I finished the rest of the tea before I held the teacup out to my grandmother. "Here," I said with a small grumble in my voice, and my grandmother bit back a small smile while she took the teacup from me. "Now, can I go?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Are you able to stand?" Miguel asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he studied me with a small frown on his face, and I instantly looked at him. He hesitated before he bowed, submitting while his whole body grew tense. "I don't think they will mind if you stay put, Alex."

I held back an eye roll while I pressed my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word before I placed my hands on the armrests, and I took a deep breath before I released it with a small whoosh, not standing just yet because I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold my own weight.

My grandmother placed the cup down on the table beside me before she placed her hand under my arm, silently indicating that she was going to help me stand so that I could go ahead and greet the rest of the people that were coming into our house and into the living room about what was transpiring now.

I bit back a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded before I let my grandmother help me stand and leaned on her for support. My whole body screamed in agony and pain, and all I wanted to do was sit back down, but I was too stubborn to do so.

'Are you sure that you want to do this?' Anthony asked and raised an eyebrow in question. He pressed his lips into a thin line, and a look of worry flashed through his eyes while he watched me struggle to stand.

I flashed him an annoyed look but didn't say a word while I looked at my grandmother, silently indicating that I was ready to meet them coming in from the outside and into the kitchen.

My grandmother hummed and slowly nodded. She started to walk that way with Miguel following me, all of us greeting those that had already entered the house while we passed them.

None of them asked me why I had called them here, even though a few of them had given me questioning looks while others looked worried, especially since I was leaning against my grandmother and not on my own two feet.

"Alpha," a few people greeted with a small bow of their heads while they looked at me. They had a small frown on their faces, and a look of concern flashed across their faces when I passed them to go into the kitchen because I was still leaning against my grandmother and having her help me walk to the kitchen with my Beta by my side.

I didn't say a word about them calling me an Alpha and only bristled slightly. I nodded in greeting and bit the inside of my lip, biting back a small growl.

My grandmother grabbed my arm tighter, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. She didn't say a word and looked at me, silently indicating that I needed to cool it and not to be so defensive.

I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word and bit back a tired sigh while I paused at the door where Aaron stood, greeting the others that were coming in and then making sure that everything stayed safe while we did so.

He looked at me when I made it to his side and frowned, and concern flashed through his eyes when he saw my state. 'Are you sure that you want to do this?' he asked through our link and raised an eyebrow in question. 'You look like shit.'

I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line. 'Very funny, Aaron,' I said coldly, earning a small snort from him. 'I know that I look like shit, but yes, we have to get this done. I will be fine.'

Aaron scoffed a laugh and rolled his eyes. He didn't say a word and set his jaw while he looked at the other people that were coming into the house.

Something ran past a few of our pack members and darted into the house, earning a small yelp from the people that were about to enter the house before the creature darted into my house, but thankfully, the yelps weren't loud enough that had the others on this road turning on their lights to see what was going on and there were a few yelps and muffled screams.

Aaron also jumped back when the thing ran into the house, silently cursing, even though my grandmother and I didn't even flinch. "Damn it," he said, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. "What was that?"

"Salem," I said and looked the way the creature had gone to see that a cat was sitting at the kitchen table with their tail wrapped around their legs, and a look of concern on their face while they stared at me.

My grandmother pursed her lips in annoyance and narrowed her eyes while she stared at the Shifter. "Get off the table, you mangy mutt," she said with a small growl in her voice. "Why the hell do you think that you can do that when this isn't your house but mine."

Salem slowly blinked and flicked their tail back and forth without moving from sitting on the table like my grandmother had told them to do. They slowly blinked and looked at me, looking me up and down just to make sure that I was safe, even though I was leaning against my grandmother.

"Get off the table and shift into your human form, Salem," I said. I scowled and narrowed my eyes at the Shifter, and my eyes flashed a different color. "I do not know why you think it would be a good idea to do that when my grandmother can not move because she is helping me."

Salem shrugged and flicked their tail. They did not say a word or move, and I had a feeling that they were not going to leave and would continue to sit on the table until it was time for us to have this meeting.

I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word and turned to look at the door and Aaron. 'How many people are left?' I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied him. 'Are we almost done?'

'Yes, Alpha,' Aaron said and nodded in confirmation. 'We only have about four people left.' He glanced at Salem before he looked at me. 'Do you think that we will only have one interesting guest, or will we have another?' He cocked his head while he studied me, raising an eyebrow in question.

I bit back a tired sigh and rubbed the bridge of my nose, shaking my head. 'I do not know,' I said before I cleared my throat and licked my lips. 'I think that we will have one more guest, but I do not know when he will appear.'

Aaron raised an eyebrow higher in question, and a look of amusement and worry flashed through his eyes. 'Who?' he asked and cocked his head to the side while he studied me. 'Who do you think will appear?'

I licked my lips and looked outside to make sure that he wasn't there because the stupid Vampire loved to appear out of nowhere as soon as his name was mentioned before I looked at the stand in Gamma. 'Filip,' I replied while I tucked my head closer to my chest. 'Filip is the other guest that I think will appear before the meeting starts just to make sure that everything is safe and sound.'