"We already have," Chris growls, looking at Barron's mate Rebecca. My heart drops as I realize he's changed his mind and is going to bring my pregnancy up already.

My heart hammers, knowing that I can't say or do anything without bringing attention back to myself.

"Oh?" Rebecca coos, bringing her hand to her chest and turning her attention to me, freezing me in place.

"You misunderstand," Chris cuts in before she can go any further.

"Ethan, our son," he reiterates pointedly. "We've already started a family."

"Oh..." She sighs, visibly deflating and trying to backpedal. "I meant like your own pup-"

"Excuse me?!" Chris cuts in, his eyes turning gold ringed chocolate, warning that his wolf Cyrus is at the surface. His tone alone should have been warning but none of these people know when to shut up.

"I-I didn't mean it like that," she stammers, shifting her gaze between us. Barron steps in, laying his hand on her arm to calm her.

"What my mate is trying to say is expanding your family," he pauses, trying to find a diplomatic edge to it. "Surely you will want pups of your own bloodline to continue the Still Waters pack after Ethan takes over here."

I hadn't considered what would happen afterwards, only trying to manage all the changes happening now.

Barron's right, one day Ethan will be grown and take over as King, making us free to go back.

Chris has talked endlessly about rebuilding his pack house, bigger and better than before, even before the war ended. That was the goal, to get started on right after my Luna ceremony, but Ryker showed up and threw a wrench in that plan.

"Ethan is every bit my son, blood or not," Chris growls, finally shutting up Barron. "If we decide to have our own pups, or adopt again, that's our choice."

"Still Waters is a progressive pack," Leah mumbles more to herself in astonishment.

I sigh and give Chris' arm a reassuring squeeze. There are things I clearly don't understand about their world and issues we need to address or this environment is going to become more toxic than it already is, for all involved. Chris only raises a brow, curious to see what I'll do.

"You'll have to forgive me, I'm somewhat new to your world, but what makes Still Waters so progressive by your standards, and is this criteria by royal standards or all wolf kind?" I ask, looking around the table. "Anyone please, 'cause this tension and constant misunderstandings is just a lot to handle all at once."

Aiden coughs out a laugh that he quickly covers for only a minute before the old man breaks into a belly-shaking laugh. One by one, all eyes turn to him as he's lost in a total fit of hilarity. Jace looks at Chris like he's lost his mind, Barron palms his forehead, and Ryker pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"By the Goddess, you are refreshing Highness," Aiden says with tears of laughter still glistening in his aged eyes. "Sometimes we are all too used to playing politics to actually come out and address the elephant in the room."

"Ah, well politics isn't my strong suit..." I trail off, feeling my cheeks heat. "And please, just Jess."

"Right, Jess," Aiden amends, smiling warmly at me. "And to answer your question, there are several things. Most notably the shewolves in your rank along with your head warrior, no offense intended," he addresses Sara.

"But why?" I question, leaning forward. "You may not believe me, but I have seen Sara in action, in and of herself she is beyond formidable, I'd put her against anyone... But personal prowess aside, she has an eye for detail and an ability to see potential in anyone. Even Alpha Mitch in the Kismet pack, although reluctant at first, came around and has adopted many of her techniques."

"I have seen her in action on the training field, I must admit I don't doubt you one bit," Aiden chuckles.

"Guardian Wright is equally skilled and dangerous... Alexi, Natasha... Oh! Alpha Nikita!" My mind starts to race with all of the incredible women I've met in the last several months.

"Ah yes...The Alpha of Iron Wolves if I recall," Aiden muses, rubbing his chin. "A formidable woman to be sure, and no longer the only female Alpha."

At Aiden's words, Henry grumbles under his breath, clearly not appreciating the topic.

"Really?" I groan, giving him a pointed look and cutting off Sara pre-meltdown.

"You don't want me to answer that," Henry grumbles, stabbing a piece of meat on his plate with a scowl.

"Having worked along side of her for over a week now, you can't honestly think she's incompetent," I huff, not letting him off that easy. Sara eyes me skeptically, not knowing where I'm going.

"Of kicking someone's ass? Clearly," Henry deadpans, giving me a pointed look while he reaches for his drink. "She's sent half a dozen or a dozen warriors to the infirmary each day..."

"Every one of them-" Sara retorts before I cut her off with my raised hand.

