Chapter 197: President Jackson

Selene’s POV

"We shouldn’t make it a public announcement. No. The people will panic," I said to Damien, who had just asked whether he could release news of the president’s visit to the press.

"Not even to the elders of the other territories?" he asked.

"No. We’re going solo for now. Let’s handle this on our own first, and if it escalates, we’ll have no choice but to involve everyone else. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Luna." He bowed his head and left the room immediately.

The door clicked shut behind him, and the silence he left was heavier than I liked. The president of Bernia would be arriving in a few minutes, and we had to receive him properly. I didn’t believe for a second that this was a charity visit. It was a warning, dressed up in diplomacy. I had visited his country, and now it was his turn to visit mine.

William was beside me, and I tried to read his disposition the way I always did. Something was wrong. His jaw was tight, his eyes were fixed on nothing, and his fingers were tapping against his thigh in a slow, restless rhythm. He had realised how close the president was, and it showed in every line of him.

"William."

He didn’t answer. He was lost in thought, or lost somewhere darker.

"William!"

He snapped back to reality, startled. "What’s going on?"

"I’m sorry for scaring you," I said, softening my voice. "But you can’t kill yourself with worry. It won’t solve the problem, and you know that."

He exhaled slowly. "I know. I just don’t want to fail my people, Selene. A lot has happened already."

I understood his fear, and it broke something in me. The festival, the screaming, the smoke, the faces we had buried. Only a king could carry that kind of fear behind closed doors, and only a husband would let his wife see it. I took his hand and held it tightly until his fingers stopped tapping.

"Listen to me. I believe in you. You’re the same fearless king I met back in Winterwood, and nothing that happened since has changed that. You can handle this and so much more. Now let’s go and welcome the president of Bernia."

William rose to his feet and walked out with me, his shoulders squaring with every step. I had fired confidence into him, and it had worked. Oh, my dear husband.

He had to succeed. I would not let it be otherwise.

Damien met us in the corridor. "He has arrived."

"How many people did he come with?" William asked.

"Ten, my Alpha. That’s with his security men included."

"Ten?" I almost yelled.

Was he coming for a fucking press conference or what? Then I caught myself. He was a president, and a president had to have an entourage. Understood.

We reached the Council chamber, where he and his team were waiting patiently, and I saw him for the first time.

Oh. That was him?

He was glowing. His skin was perfectly radiant, and he carried himself like a man who had never been told no. I hadn’t bothered to look him up because I didn’t give a fuck. I had been busy as hell. But maybe all presidents looked this way. Or maybe he was just rich. If I were a whore, I would have found my way to seduce him before or after the meeting, shit.

Where were these stupid thoughts coming from? Focus, Selene. You have a national matter to attend to.

"Hello, Mr. President," William said, stepping forward to shake his hand first.

I went second. "Nice to meet you, President." His grip was firm, and his face was damn serious. He was ready for business.

"I’m Jackson," he said as we took our seats. His people stood behind him, looking like they were ready to take serious shots at us if anything went wrong.

"The purpose of today’s meeting, as stated in my email, is a matter of national security."

Behind him, a woman began taking notes. Like, fuck, woman. Everything was being penned down as if it would be used against us in a court of law. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, and I forced my face to stay neutral.

"Yes, we received your email," William said calmly. "And we want to assure you that there is no issue of national security on your end. You were the ones who attacked this territory first. We only retaliated to pass a message: we are not people who can be messed with."

President Jackson smiled. It was the kind of smile that gave nothing away.

"I’m well aware of everything you just said. But let’s go back to history. The humans and the werewolf community have known both peace and war, and what sustained the peace was also what broke it. If we’re not careful, history will repeat itself. Let us do well to follow law and order."

I couldn’t quite understand this man. What the hell was he yammering about? Or did he just want to show off his good grammar? I decided to speak up.

"Mr. President, you speak of law and order, but your people were the ones who came into this territory and bombed it on a festival day. I don’t get what this is all about." My voice shook slightly at the end, and I hated it. I thought of the children who should have been laughing that night.

"Luna, as far as I’m concerned, it was your own people who attacked you, not humans. They were outcast wolves who came for revenge, and I know my information cannot be wrong."

"Your information is wrong." William’s voice rose, and the room seemed to shrink around it. "Your information is totally wrong. Ask your protégé, or whatever he is to you, Mr. President. He took wolves and forced them to bomb their own people. He did it against their will. He promised them paradise, I suppose. He said werewolves are parasites who shouldn’t be allowed to walk the earth. So I think you have some verification to do, Mr. President. Someone hasn’t been telling you the truth."

I loved my husband’s boldness. Great. Just great. Pride swelled in my chest so fiercely that I almost smiled.

The president’s secretary stooped down, and he whispered something to her. I didn’t know what it was, but I was sure he was weighing William’s words, and that alone was a victory.

"Alpha, Luna," he said at last, "we, as a people, do not want war of any sort, whether domestic, extraterritorial, or national. We want to maintain the peace, but you all have to cooperate. You can’t come into Bernia looking like humans and then bomb our administrative house. As for what was done to you during your festival, that was not good. I will do my findings, and I am sorry in advance. We take absolute responsibility for it. It will not happen again."

I felt William’s hand tighten around mine beneath the table. An apology, from a president. It wasn’t enough to bring anyone back, but it was something.

"We will gladly keep the peace," William said, "if everyone decides to, and ardently sticks to their lane."

The president’s face changed for a split second, and then he covered it with a smile.

"Well said, Alpha. Well said. Umm, we’ll take our leave now." He got to his feet.

"It’s such an honour to have you here in our territory, Mr. President," I said, rising with him.

"I must confess, you have a very beautiful territory. Well done."

We smiled and parted ways, and I kept that smile pinned on until the doors closed behind him.

Then I let out a breath I felt I’d been holding since morning. The meeting had gone well. Now all that was left was to wait for the aftermath.