29.The elders council.

**Xavier**

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Alpha," one of Xavier's head warriors kneeled in front of him, holding his gaze down. "But I have been sent to inform you on short notice."

"Bullshit. Sent by whom? I am your Alpha; you take orders from me, and me only!" He was enraged, his face flushed, and throat sore after saying just a few words. The way Xavier was used to speaking in his Alpha tone was wrong in all ways possible. Spitting words out of his mouth, lacing them in hatred and venom, left everyone, himself included, in great pain.

"The elder council, Alpha. They have gathered in front of the packhouse. They won't enter without being properly invited by the leader of our pack." Xavier jumped out of bed, nearly falling over his Luna. She trembled violently, resembling a terrified cub. Just as she was about to run into the closet and change her clothing- the head warrior spoke up again:

"I'm sorry, Luna, they have requested only for the Alphas presence. I have to stay here and guard you. The elders don't want to be bothered by any outsiders, even by you." He stood; his gaze still glued to the floor. Luna gasped in disbelief. How could they act like such a prude? She was the Alpha's mate, the one who leads the pack hand in hand with Xavier, and now she was being treated like a bag of dirt? The nerve!

"Don't you worry about that, warrior. I will show myself out and accompany my mate. I have as much right to meet the elders as my mate does. Behind each great Alpha stands his Luna, and I hold no desire to change our ways. Now, please, do give us some privacy. We will join the council members shortly," she stood her ground, head held high, voice full of power. She didn't want to be there supporting her mate. Luna was driven by pure curiosity; why had the council arrived? Usually, in order to meet them, everyone, no matter what rank they held, had to wait for months to end up in one room with the six elder wolves. They never visited anyone, let alone be kept waiting for an invitation, in front of the packhouse. Something had to be wrong, and she needed to find out what it was. The elders had asked for the warrior to keep Luna away from their impromptu meeting, yet none commanded him. As a lower-ranking wolf, he had to follow commands from higher ranks, and now, he had received one from Luna. Slowly, he stepped back, closing the door, leaving the Alpha couple in the bedroom.

"Keep your mouth shut and let me talk. Now, hurry up and wear a red mini dress. We cannot afford to make them wait any longer," Xavier's voice was rough. She nodded her head and quickly changed into the outfit he had told her to wear. Hand in hand, they left the bedroom and headed downstairs. The packhouse was oddly quiet, almost as if it were abandoned and soulless. As they neared the main entrance, Luna became more anxious with each step she took. She could see the massive figures of men through the glass details of their door. As per usual, they wore long, black coats with enormous hoodies, embroidered with numbers and symbols. The numbers were a simple system to let other shifters know which council member held more power. Symbols indicated their "houses"- unlike other shifters, who lived in packs, the elders ruled over houses, a specific district they owned. The Alpha opened the door, walking out to face the council members with ease, and a carelessness. His Luna, on the other hand, grew more nervous. Somehow, she had a feeling that she might be in trouble, yet she tried to push it aside, hoping that it was just because of the guilt, creeping on her. The elders didn't move; for most humans, they might look like statues. Alpha and Luna greeted them, inviting them inside of their packhouse.

"Alpha Xavier, I'm sure we asked for your Luna to stay indoors. The council has requested a meeting with you, not your mate. Moreover, don't you think that the matter could be serious enough to avoid defying our orders if we have arrived ourselves?" The elder spoke. His voice was cold, freezing the woman to the core. Now, she became anxious; why had they arrived?

"My sincere apologies, elder. I shall walk my Luna to the bedroom, and my maids will show you, gentlemen, the way to my office. Please, do feel at home and have a drink of your choice until I come back," Xavier grabbed her elbow and dragged her upstairs. Luna couldn't hide the shock from his actions. He had never been rough with her, always acting like she was his most prized possession.

"Xavier, let go, you're hurting me," she whined, barely keeping up with his speed.

"Woman, you don't know shit about what real pain is or what I'm going to do to you if you fuck this meeting up. Can your tiny brain even imagine how fucking serious this is? In our packhouse, they're here for fucks sake!" he breathed heavily, spitting out words as he opened the bedroom door. He pushed her inside, nearly making her fall. Before closing the door with a loud bang, he snarled:

"Be a good girl and shut the fuck up! Sit down and wait, if I hear as much as a faint sound from you, I will not be held responsible for the consequences!" Luna was left behind a locked door, speechless. The room, which was supposed to be their temple of love and safe space- now felt as if its walls were closing in on her. She sat on the bedside and stared at one spot, patiently waiting for her mate to come back. Xavier rushed down the stairs, running into the office like a bullet. His eyes scanned the room; all the men sat across from his table, giving Alpha the little respect to sit on his own chair.

