"I could tell you about a million things that I'd rather do," he bit out. His lip curled at the end, somehow not detracting from his beauty in the slightest.
I wouldn't give into his ploy to anger me and set distance between us once again. That's what he wanted.
Shrugging indifferently, I forced a smile to my face as I said, "Okay, maybe next time.” He scowled in response and turned back to continue reading whatever was in front of him.
Slowly, the elders trickled into the room, finding chairs to sit in and forming a semi-circle around where I stood, ending the awkward silence that had filled the room. Milo's mouth gaped open like a fish at my kind gesture towards Jameson, while Seth looked at me like I hung the stars in the sky.
Staring out at the elders, I took note of how some appeared apprehensive of this situation. It surprised me to see a few kind faces in the crowd. The alpha rose from his seat, offering it to the last elder who walked into the room with her worn wooden cane. I hated seeing him do nice things—it detracted from the villainous person he was in my mind.
A woman in one of the first rows stood, her grey hair hanging to her hips in soft waves and the wrinkled skin around her eyes and lips betraying how often she smiled. Instantly, her energy put me at ease, and I found myself relaxing, letting the anxiety leave my rigid stance.
She spoke with an air of confidence and gestured towards me, "We are all here now. Please child, tell us what you have learned."
Chills spread over me at this daunting task. I didn't have a way to show them my powers, or to even shift right now, and none of them had witnessed my fight at the training yard since the alpha hadn't required the elders to come to many of the gatherings.
How was I going to convince them that there was anything special about me and that death was coming for the wolves?
Chapter Eighteen
Kira
Silence ensued as the woman sat back down in her chair, giving me the floor to plead my case. No pressure or anything, just the weight of the shifters' entire existence as we knew it.
Gripping my hands in front of me, I surveyed the room while trying to figure out the best way to tell them my story. It really sounded like a made-up fantasy tale, and I needed to find a way to get them to open their minds to the idea first.
Maybe I'd work my way backwards.
Nerves racked my body as I struggled with the importance of their backing. The elders needed to accept me as Prophetess in order for the pack to accept me as anything other than the “human” I’d always been to them. We needed to come together as one cohesive unit in order to face what was coming.
"Anytime today, Kira," the alpha snarked from his corner in the back of the room, making me roll my eyes.
I saw a few elders roll their eyes as well, which made me smile and want to fist pump the air in excitement at our mutual annoyance. This was good, it meant their allegiance to him wasn't blind, and they saw his flaws.
"Thank you for your gentle encouragement, Alpha. I truly appreciate your support," I cheekily responded with mock politeness.
I moved my eyes across the crowd as I spoke, not quite sure where to focus, "I'm going to start this from the beginning, so bear with me. Have you all heard of the Dark Prophecy?"
A raspy voice piped up from the back, "Yes, of course. It is in the Cognitionis, meaning ‘knowledge’ if you are unfamiliar with Latin. The council has provided a copy of the Cognitionis to each pack since the creation of the council."
"Not like it's good for anything other than collecting dust," someone in the crowd mused, eliciting a few chuckles from the rest.
Once more, the kind woman who had called the meeting to order spoke, "Have you all forgotten the Shadow War that almost wiped us to extinction six hundred years ago? It was prophesied in the Cognitionis, which was the only reason our ancestors weren't defeated," she ended with a deep sigh, shaking her head at the naysayers in the room.
Damn, that was not knowledge that I had been privy to, and it made me realize that I needed to read through the history of the wolf shifters to catch up on what most were taught from birth.
My face must have shown my clear shock and confusion because she thankfully continued to explain. "During the Shadow War, creatures spawned from the depths of Hell were let loose on the world. It took hundreds of years to repopulate the packs, and still today we have not rebuilt our numbers."
I'd say the Daimona looked like creatures from Hell. Could they be related?
Enraptured by this story, I forgot my own prophecy briefly and asked, "How were they defeated?"
The older man next to her grabbed her hand and answered with a grim look, "A blade forged in the pits of a volcano that was rumored to be filled with a brilliant blue lava. It possessed powers that the world had never seen before when wielded by one man known as the Quis Fortis, or brave one in English."
"We have no idea if that is actually true, Nicholas," the same person who had called it a dust collector earlier rebutted.
Deciding it was time to intervene, I held my hand up, "I'm sorry, I've let this get off track because of my curiosity. Thank you..." I trailed off as I gestured towards the kind woman, wanting to know her name.
Her smile lines creased as she answered, "Seneca."
Nodding my thanks, I moved on. "Can someone read aloud from the Cognitionis? Specifically the Dark Prophecy."
A grunt came from Jameson as he slid the black leather book towards him on the table and rifled through its hundreds of pages.
Clearing his throat, he started with a disclaimer, "My Latin is a little rusty, so bear with me."
He knew Latin? Of course he did. Boy Wonder was good at everything—except being a kind person.
“Dark days await the wolves.
He has long awaited his return to the surface, simmering in unequivocal fury at his previous failure.
This time he will not retreat. He will unleash Hell on earth.
