Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Sienna was transported once again to the woods. She wasn’t as scared this time. It was predestined. She had a job to do. It didn’t matter that she didn’t understand her role yet. All she could do was follow her instinct.
Glancing around, she waited for the bear, not the least bit surprised when Surge came bounding up to her. He didn’t have the same intensity as he’d had before. The urgency for her to consummate her union and then shift no longer existed.
She’d done everything necessary to prepare for this moment. Now she just needed to comprehend what Surge wanted from her.
He turned and lifted one of his paws, pointing toward a mountain cap in the distance.
Sienna frowned. Did he want her to go there? That wasn’t possible. It was too far away. It would take her days if it were even doable. She frowned at him.
He grew impatient, nudging her with one of his paws before pointing again.
Suddenly a loud roar shook their foundation. It came from the direction Surge indicated. It wasn’t as jarring as the first several times Sienna had experienced the all-consuming sound that made her want to cover her ears. She didn’t feel the same degree of fear.
Surge dropped onto his paws and then held the front ones up one at a time, shaking them toward her. He wanted her to shift. He pointed once again and then circled behind to nudge her as gently as a giant bear shifter could.
Her heart raced. She couldn’t do his bidding.
Not now. She was glued to this spot. This wasn’t real.
She had to get out of this vision and find a way to make it real.
She didn’t even know where she was. She only knew that she would need to escape the house without her Daddy knowing, find this location in the woods, shift, and run toward the lion.
It sounded ludicrous in her mind, but it was her destiny. She was born to do this task. She would not be injured. She had a job to do, and she needed to complete it with all haste.
“Sienna…” Someone was calling her name. A hand was on her forearm.
She flinched as she came back into her body and found herself facing Jezebel. No one else was in the nursery.
Jezebel’s brow was furrowed in concern. “You have to go,” she whispered.
“How do you know?” She let Jezebel help her to her feet.
“I don’t know. But I’ve seen it. Just now. You have to go find Surge and fulfill the prophesy.”
Sienna’s breath hitched. “Prophesy…”
“The lion will tell you everything. Only you can see him. No one else can. It has to be you. You have to go alone.”
Sienna slowly nodded. She knew what Jezebel was saying was true. She glanced at the closed door to the nursery, wondering how long she’d been in here and why Jayce hadn’t found her by now.
Turning back to Jezebel, she asked, “How will I get away without Daddy knowing?”
Jezebel pointed toward the window.
Sienna took a deep breath and nodded. When this was over, her Daddy was going to spank her bottom so hard she wouldn’t be able to sit for a week, but that didn’t change the fact that she had no choice. She had to accomplish this mission for the good of the pack.
At the sound of voices in the hallway, Jezebel glanced over her shoulder and tugged on Sienna’s hand. “Hurry.”
The two of them rushed to the window, unlocked it, and pushed it open.
“Can you shift on your way through the opening? If you can, you’ll land easily on your four paws. Head east. That’s all I know. Everyone is in the house now. The Alphas will not see you leaving. I’ll stay in here until someone opens the door.”
Sienna gave her new friend a brief hug. There was no time to waste. “Thank you.” She knew Jezebel was also going to get the spanking of a lifetime, but it couldn’t be helped.
Sienna stepped back a few feet, took a deep breath, and rushed toward the window. She’d never attempted anything like this, so it scared her to death, but somehow, she managed to shift in the air and landed on all four paws just as Jezebel had suggested.
Without glancing back, she took off running as hard as she could toward the east. It seemed like a miracle that she’d gotten away. There must have been a tremendous amount of commotion in the house for no one to notice her or sense her leaving, especially Jayce.
Of course there would be pandemonium in the house. Nineteen people were crammed in the small space. The seven women were probably talking over one another to tell the Alphas what all they’d witnessed during the bizarre group vision in the clearing.
Sienna ran harder, knowing she couldn’t thwart her mate for long. As soon as he realized she was missing, he would follow her scent and track her down. How was she going to get away with this?
As she ran, she glanced around, trying to absorb her surroundings. Somehow, she would need to find the spot from her vision, the one where she’d met with Surge.
It didn’t take long for her to know instinctively she’d arrived. She stopped running and shifted into human form, panting with exhaustion.
For long moments, she simply looked around, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Waiting. Where was Surge?
And then he bounded into her space, coming to a stop so close that her dress billowed out around her from the movement of air.
She trembled, but she was not scared. She smiled at him. “You’re here.”
He shifted, surprising her. He had been in bear form in her visions. His expression was tight, his brows drawn together. “Is this what you predicted, Little one?”
She nodded.
“Why are we here?” he asked.
She frowned. “You don’t know? I thought it was your idea.”
“Not at all. I felt compelled to come. I was on my way toward Elias’s house with Thorn when some force told me to separate from him and send him alone.”
Sienna chewed on her lip and stared in the direction of the snow-capped mountain in the distance, the one Surge had indicated she needed to head toward.
Surge followed her line of sight.
Suddenly an enormous roar surrounded them. It was so loud that Surge grabbed her arm as if to ensure she didn’t fall. It was powerful enough to shake their foundation and cause them to feel unsteady on their feet.
“It’s a lion,” he murmured as the roar ended. “He wants to meet with you.”
Sienna smiled. “I know.” It seemed odd that Surge just now picked up on that.
Surge pointed in the direction of the mountain from her vision. “That way. You have to go to him. You have to go alone.” He scowled. “I don’t like it. Your mate is going to murder me.”
“He won’t. He’ll understand. It’s been foretold. It’s my destiny.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
“Why am I here?” Surge asked.
