Chapter 237

Andrew normally liked to arrive to these meetings before the members of the Werewolf Council so that he could be situated before he had to face them. That day, however, Princess Aurora had insisted on taking him shopping for his own engagement ring. It had taken until the very last minute, but Princess Aurora had been so proud of the 18k white gold Apollo sapphire ring that Andrew figured that it was worth being later than normal.

He strolled through the door of the meeting room and was met by a round of applause. He knew that it was because of his engagement to Princess Aurora but accepted the applause regardless. He made certain to raise his left hand so that they could see the engagement ring as he acknowledged their congratulations.

“Thank you, thank you,” he said. “It is a very exciting time for Princess Aurora and me. I am glad that you are all here to share it.”

As Andrew took his spot at the head of the conference table, his eyes ran over the members of the Werewolf Council. They froze on a particular member. Louis Beaumont’s seat, which had been left empty since his death, suddenly had an occupant: Bob.

Bob saw Andrew staring and flashed him a wicked smile. Andrew quickly regained his composure and returned the smile with one of his own, as genuine and welcoming as he could make it. He made a mental note to ask Head Wolf Antoine about this development after the meeting.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Andrew began once everyone had settled down. “I want to thank you for joining me here today. I see that we have a new councilmember to welcome.”

Head Wolf Antoine nodded.

“Yes, Bob has graciously accepted our invitation to become a member of the Werewolf Council,” he said.

A round of applause broke out. Andrew begrudgingly joined in. Bob stood up and bowed slightly, then sat back down as the applause died down.

“Thank you, Bob, for joining us,” Andrew said, trying to sound as sincere as he possibly could. “I am sure that your insights will be invaluable to this council.”

“Thank you for having me, Alpha King Andrew,” Bob replied. His tone sounded genuine to most who were listening, but Andrew knew better.

“Moving on,” Andrew continued, “Head Wolf Antoine, would you mind enlightening us on the issue that brings us here today?”

Head Wolf Antoine bowed his head slightly.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

He turned off the lights and lowered the projector screen. With a swipe of his finger, his laptop came to life, connecting to the projector and spreading his presentation across the screen.

“As you can see here, the northern werewolf territory has experienced a drastic increase in vampiric intrusions,” Head Wolf Antoine began. The screen came to life with an animated image of the red vampiric territory gradually overtaking the blue lycanthrope territory. “Over the past month, the northern territories have experienced no less than two dozen attacks in the past month, triple the number of attacks they had experienced the month before.”

Andrew tried to focus on the presentation, but he found his mind continually wandering to Bob and his new position on the Werewolf Council. How did he get the seat? What did this mean for Andrew’s investigation into him?

Andrew raised his hand to get Head Wolf Antoine’s attention.

“Were there any fatalities in these attacks?” he asked.

Head Wolf Antoine nodded.

“Unfortunately, yes. There were about 7 fatalities on our side.”

“And how did the vampires fair?”

“I hate to say, a lot better. Only two of theirs were killed before they escaped.”

The muscles in Andrew’s arms tightened.

“How did they get away? And how were there so many fatalities?”

“There seems to be mostly residences in the northern territories,” Head Wolf Antoine explained. “They were caught by surprise in the dead of night. Four of the fatalities were minors.”

Andrew sighed.

“That is incredibly unfortunate. Please send my regards to the survivors and ensure that they have all the resources that they need to get back on their feet.”

He stroked his chin.

“We’ll need to put round-the-clock watches on the northern borders. Pull some of the Gamma Warriors to do it.”

Head Wolf Antoine nodded again and made note of the command on his smartphone.

“Please, continue with the presentation,” Andrew added.

As Head Wolf Antoine went on to the next slide, Andrew’s eyes slid momentarily to Bob. Bob momentarily locked eyes with Andrew. Andrew’s hand clenched into a fist, but he did not look away until Bob turned his head and broke eye contact.

Andrew was still dominant. For now.

The meeting came to an end, and the members of the Werewolf Council began to disperse. Andrew waited for most of them to leave before he approached his Beta. He needed answers about Bob’s placement on the Werewolf Council, now.

Andrew walked over to Head Wolf Antoine. He placed his hand on the other man’s shoulder and tilted his head toward the other side of the room, indicating a need for some privacy as they spoke. Head Wolf Antoine gave a slight nod, gathered his things, and followed Andrew to the corner that he had gestured towards.

“You needed to speak to me?” Head Wolf Antoine asked, his voice low.

“How did Bob become a councilmember?” Andrew asked, wasting no time.

Head Wolf Antoine appeared confused.

“I thought that you would be happy about this, Your Highness,” he said. “He is your son-in-law—”

“Please, Head Wolf Antoine, just answer the question,” Andrew said through clenched teeth, trying hard to stay calm.

“The Beaumonts gave him their support,” Head Wolf Antoine explained. “They convinced all the councilmembers that he was the best candidate for the job.”

Andrew’s brow furrowed.

“Did they convince you?” he asked.

“He has the love of the people, Your Highness, just like you,” Head Wolf Antoine said. “He has a clean record—”

“He was just on trial for murder!” Andrew’s voice rose a little too high, but fortunately, no one seemed to hear him except for Head Wolf Antoine.

“It was self-defense.”

Head Wolf Antoine shrugged.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Your Highness. He has sound political policies, brings balance to the Council, and represents a younger demographic’s interests. I think that the Beaumonts are right.”

Andrew breathed slowly in and out through his nostrils. He could not lose his temper, not now. No matter how he wanted to reveal the truth about Bob, he could not do so until the investigation was over, especially not with Bob’s influence growing exponentially.

“I hate to tell you this, Your Highness, but he could rival you as top competitor for Alpha King someday,” Head Wolf Antoine said.

Andrew huffed with derision.

“That was what you thought during the last election,” he said. “I wouldn’t hold your breath this time.”

“I’m just saying, you should watch your back.”

Andrew looked over at the conference table. Bob was one of the last remaining councilmembers, having stayed behind to speak with another member. Bob glanced over at Andrew and smirked before returning his attention to his conversation partner.

“Don’t worry,” Andrew said, “I will.”