Fated Forgiveness (Kindred of Arkadia Book 4)

by Alanea Alder

  "Eight-feet, six-feet…two-feet. Oh. Damn, it's just Sebastian." Rian sighed and dramatically flopped into the empty chair. Damian was shaking his head and joined them.

  Sebastian couldn't help but stare at Kate's face. He could almost see every thought racing across her features. Felix, Rian and Rebecca looked at each other and the silence grew.

  "That's what happens when tornado meets a volcano," Kate hummed.

  Caleb and Bran nodded.

  "Isn't that Eminem?" Liam asked. Sebastian couldn't help but agree. "Tornado, volcano and hurricane," Sebastian added, nodding at Felix.

  Caleb, Bran, Aleks and Liam stared at the three. Tension grew in the diner as Rebecca, Felix and Rian stared at each other.

  "What were you saying when you came in the door, Rian?" Kate asked, unable to take the silence.

  Rian looked over and held up his brand new phone, beaming.

  "It's a dating app," Rebecca said.

  "And how would you know that?" Aleks growled. She pointed to Rian.

  "It's an app to find gay shifters in your area. It lets you know how far away they are for a hook up," Sebastian added.

  "And why do you have that app?" Liam demanded. Sebastian pointed to Rian.

  "Do you have the app that shoots lube out of your phone for quickies?" Felix asked.

  Rian's head snapped around so fast, Sebastian winced. "There's an app for that?" Rian asked, wide eyed, staring at his phone in wonder.

  Felix broke out into a fit of giggles. Rebecca joined in. Rian groaned and rolled his eyes, but had to smile.

  "He is so going to fit in here." Rebecca chuckled.

  Felix looked around the table. "Do you guys know of a place where I can stay? I need a place to crash until I can find a job and get my stuff sent here. That is if my friends didn't throw it all away when I disappeared,"

  Sebastian looked at Liam with large, pleading eyes.

  "Of course he's welcome. He's your best friend." Liam leaned forward and kissed Sebastian's temple.

  "Thanks! You really are a good guy. You may deserve my Sebastian after all," Felix said.

  "Mine!" Liam rumbled and pulled Sebastian onto his lap. Sebastian rolled his eyes, and Rebecca laughed and pointed.

  "See! Now you know what I have to deal with. 'Mine, my mate!' Pound chest." Rebecca yelped when Aleks picked her up and sat her in his lap.

  "The only way I know you're not getting into trouble is to keep you on my lap," Aleks said, nipping at her ears playfully.

  Suddenly someone's phone went off, and the Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch" lyrics were filling the diner.

  Sebastian realized that everyone was staring at him and Rian was cracking up. "That's me?" He patted his pants down until he found his phone and pulled it out. It was Kent calling. "Not funny." He glared at Rian. "Hey sweetheart, miss us?" Sebastian asked.

  "Listen carefully. Lachlan and I are bringing a lawyer into town to meet with Liam. Lachlan thought it would be best if the meeting took place with Ma and Rebecca there. He's here to investigate how Liam is running the pride and current complaints sent in to the council about Rebecca as Alpha Mother. Depending on how we respond, he could take these complaints to the council to get Liam unseated as Alpha. You don't have a lot of time. Get Liam to bond with Rebecca. We'll be there in less than thirty minutes. Love you both." Then the line went dead. Everyone was staring at the phone. Aleks and Liam were growling loudly, their canines descended. Rebecca looked from person to person, being the only one who didn't hear the phone call.

  "What! What is it? Is everyone okay?" she yelled, struggling to get out of Aleks's lap.

  "Becca, baby, you need to calm down. Remember what the doctor said about staying calm," Aleks said in a steady voice, which belied his enraged state.

  "Fuck calm! What in the hell is going on?"

  "It sounds like the council has agreed to let a representative come to Arkadia to investigate how things are being run and if they are in the best interests of the town," Ma said in a tight voice.

  "Call Gabriel, he should be here, too," Pa said, hopping off his normal barstool and taking a seat next to his son. Ma sat in a chair behind Liam, both older Arkadions showing their solidarity by supporting Liam and Rebecca.

  "But we haven't done anything wrong!" Rebecca looked around, confused.

