Chapter 5 — Rhiannon
“What were you thinking?” Xander’s words aren’t really angry. They’re tinged with a kind of disappointment that’s somehow even worse.
I’m thankful he didn’t drag the entire Pack Council in here because this may possibly be the second most humiliating moment of my life.
At Thea’s insistence, Ethan was given a guest room instead of being taken back to the dungeon, but the matter of his being here is far from closed.
Regardless of what Thea thinks or feels about him, humans are forbidden in Clarion.
A fragile equilibrium exists between our realm and the Outer Lands, one that depends entirely on humans remaining ignorant of Clarion’s existence.
If they were to ever discover us — what they call “supernatural beings” in their world — the delicate peace we have worked so hard to protect would fall apart, and no one would be able to put it back the way it was.
I glance around the stone-walled Council Chambers.
The scent of charred wood from the crackling fireplace mingles with the distinct wolf musk that clings to every Lycan present.
Akila, Branson, Conan, Lady Gemma, Thea, and I sit around the heavy oak table with Xander seated at the head.
I wonder what they all must be thinking of their fearless Commander.
Ultimately, this mess comes from my decision. Branson and Akila were just following orders, and I wonder if that has made them doubt my sanity.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” I say. “The human already saw us, and protocol states that we were supposed to kill him. But Branson found that photo of him with Luna Thea. . .”
“It was my suggestion that we keep him alive, My Lord,” Branson speaks up, “in case he was sentimental to our Luna.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Thea says.
“Still, he shouldn’t have been brought here,” Xander says. “Humans cannot be in Clarion. That is a firm law. If the Alpha King discovers this . . .” He pauses, leaning back in his chair, his eyes studying the air as if trying to find a hidden solution in it. “This could not be worse timing.”
“But Ethan’s here now,” Thea says. “If you couldn’t send him back before, you certainly can’t now. Surely the Alpha King realizes that. What could the Alpha King possibly want us to do?”
“He can order us to put him to death,” Akila says. “That’s the law.”
Thea sits up and looks to Xander. “Oh. . . oh, no. Xander, you can’t kill him.”
“I don’t want to kill him, but if the Alpha King gives the order. . .” When he doesn’t say any more, her eyes widen, urging him to speak. He sighs and adds, “Thea, I don’t know that I have any other option.”
“Luna,” I say, “when we found him at your apartment, he told us that there were people looking for you. Now that he’s gone, there will be people looking for him as well. If we let him return, they’ll want to know where he’s been.”
“He’d never tell anyone.”
“We can’t trust that,” Xander says softly to Thea. “There’s a reason these laws exist. They come from centuries of betrayal by humans. We simply can’t risk it.”
“But you brought me here.”
“That was different. The seers already knew that you weren’t human.”
Her bottom lip starts to quiver with frustration. “Then I understand your position,” she says. “He can’t go back. He has to stay here. With us. With me.”
“Thea—” Xander starts.
“He’s my best friend, Xander. He’s the only person in that entire town who ever treated me like I wasn’t some poor, idiotic girl. His life is invaluable to me.”
Even I’ve got to hand it to her, I think. That girl has more fire in her than anyone I’ve ever met.
“My love,” Xander says, “The law says that he can’t know about us and live.”
“Well, that’s a stupid law,” she says, her voice cracking. “You’re the Alpha here. Can’t you change it? At least here in Kortan?”
Xander shakes his head. “I can’t change a law that applies to all of Clarion.”
There it is. The real problem. There are very few laws that are as black and white as this one.
Thea’s face crumples, tears threatening to spill any second. Xander scrambles for a solution before the waterworks start flowing.
“Okay.” He pats her hand. “Maybe the Alpha King will let him stay if we can justify it. But what will he do here? What can he do? He needs a role in our pack.”
Thea’s crystal blue eyes bounce around slightly as she searches her mind for a solution. “He— he can be my personal guard.”
Thoughts of Ethan waving his puny little knife around flash through my mind. I seriously doubt he’s capable of such a task.
Conan voices what’s on all our minds, barely holding in a laugh. “No offense, but that’s a terrible plan. He’s no fighter. I’m pretty sure you’d end up protecting him instead.”
“Can he cook?” I ask.
“I don’t think so,” Thea says. “He always took food home from the diner.” She thinks for a moment. “How about my personal assistant? No fighting or cooking involved. I’m a very pregnant, very needy wolf right now. I could use someone to run errands for me.”
“You have that already, Luna,” Akila chimes in. “Servants and anyone else who crosses your path grant any request you might have. And you have me. Are we not close enough for me to fulfill that need?”
She sighs and looks at Akila. The two of them have become fast friends during her time with us. I imagine Akila might feel a little left out of this conversation.
“Of course I have you, and you do more than enough,” Thea says, “but your true duty is to serve as part of the guard, not babysit your Luna. Ethan could help me when you’re busy.”
