Mated to the Alpha and His Beta (Lanie Stanton) novel Chapter 462

Chapter 462
Mason

“Stella! Show us Stella!”

At the sound of my daughter’s name in the voice of the crowd, Colt stirred inside me and rose with a growl. I felt my eyes blazing, and my claws and teeth were both descending. If they tried to harm her, I’d fight them all to the death.

My brother held up his hands again, although the audience had gone quiet. I could feel their anticipation rising, along with an edge of anxiety. It wasn’t that I blamed them, but I still wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her.

“It is not the custom for the pups of the Alpha and Luna to be paraded around like show dogs,” Xander said firmly in a clear voice. “If you have questions about Stella—”

“I heard she’s the one who killed the entire High Council!”

“She’s not a wolf!”

“Someone said she’s not even Alpha Xander’s pup!”

Xander and I shared a look. His fists were clenching, and his snarl was loud enough I could hear it even over the crowd. I knew he was going to lose his shit if they kept up with the accusations, even with Zane pulsing out his calming Beta energy.

“She can control people’s minds!”

“She ate the High Council!”

This last shout sent ripples all through everyone in the audience. I could see Xander raising his fists, but who did he think he could pound first? There were so many of them, and what they were shouting pissed me off, too, but we had to keep our heads clear.

When I stepped up again, I made sure to make eye contact with everyone in the front row, one at a time, along with a reassuring nod and smile. Then I addressed everyone else. I kept my voice steady, but firm. I might not have been raised to be an Alpha, but I was one now.

“Friends!” I shouted. “We’re all getting a little worked up. Let’s not allow unsubstantiated rumors to fly around, okay? Stella Constantine is the daughter of Xander and Lanie, but I consider her my own, as well. As many of you know, in order to save our Luna’s life, she spent some time in Stillwood, where she and I met.”