The sound stops me before I reach the door.

A crash. Something hitting the wall. Then Vincent's voice, sharp and furious: "I don't give a damn what the council thinks! She IS my mate, and they WILL accept her!"

I freeze in the doorway.

Vincent stands behind his massive desk, his chest heaving, his hands clenched into fists. Papers are scattered across the floor where he must have swept them off in rage. A book lies spine-up against the far wall.

Another voice responds—his Beta, Alfred, on ...