14. Finley #2
Could this be why so many elves kept to themselves and didn’t talk about what they could do?
So many of the simple things that Rath had already shown he could pull off were amazing.
He could manipulate anything to do with nature, or at least that’s what it seemed like.
Granted, he did say healing wasn’t a gifted area for him, but he still understood the process and how things should work.
“Rath,” Lane said, breaking the silence. “Is this a skill that you’ve ever heard or seen before? In my head, this sounds like a specialized skill. I just need to understand if what I’m assuming is correct or not.”
“I’ve heard stories of great healers who were sought after all across the world, but they never said what it was they did to garner that attention.
It could be they were also gifted the way Finley is, but something tells me that this particular gift of hers is unique to her,” Rath mused.
“Her becoming an omega, I think, influenced her magic, altering it to become more than would be natural. Clearly, she called so many of you to herself before she matured into her powers leading me to believe the fates knew she would be strong. It also makes me wonder if they knew that the world was going to need someone so pure of heart to deal with the Dark Ring and what the Senate has been turning into.”
This caught me completely off guard. I knew the basics of the Senate’s treachery, but Rath made it sound far more in-depth and twisted from what I knew. Letting my gaze land on Zander, I could tell from his face and emotions that something Rath implied hit a little too close to home.
“Zander?” I questioned, feeling anger building within him.
His silver eyes met mine, no longer bothering to hide his disgust at whatever he was thinking.
“Did you know Peggy played a part in helping them get to you here?” he bit out, surprising me with the abrupt change in topic.
“Yes, she was just leaving the meeting point when I arrived,” I answered. “How did you guys find out?”
Elias shifted, leaning back in his chair.
“I found her out in the woods when I went chasing after the vampire. Something in my gut told me she was up to no good, and when I pressed her about what she was doing, she lied. It wasn’t until after finding her that I found out you were missing.
Zander was the one who finally broke her and got her to spill what little information she could about what was going on. ”
“Where is she now?” I asked, my wolf feeling mighty pleased that this woman who’d been so rude to us was being punished.
“She’s in a holding cell that we use for people like her or others that are newly shifted, and we can’t manage.
Surprisingly, what we found out from her was that the Senate has been keeping a close eye on me and the pack as a whole.
They hate to let other packs who might grow into a source of power and overthrow them, losing their place in life.
Funny how those in power are so afraid of losing, they will destroy a pack before it gets the chance to try,” Zander said bitterly.
“You never said anything about that before,” Colt growled. “Are you saying that your mother is going to take us out and murder our whole pack? You’re her son. Why would she take your pack from you?”
Mason’s head snapped in Colt’s direction. “I’m sorry, his pack? Since when did boy-band here become part of our pack?”
“Really, Mason, you’re questioning that choice when he’s mated to the same woman the rest of us are?
Of course, he is part of our pack and yes, an alpha.
What other option is there in a situation like this?
If Zander had been interested in helping lead our pack previously to this, I would have considered it with Lane,” Colt stated.
“Last I checked, when it comes to leading the pack, it’s for Lane and me to worry about… beta.”
The last thing we needed right now was for them to be arguing among themselves when there were far more important things to deal with.
Mason started to growl and rise from his seat as Colt met his challenge head-on.
Lane pushed back from the table like he was getting ready to intervene and Zander was doing nothing but watching the whole thing unravel.
This might be how werewolves handled things in their packs, but they could fucking well do it another time.
Lifting my fingers to my lips, I let out a shrill whistle cutting through the tension at the table.
Startled, they all turned on me, their proverbial hackles raised, ready for a fight.
My magic pressed at me, telling me it could help, so I let it flow out of me and reach out to them, soothing their emotions.
When they’d all relaxed and once more returned to their seats, they watched me with apprehension.
“That’s better,” I approved with a nod. “Now, returning the topic back to Peggy. Zander, you said she’s been a spy for the Senate since she got here, correct?” He nodded after trying to speak but couldn’t. “Does that mean her sisters are also involved in this as well?”
I got a head shake telling me no. “I’m glad about that.
I really do enjoy Milly and Kaitie. It would be sad to remove them from the pack as well.
From what I gathered from my interactions with the other side, is they needed her to create a situation where they could get me out of the pack unnoticed, but that’s where her interaction ended.
Peggy, of course, hates me for some reason and was more than happy to get rid of me. ”
The wolves of the table growled at this while I could feel anger coming from my connection to Rath.
“Do you believe that the only reason the Senate has been watching this pack so long are the reasons that she shared, Zander?” I asked and pulled my magic back from him, realizing that was what was keeping him silent.
“Little dove, I would appreciate it if you never do that to me again,” he warned, words tight with irritation, his eyes flashing with his wolf. His emotions told me he was not at all happy to be dominated by an omega, even if I was their mate.
“Then don’t make me do things like that,” I defended.
“All of us are going to have to learn where I fit into all this now that I’m not wholly omega or wholly elven.
My magic is far stronger than my omega nature, and if it feels that I’m in danger or need, it responds in accordance with that emotion. ”
Noah frowned at this, reaching out toward me. “Did you feel that you needed protection from us just now?”
“No, I thought you were all being idiots, and we had more important things to deal with than your egos,” I grumbled, running a hand through my hair, feeling the need to do something with myself.
That answer seems to relieve Noah. “While I can’t argue with you on that point, it is the nature of us werewolves to run a little more hot-tempered, especially when it comes to dominance-type things.
Mason and Zander have always rubbed each other the wrong way since they’ve met and he also loves to push Colt’s buttons to know just how far he can push things.
It will take everyone time to adjust to this new hierarchy, just as you say about yourself.
The difference is that they might actually fight it out to settle the matter. ”
“Does the fighting need to happen now for things to move more smoothly?” Rath asked, cocking his head to the side as he observed the others, and they looked at him oddly.
“I realize that I’m uneducated on how things run in a pack and I might say or do things that might be offensive.
Forgive me, my mistakes, they shall only happen once I assure you. ”
Zanger cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “No, it doesn’t need to be handled right now but sooner rather than later would be best.”
“Very well then, I would like to borrow Finley and do some work with her on controlling her magic so we don’t keep having surprises popping up in her sleep,” Rath informed the others, rising from his chair, reaching out a hand to me.
“Am I safe to assume we are protected here on pack lands to be outside?”
“Yes, as long as you stay around the house, you should be fine. Once we tell the rest of the pack about your place here, then you’ll be able to go anywhere that you please. I’m just being cautious after the attack the other day. Our people are still on edge.”
“A reasonable response,” Rath commented and we headed outside.