  "I don't think that is really why they are here. I think they are here because of Lachlan's announcement naming Liam as heir. There are still a lot of conservative animal group leaders that do not support Liam's Law, which not only makes it easier for gay men and women to get to safety, but it also helps abused wives, mates and children escape their abusers." Ma said.

  "Aleks, take her gun," Connor said, as he took a seat strategically by the door.

  "Becca, hand it over," Aleks said, holding out his hand. She shook her head and pulled her purse to her chest.

  "I need it!"

  "Not in a room full of shifters. Now, please. You should be focusing on creating a bond with Liam," Aleks said through clenched teeth.

  Sighing, she handed him her purse, and he handed it off to Emmett, who put it behind the counter. Emmett walked between the tables and took a seat next to Connor by the door.

  Sebastian caught Felix looking at him, and knew what he was probably thinking.

  "I thought Arkadia would be safe."

  "This is our home now. We have to keep it safe," Sebastian said out loud. Felix nodded, and Ma smiled at Sebastian.

  "You're starting to sound like an Arkadian now, Sebastian," she said.

  "What in the ham sandwich is going on now?" Ashby cried as he barreled through the door.

  "Mon ange, what have I told you about letting our security detail enter a building first?" Gabriel said, walking quickly behind him.

  "Then they better keep up!" Ashby said, and immediately went to Rebecca, who looked close to tears.

  "We didn't do anything wrong," she whispered. Ashby nodded.

  "I'm here, too." Nic pushed past Gabriel and Baptista to get to Rebecca and Ashby. Kate changed her seat, allowing the four of them to sit as close together as possible.

  "Look, I'm new here and everything, but just point me in the direction of the bad guy," Felix said, flexing his small but lean arms.

  "Thanks squirt, but us bigger guys have this covered." Emmett winked at Felix.

  "I knew you lurved me," Felix teased, garnering a weak smile from Rebecca.

  "Rebecca, Kent said we didn't have a lot of time. We need to establish a bond. If my grandfather suggested it then the pride is in danger," Liam said, standing.

  Rebecca nodded but continued to frown. Sebastian looked at the shifters she had next to her and in an epiphany. He knew that the bonding with Liam would never work. He pulled Liam's hand until Liam sat down again abruptly.

  "It won't work with you," Sebastian said.

  "Why not? I love Rebecca," Liam announced and blushed. Rebecca smiled and Aleks glared at Liam.

  "I love you too, but I think he's right. You're too dominant. Even as laid back as you are, I think you are Alpha enough to subconsciously try to take over the bond," Rebecca said. "That and I don't have the fuzzy feeling thinking about bonding with you," she said, rubbing her chest.

  "The lions need a tie to the Alpha Mother," Liam said, frustrated.

  "Guys, no pressure, but we have about five minutes," Connor said, watching the door.

  "The wolves have a tie to Rebecca, but not through Bran." Sebastian said, looking at Rebecca. She smiled widely and nodded.

  "I have that fuzzy feeling now. Come here, Sebastian." She opened her arms wide, giving him the warm smile that he had seen nearly everyday for the past couple months.

  Sebastian was unable to stop the change as he shifted from man to cat. It was as natural as breathing. He looked up and saw Liam looking down at him with love in his eyes. He butted his head against Liam's side and rubbed his face against his mate, marking his territory. Satisfied that his mate had his mark and carried his scent, h
e jumped up on the table and into Rebecca's waiting arms. She sighed heavily and buried her face in his fur.

  "I've missed you so much, Sebastian." She squeezed him close, just like she used to do when she was stressed and he was living with her as a cat.

  "Sebastian can bond with Rebecca as Liam's mate. It should be easy since they're so close," Nic said, reaching forward to pet Sebastian.

  Sebastian soaked up every scrap of attention. He had to be honest with himself, he did miss this. Being a cat made people drop their guards. He got to see their real personalities and worries as he eased their spirits with his soft fur and purring. Looking up at Rebecca, he tilted his head, exposing his furry neck. She leaned forward and she touched her lips to the downy fur right below his ear, her favorite place to pet him.

