Page 77 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha
The chopper dropped Matteo and me onto the landing pad in front of the Council headquarters and we dashed into the building. I didn’t know what time the session was supposed to start, but I couldn’t be late. The security guard at the entrance goggled as I ran past. Two flights of stairs later, we were in the corridor that led to the Council meeting Chamber. Was I too late? The Chamber door was shut. I didn’t care. I would go in anyway. It was time for Maximilian Veder to learn the lesson that it was very unwise to play games that threatened an Alpha’s mate.
The two human guards outside stepped forward to block my way.
“Let me through.”
One of the men, Neil, a veteran employee, replied without moving out of my way. “I’m sorry sir, but the room has already been sealed. You can’t enter.”
“The debate was called without me. As President I’m supposed to be inside,” I snapped.
Neither of them would meet my eyes. The scent of their sweat filled the air.
“Sir,” Neil began. “You know the rules. The Chamber is sealed once the debate has begun. The rules apply to everyone, even the President.”
He was right. The rules did apply to everyone. Including me. My eyes turned to the Chamber door. It was solid wood. But that would hardly slow me down. Sure, it would be against the rules, but at this point I hardly cared. Then Neil whispered, “Please don’t hurt us.”
My eyes snapped back to Neil. He’d worked in Council headquarters for years, since I’d been a junior politician who used the offices in this building on a daily basis. He’d seen me go through the security checkpoint thousands of times but it was obvious he thought I might rip them into pieces now that I looked like a Beast.
“Neil, I won’t hurt you,” I said. “I’m still the same person I always was. You’ve seen Shifters before.” But the stink of his fear remained.
Fuck, I couldn’t barge my way in. If humans were so scared of me in this form, any violence was likely to lead to a panic and that was the last thing I wanted. Growling, I turned on my heel. “Wait here,” I told Matteo. “Call me as soon as the door is open and I’ll come back.” I prowled the corridor toward the office that was kept ready for the President. I could use the time to make some calls and find out what Maximilian had been up to.
An hour later I checked the clock for about the hundredth time. Nobody was taking my calls. I was suddenly a political nobody. What had Maximilian done?
I kept my burgeoning fear to myself when my mate spoke to me down the bond. I’d reassured her that I was still President, even though I knew something was off.
Then she called me babe. Babe. It was the first time she had given me an affectionate name.It hit my chest like a missile. My mate had finally accepted our bond.
That’s my good fucking girl. I’ll reward you later.Several times. I’d been in her sweet body already this morning, but the urge to rut her, to breed her, was sudden and urgent. My cock jerked in my pants.
Gods, I couldn’t wait to get back to her.
But first, I had to deal with Maximilian and whatever he’d said in the Council session.
My phone rang. Matteo. About fucking time. “On my way,” I told him.
Just as I stood up, one of my colleagues, Val Garcia, poked her head in around the doorway. Although she wasn’t in my Moderates party, she was a Shifter. “Maximilian called a meeting without your VP and he’s voted for your impeachment. They want you to come in and give your side of the story,” she said.
There it was. Out in the open. The knives were out. Maximilian Veder was about to find out how vicious I could be.
“Let’s get this farce over and done with. My mate’s waiting.”
She looked away. Bad sign. Even one of my own species was doubting me.
She pulled back, and I followed her out.
I studied Val’s back as we walked, watching the play of muscles in her body. Not like a creep. I had no interest in her body except to study her mood. She held herself so tightly, it was affecting her usual Shifter grace. Drawing in a breath, I scented the air. Acrid. She was nervous. No, not nervous. Her scent tasted more like… anticipation? My claws extended instinctively. Something was wrong.
Kill her?
I could. It would be easy. She was a Shifter, but her Beast was a wolf and I could break her neck without raising a sweat. But I wasn’t going to act blindly. I had walked out of my suite leaving my mate behind, knowing that it was time to finally deal with the man who’d been pulling the strings of the plot against me. Whatever it was, I would deal with it. I’d been President of the Council for the last five years and Humans First weren’t going to pull me down. My mate had consented to my bite and there was nothing the fucker could do to me.
Matteo was waiting outside the Chamber. Without slowing, I gave him a flick of my head. He would wait here. I entered the Council Hearing Chamber, Val behind me. As usual, Council security guards stood at regular intervals along the walls.
The back of the room was taken up by a long bench for the Council members.
And there he was. Sitting in my spot, in the middle of the bench of seats occupied by eight Council members. Enough for a quorum for an emergency meeting. None of the members of my own party were present. Only Humans First and Shifter Nation. I repressed a grunt of surprise. The unlikeliest of allies. I met Maximilian’s stare. He grinned. None of the other Council members would meet my eyes.
“Mr Bowden, please take a seat.” He gestured to the iron monstrosity that sat in the middle of the room.