A white wolf with orbs of blue fire will have the answers within her to defeat him.
She will bear the mark of the crescent moon, signaling her divine connection as the Prophetess.
The arrival of the Prophetess will bring both hope and destruction for the wolves of the world.
She alone will be able to save them—or damn them.
Devastation will ensue if she fails."
Well, anyone who had seen me in the training yard wouldn't be able to deny that this absolutely described me. Although, I had never seen a crescent moon on myself.
"Thank you," I called out, which he ignored in typical Jameson fashion.
Focusing back on the crowd, I continued, "We all know that I was raised thinking I was just a human and there was nothing special about me. However, last night during the full moon, I found out that not only am I a shifter, but I am also Selene's chosen prophetess, and with that comes special abilities."
An uproar followed, with some people calling out questions and others calling me an outright liar, but it was as if I could suddenly smell their fear in the air. It made sense to want to deny the truth if it was associated with something that legitimately threatened your life.
Straining to catch some of their words coherently, I heard, “It’s said we’ll be enslaved or die if that prophecy happens.”
Selene hadn’t told me enslavement was an option, only death. Perhaps they were synonymous.
“Impossible! I refuse to believe that our entire species could fall to any creatures. No matter what realm they are from.”
Groaning, I looked to my mates for support. As Milo and Seth stepped to my side to do just that, the alpha called out with authority, "Silence."
Gesturing towards me, he begrudgingly stated, "Continue."
Why was he assisting me when he’d just stated we were all doomed if I was in fact the prophetess?
A conundrum to work through later with my mates.
"I found this out because when the shift hit me, I was pulled into what I would call a dreamscape with Selene." I p
aused, expecting another outburst, but they listened in silence, so I continued. "At the time, I still thought myself a human—until she explained my destiny and role in this prophecy. She has entrusted me to expose the darkness and rally the wolves to victory."
Still, the elders sat with their mouths shut, so I made my intentions clear in closing, "I'm asking you to believe in me and to lend me help should I need it. All of our lives are at stake, which I think the prophecy makes pretty clear."
Milo and Seth both grabbed my hands, squeezing them in silent support. Seneca stood, nodding to herself as she turned to face the rest of the elders. "So, do we acknowledge Kira as our prophetess and the savior of the shifters? Shall we keep things simple and put it to a vote?"
Nerves settled into the pit of my stomach, and I prayed to Selene to help me open the eyes of the elders to the truth of my words.
"Show us your powers, and you will have my support."
The frail looking woman who spoke sat in the back, nearest the alpha, and I noted the smug expression on her face. She wanted me to fail. Why? What had I done besides exist in silence during my time with the pack?
"For some reason, I..." I paused, trying to find the right words. "My powers are depleted right now, and my wolf is recovering."
Vague but to the point, without admitting the full extent of the precarious situation.
The woman huffed, "You expect us to believe that you have a connection to our goddess and will lead us to defeat the sleeping enemy when you have reached the point of exhaustion after only one morning of using your powers?" The incredulous look on her face was mirrored on a few others in the crowd as they nodded in agreement with her words.
Stepping forward from his corner, the alpha commanded the room once more. "I saw her display powers that I'm unable to explain; however, I have not seen the crescent mark on her mentioned in the prophecy."
Milo butted in, "I saw it on her wolf last night during her first shift! It glowed a bright blue."
"As did I," Seth added.
I glanced at Jameson who agreed begrudgingly, "The mark was on display last night."
An 'I told you so' look crossed over Seneca's face, and it lightened my mood immensely to see someone believe in me. I swore she seemed seconds away from sticking her tongue out at the disgruntled disbelievers.
"Is that enough proof for you, Holly?" she asked the woman who had requested to see my powers.
"No," was her singular response as she turned her nose up at me.
Before I could ask her why the hell she was so adamantly against me, a younger girl yanked open the door, her brown locks flying around her as she breathed heavily. "Alpha...A pack of Daimona were spotted by scouts. They're awaiting...your command."
Alarm flashed on everyone's faces. No one had spotted a pack of Daimona since Maya's death. Ever since that day, scouts had only seen them hunting alone.
"Thank you, Adrienne. Go back to your father and tell him I will be there in a moment and not to engage yet."
Turning towards us, he commanded, "Jameson, with me. This meeting is adjourned for now. We will reconvene tomorrow, and maybe Kira will be rested enough then to put her powers on display for you."
With that, he rushed out of the room, with Jameson standing swiftly to follow. I couldn't help the words that tumbled from my mouth at the thought of him hunting Daimona, "Be careful, Jameson."
Milo released my hand, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was because of my determination to not give up on my bond with Jameson. He had accepted Seth with ease but didn't seem to extend that easygoing attitude to my other mate.
I'd have to chat with him about this in private later.
To no one’s surprise, Jameson ignored me, walking out the door without even a parting glance my way. Seneca approached me, reaching for my free hand. Seth stepped back to give us privacy.
Her soft eyes looked up at me as she enveloped my hand with both of hers. "May I suggest meditation to bring balance to your soul?"
