Freya sat in a cozy armchair, flanked by Aiden and Maya, surrounded by the family which has become extended, and untied to an extent.
The witches, Margo and Keturah, were there too. Esther was still recuperating from the attack, and they had chosen to stay to take care of her, to return to the community when the young witch became whole again.
Eva, now healed, was leaning comfortably against Maya, her small head resting on the latter’s shoulder. At intervals, Maya stroked Eva’s hair gently, as if to reassure the little one that all was good now, that no one was annoyed with her, that all was forgiven.
Across from them was Lucille. She was sitting on a plush sofa with Kane. After she had woken up from a fitful sleep yesterday, she had been unable to seperate herself from the male, or the mate bond. She couldn’t deny it any longer either. Now, they were inseparable.
Around them were other members of the extended group; Nathan and Sheila, Melvina and Peter, Dobah and Blenda, Julius and Ava, Clem and Claire, Jan and Curtis, Agrip, Shane, Anthony and Yodah.
The unspoken topic in the air, since the previous day, was Lucille and Freya’s commanding presence. Although, it was softened by a newfound aura of ethereal beauty, it was still oppressive. It was like they were rulers, and the rest were subordinates.
The transformation from their recent shifts was evident in subtle ways-the luminous quality of their skin, the way their eyes seemed to hold secrets of ancient wisdom, and a grace in their movements that spoke of untold strength.
Sheila couldn’t help but wonder how it would be with Emma. According to Agrip, Lucille and Freya were parts of a whole. The whole being Emma.
Her tattoo would be so huge!
“Anthony, you mentioned that you had reports?” Peter finally broke the silence in the room, after the group had congregated few minutes ago.
Anthony stood then, his hands crossed behind his back, a serious expression coating his face.
“Following your instruction, Alpha, I had gone to all the packs surrounding ours, seeking for their alliances to help us fight against the White Sted Pack, and whatever forces they will recruit…but…the packs all turned me down.”
Melvina sighed. She had expected this.
“… well all except Alpha Lorenzo. The young Alpha promised to join forces with us. He also disclosed that Legardo had met him months ago, for an alliance…”
Collective signs escaped from the lips of everyone in the room. It was obvious that they were all thinking the same. The foe had gone ahead of them in so many ways. It would take a lot of planning and wisdom to upset his games now.
Nathan, for one, was glad that his brother hadn’t furthered the deal with the Alpha who had tried to capture his daughter, Emma. He was glad that his brother had asked for the abstenum first. Nathan was aware he would need to convince Peter to let him into the cave-it would be a better incentive to get his people to join this war. A plus actually.
“Well, Alpha Lorenzo refused. I think that would explain why his pack, the Faugers, had been attacked last month. It solidifies the fact too that Alpha Arnold is in cohorts with Legardo, and Leonarya.” Anthony surmised, before settling down on his seat. He was done reporting.
Silence sedimented smoothly in the room, after that, until Nathan spoke.
“Well, it’s obvious that Legardo and his cohorts has been planing this for months, if not years. And since he had possessed Eva, it is necessary to say that he knows about our specie now. So, he would seek other alternatives, apart from magic, and werewolves. He might seek after the vampires. The undead.”
Dead silence resonated in the room.
“Julius, you have something to report?” Nathan queried, aware of the double tap of the younger ancient in his mind.
Julius nodded, and stood.
“The Prince sent me a message. He mentioned that our hunters have picked up suspicious activities from the vampires. They seemed to be heading together, toward some place. It hasn’t been discovered yet. Weird, because vampires rarely work together.”
“So, the girl’s dream was a prophecy then. Vampires are joining the war. May the gods help us.” Blenda muttered softly, rubbing her hand gently over her belly. It won’t be long now before the birth of her baby girl.
Silence again.
Everyone heard Blenda’s words-courtesy of their sensitive ears.
Claire for one, still wasn’t sure what she was doing here. She had told her mother that she was heading out for classes, but here she was, listening to talks about wars, and beholding two girls with powers she had no chance of attaining. She counted herself a fool now for warring against Emma. She never stood a chance. Not with Derek. Not with powers.
Speaking of Derek, the crowned Alpha was nowhere to be found. Clem, in his monotones, since he had discovered her magic, had told her that he was still in his room. Yet, Claire couldn’t imagine it. Was her ex obsession on a spiritual retreat?
Ex obsession because Curtis was her new one.
Curtis. Alpha of Wind Winders Pack.
Claire hasn’t stopped cursing herself since she discovered the truth.
“So, what do we do?” Peter asked finally, folding his arms across his chest, a grave expression on his face. “How do we win this battle? No matter how I think of it, no matter how hard I have tried to reason a way we can bypass it, probably by dialogue….”
Kane snorted, shaking his head. “If vampires are already on the move, then they have been summoned by someone. Vampires cannot be dialogued with. They are crazy beings. We should be curious on what is their driving force. What did Legardo promise them?”
Peter opened his mouth, then shut it. He had no answer to that. However, he wasn’t happy with being interrupted. “I was just about to say dialogue was an impossible option, Kane…”
Kane, hearing the cautioning tone in Peter’s voice, shrugged his shoulders and inclined himself deeper into the sofa. He might be way older than the Alpha, but he respected ranks.
Nathan chuckled later on, diffusing the little tension that had reared its ugly head. “We also have to discover how they were able to incorporate a vampire into a shifter’s dashboard. I don’t understand that. It would be a work of a high mage. But how did Legardo meet such person? You know, I’m really interested in meeting this Legardo.”
The last clause was muttered, as if to himself. “…we need to figure that out too. We need to find the mage. We need to capture Legardo, if possible. Fayot is still around huh?”
Anthony nodded his head.
“Then we might need him to show us the way to Legardo’s. Perhaps, we should pay him a surprise visit. Maybe, we should take the battle to them.”
Kane shook his head at the brashness of Nathan, but of course he didn’t expect any less from his friend.
However, before he could go on with his opinion, Freya’s phone rang, disrupting the silence.
“Emma…?”