121

121

Jacob’s POV.

The council room felt suffocating the second we walked in. We had another council meeting today, and I could tell that they were going to start asking questions about Jenny again. I should have known they won’t relent. No. They were too stubborn to do that. Those stupid, old bastards.

I could see the eyes of every council member turn toward us, cold and calculating. They were like statues, frozen in time, yet somehow constantly scheming. I had never liked them. They never liked me either, even when I was ruling. And as I stood there, leaning against the wall while Ian took his seat at the head of the table, my jaw clenched tighter by the second.

I knew what was coming before anyone even opened their mouths. I had seen it in the way they exchanged glances the last time. They didn’t just want to talk about the rebels or the werewolves. No, they wanted to sink their teeth into something—or rather, someone—else.

Jenny.

Viktor ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his face like he didn’t want to go into this topic but he had no choice to. He cleared his throat, his voice as dry and brittle as the ancient scrolls that lined the shelves behind him. “King Ian,” he began, and I could already feel my blood boiling. “There is one matter we must discuss.”

Here we go.

Viktor looked to his fellow council members, nodding as if to gain their approval. Then, with a slow, deliberate gaze, he turned back to Ian. “We have concerns about the human-“ he paused, his eyes meeting mine. “Sorry, I meant the newly turned Vampire, Jenny.”

I straightened from my leaning position, my eyes locked on Thorne. The way he said “the human” set me off immediately. Jenny wasn’t some object or pawn they could toss around. She was everything to me. And I wasn’t about to let these old vampires treat her like she was a curiosity.

Ian remained calm, as always. His voice was steady, though I could tell he was keeping a tight rein on his emotions. He said the same thing he said yesterday. “Jenny poses no threat to this realm. She is with Jacob. That is all you need to know. We’ve gone over this yesterday. Must we talk about it again today?”

But Aldric wasn’t about to let it go. His thin lips twisted into a small, condescending smile. “We understand that she is… close to your brother. But she is human, and humans, as you know, do not often belong in our world.”

I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. I pushed off the wall, stepping forward, my fists clenched at my sides. “She’s a vampire. And she’s not some specimen for you to poke and prod. She’s not your concern.”

The council members shifted in their seats, some looking at me with mild surprise, others with disdain. They were used to Ian handling things diplomatically. I wasn’t interested in diplomacy.

“Jacob,” Ian said softly, a warning in his voice.

But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t let them sit here and talk about Jenny like she was some sort of threat, or worse, a thing to be examined. ”She’s not a problem,” I continued, my voice rising. “She’s with me, and that should be enough for you.”

Aldric raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my outburst. “We are merely concerned about the influence she might have. Humans are… fragile. They are easily manipulated, and their presence in our world can cause unforeseen complications.”

“Fragile?” I spat, stepping closer to the table. “You don’t know anything about her. Jenny’s stronger than any of you give her credit for, and she doesn’t need your approval to exist in our world.”

The tension in the room thickened, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to back down, not when it came to Jenny. The council members could stare all they wanted. I wasn’t going to let them near her.

“We request that she be brought to the council,” Aldric said, his voice dripping with authority. “We simply wish to… ensure that there are no issues.”

“No,” I said immediately, my voice firm. “You’re not seeing her. She’s not coming here.”

Thorne’s eyes narrowed, and I could see the flicker of irritation in his gaze. “You would refuse a direct request from the council?”

“Damn right, I would,” I snapped. “Jenny’s not your toy to summon whenever you feel like it.”

“Jacob,” Ian said again, his voice low and calm, but I ignored him.

I was done playing their games. Done pretending like they had any right to dictate who Jenny was or wasn’t. She didn’t belong to them. She belonged with me.

Aldric exchanged a glance with the other council members, and then his gaze settled on Ian. “King Ian, surely you understand the importance of this request. It is in the interest of the realm’s stability.”

Ian’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might shut them down completely. But instead, he leaned forward, his eyes hard. “Jenny is under our protection. If we allow her to be brought here, it will be on my terms. You will not harm her. You will not question her. You will simply satisfy your curiosity and leave her alone. Is that understood?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My head snapped toward Ian. “What? You’re actually going to let them see her?”

“Jacob,” Ian said softly, but his tone was firm. “We need to be smart about this.”

I shook my head, feeling the anger flare up in my chest. “No. I’m not bringing her here. I’m not letting them near her.”

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. The council members were watching, waiting for Ian’s response. Ian, meanwhile, held my gaze, his expression unreadable.

“Jacob,” he said again, his voice lower this time, more measured. “We will discuss this after the meeting.”

I bit back another retort, knowing that pushing further in front of the council wouldn’t do any good. But that didn’t mean I was okay with it. Not by a long shot.

After a few more moments of tense silence, Thorne finally nodded, seemingly satisfied for the time being. “Very well. We will await your decision.”

The rest of the meeting went by in a blur. The council droned on about rebels and werewolves, but my mind was elsewhere. All I could think about was Jenny, and how much I hated the idea of dragging her into this mess.

Once the meeting finally ended, and the heavy iron doors closed behind us, I turned on Ian, my voice low but filled with frustration. “You can’t seriously be thinking about bringing Jenny here.”

Ian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as we walked through the hallways. “I don’t like it any more than you do, Jacob. But we need to be careful.”

“Careful?” I scoffed. “How is bringing her here to parade in front of them being careful?”

He stopped walking, turning to face me, his expression calm but firm. “Because if we refuse, they’ll keep pushing. They’ll start questioning why we’re so protective of her, and that could make things worse.”

“Or it could make things worse if they see her,” I shot back. “Who knows what they’ll try to pull? You know they don’t care about her—they just want to see if she’s a threat.”

Ian nodded, his eyes meeting mine with a steady gaze. “I know. And that’s why I’ll make sure they don’t touch her. We’ll bring her here, But only for a brief appearance. They’ll see she’s not a threat, and then we’ll get her out.”

I shook my head, still not convinced. “You’re putting too much faith in them, Ian.”

“I’m not putting faith in them,” he said, his voice calm but cold. “I’m putting faith in us. You and me. We’ll keep her safe. But right now, we need to play this smart.”

I clenched my fists, my mind racing. Every instinct screamed at me to keep Jenny far away from the council, to protect her from their manipulations. But Ian… Ian had always been better at seeing the bigger picture, at navigating the complexities of vampire politics. And as much as I hated to admit it, he might be right.

“I don’t like it,” I muttered.

“You don’t have to like it,” Ian replied. “You just have to trust me.”

I met his gaze, my jaw tight. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like any of it. But if I had to choose between defying the council outright or letting Jenny walk into that room under Ian’s protection, I knew which one had the better odds of keeping her safe.

“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “But if anything happens to her—”

“It won’t,” Ian said, his voice steady. “I won’t let it.”

I nodded, though the anger still simmered beneath the surface. I wasn’t about to let my guard down. Not for a second. But if this was the only way to get the council off our backs, then I’d go along with it.

For now.