My head jerked back in surprise, wondering how she knew something more than simple exhaustion was at play. "How did you..." I trailed off.
Patting the top of my hand, she clucked her tongue, "Some of us are more in tune with the energy of the world than others."
That's not cryptic or anything.
Nicholas walked up, gripping her elbow lightly to pull her with him as everyone began leaving. A look of pure love passed between them, and my heart swelled at the thought that it was possible to spend the majority of your life with someone and not end up hating them. They had to be fated mates. Only explanation.
Turning to my own mates, my serotonin boost took a nosedive when I saw the annoyed expression still on Milo's face. I guess that conversation with him needed to happen sooner, rather than later.
If he wanted to pout like a toddler, I'd let him for now. I gave my full attention to my more level-headed mate, my stomach letting out a grumble as I asked, "Can we go get food and then work on finding my wolf?"
He brought the tip of his finger to my nose, "What's the magic word?"
I tried to keep a straight face but couldn't as I guessed, "Boop?"
"Bingo," he answered, tapping my nose then tucking me under his arm and steering me out of the room.
"Oh, so am I just not invited?" Milo called to our backs, making me chuckle.
"Stop being dramatic. Maybe you need food as well. Are you hungry?"
I swear I heard him mumble, "Hungry for some pussy."
Choking on my own saliva at his crass words, I thumped on my chest with a closed fist.
Insatiable men. They’d get me through the dark times coming.
Chapter Nineteen
Milo
A brisk chill settled back into the air as the sun began its descent in the sky, done with its job for the day. The trees were beginning to lose their color and fullness with winter fast approaching. Walking towards the dining hall with Kira and Seth, I allowed my anger over Jameson to keep me warm, stewing in silence.
I couldn’t help but wonder why the fuck she bothered being nice to that asshole after everything he'd done.
He didn't deserve her time, effort, or energy, let alone her compassion.
Lost in my thoughts, I followed them through the doors of the dining hall, where we were met with a disturbing silence and all eyes on us. Kira managed to keep her head tilted up, as if their judgmental gazes didn't phase her in the slightest. Maybe she really didn't give a shit what they thought now, since they had made their opinions of her so clear her entire life.
My eyes fixated on her ass swishing underneath the long shirt she wore, and I bit back the groan that threatened to erupt from me at the tantalizing sight. My wolf had been insatiable since finally claiming her last night, which was the opposite of what I’d thought would happen.
We were told that after mating our wolves would settle down in contentment. However, after Kira and I had sex, it had seemed like a well of endless need bubbled up within me. Trying to explain to my wolf that she was most likely sore and needed time to adjust wasn't going over well.
Need mate.
Yes, I understand. I want her walls clenched around my cock as well, bud.
I swear he growled at my sarcastic tone.
Passing through the doors into the kitchen, Kira fell into her routine of preparing food, as Seth stood off to the side awkwardly. When we had walked through the main room, I had taken note of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snacks on the majority of tables instead of regular meals. Things were changing around here, and it was a glorious sight to behold. No longer would Kira cater to every whim of these pretentious assholes.
They'd learn how to cook for and feed themselves eventually.
"Kira, let me help. You don't need to take care of us like this anymore."
Seth's words reminded me once again why I had been so willing to accept sharing my mate with him.
He might not have bullied Kira actively, but he'd stood by before and let it
happen. That was a mark against him in my book. But he’d treated her like a queen since the bond had snapped into place, and I thought that maybe that earned him another chance to prove his character.
Kira laughed nervously, "It's so easy to fall back into my old habits. Honestly, I don't think I'd know what to do with myself if I didn't do this right now."
Despair flashed in her eyes, and I understood her need to occupy her mind with a familiar task instead of thinking about her wolf or the rest of the weight on her shoulders. An idea popped into my head of how we could help in that moment.
Tilting my head at Seth, I motioned for him to follow me back into the dining hall.
"We'll be right back, Kira," I called as we passed through the doors.
As expected, all heads swiveled towards us, and I crossed my arms over my chest, staring them down menacingly. Seth easily picked up on what I had in mind, mimicking my pose and calling out, "Listen up. From here on out, feed yourselves and do your own damn chores. Kira is not beneath any of us, and we won't tolerate anyone treating her that way."
Adding onto it, I announced, "When she walks through these doors, keep your eyes on your fucking plates or on the person across from you. She isn't some science experiment for you to ogle or gape at."
A busty brunette with tanned skin slid out of her chair and sidled up to Seth, dramatically swinging her hips in the process. A fake pout pulled down her lips as she fluttered her lashes at him, which I thought she meant to appear demure, but honestly, she just looked constipated.
Her finger snaked out to touch his forearm, but before she could make contact, Seth's hand flew out to grab her finger and twist it. The snap of her bone echoed through the room just before she howled in pain, snatching back her hand to cradle it to her chest.
Dark eyes glittered dangerously back at us now, her expression changing to reflect her true attitude. "You'll regret that, Seth."
Outcast: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Pack Prophecy Book 1) Page 12