“So I can find my way back, and so Jayce can reunite with me. He will track me to this location and then lose my scent. He’ll be here soon. You’ll explain to him why I had to go. You two will wait for me to return here.”
She had no clue how she knew all of that. She simply did. It wasn’t even shocking any more. It had happened so many times since her mating ceremony. Had that just been yesterday?
Sienna clutched Surge’s forearm. “I must go now.” She didn’t wait for him to respond before she shifted and took off running.
Her heart was racing from the exertion, and she was beyond unnerved from heading toward the unknown, but she felt no fear for her life or safety. The lion would not hurt her.
He was obviously a powerful being, the likes of which no wolf or bear shifter had encountered in so long that there was no lore to tell of it. If he’d meant any of them harm, he could have single-handedly slaughtered every wolf and bear in every valley and across the entire line of mountain ranges.
He wasn’t alone, but he was the leader. The one in charge. The one making the decisions. All of this information came to her as she ran at full speed on paws that hadn’t yet ever seen this kind of action.
Suddenly she burst out of the trees and found herself in a large meadow. The sun shone bright on the dense grass and colorful flowers.
Sienna came to a stop and shifted back into her human form. This was the place. This was the time.
There was no roar to greet her. There was no need now. She had heeded his calling.
The lion took her breath away when he came into view. He swaggered lazily toward her, his gait steady and sure, his body swaying back and forth until he came to a stop a few yards away. He cocked his head to one side and seemed to take her in before finally shifting.
Sienna swallowed as she was faced with a giant man.
He wore nothing but jeans. No shoes or shirt.
His chest was broad and tanned, his skin smooth as silk.
He had brown hair that hung around his shoulders and a leather necklace.
He was bigger than any wolf shifter she’d ever seen, including the Alpha Protectors.
He smiled, which calmed her racing heart. “You are a powerful little shewolf.”
Sienna licked her lips. “I…”
“You didn’t know of your powers until recently, did you?”
“No.” She was surprised she was able to speak.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the chosen one.”
“Chosen for what?” she asked, confused.
“Chosen to hear me and take my message back to your people.”
“Why me?” She tried hard not to tremble.
“I do not know, Little wolf. It was predestined.”
She nodded. Heavens knew enough odd things had happened today to keep her from questioning her fate. “Did you chase Drow off the cliff?”
“Yes. He was a very bad presence. His people were never going to punish him appropriately. He would have terrorized your community for years to come. The threat is over.”
“Thank you.” Was that the appropriate response?
He smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“Is that it? Did you come to tell me that?” Any bear or wolf could have figured that out on their own.
“No, Little wolf. I came to reassure you.”
“Reassure me of what?”
“My pride means you no harm. We’ve been on the move for many months, looking for a place to settle down. Looking for mates.”
Sienna’s breath hitched.
The lion smiled. “We have no females among us, Little wolf, but we do not mate with other species of shifters. We have no interest in bear or wolf shifters. There are no humans in this area, so we are moving on.”
She was grateful for the message, but she had questions. “How have you been lurking among us without being detected?”
“Ah, we are a powerful species. We can block our scent, sound, and even our physical presence. One of your pack’s wolf mates did detect me one night.
I was sniffing around, not blocking, to see if any of your people could sense me, and she caught my scent.
I believe she is the one among you who has the gift of a powerful sense of smell. ”
“Rylee…”
He nodded. “A dozen of us approached a group of bears that same night. Females. They saw us. We mean no one among either of your species any harm. You have my word that we are moving on from this territory. You will not sense us again.”
“Thank you.”
The giant lion shifter pressed his hands together and gave a little bow.
“What is your name?” she asked.
“Navin. And yours is Sienna, am I right?”
She smiled. “Yes. Nice to meet you, Navin. You’ve been very close to us many times without us knowing, haven’t you?”
“Indeed, Little wolf.” He chuckled. “It was…entertaining, but I’m sorry to have caused you all so much anxiety. It’s been a long time since we’ve encountered other species. We’ve enjoyed watching the ways of both the wolves and the bears. Interesting species, both of you.”
Sienna could only smile again.
“Your mate is very concerned. I hope that he will not punish you for your transgressions. I can assure you it was not your doing or your fault. You could not have ignored my powerful call. I brought you here. I blocked your mate from being able to track you beyond where you parted from the bear.”
“Why me?”
“You were open to my intrusion.”
“Intrusion?”
“Into your mind. You are pure at heart and a thoughtful Little shewolf. Kind and loving. Your Alpha pack leaders are lucky to have you among them. Though you will not detect me or any of my people again, you will have visions of other things from time to time and serve your people with your advanced knowledge.”
“I hope I don’t have to sneak out of a window and lie to my mate very often,” she quipped.
Navin chuckled, the sound deep and vibrant. “I should think not. I suspect your bottom will be very red tonight. But I do not believe you will mind so much.” He winked at her. He really did know things. Too many things.
Her face flushed, and she bit her bottom lip.
“Go now, Little wolf. Take the message of peace back to your wolves and your bear friends. It will be some time before there is unrest again among either of your species. You will live in harmony with each other for many years to come.”
She wondered if he meant ten years or ten centuries. It was impossible to know. She also wondered how old he was. She suspected Navin might be significantly older than he appeared. But she didn’t ask either of these questions. “Thank you for coming.”
He gave a little bow again before turning away.
She watched as he leapt into the air, shifting before her eyes, and then he was gone. She couldn’t even see an indentation in the foliage, indicating he’d landed on all four paws. He was that powerful.
No scent lingered. No roar. The air around her was calm and settled for the first time since she’d arrived on the mountain.
Sienna was smiling as she spun around, shifted, and headed back to the spot where she’d left Surge.