Xavier's office was stunning.

He had told me that it was beautiful, but I hadn't expected it to be as grand as it was. Located on the top floor of the large Victorian mansion that acted as a pack house, it was lined from floor to ceiling with old books and even had a balcony around the books, so that you could reach the second floor of books easily. The ceilings were so high and in the centre hung a grand, old chandelier.

"Wow." I breathed, "Is it safe to walk along the second floor?"

I gestured up to the balcony wrapping around the inside of the study, wanting to see the books in closer detail.

"Of course." Xavier reassured me, "This whole house is safe; we get restoration work done every year. The fireplace still works too, so let me know if you get cold. We don't really feel the cold like you do, being werewolves and everything, so I probably wouldn't notice the cold. Plus, It'll give me a chance to use it."

I nodded silently and crossed the room, looking out the beautiful floor to ceiling window at the far end of the room. The top of the house was just about taller than the trees surrounding the house, so you could see the tree tops for miles.

"It reminds me of the view from the spot where you asked me out." I murmured, sending him a small smile.

His face melted at that and he stepped towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist. Ever since Jude's surprise visit, Xavier had been understandably very stressed out. We still hadn't gotten a moment to talk about what had actually happened, but I think that's why he asked me to come along to this pack meeting. I was happy he wasn't pushing me away to keep me safe, but instead inviting me to be a part of the pack.

"Who's actually going to be here?" I whispered, not wanting to break the peace.

"You, me, Noah, my father, Gracie and the elders." Xavier sighed, burying his face in my hair.

I bit my lip at that: the elders were going to be here soon?

I didn't have much time to freak out over that fact as a knock sounded out on the large oak door. Xavier reluctantly let me go and strode over to swing the door open, greeting them with a solemn smile and very official handshakes. Noah and Gracie were the first to take their seats at the sturdy wooden table.

I noticed that Gracie was showing a significant amount more than the average pregnant woman at her stage.

"Are you having twins?" I whispered to her, which was futile when you consider the fact they're all werewolves.

"No, I'm just fat, honey." She deadpanned, making my cheeks redden. How mortifying.

"Ignore her. She has a sick sense of humour. Werewolves have a shorter pregnancy than humans- it comes with the whole quick healing thing." Noah chuckled, receiving a glare from an elder.

"Now isn't the time for jokes." The elder hissed, taking her own seat at the table.

"Sorry I'm late." Xavier's father slipped into the room, closing the door behind me.

Now everyone was sat at the table I could have a proper look at everyone. The elders in question consisted of three women and one man, who indeed did look very elderly. Considering the fact that Xavier's dad only looked around thirty, I could only imagine how old these werewolves were. They must be ancient.

"Now that we're all here, I'd like to say a quick thank you for joining me for a meeting so late at night." Xavier began, "As you're surely aware, a rogue by the name of Jude broke into the local high school yesterday to intimidate students. Luckily, my mate intervened and managed to distract him until I arrived."

I blushed a bit at that as all eyes fell onto me. The elders were judging me pretty openly, their eyes narrowed as they scanned me from head to toe. A glaze of sweat coated my forehead, but I didn't want to wipe it away because then they'd now that I was freaking out under their gaze. Thankfully, I was saved by Noah moving on.

"How is the year twelve boy who was attacked doing?" Noah inquired, flicking through a report on the incident.

"He's stable, thankfully. Xavier dealt with the situation in time to save his life." One of the female elders informed us, "However, what I would like to know is how they even got onto school property in the first place. I thought you said you had tightened security, Xavier."

"I have." Xavier was trying so hard to remain polite and keep his anger at bay, "Security measures are the highest they've been on record, yet they keep finding a way in. The question is how."

Everyone went quiet at that, independently pondering how this could be possible. In theory, it should be impossible for them to gain access to the town when there's constant patrol looking for them specifically. However, the answer was obvious to me.

"Maybe they have an insider helping them." I spoke up, all eyes in the room snapping to me once again.

"How preposterous. Suggesting a pack member would be disloyal?" An elder dismissed me, rolling his eyes.

"Hold on a second." Xavier used his Alpha voice, meaning even the elders had to obey.

"That idea would actually explain a lot." Gracie's eyes were wide, shocked by the possible answer to their problems.

"I didn't mean to disrespect the pack when I suggested that, but Jude is a past pack member. I just don't think you should rule it out. He knows people here, it wouldn't be that hard for him to cajole a person into helping him." I hoped they wouldn't take offence again, but I didn't want to stay silent if it could be putting the pack at further risk.

"If this is true, then I don't think that this attack in school was just to waste our time. Jude is much more underhand than that." Xavier sighed, "I think Jude is planning something big."

"What makes you think this?" An elder frowned.

"What are you suggesting?" Another elder scoffed.

