Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,50
the people around her crazy. She’d been fidgeting since she’d sat down what felt like hours ago but had only been a few minutes, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that she was pinned in, she would have got up and paced around the back of the room.
Reggie had insisted that she sit where the guards couldn’t get to her easily, and she knew that the men around her had orders to get her out if things got violent, but she had no intention of leaving him alone. But that was her little secret—the second one she was keeping from him, she thought, a little smile appearing on her face.
All thoughts of the baby disappeared when the doors behind the long table opened and the councilmen began filing in one by one. The room went silent as they all took their seats, then Philip got to his feet and announced Reggie’s acceptance onto the council, which was received with a round of applause. Philip looked a bit surprised but recovered quickly, and one of the messengers was sent to get him.
When he came through the door in his black robes, Janice was overwhelmed by not only the love she felt, but a sense of pride that he belonged to her. He looked nervous, and she hoped that he’d look over at her, but he was focused entirely on the council members as he took his seat in the only empty chair at the table. Taking a deep breath to still the nervous beating of her heart, she closed her eyes and looked for calm, knowing that Reggie needed her support.
She opened her eyes to find him looking over at her, a smile on his face, and she grinned at him when she saw the love in his eyes. No matter what happened today, they had each other, and that would always be enough for her. Looking much calmer, Reggie returned his attention to the council, his face full of confidence.
After letting a long silence fill the room, Philip stood. “We’re here today not only to welcome a new member of the council, but to discuss an important problem we’re facing in the clan,” he said. “As you know, things have been difficult lately. Business hasn’t been as good as it used to be, and our very way of life is at risk. If we don’t do something now to change the course of our fortunes, we could all end up losing everything, and it saddens me to think of the clan coming to such a terrible end.”
There were murmurs around her, and the crowd began to grow restless, but Philip ignored them and pushed on. “I’ve brought you a proposal today that will help ease the burden on the clan and push us back into prosperity,” he said. “It’s really very simple; we’ll make some cuts to the food and lodging budgets, and a few more of you will have to join the rest in the city, but it’s a small sacrifice to make for the good of the clan.”
The murmurs turned to outright anger as Philip’s words sunk in. “What do you mean, more of us?” one man asked.
“We barely have enough food to feed our children,” a woman said.
“My roof is falling in. Now what am I supposed to do?” a man asked.
“This is not up for debate,” Philip roared over the noise, bringing silence to the room. “We will all have to make sacrifices to keep the clan together.”
Janice was sure that the room was going to erupt, but then the door slammed open, banged against the wall, and Peter walked in. “Tell me, Philip, what sacrifices are you making for the clan?” he asked. “From what I see, these people are the only ones making sacrifices. I told you that someday you would bring this entire clan down, and it looks like you’re well on your way.”
“What are you doing here?” Philip asked, a look of panic on his face. “You have no right to be here; you gave that up long ago.”
Peter shook his head. “Have you changed that, too? The last time I checked, council members serve for their entire lives, and since I’m not dead, I think I have every right to be here.”
Janice watched him stride to the front of the room, thinking that if she were Philip, she’d be scared, but Peter just let his eyes roam over the council table before he grabbed a chair that was pushed