"I'm going to retire for the evening," he decided, noticing how late it'd gotten. "Finish up here," he demanded, in reference to some of the paperwork that needed to be read and summarized. "I expect that the council will be here no later than tomorrow. I'll not waste anymore time on this." He was irritable and looking forward to a night beside his little mate. She had become the best part of his days, the thing he looked forward to the most.
"Yes, Alpha."
Before Alaricus had even made it inside the house, he knew something was off. Centuries of living had given him the keenest of instincts. Distressed, he quickly made his way to his guards who were standing in front of the door as they always did.
"What happened?" He snapped. Bernard looked at the Alpha King, slightly surprised but mos