"I'm suggesting that Jude is working with other rogues, planning some kind of attack. I think this because he worked with another rogue when he attacked the school. That rogue didn't just happen to be there, Jude had orchestrated the whole thing so that he could get out unscathed." Xavier explained slowly, allowing the information to sink in.

"How did he know it would work?" I asked curiously, since I had been wondering the same thing at the attack.

"I couldn't kill him there and then because I knew he had some sort of plan. I know Jude and I know he would have had that pack member killed on the spot if I killed him, perhaps even others. I'm just glad that the boy is going to recover."

I was surprised that Xavier could think that quickly while on the spot. I definitely hadn't considered that one bit and if I was in his place, I probably would have accidentally been responsible for a whole lot of pack deaths. That thought shook me to the core and I second guessed my every action. Was I putting people in danger by doing what I do? I hadn't felt this level of responsibility... Ever.

"If what you're both saying is in any way accurate, then we need to start preparing." Xavier's dad was incredibly serious, juxtaposing the bubbly personality that I was used to seeing him with.

"I agree. I was going to suggest that all pack members attend compulsory self defence training and even a melee weapons class." Noah suggested, making me realise how serious this all was.

"Good idea. Self defence for all, melee weapons for the more mature pack members." Xavier nodded curtly, Noah jotting it down.

"You should do drills, in case of an emergency on pack land." I proposed, receiving glares again.

"No opponent has ever managed to set foot inside the pack walls." An elder chided, "It's not going to happen."

"Okay, but if it does happen then we should be prepared." I challenged, refusing to back down on this.

"Elder, with all due respect, you must admit that it's better to be safe than sorry. Pack safety comes above pride." Xavier backed me up, subtly taking ahold of my hand under the table.

I sent him a small smile, mouthing a 'thank you'. The elder backed down once I had Xavier's support, accepting that perhaps she was wrong.

The rest of the pack meeting was focused on sorting out the fine details of the plans we had agreed on, strategising plans and drills in case of emergencies. It was almost three in the morning, so Xavier, Noah and I were the only ones who were still fully functioning- I guess you could say we were seasoned pros. Since they were all so tired, we agreed that it would be best to continue this meeting after some much needed rest; they weren't exactly working at the same speed now that the exhaustion had kicked in.

Xavier and I shook their hands as they left the room, wishing them a good nights rest. I was half expecting Xavier's father to hug me goodbye like he usually did, but he was just a serious while saying goodbye as he had been during the entire pack meeting- only offering me a tight lipped smile and a curt nod of the head.

"Your dad's completely different today." I noted, stepping into Xavier's outstretched arms.

"I told you he's serious about the pack. He's like a whole new person when he steps into this room. Honestly, I'm surprised he stepped down so soon; I thought he'd remain Alpha until the day he died." Xavier mumbled into my hair, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Why did he step down so soon?"

"He knew I had found my mate and he wanted to spend more time with my mother, so he thought it was about time. Not to mention, he didn't want to end up like one of the elders: naggy, deprived of joy and pushing outdated beliefs onto the Alpha."

I let out a little chuckle at that, glad that he felt the same way about me about the elders- I just found them more of a nuisance than an aid during that meeting. For every step we took in the right direction, the elders wanted to take two steps backwards, arguing with us over every suggestion. Honestly, this meeting would have only taken half as long if they weren't here.

"Who are the elders anyway?" I grumbled, wondering what gave them authority over Xavier.

"They're the oldest in the pack. With knowledge comes wisdom and we have to respect our elders because they're wiser than us- some bullshit along those lines." Xavier sighed, "Not to cut this conversation short, but I'm beat; are you feeling tired tonight?"

"Depends on where you plan on sleeping." I answered honestly, making his eyebrows furrow.

"What does that mean?" He murmured, scanning my face for a clue.

"I sleep better when I can feel the tingles." I blushed, trying my best to be as honest and open as possible with him.

His face melted and he cupped my face in his hands, blushing his thumb across my cheek softly. The way he looked at me always made me breathless; his gaze is so intense, but not with lust. It was much deeper than lust, filling me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but I couldn't wait to find out. Being with Xavier had pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me so many new things about myself; I used to be afraid of exploring the new, but Xavier made me excited about everything there was to come.

"May I kiss you?" His breath fanned against my lips and neck, sending shivers down my spine as my legs turned to jelly.

I tried to speak, but the words were caught in my throat. I settled for simply nodding, gasping slightly as his lips moulded to mine so gently that I wouldn't even be able to feel them if it wasn't for the tingles that exploded on the surface of my lips and spread to every inch of me. My arms wrapped around his waist as I went onto my tip toes, leaning into the kiss eagerly; I was addicted to them.

"I promise to help you sleep every night from now on." He promised breathily, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.

"I'll hold you to that, Xavier Evans."