Isabel's Choice

Chapter 48 - Isabel

When we stop in front of the Council's humble-looking building, I step out in a hurry and fill my lungs with the frozen air of the Land Core heights.

The other Alphas are already here, socializing next to their cars.

Finn and my dad Mike have deep frowns on their faces, but their mood lightens when they greet us. I am also granted a polite broad smile from George and his Beta and no one bats an eye when Lars explains that I will also be joining their meeting.

The architecture of the Council may be heavily human-influenced, but its interior design is not. It's a shifter den through and through, the various treasures of the four regions brought together, to soothe the visiting Shifters and make them feel at home. The stone walls of the entry hallway are covered in elaborate Eastern tapestries and colorful Northern silks. The massive table in the meeting room where we are invited is made from wood from the River Border and the chairs around it - upholstered in the leathers of Land Core.

The three Counselors are already there when we enter and they all widen their eyes when they see me by Lars's side.

"My Luna, Isabel daughter of the Forest," the Alpha introduces me formally, for Hugo's benefit. The River Border Counselor wants to protest. Everything in his demeanor is tensed - the shoulders, a vein on the side of his temple. He turns disoriented to his left, where the other two über Alphas are sitting. They are not of much help - Kari is busy grinning at me and Rio is not even paying attention to his colleagues.

"All of you, sit down."

I am stronger since I am bonded to Lars, but it's almost not enough to support my neck under the pressure of the Rio's sound. I give it my best effort though, ignoring the veil of sweat slowly covering my forehead.

"Food, if you want," the Lead Counselor points stiffly to the three plates set around the table, one for each invited pack. There's bread and cured cheese - the kind the Alpha and I share an unhealthy passion for. I know he's not hungry when he's nervous. But, as the very adequate male he is, he helps himself first so that it's appropriate for me to also reach for a slice.

"I need to brief you on some recent events that will impact your packs the most. Kari is here because we'll be discussing security matters and Hugo is here because he represents the River Border. My Advisor on inter-subspecies politics has a last-minute conflict because..." Rio stops to scroll through his phone and then rises steely black orbs back to us "...bear stuff."

"Bear birth," Kari answers helpfully the question nobody asked, clarifying who is the new diplomatic consultant. Only Healers go close to laboring bears and live to text their employer.

„Same, same. Now. During my visit across the River three weeks ago I told the Witches that, instead of harassing my Alphas, they could put some effort into getting their black magic shit under control. Took them until now to answer," Rio snaps his teeth at a handwritten page he's holding.

„Based on their thorough investigation, they classified the human girl's murder as an isolated incident."

From the corner of my eye, I see Eino and Lars's immobile faces. It's endearing how both of them mirror their father's stance - hands crossed under the chin and pinkies resting on the lower lip, to remind the mouth not to open unwisely.

"But they take our concerns very seriously and, out of an abundance of caution, the Council is discussing ways to better control the movement of magic folks in the Wolves' Mountains."

"Translate, Counselor Rio, what do they want from us?" George is the first to speak. He doesn't have any witches residing permanently in his pack, but his economy lives from the big Ferry that transports lots of things across the River.