"Listen," Henry starts, turning his attention fully to Sara, whose temper jumps thirty degrees with that one word as the idiot proceeds to mansplaine. "No one is saying you can't hold your own. You clearly have done well for yourself but Head Warrior for the Royal pack... Nex would be better suited... You know what I mean."

I almost pity the man for his ignorance, yet secretly am so looking forward to her kicking his ass soon. Part of me is surprised she hasn't yet, in some ways she shows so much restraint and in others she is just crazy.

"Because he has a penis?" Sara asks, deadly calm with her dark eyes trained on him. At this point even Nex flinches back knowing there's no way to stop this.

'Abort, you dumb fuck!' Ember growls.

'These people have no filter, it's like a pack full of Dereks and Saras without the good nature under all that sarcasm and assholery,' I groan.

"Fine! If you want me to say it I will!" Henry replies gruffly, slamming his fist on the table. Chris ticks his jaw and crosses his arms over his chest like he's physically restraining himself.

"Henry," Barron warns, rubbing his forehead like even he is surprised by the level of stupidity he's reaching, while Merrick and Evans both look away.

"What?!" Henry scoffs, throwing up his hands. "She asked, you and I both know-"

"Your stand on things? Yes you've made it quite clear," Barron replies pointedly. "Yet the fact of the matter is things are changing..."

"I'm not a dinosaur!" Henry snaps. "We allowed shewolves into the ranks and defense training before they ever got here, even when it was considered taboo."

"Basic defense shouldn't be considered an advancement, EVERY pack member has the right to learn how to defend themselves!" Sara snaps, instantly on her feet, trembling as her restraint crumbles. "And as for ALLOWING shewolves in the ranks... that's a joke! They are pushed out instead of advancing."

"We don't push anyone out," Henry scoffs, waving Sara off. "This is the problem! They are too emotional!"

"Excuse me?" I gasp, shocked he would say something so dumb. I feel Mira 's energy flare, as her temper is no doubt stoked, offering to show him just how emotional she can be.

"Not like that," he growls, rolling his eyes. "There's no denying how temperamental a shewolf can get and throw mates in there." Henry shakes his head like he can't believe this topic even warrants discussion.

"I'm at a loss for words..." I trail off, struggling to reason with this Neanderthal.

"Highness, everything is being blown out of proportion here," he says to me in a tone of voice that makes my skin crawl. "I don't think poorly of our shewolves, the opposite actually."

"Oh?" I gasp in surprise, both brows shooting impossibly high.

'Oh, this ought to be rich,' Ember growls.

"You can't have a strong pack without them!" Henry states, puffing up his chest. "They form the backbone of the pack and the males the muscle. Every wolf has a part to play in order to help the pack prosper... We protect you," he gestures to the females at the table. "So that you can be happy and safe and raise the next generation. It's no different than the protection we offer to the Omegas for their service."

"Is that seriously all that you think we are good for?" I ask, narrowing my gaze at him. My tone is quiet, with an edge of warning that he should think carefully before speaking, but he appears to be incapable.

"Why are you turning this out to be so negative?" Henry asks, dumbfounded. "You're mated to the King! You should be happy to raise a family and the next generation of rulers and warriors..."

"How do you not see relegating me as nothing more than a breeding bitch is derogatory?" I snap, feeling my skin ripple.

"Those are your words, not mine," he dismisses.

Chris is instantly on his feet unable to contain himself any more and gestures to the door. "Out!" he clips, glaring at him.

"Excuse me, Sire?" Henry asks, completely aghast.

"You heard me! GET OUT!" Chris roars, getting up and walking over to the unmoving old Head Warrior. With the relic clearly not getting the picture, Chris grabs his plate and tosses it in the wash bin cart on the side, then grabs the stunned man and drags him out of his chair, across the room before kicking the door open to the general dining hall and tossing him out.

"I tried to bite my tongue and let Jess handle this, she was nothing but polite and you did nothing but dismiss her and down play her and all the shewolves!" Chris seethes, his eyes brown ringed by gold, warning that Cyrus is clawing at the surface.

"Sire? I don't understand?" He replies, wide eyed from the ground.

"No. You don't," Chris sighs. "I've listened to Sara try to beat it into your head for a week solid, Nex too, and now Jess tried to have an actual conversation but you treated her like shit and I won't stand for it!"