"Gentlemen, let's get straight to the point. I'd like to know how I've earned the honour for the elder council to visit my pack, in person," he sat down, massaging his temples, deep down, hoping for this nightmare to end as soon as possible.

"Let's not rush ahead of time, Alpha Xavier. We came a long way and are not here to answer your questions. As a matter of fact, we are here to hear answers to our questions, directly from the source," the elder, which led the district in which Xavier's pack was located, spoke. He was an older man, way too old for Xavier's likings.

"You got my attention, Elder Mercury. Please, let's not waste each other's precious time and start."

"We have been informed that there's a lycanthrope living in your pack. Our source provided information about this individual not being a part of the pack. Is that correct?" This time it wasn't elder Mercury, who spoke. It was the oldest one of them, the man Xavier despised the most- elder of the first district, Damien Nightcrawler.

"This is outrageous! Your sources are telling lies! I am falsely accused of untrue, imaginary things someone came up with, to crack my image as a leader!" Xavier jumped to his feet, unable to sit down and listen.

"We shall assume that your reaction is the main proof we needed. If the accusations were untrue, you wouldn't react as aggressively, Alpha. Please, sit down," Nightcrawler growled, displeased by the young Alphas attitude. He was disrespectful towards the ones who decided how packs will live. Xavier sat down, letting out a deep breath, wondering how the elders had found out about the matter so fast.

"Let me address the real issue. We had a reason to keep your Luna away from this meeting. Not only did our source provide information, with proof, about a living lycanthrope on our lands- there was something more, a matter which intrigued us the most." Xavier frowned. He couldn't put his mind to what his mate had done this time. That woman was a lot of work, especially lately, yet he had very little trust in knowing what she had done.

"Is it true that your mate is responsible for going against the ancient law? In case you have forgotten- I'm talking about section "soulmate" point 1.56.3. and "punishment" point 6.66.4. Which states, and I quote: "No creature, living or dead, holds rights to harm soulmate, to weaken the other." and "Any attempt of breaking the bond between souls, destined by the Moon Goddess, can and will be punished by death." Xavier's jaw dropped; he had forgotten about the law system and how it had changed over the centuries. The "new world" shifters, such as himself, lived by the new law. Even though they were rumoured to be extinct, Lycanthropes held a right to live by the ancient rules, which were more brutal than any other.

"I believe that is false. My mate is leading the pack with her heart. She is a wonderful woman, caring for everyone who lives in our territory. Unlike other Lunas, she doesn't look down at humans, quite the opposite- she gives them more opportunities and helps them grow stronger. She would never try to kill any, even if her own life would depend on it," Xavier spoke with pride, a smile growing on his lips. No matter how clever the elders think they are, by the end of the meeting, he would have all of them wrapped around his finger.

"Quite a bold statement made there. I must admit, I'm surprised, Alpha Xavier. Except, there's a little problem, we seem to face here," the elder smiled, raising a glass to his lips, his eyes never leaving the Alphas confused face.

"And what might that be?" Xavier raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what he had forgotten to mention. Maybe he didn't notice a little, important piece of information? And why were all the elders staring at him? They never did. All men usually hid under the hoods, even during the most important meetings. Now, the hoods had dropped, Xavier's skin crawled, feeling as if he was about to burn alive from the looks alone.

"We never mentioned anything about an attempted murder of a human," Mercury spoke up. His eyes were cold, full of disappointment and shame towards the man who was supposed to be a leader, not a coward.

"I... I have heard some rumors, gentlemen, just like all of you. I can assure you that those, indeed, are just rumors. My pack is living in harmony, protected by myself and my mate. No harm is done, plotted to be done, or would ever fall upon anyone. I give my word for that." The elders nodded, none of them letting a word slip from their lips. They stood up, in unison, like a marionette led by one person. One by one, they left the office. Elder Nightcrawler stopped by the door and threw one last glance at Xavier.

"Alpha Xavier, rest assured, this is not the last time we visit your pack. I will bid my goodbyes for now. But let me warn you; If so-called rumors, as you address them, are even halfway true, I suggest you stay safe. If the lycanthrope is walking over your lands freely, and one will bring harm to his destined mate- kiss your pack goodbye. You have no idea how much power the ancient creatures hold. Beware, if the beast is coming out- you better be prepared, for no one shall be granted mercy. Goodbye, Alpha."