~~

Reece

~~

The first thing that I noticed when I entered my office was that we seemed to be missing an elder. My uncle was not here. This just confirmed that he was part of the entire plot. I would be adding him to my hunting list.

I settled in behind my desk, pulling my mate onto my lap and wrapping my arms around her protectively.

"So, gentlemen, what was so important that it couldn't wait?" I asked them with a hint of annoyance in my voice. I saw Michael look at Mr. Whitton apprehensively before continuing when it was clear I was not going to make them leave.

"There has been an attack." He said nervously. "With everything that has happened lately, and given who was attacked, we thought you would like to know immediately."

"And this message of yours could not be delivered by just one of you, or perhaps a phone call, it required all of you." I asked them.

"If you actually pay attention, you would notice that one of us is missing." Oswald growled.

"Oh, I noticed. I just don't care." I snapped at him.

"You need to care." James, one of the least outspoken elders added. "He was murdered." It took every ounce of my will power not to react to those words when they were dropped on me. I heard Little Bunny gasp and felt her stiffen in fear, but myself, Noah, and Mr. Whitton all seemed to keep our cool.

I didn't know if the elder Whitton kept his because he was a former beta, or because he had some information that I didn't. When I looked at him he just stared back at me with a firm, intense stare.

"As you can see, this is a very serious issue." Michael seemed very nervous. I guess it was time for me to go fishing. I needed to see if my uncle was the only traitor in the elders.

"He wasn't murdered." I told them with a flat, matter-of-fact voice, I noticed the shock register on all their faces. So far, I didn't notice any hint of deception coming from them.

"If he wasn't murdered, do you mind explaining what happened?" Liam asked, he was another of the typically quiet elders that did more observing than speaking at meetings with me. "The scene that we found at his house this afternoon was gruesome and disturbing. It looked personal."

"Oh, I'm sure it was still personal. But he was not murdered. He was executed. Frederick was involved in the scheming to attack and kidnap my mate. I'm not sure if any of you had been informed yet, but the one who actually took her from our pack lands was my former beta and cousin, Caleb Venoit. It was discovered that Frederick was not just a co-conspirator but the ring leader that was directing Caleb's actions. It was then determined that Frederick Venoit was to be sentenced to death, he met the same fate as his grandson, and so will anyone else who I discover was part of this plot." I had intentionally made my voice sound menacing as I gave them all intense stares. The look of shock that covered each of their faces was identical and seemed genuine. I took solace in the thought that none of them seemed to be part of the problem as well.

And now it seemed that I knew what Mr. Whitton's urgent business was last night. The man didn't want his family to know what it was he was doing, so he had not told us what he was going to do. He probably also thought I might stop him if I knew. The only problem I had was that I didn't get to kill him myself, or watch him die. I will punish everyone that was involved.

Something in my eyes must have conveyed to the men that I was one hundred percent serious when I told them what was going to happen to the traitors. They did not object, nor did they try to talk me out of it. If they were loyal to the pack, they would know what this kind of betrayal meant and what the punishment was. That was good.

"Thank you for letting us know, and I can understand why we were not informed in advance." Michael answered for the group like he always seemed to do. "You did not know who all you could trust until you met with us in person." He was rationalizing a decision I had not even made, though I would have given my permission and approval if Mr. Whitton had asked.

"That is correct, I didn't know if any of you had worked with the traitors or not. If I gave advance knowledge then you could have helped him escape or something along those lines." My voice was still even and flat. I just hoped that my Little Bunny wasn't too scared listening to the discussion. I had felt the fear and tension melt out of her when she had learned that Frederick was not murdered but executed. I knew she had never approved of executions before, but she would not mourn him, not with what had happened.

"Well, it looks like all is well now, culprits are being punished and you got your mate back." Michael gave his easy smile. "This is the best ending we could have asked for."

"There was another positive that came out of it." I smiled at them. "My mate finally got her wolf out of this whole ordeal." There was a collective gasp that ran through the four remaining elders.

"Her long awaited wolf has finally been revealed?" Michael asked with a note of awe in his voice.

"Yes, she shifted for the first time at the stroke of midnight on her nineteenth birthday." I smiled proudly.

"Her birthday was yesterday, correct?" Michael seemed to be in a state of shock.

"That's right."

"She shifted on the day of the Wolf Moon?" James gasped.

"Which was also her birthday?" Liam added in a breathless tone.

"That's not just a coincidence." Oswald added, for once not using his surly and antagonistic tone.

"You think so?" He asked me.

"Do you mind if we see your wolf?" Michael begged of my Little Bunny where she sat on my lap. She looked at me nervously.

"She has not had a chance to practice her shifting yet, so she can't do it at will." She gave them a sad look. "But I could always guide her shift and help her." I smiled as she looked at me. I know she had been looking forward to shifting again, she wanted to get a feel for her fur.

A few moments later I followed my mate into the private bathroom that was attached to my office. She would be removing her clothes so she didn't rip them to shreds, and so she could have something to put back on when she was done. I let out a purr of satisfaction when I watched her strip in front of me.

"Oh cool it Marmaduke, you can wait." She laughed at me.

"You know, you have a wolf now too." I informed her.

"That's different, I'm a dignified wolf, you're a scoundrel of a dog, more like a mighty mutt." She was laughing as she made fun of me.

"Be glad I love you so much, or I would punish you for that." I said as I walked nearer to her. Her eyes went wide, but I had to touch her to guide her into her other form. "I guess I still can punish you though." I joked as I pressed a quick, heated kiss to her lips. I could feel her body heat up and her tongue seek mine in that quick kiss, but I ended it before it could go much further. The fire in her eyes told me that she was angry at my lack of attention.

"Meanie." She grumbled.

"Consider yourself punished." I joke as I put my hand on her cheek. Normally I would put my hand on someone's forehead, but the cheek would work just fine.

"Now, close your eyes and picture your wolf. Call out to her and ask her to speak to you. Listen to what she had to tell you. Feel yourself become one with her. Imagine the change, the transition, as you shift from one form into the other." My voice was calm, smooth, and filled with love for the woman in front of me.

As I watched her, I noticed a glow start around her edges. Her skin seemed to shine brightly from within. Her mate marks on her left shoulder and neck were glowing a bright blue. I saw the blue and black marks appear on her face next, they looked different with her being in human form still, but they were still unique and beautiful. Soon, she leaned forward as her body began to stretch and change. She wore another look of pain as she shifted. This one was not going to be as painful as her first, but until she got used to it, the bending, twisting, and stretching of bones and muscle would be painful.

It wasn't long before I was looking at the tall, slender form of her radiant wolf. It was smaller than my wolf, that was true, but she was still much larger than an average wolf. I looked down at her, my hand resting against her furry head. Her fur was silky and luxuriously soft, so much so that I didn't want to take my hand away.

She opened her bright blue eyes and looked up at me with excitement filling them.

"I did it Reece." She exclaimed, only I didn't hear it as the guttural barks and yips I was used to hearing, no I heard her voice clear as day inside my head. Was this because she was half witch? Who knew, who cared, she was perfect regardless.