“How is everyone doing?” Nathan asked, breaking the comfortable silence in the room, and alerting those whispering to each other that the meeting had started in earnest.
There were nods and echoes of ‘fine, thank you’ around the group, their attention all hooked to Nathan who was sitting with Sheila, on a two seater sofa. There were more sofas like that, a few lone ones, and two long ones. Melvina had gone shopping.
“Okay, that’s great. It’s been two weeks since our last meeting, and I would like to know how far each one of us has gone, either with the training, or the assignments that have been given to you.” Nathan stated, leaning ahead, his elbow resting on his thigh, supporting his clasped hands.
“We need to know if we have made any significant progress, and if there are adjustments that need to be made, or more assignments to be given.”
Kane nodded in agreement, looking at Alpha Peter to break the ground first.
“From my son’s reports yesterday, our warriors have done marvelously well since he started training with them, since Julius and Aiden became their teachers-excellent news if I must say. A lot of people in my pack think so too. Also, I have tried to make more alliances apart from the Faugers pack, the result is the same. As a matter of fact, they are more hostile now. So, I opted for making sure that the pack is kept safe. We have been hearing cases of missing people again. Thanks to the ancients for the safeguards, and to the people too for listening to the commands of curfew enacted, should in case some malevolent being break through the siege. I guess that’s about it with the pack.” Peter concluded, tightening his grasp on Melvina’s hand.
Melvina would have loved to speak too, but the way she had aided had been keeping the houses running smoothly, preparing food and catching up with Sheila, Blenda, Jan, and with the girls. She didn’t think that counted as progress.
Peter’s amusement trinkled down their bond. ‘You are doing well, my love. I’m proud of you.’
Melvina pouted, losing the pout when she noticed that Nathan was looking at her furrowed eyebrows. What now?
“Thanks Peter. Thanks to your mate too-she has made sure that we enjoyed a smooth living the past two weeks.”
The praise was delivered so smoothly that Melvina blushed. Nevertheless she couldn’t help but wonder if Sheila had been the one to push the notion into the Prince’s head.
‘It doesn’t matter my love. Just bask in the praise.”
Peter was trying everything to get back in the good graces of his mate. He has been sleeping alone on the bed for the past two weeks.
“Kane, Yodah, how about you two?”
Kane cleared his throat before speaking. “The training with the lad has been going fine. He has grown marvelously well…”
All eyes went to Derek appreciatively. Derek was actually humming with energy. Peter had never stopped smiling-except at night when his lonely state dawned on him-since the first time he had literally felt the energy pouring out from his son.
“About the symbols, I couldn’t find anything on them from Agrip’s books. I and the wise man have been researching together for the past two weeks, yet to no avail. We will have to return to our homeland to ask the healer for our ancient books. However, I sent the pictures of the symbols three days ago to the healer. I’m yet to get a response from him.”
Nathan nodded his head, digesting the information. Everything was okay. He looked at Yodah.
“I’m afraid, nothing much. I found Amelia’s records. But it didn’t have much information. She is a year older than Emma, and attends college at my school. Parents are the same as Emma’s-Jason Drackson, who is a businessman. He’s a human, and there is nothing supernatural about him. I didn’t get any information on her master. I checked her phone records, there was nothing. It can only mean that she was communicating with the man through mind paths. I checked the CCTVs though; she always seems to be heading somewhere on Fridays, around midnight. But the camera turned hazy at every moment when she bends a particular corner. It’s like she breaks the camera line. I left the pack to check out the area two days ago, but there was nothing there except more houses and bushes. There was no supernatural energy there. So, it can be said that she went to see someone-maybe a boyfriend or an addiction she wanted hidden. Annabel is another case entirely. No records on her, except that she is a citizen of the country. No house location, nothing. She is just there. I wonder why the authorities haven’t questioned her.” Yodah concluded, ignoring Maya’s jab at his waist, and Freya’s question.
‘Why didn’t you tell me that you were going to Florida? I would have loved to come along!’
Nathan nodded again. “That was to be expected to an extent. The both were taking special care not to be seen or found out. They didn’t want anyone to discover their special identity. About the place Amelia usually went to on Friday night, I would love to go there with you this night. Are you busy?”
Yodah shook his head. He can never be busy to go hunting with his Prince. It was an honor. Freya scoffed in his mind.
‘Are you ignoring me, Yodah?’
‘Not at all. You’re just distracting me, and I don’t want your mate glaring at me, like he is now.’
Freya looked at Aiden who was seated right across from her. Truly, he was glaring at Yodah. Freya huffed. The man never listens! She had said countless times that Yodah would never touch what belongs to another, but Aiden had replied every time that he couldn’t help it, until Yodah was mated with his lifemate. On this subject, Freya believed that the werewolves were better.
“Freya…”
Freya’s attention immediately zapped to her father, her thoughts about the incredulous possessiveness of her mate falling by the side.
“How’s your training going?”
Freya darted glances at Lucille and Claire before giving her father a reply. “Fine. Training with Margo has been excellent.”
Margo sighed, and held back a chuckle. However, Sheila couldn’t do the same. She barked out a laugh at the comical expression on her daughter’s face as the latter blatantly lied to the face of everyone.
Training had been excellent, quite alright, but not to her.
Nathan chuckled, seeing his daughter’s face scrunch the more. “It will get easier with time, my Princess, I promise.”
Freya nodded with a pout, sharply throwing a glare to Lucille and Claire when they released a chuckle. The both were seating on the sofa next to her. They shouldn’t be laughing either. They knew she was telling the truth. The witch was too strict with her teachings.
‘It’s for your own good, my dear. I think you will appreciate her further if you were to train with the rare humans. Theirs are more…strenuous. You should be grateful.’
Freya turned meditative at her mother’s words in her mind. That would mean Emma was in hot soup. She wanted to feel bad for her sister, but she ended up laughing.
“Freya, are you okay?” Aiden asked out aloud, having not heard Sheila’s voice in her head, seeing that it was through a private mindpath.
Freya nodded, chuckled some more, and then reclined deeply into the sofa, an enigma to the people around her except her mother who had a smile on her face all this while.
Nathan continued the meeting nevertheless. “Okay, we have made progress I see. Even Eva looks better…”
Eva blushed under the Prince’s praise to the amusement of Yodah and the people around.
“I reached out to my jaguar friends, and really some of their members are missing. But it started a week ago. So, it means that the vampires are already on the move-they must have had their tabs on the tribe for months before now. I told them of course to mount safeguards around, told them of the vampires and their possible plans. They have been set in motion as we speak…”
“How would you know that they haven’t been tainted with the vampires-I mean the ones you spoke with? Was it through the mind path?”
Nathan nodded. “I made a mind path centuries ago when there had been a pandemic amongst our kinds. We had teamed up to fight it then, and so to ensure a smooth flow of information, we had created a mind path-I, the Prince, and his subordinate. And I can sense a tainted person even through a mind path.”
Peter nodded, satisfied with the answer, and reclined into his seat.
“Also, my brother had reached out to me. Our hunters had discovered that the vampires were congregating in a cave, north from here. It’s quite far though, considering the coordinates. The hunters are waiting for a go ahead to attack. But I feel uneasy about it…”
“Then call it off. We all know how reliable your guts are. It is possible that it is a trap, that the vampires had allowed themselves to be seen.” Kane pointed out, just before Brandon burst into the room without knocking.
“They are back!” He shouted, falling to his knees, his face, a canvas of sorrow and panic.