The King looked up from the paperwork before him and leaned back. His facial features stayed neutral, but there was tension in the air. King Richard was known for his diplomacy and gentle demeanor, but he was no pushover when his authority was questioned.
"Tom," King Richard said, his voice calm despite the tremor that had run through his advisors and the rest of the Alphas in the room. "I understand you have…concerns. However, we will discuss the Task Force group at the appropriate time."
Tom snarled, taking a step forward, and he slammed a fist on a nearby table, causing goblets to jump and a scattering of parchments to flutter to the floor.
"We should discuss it now," Alpha Tom snapped.
"I don't think you have that authority to dictate what the King should do," General Donovan stated, breaking the silence. "You forget, you're a guest and should act accordingly."
A muscle ticked in the King's jaw. He rose slowly, his towering frame casting a long shadow across the room. His kindness was well-known, but so was his quiet strength. "Tom," he said, his voice now carrying a steely edge. "Are you challenging my authority?"
Alpha Tom faltered, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. He seemed to realize, belatedly, the gravity of his outburst.
King Richard continued, his gaze unwavering. "Because, while I am always open to hearing the concerns of all the alpha, I will not tolerate disrespect. My kindness should not be mistaken for weakness. Tell me, Tom. Is your outburst a declaration to challenge me for the crown?"
The silence in the chamber was so profound that you could hear a pin drop. Alpha Tom, his half-shifted form trembling, met the King's steady gaze. With a low growl that sounded more like a whimper, Alpha Tom bowed his head.
"It was just a suggestion, Your Majesty," he mumbled, the fight gone from his eyes.
King Richard nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.
"We will follow the itinerary," King Richard said, leaving no room for argument. "Those who don't agree can leave."
No one said anything, nor did they try to leave. Even Alpha Tom had lost his bravado. Alpha Tom clenched his jaw and took his seat, swallowing his anger. He didn't have the support or the power to challenge the King.
The King's Beta Ian cleared his throat and continued the meeting, "Next, we have the increased rogue activity," he said.
Serves him right, Sabelina commented. He's been a pain ever since he became Alpha.
Yes, Keira agreed. It's good to see him be put in his place.
Keira hid her smile and turned her attention to the meeting. The majority of the Alphas were seeing an increase in rogue activity in their territory. Mostly foot traffic, as if the rogue were all traveling to one area.
"Has the Task Force tracked any of their movements?" Finn, Alpha of the Blue Rain, asked.
"We've been tracking movements," Keira answered. "But a lot of the tracking depends highly on the reports we receive from the Alphas around the territories. Without their input, the data is incomplete. "
"Our current data is not accurate," she continued. "There are several Alphas who have neglected to send us their data for the past few months. We had accurate data up until then."
"What have you found?" General Donava asked, looking at the projection screen.
Keira filtered the data on the screen and had the graphing program populate a map. She highlighted several areas on the map.
"We've seen a lot of the rogue activity along the southern border, and as you can see from the map, the trail leads west," Keira replied. "A known rogue group operates in the West. We assume that all of the rogues are converting.
"Have you found the reason for this?" Alpha Finn asked.
"We have our suspicion," Keira said. "However, hunting rogues requires approval from all Alphas in the territory and a decree from the King. This task does fall under the Task Force's responsibility, but with all the changes happening, the investigation has been postponed. "
"We will add that to our agenda," Beta Ian said, making his notes.
The meeting continued without any further interruptions, and the King called for a lunch break. Once the King excused himself, the rest of the Alpha filtered out of the room. General Donovan stayed behind along with his beta.
Keira slowly stood and grabbed her things; the Task Force didn't need to attend the second half of the meeting. At least that is what she assumed, since the agenda didn't mention the Task Force involvement after the first half.
"I'll catch you later," Antoine said, grabbing the laptop. "I heard we're having roasted boar for lunch."
"Roasted boar, huh?" Keira said. "Sounds tasty. Save me some."
"I'll try," Antoine laughed before hurrying away. "No promises."
Keira scoffed and turned to leave.
"Is he your beta?" a voice spoke up.
Keira took a breath and slowly turned around, "If I were an Alpha, then that statement would be true."
"You two seem close," General Donovan commented.
"We are," Keira agreed. "We've been together since the Task Force training."
Keira felt a hint of killing intent coming from the General.
"Don't tell me you're jealous," Keira doubted as she looked to his beta for confirmation.
The beta kept his silence.
"I'm not," General Donova snapped.