“I’m sorry, Thea,” Xander says gently. “I doubt the Alpha King will think that being a Luna’s personal assistant is a good enough reason to keep a human in Clarion.”
Thea lets out a disheartened and frustrated sigh. “There’s got to be something we can do.”
After a few moments of pensive silence, Conan offers his thoughts. “I’ll say, it is pretty interesting that he was able to get out of the cell without a key. You know, it’s possible that he’s not human at all. He could have used magic. Maybe he’s like you, Luna. Maybe he’s not what he appears.”
“He doesn’t smell like anything other than human.” Akila wrinkles her nose.
“Then how did he get out of the cell if he didn’t use magic?” Conan glances around the room for an answer. “If he’s human, he certainly doesn’t have the strength to bend iron bars. So, if not magic, how?”
“He probably picked the lock.” Thea shrugs. “You can pick locks in the human world, so why couldn’t he do it here? He’s insanely smart.”
“What do you mean by ‘insanely smart’?” Xander tilts his head.
“At the diner, he’d pretend to write orders but just doodle instead. He remembered everything customers said without writing it down.”
“So he’s got a good memory?” Akila asks.
“Photographic. Once Ethan sees or hears something, it’s locked in his mind forever.”
“Interesting.” Xander’s gaze moves around the table.
“Plus, he’s incredibly perceptive. Reads body language better than anyone I’ve known, like the stuff you see in movies. I used to call him a human lie detector. You simply can’t hide things from him.”
That tracks. He picked out my name and Akila’s just from our conversation in the apartment, under duress no less. He also managed to completely flip my interrogation and extract information out of me.
“A human lie detector,” Xander repeats thoughtfully.
“You know, someone with that kind of perception would be valuable in the upcoming summit. It would be nice to know if I’m being lied to or not.
He could tell us if the Shaman are making promises in good faith and if they’re genuine in their desire for peace.
That may be enough to convince the Alpha King to allow Ethan to stay, at least for the summit. ”
Lady Gemma, who has been sitting silently throughout the discussion, clears her throat. The sound echoes slightly against the vaulted ceiling. As an elder and Xander’s mother, she is the most respected person in Kortan after the Alpha and Luna.
She leans forward, gracefully brushing back her neatly combed waist-length blonde hair that shimmers with threads of silver.
Her light blue eyes fall on her son. “I will send a letter to the Alpha King on the matter. I am his aunt, after all. If anyone can convince him of the importance of this human’s life, it’s me. ”
Xander nods slowly. He’ll side with any plan that pleases his Luna. I know that already. Right or wrong, he’d move mountains for Thea.
I’m not sure about this Ethan roaming around freely, though. He makes me uneasy in a lot of ways.
“It’s settled then,” Xander says. “You will send the letter out tonight, Mother?”
“Of course,” Lady Gemma says.
Xander turns to Thea. “In the meantime, gather some of our history texts for him, both Lycan and Shaman. If a human is going to sit in on the summit, he needs to understand the cultures at play. Will you do that, my love?”
“Yes, of course.” Thea’s face lights up. “I’m already thinking of titles.”
Xander looks at me. “We should still train the human for combat. If he’s going to be by my Luna’s side in any capacity, he must know how to defend her.”
I fight to hide my disapproval. “If I can object, My Lord, Ethan is still a human. He doesn’t have the strength or the endurance of a Lycan. He’s not built to train the way we do.”
“She’s not wrong,” Conan says. “I’m pretty sure we’d break him.”
“Then exert some restraint,” Xander says with a touch of annoyance in his voice. “Train him as you would a one-legged whelp and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
And with that, the matter is settled, for now. Xander dismisses us with a wave of a hand. My head is spinning. How in the world am I going to come up with a training regimen for a human?
“Rhiannon, hold on a second.”
I stop at the door and turn to Xander just in time to see him kiss Thea on the forehead, bidding her goodbye. She leaves, and we’re alone in the Council Chambers.
“About our talk earlier.” He takes a beat, gathering his thoughts. “I realize that everything that’s happened between us hasn’t exactly been fair to you. You didn’t ask for our relationship to end. Neither one of us expected it. I hope you know that if things were different—”
“But they aren’t,” I say. “And there’s no point ruminating on it. We can’t change what must be. We have to accept it, and I do.”
I’m done with this. I can’t go over this anymore with him, but I don’t think he heard the irritation in my tone because all he does is nod.
Then, to my surprise, he smiles a little, his charm spilling out.
“You said something like that to me once, a year ago. I believed you then. Can I believe you now?”
Oh, Xander. This moment almost feels like old times. “I am happy for you, Xander. Truly.”
Without another word, I leave. The salty burn behind my eyes threatens to give me away, but I force it back and head down the cold stone hallway.
My boots echo against the flagstones as I push through the thick wooden doors.
The sudden rush of crisp mountain air hits my face, carrying the scent of wildflowers and distant pine forests as I step outside.
There’s no time to cry. Only time to prepare. And there is much to prepare for.