CHAPTER 202

CHAPTER 202
\[Axle\]

Elric was just about to add something else when my personal phone began to ring. I reached over and picked up the call, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it is me, Alpha," a smooth, deep voice replied. I could practically picture the man smirking on the other end of the line.

He still had not told us his actual name, and here we were, preparing to invite him directly into our home.

"I think it is quite fair for me to know your name," I pointed out. "After all, I am inviting you into my home."

"You will know my name when I am completely sure I can trust you," he retorted smoothly.

"You have no problems on that front. I am the one taking the risk by inviting you into my home."

"That is not a problem for us," he said calmly. "We panthers live by a strict code. We would never attack a man who opens the door of his home to us, unless he attacks us first." I heard a faint murmur of chuckling in the background on his end.

"Tell me, how many people should we expect for lunch today?" I asked, cutting straight to the point.

"Four," he answered. "I am coming with my wife, my sister, and my right hand man."

"That is fine. We will be expecting you," I said, and the connection went dead before he could reply.

"He is a family man," Elric observed, looking over at me. I nodded my head in agreement.

"It seems like it. He has a wife and a sister, so that should not be too bad. There will only be four of them total. The Alpha does not strike me as a fool; he wants this cooperation with our pack, and his people clearly need it."

"Yes, but we should still tighten up security around the perimeter just in case," Lex advised, her eyes sharp.

"It cannot hurt," I said, nodding.

"We cannot be too prepared," Elric added, heading toward the door to notify the guard detail.

A few hours later, we stood on the grand terrace and watched as two sleek, dark black Mercedes-Benz sedans pulled up and parked smoothly in front of the house.

I could tell instantly that the vehicles were limited-edition models. They radiated pure elegance from the deep rumble of their custom engines to the silent, effortless way their doors swung open as the passengers stepped out onto the gravel driveway.

They were all dressed in formal black attire, but what instantly eased the tension in my chest was the clearly visible baby bump on one of the women stepping out of the lead car.

I watched as the panther Alpha gently took her hand, supporting her as he led her up the steps toward the terrace. I smiled inwardly at the sight.

The Alpha's wife was expecting a child.

"Welcome! Welcome, all of you!" Bethany smiled warmly, stepping forward to usher our guests inside the foyer.

She was right; she was a natural host, and I could see the newcomers warming up to her genuine hospitality almost instantly.

"This is my Luna, Lexi, my right-hand man, Elric, his mate, Bethany, who happens to be my mate's mother, my Beta, Lex, and her mate, Alex, who is my mate's twin brother," I introduced, gesturing to everyone in the room.

"Oh, that is so lovely! I absolutely love a close knit family," the pregnant woman said, stepping forward with a bright, warm smile and extending her hand to me. "I am Phoenix, and this is my husband, Pierce, you may also call him my mate. This is his sister, Paige, and that over there is my brother, Brandon."

"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand firmly before shooting a smirking look at the panther Alpha, who merely shook his head at me with a faint smile. Now I finally knew his name.

"Nice to meet you as well," Lexi added softly, reaching out her hand, and soon everyone in the room was exchanging warm handshakes and greetings.

"I am very glad you could come with your family today, Pierce," I smiled at him as we all moved into the dining room and took our seats around the large table.

"Do not be creepy about it," he shot back, giving me a mock glare that lacked any real bite.

"I honestly thought you all had a theme with P names until I heard Brandon," Mina chimed in with a chuckle, breaking the ice and making the entire table laugh.

"I thought we were coming here to have lunch with a rather old and ugly fellow," Paige spoke up for the first time, her sharp, clear eyes fixing directly on me with a playful glint. "But I am thoroughly pleased to see that you are all so remarkably young and attractive."

"Yes, you all seem very cool," Brandon added, his expression softening as his eyes drifted over to the quiet baby in Lex's arms. "What is her name?"

"She is baby Dine," Lex answered softly, cradling her close.

Brandon nodded respectfully. "That is a beautiful name. My sister is expecting a child as well, and we honestly cannot wait for a new addition to our pack." He paused, his voice dipping slightly. "It has been a very long time."

The atmosphere around the long table suddenly shifted, growing quiet and a bit somber after he spoke. Every single one of us was silently reminiscing about the endless struggles and tragedies our people had endured over the years.

I remembered with a heavy chest how many innocent children and young families had lost their lives during our own brutal civil war, to say nothing of the ancient Great War that had completely wiped out entire shifter civilizations long before I was even born.

"Now, why are we all looking so grim?" Bethany suddenly declared, standing up from her seat and clapping her hands together sharply to break the heavy mood. "This is a lunch party, after all!"

She gestured toward the kitchen doors, signaling the waiting maids to start bringing out the hot platters of food and crates of iced drinks to begin the feast.