills was going to be so much fun.

Aaron was still watching Rafe intently with a frown on his face. He was pleased that his best friend was finally accepting his Alpha status and starting his own pack but he was saddened by it too. Rafe was like a brother to him and he would be leaving soon. He was losing Cedar too as she was joining the other pack. He was closest to Cedar of all his siblings, losing both of them at the same was a huge blow.

Jared looked at Millie and shook his head and rolled his eyes. He was going to miss having Rafe around and he would miss the girls too. It was a blow to lose three Betas from his pack. Now he turned to look once more at Aaron and Jen's anxious faces and he let out a deep sigh.

"Oh, for goodness sake stop looking so bloody miserable," he barked out with a short laugh. "You didn't seriously think I would try and split you lot up did you?"

Startled glances flew to him and he laughed at the shocked expressions. "Aaron, Rafe has been your Alpha for a very long time now, just no one has ever vocalised it," he said ruefully. "I was actually amazed that you responded to my command at all during the Beta meeting."

Rafe cleared his throat slightly and grinned sheepishly at Jared. "Actually he might not have," he admitted quietly. "I was so angry at the turn of events during the meeting that I think I mentally projected my own command at the time. I didn't mean to. I just wanted Aaron to stop hurting Cedar because I knew he would regret it. I was trying to will him to stop."

Jared stared at Rafe for a long moment and then burst out laughing. "I don't even want to know if anyone else in the room responded as well. You're taking three of my Betas as it is, Rafe. Let me keep the rest of them please. At least until I can train up new ones to replace anyone else you're going to steal from me."

Everyone laughed at his peeved tone, Millie rising and settling her babies in their crib before she headed over to her mate and wrapped her arms around him. "We'll manage just fine, love," she said soothingly. "Yes, we'll miss our pack mates but they're still part of us. We'll never lose the close bond we have."

Jared wrapped his arms around his mate and kissed her softly. "I know, baby," he sighed. "It's just going to be a pain the ass until it all gets worked out."

Aaron couldn't believe the relief that swept through him knowing that he could join the new pack. He could feel Jen trembling against him and he knew she was just as relieved as he was. She didn't want to be separated from Lacey and he knew that. She was worried about giving birth and being a good mother even though she didn't need to. Having Lacey's support meant everything to his mate.

He grinned at Rafe, at his new Alpha. It felt a little strange thinking of his friend as his Alpha but it also felt right too. This probably explained why he had been so anxious at the thought of being parted from him.

Rafe was smiling too, suddenly feeling more content than he had in a long time. Starting a pack didn't feel half as daunting knowing he had his mate at his side as well as his sister and his best friend. "Guess you're stuck as my number two after all," he smiled at Aaron.

His friend laughed loudly. "What a chore," he teased, his pleasure evident on his face.

Caleb cleared his throat slightly drawing all eyes to him. "I need to resolve the issue with my people," he said quietly. "I've called a meeting for tomorrow night. I'd like the mated pairs, and the Alphas to be there too. I understand if you want to leave your mates behind but I'd appreciate them being present. I promise you I can keep Millie and Lacey safe."

There was a stunned silence at his words, Jared and Rafe automatically frowning deeply. Their mates looked at them and then sighed in unison.

"You've always trusted Caleb's word, Jared," Millie said softly. "Are you going to start doubting him now? If it helps to ease this enmity between our people then isn't it worth taking a risk?"

"There will be no risk," Demetri smiled slowly. "Not after what our people witnessed tonight. No one will dream of attempting to harm any of you, Jared, especially not your mates." There wasn't a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Then we should all go," Lacey said firmly holding her mate's angry gaze. "Rafe, Caleb and the others risked their lives today for our pack members. They risked their lives for us last year too, so we could be together. They have proven their trust and loyalty to us over and over again. Now they need our help. They need our trust and loyalty. I don't let my friends down, baby. Not ever."

He wasn't happy about. He couldn't be. He would be taking her into the heart of the Vampire Nation. But her words cut through a lot of his reluctance. Caleb had always stood by them. He would never do anything that could hurt Rhianna. If he was confident he could protect her family even within the heart of his own people then he had to trust him. He met Caleb's intent gaze and nodded his head in agreement.

Jared agreed after another moment's pause. "Very well, Caleb. We'll be there."

"Thank you," Caleb answered. He turned to Rafe. "It's late tonight but I suggest that you get the mated pairs together before the meeting and let them know about the new pack and what it means for them. You can use our house for that if you want. I'll be happy to sit in to run any interference for you."

He suddenly looked around the room, noticing for the first time that they were one missing. "Where is Cedar anyway?"

"She went home after Demetri arrived and let us know the news," Rhianna answered. "Said she'd call Alexei and let him know where to meet her. She didn't see the point in hanging around the compound if he was going to be a while."

Caleb rolled his eyes at the news. "You do know what's going to happen don't you?" he asked Rafe with a pointed gaze.