Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my rooms at the Council, I smoothed my palms over the flowing navy fabric draped around my shoulders. The cloak with its golden trim was the official ceremonial robe of the Council and tonight was my swearing in ceremony. I'd agreed to their proposal on the proviso I had a six-month probationary period. After six months, if I didn't like it, I could leave with no repercussions, and likewise, if they felt I wasn't the right fit, they could remove me from the Council.

Neither of those things happened. We'd had plenty of volatile moments, and I'd walked out of more than one meeting due to members bickering over inconsequential matters. In the past, it was normal for them to waste inordinate amounts of time over trivial topics. I didn't have time for that. I now had more than one hundred Druids transitioning into life on Earth. Decisions needed to be made, and quickly.

Apparently, the Council liked my fiery brand of diplomacy, and my no holds barred way of telling them what they didn't want to hear. I shook things up and challenged the status quo, something no one had dared do in the past. I was a hit.

My hands settled on the swell of my stomach and I smiled at the irony. Not only was I serving on the Council and loving it, I was knocked up too. Two things I had never, in my wildest dreams, imagined happening.

The door behind me opened and Carter stepped inside, his footsteps silent on the plush carpeting. Each Council member had a suite of rooms beneath the council chambers, containing a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and a small kitchenette. I'd taken to hanging out here whenever Carter was working late with the SS. He too had taken to his new role like a duck to water. He loved the undercover assignments he got sent on, and liaising with Nate at the SIA had helped relations between the two departments, now that the SS wasn't so secret anymore.

"You look amazing." He smiled, stepping up behind me, and wrapped both arms around my waist, caressing my baby bump.

"I look ridiculous. Navy blue is definitely not my color and this thing is so damn heavy."

"It's only for a little while, love." He chuckled at my pout, knowing how much I hated the ceremonial side of my new role.

"I admit, I feel a little nervous." I looked in the mirror again, at my reflection with Carter standing behind me, watching as he brushed my hair back over my shoulder.

"Of the ceremony?" he asked in surprise. I shook my head. No. The ceremony was just a formality, and on some things, I had to bend and do what the rest of the Council wanted. A ball was being held in my honor, officially welcoming me into the Council. That part I was fine with. It was after.

"I don't think they're going to take it well," I said, twisting my engagement ring around and around on my finger. Carter had proposed to me a week after we'd blown Director Ridgeway's diabolical plan out of the water. Unfortunately, she'd fled town and we'd yet to locate her. Distracted with the hunt for Ridgeway, I'd turned him down. Undeterred he continued to propose on a weekly basis until I caved and said yes. And then I discovered I was pregnant. His pack had thawed toward me when they learned how compatible my species was. They'd softened a little more when Carter had told them we were engaged. They were positively welcoming when we announced my pregnancy. They'd been madly planning our wedding ever since.

"They're going to be hurt," I fretted. The last thing I wanted was to hurt his pack.

"They'll get over it. And why are you hiding this away?" Tugging on the gold chain around my neck, he pulled it from beneath my dress, revealing the simple golden band threaded through the chain. "This should be on your finger. You are, after all, my wife."

"I know. And I couldn't be happier. I swear." He removed the ring from the chain and slid it on my finger where it nestled perfectly against the diamond engagement ring.

"You've gotten soft, Black," he said, rubbing my chin with his knuckles. It was true, I had. Carter and I had married in secret last night. The whole wedding planning chaos had been creating too much stress, and since neither of us cared about a big wedding, we'd eloped. Only the Council knew. And tonight we'd announce it to everyone.

A knock at the door distracted me from my worries over the pack. It was time. Opening the door I was taken aback to see Nate standing there, resplendent in a black tux, a brown paper bag held up in one hand.

"What?" I laughed at the goofy expression on his face.

"Usually you open the door demanding to know what I've brought for breakfast. I didn't want to disappoint." Handing me the bag, he stepped over the threshold.

"It's not breakfast time, Nate," I chided, opening the bag and peeking inside. A bacon and egg burger greeted me. Unwrapping the burger, I took a bite.

"Pregnancy hasn't changed your appetite, I see." Nate grinned, walking past to slap Carter on the shoulder in greeting.

"If anything it's doubled it," Carter said. It was true. I was constantly hungry. And horny. I spent my days either thinking about food or thinking about sex.

"What are you doing here, Nate?" I asked around a mouthful of food.

"Came to escort you upstairs for the ceremony. You know you get a crown and this motherfucking medallion that's enormous. I mean it's almost the size of my head."

"What?" I coughed, choking. Carter slapped me on the back and punched Nate in the shoulder.

"He's winding you up, babe." Keeping a hand on my back, Carter laughed.

"Asshole," I muttered, finishing the burger and wiping my mouth on the napkin at the bottom of the bag.

"No, but seriously." Nate stepped up to me and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. I assumed I had food stuck to my face. "I wanted to thank you. For everything. Right from the start, you believed in me. You could have arrested me multiple times, but you didn't, and having you on my side...well...it means a lot."

"Are you getting mushy on me, Wilder?" I cocked my head, not sure if he was serious.

"I think I might be," he admitted, hanging his head.

"Come here, you big lug." I pulled him into an embrace. He'd become a good friend to me and Carter, and he was doing good things at the SIA. "You're a dear friend, and I do my best not to arrest my friends. No matter how much of a pain in the ass they are."

"I can't believe you're allowed on the Council with that potty mouth." Nate laughed.

"They love it. I think. Anyway, which one of you is escorting me? May as well go and make this official!"

I smiled in delight, my heart full, when Nate looped my left arm through his, and Carter my right. I had everything I never knew I wanted. A life mate, a baby on the way, a wolf pack who finally welcomed me, a new friend, and I was working hard at building a relationship with the Druids. Now if I could just get through this evening without April cornering me and insisting on talking about wedding decorations, life would be perfect.

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