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The room remained silent. His heart slammed in his ears.
Nevertheless, he went on.
“I have investigated, upon my own volition, the circumstances of several of these shifters' lives. They, too, have found mates within the souls of human women. So my tale isn’t one that is entirely different at all.”
Callum spoke up after grunting with impatience. “Land the plane, Timber.”
Timber swelled with anger, but it did not shake his eloquence.
“Council, I propose that you alter your position on the basis of practicality. This is not an uncommon occurrence; we cannot sever our ties to our hearts. We cannot and will not waiver.”
Jameson leaned forward, holding the raised gavel in his hand.
“The council is firm in its belief that human and bear shifting mating is strictly prohibited. You cannot simply gather a group together and say that reality has changed. There is a reason why this council has existed for so long.”
“It is archaic!” Timber boomed. “You must grow in order to fit in with the times, or your presence is negated.”
“HERE, HERE!"
The group of shifters and wives cheered, hooped, and hollered. Timber began to cackle, yet he wasn’t sure if it was due to elation or madness. Likely both.
“ORDER. ORDER!” Jameson called out.
“The council is not going to waiver upon its decision, dear Timber,” Callum spoke up, rising to his feet. “So let it be known, and known in this very moment, if you, if any of you, continue your illegal relationships, you will be kicked out and banished from not only the Montana Maul but the bear council indefinitely."
Jameson slammed down the gavel multiple times to call the session to an end. The council members solemnly left while the shifters and humans yelled and rattled their disapproval loudly.
Lyra slipped her hand into his, then whispered without caution or hesitation. “We will get there. Don’t you worry.”
THIRTY-SIX
LYRA
Lyra stood her ground in the council room when the bear shifters hollered behind her. She knew, merely by Timber’s aura and how his hand sealed into fists so tight, they could be stones, that it hadn’t been the outcome he was looking for.
She had suspected that it would be as such since they had yet to barely open their minds even an inch when it came to the shifter and human integration. So she took him by the hand as the chamber doors slammed shut, their new bear friends in the stands close to inciting a riot.
“Let’s get them out of here,” she implored. “We don’t want to start something we can’t finish."
Timber’s big, bold eyes softened as he gazed down at her. He nodded, then raised a hand in the air.
The entire room quieted instantly. Timber’s voice was calm and reasonable. She admired him deeply for it.
“Come, my friends. Let us gather at my residence to discuss further action. Don’t give them another reason to be close-minded."
The men and women nodded in agreement, then proceeded out of the room in an orderly fashion. Lyra squeezed his hand, honored to be the woman by his side during such a revolution.
They moved silently back through the opulent hallway and into the bright day. Lyra didn’t feel his anger seeping through his pores anymore. He had gone back to the tranquil, forward-thinking man she had seen during the initial meeting with the bear shifters and their wives.
It made her heart slam between her rib cage like a pinball.
“Now, we must fight," Timber said as they stood outside headquarters. “We have to take them on before they can announce banishment. Then when we win, we will take over the council, permanently altering that archaic rule."
Lyra beamed at her man. He was focused, so focused, that he hadn’t realized she was pressing her body against his. His hand slid down over her jacket, cupping her ass firmly.
She wasn’t even sure he realized he was doing it. Either way, it made her feel powerful beyond comprehension.
“And how do we plan out this battle?” she whispered into his ear.