  They both sighed as a warm cascade of love seemed to envelop them. First it was Rebecca, then Ashby, followed by Nic and finally Kate.

  The circle seemed to expand past them, and through Rebecca they felt the bears. Strong, indomitable pillars that guarded every shifter in Arkadia.

  Through Ashby, they felt the dark, terrible and beautiful power of the vampires, patient and waiting as time marched around them.

  Through Nic they felt the solitary shifters as they reached towards the warmth promised by Arkadia, their souls searching for a place to call home.

  Through Kate they felt the thrill of the hunt from the wolves, true to their animals. They were the sentries of the night who patrolled the woods keeping their borders safe.

  And through him and his mating bond with Liam, they felt the lions, noble and bold. Their simple joys and bone-deep devotion to their Alpha. An unwavering steadfast loyalty as consistent as the sun.

  The circle searched on and found prisms of colors dancing in the dark, scattered, lost. They were desperately trying to find a way to safety. It was the other hybrids searching for Arkadia. Together, the five of them became Arkadia.

  When the waves of power receded, Sebastian was in human form. He, Rebecca, Ashby, Nic and Kate were huddled together on the floor beside the table where they had been sitting.

  Rebecca sat up and yawned opening her mouth wide. "That was freaking awesome," she said, looking around the room.

  Everyone was smiling down at the group, which in the shifter world should have represented the small, weak, beaten and abused.

  But here in Arkadia they were the ones holding everyone together.

  "Come on, Becca, up you go," Aleks said, picking up his mate.

  "Kate," Caleb said as he and Bran each offered a hand to help her get up.

  "You keep doing things that threaten to stop this old heart, mon ange," Gabriel said as he and Baptista helped Ashby and Nic off the floor. Nic blushed up at the large protector.

  "Come here, kitten," Liam said. When Sebastian looked up, Liam was holding out his clothes. He quickly put them on and launched himself into Liam's arms. "It was the most amazing feeling. Not as sacred as a mating bond, but close."

  Liam sat down, pulling Sebastian in his lap. Sebastian snuggled close and began to purr happily.

  "Well isn't this a picture of domesticity. Or it would be if the lion Alpha were holding a woman," a snarky voice said from behind them.

  After the floating sense of warmth, acceptance and love they had all just experienced, this man felt like a cold intrusion.

  "We don't discriminate against anyone here in Arkadia," Ma said from her chair next to Aleks and Rebecca, arms crossed over her chest.

  "According to our records, you, Margaret Arkadion, are no longer Alpha Mother. I don't have anything to say to the diner's owner. I was told that the lions fall under the Alpha Mother's jurisdiction now." The man looked down his nose at her. Behind him Connor and Emmett stood growling.

  "Boys, please," Ma said, shaking her head.

  "Hmm, it may be worse than I was led to imagine. The brutes here are barely civilized." The man took a step forward and looked around the diner, distaste clearly written on his face. "Elder, did we really have to meet in such a plebeian establishment? I mean, do they even clean here?" he asked, wiping a fingertip across a table, shuddering.

  "I assure you, Mr. Salsiby that this diner provides only the best," Lachlan said. Walking forward, he kissed Ma on either cheek before taking a seat on the barstool at the counter.

  Kent stepped quickly in the man's wake and made his way to his mates. He sat down and laid his arm across the back of Liam's chair. Wiggling, Rebecca made Aleks put her down. She walked over to Mr. Salsiby.

  "I'm Rebecca Arkadion, the Alpha Mother here. Welcome to Arkadia. Elder Lewenhart is correct. Ma serves some of the best food I have ever had. Would you like to sit down and see a menu?" She asked brightly.

  The man eyed her as if she were a bug on the sidewalk. Sebastian felt the hair on the back of his neck start to rise. He suppressed the hiss that was fighting to come out.

  "You are the human trying to lead a shifter community. How quaint. I have reports that you are mentally unbalanced and prone to fits of violence," the man said, taking the nearest empty seat.

  He opened his briefcase and pulled out a folder. Crossing his legs, he read from the profile as if he were chastising a small child in the principal's office.

  "It also says that you have taken it upon yourself to invite our greatest enemy into Arkadia, making it unsafe for the entire town." He looked up at her over the rim of his glasses. Sebastian held his breath as everyone waited to see what Rebecca would do.

