28. RYDER

I glanced at Keiran from the corner of my eyes.

It would be very rude of me to answer my phone during a meeting with the council, but it was the third time it was ringing.

Something had to have happened because the only person I could think of who would call was Axel.

“She has accepted your mark, but that does not mean that she has accepted you as her mate,” one of the elders was saying.

“Given your history with your previous mate, you understand why we need to look at things from every possible angle,” Demetrius muttered. “Your pack has grown considerably over the years and don’t get me wrong, you are a great alpha. But we need to make sure that your pack will be protected if the past gets repeated.”

“Cora is nothing like Laura,” Keiran growled.

“How can we be so sure?” someone asked. “We know nothing about her. Rowan has given us a report and based on that, she is a troublemaker.”

“You all know that Rowan can’t be trusted,” I interjected.

All eyes turned towards me.

“Why exac