The general dining hall is silent, as all eyes are glued to the scene unfolding in front of them. Being peak dinner time, the entire area is packed. All I can feel is a rush of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty that hits with such force it makes me nauseous.

"Listen and listen good," Chris warns, never taking his eyes off of Henry. "Things are going to change. This disrespect and archaic ways aren't going to fly any more."

"Perhaps we should continue this in private," Barron urges, having walked over to the doorway.

"I'm sure we will," Chris says looking over his shoulder. "But this shit ends now."

Chris turns his attention back to the man on the floor. "Like it or not, Sara is my Head Warrior and you WILL give her the respect she has earned! What's more is if any of your subordinates aren't getting the memo, YOU will make sure they get it loud and clear."

"O-Of course," Henry stutters.

"If you cannot afford her the respect she is due, she and Nex are more than capable of handling the job on their own. It was at HER insistence that she work alongside you, not only out of respect, but because she wanted a chance to learn from you," Chris says with an air of disgust in his voice.

"Understood Highness," Henry replies, dropping his gaze as his shoulders slump in defeat.

Chris turns his back on Henry and closes the door, leaving the man on his ass in the middle of a shocked dining hall and strides back into the private one. He locks his eyes with Barron's and, by the way his jaw ticks and fists tightly clench, he's itching for a challenge.

After a moment, he scans everyone at the table. No one on our side looks phased other than lingering irritation at Henry's comments, though Sara looks strangely pensive, whereas the reactions on their side are all over the place. Barron is barely below a challenge, standing with his chest puffed up and eyes locked, clearly disapproving of how Chris handled Henry, whereas Merrick and Evans look towards the door like they just want to leave. Rebecca and Leah are linking away whereas Jenna sits there, eyes down cast and fidgeting with her fingers.

"Is there something you want to say, now that the door is closed?" Chris asks, returning his challenging gaze to Barron.

"Nope," Barron sighs in defeat. "You've said plenty."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Jace snaps, a storm clearly brewing in his grey eyes. "You can't seriously expect us to take this shit lying down!"

"This shit?" Barron grits out, turning his attention to Jace. "This SHIT as you call it is our home. We built it, protected it, and kept it running after our King was murdered!"

"Protected it?" Jude asks, barely keeping the surprise out of his voice. "How exactly did you protect it? Because from where I'm standing, the only ones I saw protecting anything was us... We bled, suffered, and died to keep Dimitri and Silas from becoming King!"

"Listen," I cut in, seeing this could spiral out of control easily. "Let's just take a breather. Clearly there is ALOT to discuss." I scan the faces of the room but the intensity of Chris and Barron's gazes practically burn my skin.

"That's an understatement," Jace scoffs, making me glare at him.

"I get that this is your home," I address Barron directly. "But apparently it is now ours at least until Ethan becomes of age. Somehow we need to figure out how to live together without so much hostility."

"I'm not sure that's possible," Barron grumbles.

"It's going to have to be," I reply, not backing down. "It's not going to be easy, but we don't have a choice, we're all trying to adjust here."

"You say that like Palace life is that hard to adjust to," he scoffs looking strangely at me.

"Actually it is. I'm used to a quiet life surrounded by family and friends who respect me-"

"You are respected here," he says, cutting me off mid sentence.

"Says the man that just cut me off... again. People talk over me, about me, or down to me since the moment I got here. No one has bothered to find out a single thing about me, yet keep pushing my motherly duties on me like I'm some sort of bad mate for not having baby fever," I cut back, glaring at the man.

Barron looks at me for a moment, pursing his lips before letting out a long sigh. "That is not the intention."

"This is why things need to change," Chris says, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Tomorrow I want a list of every grievance, I'll do the same and we will stay there as long as it takes to hash this out... Jess is right, everything is just escalating, it's time to fix this."

Barron nods, looking lost in thought. "And when the topics get close to home?" He asks with a knowing look.

"Everything is on the table, one way or another things will get better. If I have to step on some toes to do it, so be it," Chris replies with determination.

"We'll see how you feel about this tomorrow," Barron warns.

A sense of dread washes over me as I consider his words and the possibility of added conflict or strain. I may not know anything about being a mother, but I know I don't want my baby surrounded by this.