Page 78 of It All Started with a Bite

“He had meetings,” Victoria said coolly. “We weren’t exactly given a lot of notice.”

“Really?” Helen’s lips curved. “Or maybe he’s avoiding his responsibilities, like his father.”

Victoria’s teacup cracked. Some of the elders traded troubled looks. Even I could tell Helen had crossed a line.

Pearl hissed and arched her back. “How dare you mention Alexander!”

Bo thumped the floor irritably with his tail. “Should I rough her up?!”

I narrowed my eyes at Helen. “You seem awfully interested in the Hawthornes’s private business, Karen.”

The werewolf was oblivious to my deadly tone.

“My name is Helen!” she snapped, her face reddening.

“Oh, is it?” I cocked an eyebrow. “I would call you that if you stopped sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“How dare you—” Helen snarled.

“Now, now,” Priscilla intervened in a voice laced with a steely warning. “We’re all friends here.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I said coldly. I glanced at Victoria and decided I’d had enough of the Council’s attitude toward us. “You know, I’m not sure why you put up with this behavior. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t born a werewolf, but if humans acted this way, they’d get slammed against the wall and punched in the throat.”

Bo grinned. Pearl smirked. Victoria blinked.

Admiration glittered in Martha’s eyes. She leaned toward Felicity and hissed, “I like her!”

Camilla was staring at me in wide-eyed awe. Helen spluttered incoherently beside her.

I crossed my arms, leaned back in the chair, and scanned the Council. “Why don’t you people get to the point? It’s clear you have something you want to say.”

For once, Victoria seemed grateful for my intervention. I could tell the mention of her husband had rattled her.

“Perhaps we should move on to official business,” Camilla suggested. She glanced hesitantly around the table.

Priscilla fixed me with a piercing stare. “We are here to discuss your position as luna.”

Victoria stilled.

“What about it?” I said in a chilly tone.

“The Council has certain expectations,” Helen said with the expression of someone who’d been made to swallow a raw lemon.

“Such as?” I asked dangerously.

“Such as proper decorum and behavior,” Isobel replied. “Oh, and suitable associations.” Her gaze dropped meaningfully to Bo.

Pearl’s tail bristled. “Excuse me?!”

“What Helen and Isobel mean,” Priscilla said smoothly, “is that we want to ensure you understand the gravity of your position.” She paused and fixed me with an unreadable stare. “Especially given your unique abilities.”

I didn’t like the way she saidunique.

“The Council would like to monitor your development,” Camilla concluded in a sickly tone. The secretary looked like she wanted to sink into the ground.

“Monitor?” I repeated flatly.

“For your own good, of course.” Priscilla said. Her smile made her look like a shark. “We wouldn’t want anything unfortunate to happen because you don’t understand your role.”

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