"Good," Keira nodded in acknowledgement. "You have no reason to be."
Keira excused herself and left the room. She silently laughed at the idea of General Donovan being jealous. The thought was outrageous!
'Why can't he be jealous?' Sabelina asked. 'He should feel jealous.'
'He's taken,' Keira reminded her. 'We both know that we don't see Antoine in a romantic way.'
'You insinuated that you did.'
'For entertainment,' Keira said, amused. 'It was fun to see him squirm.'
Sabelina pouted but otherwise didn't comment further. She, too, had enjoyed seeing their mate squirm.
When Keira exited the building, Josh was casually leaning against the doorway.
"How did it go?" he asked, straightening up.
"As well as it could have gone," Keira replied. "Tomorrow the real debate will begin."
"Let's hope you come out victorious," Josh stated.
Keira nodded in agreement; she was hoping for that as well.
"I saw your beta heading toward lunch," Josh hesitantly began. "Something about eating roasted boar."
Keira chuckled, "Yes, apparently it's to die for."
Josh cleared his throat nervously, "Do you want to go and get some with me?"
"For lunch," he added.
Keira thought about refusing, but she was curious to taste the roasted boar.
"Sure, let's go," Keira agreed. "Then you can tell me what you've been up to since the last time I saw you."
Josh laughed and led the way back to the mess hall.
*
The aroma of roasting boar hung heavy in the air of the palace mess hall. Josh and Keira did their best to navigate the crowded tables. Josh pointed out an empty table and made a beeline toward it. Josh draped his uniform jacket over the table, claiming it for themselves.
"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand. "Let's go get some meat before it's all gone."
Keira grabbed his forearm, followed closely behind Josh. They joined the line and patiently waited for their turn. Grabbing a plate, Josh piled it high. Keira took a plate and grabbed a good-sized portion for herself.
She added a few more things to her plate, grabbed a drink, and headed back to the table. Josh joined her a few moments later.
"This is amazing," Keira said, already halfway through her first piece. "Boar meat is pretty good."
Josh nodded, tearing a piece of meat from the bone.
Josh smiled. "It is quite good. You know, General Donovan helped with the hunt this week."
"Did he now?" Keira questioned. "I'm surprised he had time to go hunting."
Josh laughed at the remark, "Yeah, rumor is that his mother was craving boar."
Keira nodded and kept eating. While she ate, Keira could feel a glare directed at her.
"That was satisfying," Josh said, leaning back in his chair.
Keira laughed and leaned back as well, "Yes. It's a good thing I stopped by to grab a piece. Otherwise, I doubt Antoine would have been able to save me a piece."
She glanced at her watch. "Speaking of Antoine, I should probably head back. We have to go over our report for tomorrow's meeting."
"I'll walk you," Josh offered immediately, perhaps sounding a bit too eager.
Kiera smiled, "You don't have to, Josh. It's not far from here."
"I know, I know," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Just… feel like stretching my legs. And, you know, protecting you from rude Alphas around the property."
She chuckled. "Those Alphas can be vicious, I'll grant you that. Alright, let's go."
As they walked, the conversation flowed easily. They spoke about the Task Force training, their favorite disarming moves, and the slow life of being a palace guard. It was the kind of comfortable silence broken only by easy laughter and gentle teasing that only comes from years of camaraderie.
As they approached Keira's room, a slight melancholy settled over Josh. He was glad he had taken the opportunity to talk with her. If the Task Force got disbanded, he knew that she would no longer be visiting the palace.
At the door to her room, Keira turned to him. "Thanks for walking me, Josh. I appreciate it."
"Anytime," he said, his voice a little strained. He lingered, unsure of what to say.
Keira, perhaps sensing his hesitation, tilted her head slightly. "Hey, are you okay? You seem a little…off."
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "Just…thinking about tomorrow."
Keira nodded, "We'll see what happens. See you tomorrow."
Keira slipped inside, and Josh watched the door close behind her. He turned and started walking back to his station.
'I think he likes you,' Sabelina commented as Keira grabbed and reviewed the notes for tomorrow's meeting.
'I'm sure it's just a crush,' Keira said. 'We both know that feelings are wild until you meet your mate.'
'You're heartless,' Sabelina stated. 'Poor Josh.'
'He'll live.'
Keira rolled her eyes and went back to reviewing the notes. She sent a few emails to Antoine to tweak some of the data. She had him review the numbers one more time before approving the final presentation. Only when she was sure that they weren't missing anything, did she get ready for bed.