  "It is true I am a human and it is true I am leading this shifter community. I have never been diagnosed by anyone to be mentally unbalanced, in fact I have scored off the charts on every IQ test I have ever been given. I am only prone to violence when those who I care about are being threatened, as I am entitled to, according to shifter law.

  As for inviting vampires into town, that is also true, I did invite them to live in Arkadia. However, the statement you made alluding to the fact that they are our greatest enemy is false. The vampires that live within Arkadian borders help to protect every citizen in this town." Rebecca took a step forward so that even her small frame seemed to stand over him as he stayed seated, turning the tables on the thin, acerbic-looking man.

  Gabriel scowled and gave the sour man a frosty look. "Vampires have longed to live in peace alongside shifters. The actions of a few do not dictate the actions of the whole." Gabriel spoke and the entire room felt ten degrees cooler.

  Sebastian could now see why Gabriel had the reputation for being the coldest man of his race. Right now he looked like he was capable of destroying entire civilizations. The pencil-pushing lawyer posed as much threat as an ant at his feet, oblivious that the being above it could easily decide its fate.

  The man looked over at Gabriel, shivered, and resumed his unblinking stare at Rebecca before pulling out another folder.

  "I also have reports stating that Liam Lewenhart has been seen conducting himself in lewd and immoral ways. That I can clearly see to be true," he said, pointing to where Liam sat with Kent and Sebastian.

  Liam began a low growl that persisted in the catlike way of a purr.

  Rebecca began to laugh, the tinkling sound filling the diner. "That statement is completely left to biased conjecture. There is no way to quantify a person's morality based on personal bigotry and opinion," Rebecca said, crossing her arms.

  The man's left eye began to twitch. "Do you deny that he is gay?" he asked.

  Rebecca shook her head. "Liam is happily mated to two men. That makes him very homosexual."

  "Then you yourself admit that he is immoral." He waved his hand as if to say "there you go."

  "I do not believe that it is immoral to love someone of the same sex. Furthermore, based on shifter law, Fate, and Fate alone, dictates who our mates are. To turn your back on your mate is the worst crime to all shifters. Your entire premise that immorality is tied into our sexual preferences is illogical and in no way admissible in shifter court. Therefore no complaint can be made again
st Liam Lewenhart based solely only on his preference for men," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

  "Would you trust your male child in his care?" the man asked.

  Sebastian felt his anger spike and knew that he was feeling his emotions and his mates'. Peripherally, he saw Kate's eyes darken and Ashby's lips form a thin line.

  "Are you going on record of accusing Liam Lewenhart of misconduct towards a child?" Rebecca asked, her voice turning as cold as ice.

  "No, simply asking for a personal opinion," Salsiby said.

  "I would not only trust any child of mine to his care, I plan on doing so," Rebecca said, pointing to her small belly.

  "I would like to say, for the record, that we trust Liam to watch our boys. When hyenas attacked, Liam guarded them with his life. They love their Uncle Liam," Bran said, standing.

  "Ah yes, the orgy mating. I hadn't quite gotten that far yet," he said, opening a new folder.

  Kate's eyes bugged out and Caleb reached around to clap a hand over her mouth.

  "Once again, Mr. Salsiby, Fate, and Fate alone, dictates who we mate. Kate could no more turn her back on Caleb than she could Bran. Citing the first shifter law, that mates come first, she had no choice but to accept the gifts Fate has given her," Rebecca said, her right fist clenching and unclenching.

  Sebastian turned his head to see that Aleks was watching the entire thing his lips pulled back, revealing his canines.

  "Honestly, if you don't have more substantial issues, I'm going to have to ask you to excuse me, because frankly you're wasting my time," she said, tapping her foot.

  Salsiby slapped the folder on the table and stood quickly. Rebecca stepped back and missed her footing only to fall against Pa. The large, older man had moved so quickly Sebastian hadn't seen him leave his chair. Pa stood as quiet and immobile as a mountain behind Rebecca. Salsiby gulped visibly. Sebastian wished he could see whatever look Pa was giving him, it had to be priceless.