Coral's desk looked like a paper war zone. Letters from packs and allied realms were stacked in careful piles, each marked with a coloured strip. Eva sat opposite her with a tablet and two separate headsets, switching between channels.
"Northern packs three and five can send fifty warriors each," Eva said. "They want confirmation that supplies will be shared with their border towns."
"They will," Coral said, not looking up. "Add it to the draft agreement. Food and medicine shares for any pack that sends fighters. No exceptions."
Eva typed quickly with a frown of concentration settled on her face as she replied to some of the messages that were coming in quicker than they could handle.
"Lord Brarthroroz says he can send a small contingent of his own warriors once the civilians are settled, he's promised a good mix of ability too, although we're all expecting the more bigoted of the refugees and nobles to kick up a fuss."
"I'd wonder what they were up to if they didn't," Coral mumbled as she nodded, "Ok, make sure it's logged. I'm not sure what sort of supplies or…food, that they'll need but we should probably check that before they arrive at the castle."
Outside the admin room, the palace was still noisy and people were moving around at a rapid pace. Even with the worst of the fighting taking place away from the palace grounds, no one had really relaxed yet.
Everyone knew that Ann should have been in bed resting.
But none of those closest to her were surprised that she wasn't.
She stood at the head of the council table again, her hands braced on the edge, facing a group of nobles who looked like they had never seen a battlefield in their lives.
"We have already discussed this," Ann said, her voice beginning to show the faintest traces of her irritation, "Your titles are not being reinstated until the war is over and your conduct has been reviewed. That will not change."
One of the older nobles stepped forward, holding a long list.
"Your Highness, with all due respect, you are stripping long-standing families of their rights. Our packs have been loyal to the crown for generations."
"Some of your packs have," Ann answered coolly, "Others have hoarded supplies. Some of these so called 'loyal packs' have refused to send fighters and some even tried to play both sides until it backfired. If you want your status back, then you'll earn it. You do not get it by asking nicely in this room."
Brad stood by the main doors with two of his wolves. His eyes stayed on the nobles, not Ann. He had already seen her stumble once that morning and he didn't trust her body to keep up with her mind, no matter what she said.
"Your Majesty," another noble said, "if you continue to ignore our petitions, we will have no choice but to appeal to outside realms…"
Ann laughed once, the sound dangerous in that room.
"Go ahead. Tell them how you tried to block support while we were fighting for their borders too. See how that goes for you."
Coral entered quietly and stood by the side wall with a folder in her arms. Eva hovered in the doorway with her tablet, watching but not speaking.
One younger lord stepped forward, red-faced.
"You are tired, your highness, and you are with child. Right now, you aren't thinking clearly. These decisions should not rest on you alone."
Ann's grip on the table tightened and her knuckles went white as she fought the urge to say what she was really thinking.
Brad had straightened in the doorway and a low warning growl rumbled from his chest as Eva's eyes widened in shock.
Ann forced herself to breathe slowly before she spoke.
"I am thinking very clearly you jumped up little twat." She hissed furiously and felt Maeve snorting in amusement.
"Nice job on keeping your cool Queenie,"
"Fuck off, I'm not in the mood for any of this." Ann snapped back and refocused her attention on the shocked and indignant faces in front of her.
"I know exactly what I am doing but you are all too stupid to think that I could have possibly noticed. With each one of the decisions that I make, I am making sure that people like you do not get to profit from a war you hid from."
The same young lord scoffed.
"You can't very well speak of hiding while you sit behind the safety of palace walls and send others to…"
The room seemed to spin then and Ann blinked rapidly to try to clear her vision. For a second, the faces in front of her blurred together into one shapeless line.
Brad took a step forward. "Ann."
"I'm fine," she hissed but the words didn't sound convincing at all.
Her vision darkened at the edges and her ribs hurt. The pups were pushing lower than they usually did and she grimaced, trying to straighten but instead, the floor moved.
Brad was already moving before her legs gave way.. He crossed the distance in seconds and caught her as her knees gave way. The table edge scraped under her hand and then dropped out of reach.
The nobles gasped and someone shouted her title but Brad ignored all of them.
"Make space for her you fucking idiots," he snapped.
Two nobles tried to step closer, hands out like they were going to "help. But instantly Brad's wolves drew their weapons in one smooth move and pointed blades straight at the nobles' chests.
"Back," one guard said.
The young lord who had spoken leaned in anyway.
"This is exactly my point, she is unfit to…"
Brad glared at him, his eyes cold with a murderous rage.
"Take one more step and I will have you arrested for treason, obstruction of wartime command, and willful endangerment of the reigning monarch's life as well as her unborn heirs."
The hall went silent almost immediately.
Coral moved in beside Brad and glared at the now silent nobles.
"All of you, step away from the Queen. Now."
Eva turned and shouted down the hall.
"Get the midwives to the infirmary. Tell them it is urgent."
Ann tried to speak and failed as her head rested against Brad's shoulder. She could hear his heartbeat. It was fast, but steady.
"Told you," Maeve said in her head. "You're pushing too hard, especially with carrying the triplets, so you hit the floor. Simple math."
Ann wanted to argue, but her mouth and her mind refused to cooperate.
Brad adjusted his hold on her and carried her out of the council chamber. The guards kept their blades raised until the doors shut behind them.
The nobles were left standing in the empty hall, their voices already engaged in hushed gossipping as the guards that stayed behind listened, and reported back directly to Brad.
He had been concerned that something like this would happen, and he wanted to be the first to know if anything treasonous was said in their absence.