Loretta's brown eyes swiftly scanned the scene as she entered the Alpha's dining room. They tended to use that room for a full Beta meeting because there wasn't enough seating space in the study and it was a pain to carry chairs through when using the dining room would suffice.
She spotted Cedar standing talking to her brother and from the ready smile on Aaron Alexander's handsome face it was obvious that he had no idea what the upcoming meeting was going to be about. Her other two brothers were standing close by talking quietly to each other.
It was easy to see they were siblings. They had the same blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. They were also very tall as were all of the Alexander family. Jen, Aaron's mate, was the one oddity among the clan with her jet black hair and smaller stature. Not that the Alexanders cared, they all adored Jen almost as much as her Aaron did.
She met Cedar's eyes as her friend looked over at her and shot her a reassuring smile when she saw a trace of concern on her face. She would sit beside her when the meeting started to give her moral support when the shit hit the fan. For now she looked around the room until her gaze landed on the huge bear of a man standing beside the fire and she headed in his direction.
Rafe Hanlon looked up sensing her approach and he smiled his usual welcoming smile, his brown eyes flashing with pleasure. Loretta hadn't seen him in a couple of months because he spent more time at his home in the neighbouring city these days with his mate Lacey, than at the compound.
She hadn't realised how much she had missed seeing him around until now. He was the largest member of the pack, standing well over six feet tall with wide shoulders and an impressive chest. He was handsome in a rugged fashion with a shock of unruly dark brown hair. Rafe was a latent Alpha with no desire to lead. He accepted his responsibilities as Jared's second but he shied away from any talk of starting his own pack in the neighbouring city.
Jared had broached the subject after the war, when Aaron had nearly died on the journey back to the compound for medical treatment. The Alpha's logic was if there was a satellite pack in the other city then time could be saved getting Weres to medical facilities if they needed it. Rafe had flat out refused saying there already was a Hanlon pack and refusing to start his own pack under the Armand name.
He used to be Rafe Armand until the night he was attacked by a Rogue Were and declared dead to the human world and his sister Rhianna. He had adopted the pack name when he finally accepted that his human life was over and he was a pack member.
"Hey sweetie," he smiled as she reached him, giving her a quick hug and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. He had started calling her the excruciating endearment the night Andrei had carried her half dead out of the forest. It made her shudder but she knew he meant it as a sign of his affection for her so she let it slide. Most of the time. She didn't think he'd be calling her that for much longer anyway, not after the meeting got underway.
"Hey Rafe," she smiled back returning his hug with a brief one of her own. She didn't want to go back to Andrei with the scent of another man on her. The stupid vampire would probably flip out if she did. "How's Lacey?"
Rafe's expression glowed at the mention of his mate, a wide smile covering his face. "Perfect," he answered, a little sigh in his voice.
Loretta laughed softly. "You'd think after all this time you could come up with a better answer than that," she teased lightly. It was his stock response when asked about his mate.
He grinned. "Well, it's true," he smirked. "She is perfect. Though very busy at the moment. This teacher training thing on top of her actual studies is very time consuming."
"She deserves a medal for all the changes she's been through in the last year and the way she just dives into each new challenge with such enthusiasm," Loretta remarked with a smile. She really liked Lacey a lot, not just because she made Rafe so happy being his mate, but because she had been the final catalyst that helped her friend fully integrate into his life as a Were. She had a lot of time for the other woman.
"Don't you mean she deserves one for putting up with me?" Rafe joked, laughing.
"You said it," she quipped back, laughing at his mock outraged expression just as Jared walked into the room.
Instantly everyone was alert as the Alpha moved to his customary seat at the head of the table by the fire. Rafe slotted into the seat on his left and Aaron across from him in on the right. Everyone else pretty much sat wherever they wanted to so Loretta walked around the table and sat beside Cedar as she slipped in beside her brother.
"Before we get started, "Jared began in an authoritative tone. "I know it usually goes without saying that anything discussed in these meetings remains confidential until I say otherwise, but in this instance I want to make it abundantly clear that is the case. If anyone here thinks they may have an issue with that then let me know and I will Command it of you. I'd prefer not to do so but this matter is so grave I need to be sure that everyone is able to keep their own counsel about it."
The room suddenly went deathly quiet as everyone looked at the Alpha in surprise. Loretta watched each Beta carefully. Her eyes fell on Brody and Connor Alexander. They were sitting further down the table, closer to the door. They were as light hearted and jovial as their siblings usually, but they looked very pensive at their Alpha's words.
How were the Alexander brothers going to feel about keeping quiet when it came out about Cedar's mating? They wouldn't be able to tell their parents and other sister, Willow. The family were so close that she didn't think they had any secrets from one another.
She reached under the table and found Cedar's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Having to keep secrets from their family was going to make the brothers react even more strongly than they were already likely too.
"Okay," Jared continued when no one spoke, taking their silence for their agreement that the meeting was completely confidential. "In the last couple of weeks a serious issue has come to light, one which could possibly impact on the safety of the pack though it could also possibly come to nothing."
The Betas sat up that bit straighter, surprise etched on Rafe's face as he looked at his brother. As Jared's number two he was very seldom left out of the loop when it came to the safety of the pack. He was frankly stunned to find out that there was some issue he wasn't aware of.
Jared looked at Rafe and then Aaron before he took a deep breath. "We have had three new matings within the pack, though they are of a controversial nature," he announced quietly. "Three of our pack members have found their mates in vampires."
For an instant nothing happened and then the room suddenly exploded in a riot of male voices all trying to talk over one another. Jared held up his hand for silence, waiting for the room to settle down, giving the Betas time to initially vocalise their shock at the announcement.
"How can that be possible, Jared?" Rafe demanded, a frown on his face. "A vampire can't complete the mating ritual because their bite is lethal to a Were. It can't be a true mating, not in the sense of what other mated pairs share."
There was a hasty murmur of agreement around the table at his words and Jared struggled not to let out a weary sigh. He had been expecting someone to broach that subject, to somehow try to invalidate that it was a true mating.
"If Lacey had chosen not to bite you but you had bitten her would you say she was not your mate, Rafe?" he asked quietly.
Rafe's frown deepened further, turning his expression into a dark scowl. "That wouldn't be the same thing, Jared, and you know it," he argued. "Lacey would be my mate because my wolf recognised her as so."
"As have the wolves of the Weres involved," Jared countered. "The vampires involved have also acknowledged the mating and allowed the Weres to pass the wolf gene onto them. These are proper matings. Matings that I am acknowledging and supporting." His tone left no further debate on the matter.
"What are the vampires saying about it?" Aaron demanded, his expression concerned. "We're still sitting around wondering when or if they're going to take any punitive action for last year. They're hardly going to sit still for us suddenly wanting to mate with them." His immediate thoughts were for Jen. He had to keep her and their babies safe. They were his life.
"The Ancients know as do the vampires involved obviously," Jared answered. "The rest of their kind has no idea what's happening. Pretty much like the pack. Those that need to know are being informed. Those that don't, shouldn't have to be worrying about something that may not come to pass."
Aaron didn't look pacified in the least but it was Connor who spoke next from the bottom of the table. "Who are the Weres involved?" he asked quietly.
Loretta felt Cedar stiffen slightly beside her, saw Aaron's head swivel in her direction as he sensed her movement too. She watched Cedar return her brother's gaze and saw instant understanding cross his face.
Aaron's chair slammed back to the ground as he jumped up, growling loudly, his wolf dangerously close to the surface as he bristled with fury.
"Aaron!" Jared yelled rising as well as all eyes turned to look at Cedar. She swallowed hard and raised her head.
