Chapter 135 Maddy #2
Nico cleared his throat. “It started hundreds of years ago when Viola’s ancestors, distant relatives to Edemas’s queen, turned on the royal couple. I won’t get into a history lesson about that—the viewers can see my video for more information on that.
“The current crisis began months ago. My mate, Maddy Sutton, was identified by The Monroe Group, who is known in shifter circles by their ancient title, The Royals, as the last remaining descendant of Edemas.
She was attacked and almost murdered in her place of business.
My pack and I stopped that attack by sheer chance.
“Since that night, Viola and her group have done everything in their power to get at the secret they think Maddy holds. Maddy, her best friend, and both her adoptive parents, along with her birth mother, have all suffered from kidnapping and were tortured during their time in royal hands. Maddy’s friend is suffering from PTSD as a result. ”
Bruce held up a hand. “Let’s dive deeper into this story Viola has woven about Maddy Sutton.
If her videos are to be believed, your mate is the next coming of some sort of demonic werewolf shifter.
Someone to be feared, to be stopped at every opportunity.
Where does this come from? Why does she believe that? ”
Nico shrugged and gave the camera a humorless grin.
“I have no clue. Maddy is like anyone else. She was a latent shifter and didn’t develop her connection to her wolf until recently.
That is only because her adoptive and birth parents knew she would be hunted and gave her suppression meds.
Maddy’s life has been one long history of running, hiding, and fear.
All because of one woman’s psychosis.” Nico lifted a hand and gestured for me to step forward and join him.
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. He wanted me to go on camera? Was that what he was asking? He gestured again. Without any conscious thought, my feet took me closer to him, walking over to join him in front of the camera. Once I was there, Nico draped his arm around my shoulders.
“Does this woman look like a monster? Like some sort of beast that’s going to somehow turn all the shifters into an army to subjugate humans?” Disbelief and derision thickened his voice.
Bruce raised his eyebrows and gave a small shrug. “No, Mr. Lorenzo she does not. Hello, Miss Sutton.”
“Hello,” I said, surprised at the calm in my voice.
“Allow me to play devil’s advocate here,” Bruce said.
“Images can be deceiving. Is there anything about Maddy that could be a threat? Could there be some grain of truth to what Miss Monroe is saying? I’m not saying Maddy is a super being, but perhaps she fears Maddy could become a figurehead of sorts.
A freedom fighter who could rally the shifter community to greater heights. Something along those lines?”
If I took the vial, there was a chance I could actually become a werewolf.
That wasn’t something we needed to discuss here.
The odds were low, and there was no need to help Viola’s cause.
Werewolves hadn’t been seen since the time of Edemas, and they’d become a thing of myth and legend even among shifters.
What we needed to focus on was the terror and tragedy Viola was bringing to the world.
“Viola Monroe is chasing a fairytale,” Nico said.
“Maddy only wants to live her life. She has no aspirations to become the next Ghandi or Mandela. What we have here is a powerful and wealthy woman who has brought death and destruction to the world. Children have been murdered. Died, Bruce. Babies. Innocent lives lost because Viola is pursuing this baseless vendetta. That’s why I agreed to this interview.
I’m here to let her, and the world, know that we refuse to hide anymore. ”
He gazed intently into the camera. “Everyone watching needs to understand this.
I am telling every shifter across the globe that they need to protect themselves.
After the attack on us yesterday, it has become evident that people want to follow Viola.
To do what she tells them because they are afraid of use—because they refuse to understand us.
Every shifter alpha listening right now needs to be ready to defend their homes.
“Any human who feels compelled to follow Viola’s instructions needs to listen.
This battle is not yours. You are being manipulated into a war that could cost you your lives or freedom.
Do not listen to her. Shifters are not coming for your families.
We don’t want to take over the world, and we aren’t a threat to you.
All we want is to live our lives like you do.
We want to raise our children, wake each morning in peace, and do nothing more.
“For those of you who can’t or won’t listen to reason, all I can tell you is that we will no longer hide in fear.
If you choose to attack us, then I, and every shifter on Earth, have the right to defend themselves.
Take this as a warning. If you step foot on any pack land, if you attack any shifter, or if you threaten harm to any shifter, then be prepared for us to push back.
And we will push back hard because when it comes to family, nothing is more sacred to a shifter, and we will not hesitate to end any threat.
I plead with you to end this bloodshed. Once Viola Monroe is dealt with, I know this war will be over. ”
“Very well said, Mr. Lorenzo. I, and most of the world, are on your side. One thing that we can’t skip over was the attack yesterday and the footage broadcasted from the helicopter.
The disturbing images were heart-rending, but in the midst of that battle, something else became apparent: the witch that fought beside you and the other shifters. ”
Nico sighed. “I knew we’d get to that eventually.”
“Indeed. As you and most others know, witches were thought to be extinct for hundreds of years. Many had even decided that they may have never existed. Seeing the power this woman wielded has made many become even more fearful of the so-called Shifter Threat. Can you go into some detail on how this woman came to be in your employ?”
“First off,” Nico said, “the woman is not my employee, slave, or minion. She is a member in full standing with the Lorenzo pack. Though she is not a shifter, she is a part of my family and under my protection.”
“Yes, but how did you find this woman?” Bruce asked.
“She found us. This, as with most things, goes back to Viola. Viola’s company murdered her parents, rendering our pack witch an orphan who was, in turn, raised by another witch.
They came to us to help in our fight against the royals.
Your viewers cannot imagine the horrors this girl has witnessed.
Not only that, but we recently took in another individual who has the powers of a witch.
He was forced to become one by The Monroe Group.
The magical energies of a dead witch were forced into him during cruel experiments overseen by Viola Monroe.
I don’t want to drag this young man into it, but he is Miss Monroe’s own son. ”
“Umm, I’m sorry? Mr. Lorenzo, are you saying that Viola Monroe abused and experimented on her own child?”
“I am. I’m not going to say his name because it isn’t my place to expose him to the world, but everyone needs to know the monster we are dealing with.
No one is safe. If it helped her goals, she’d kill anyone, including all these poor deluded people following her.
She’s even kidnapped his half-siblings and has been holding them as insurance to make sure he does her bidding.
The government needs to look into this. They’re minors and are in desperate need of help. ”
The reporter looked a bit shell-shocked at this revelation.
Nico had been keen to get the info out to both help the cause against Viola and to force law enforcement around the world to try and find Maxwell’s siblings.
I wasn’t sure if it would work, but there was no use in not trying.
If Viola was going to kill them, it was likely she already had.
Nothing we said would make things worse for them.
“Mr. Lorenzo, I want to thank you again for joining us today. I’d like to send my deepest condolences to your pack for those you lost yesterday. I truly believe that this interview will open some eyes around the world. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we end?”
“No, Bruce. I think I’ve said everything I wanted to. All we want is peace. If that isn’t possible, then we are prepared for war.”
“Fair enough. I’m Bruce Witherspoon with TDN News. Thank you.”
There was a slight pause, and then I watched as Bruce loosened his tie on the screen.
“That was a helluva interview, Nico. I really do hope it works out for you all. Is there anything else we can do for you?”
“I don’t think so. Is that it? When will the interview air?”
Bruce laughed. “Um, I guess my producer didn’t tell you. We were actually live.”
“Oh.” Nico looked like he’d been kicked in the stomach. “Okay, then.”
“If I were you, I’d check social media in an hour or so to see what the reaction was. See you all later.” Without another word, the video feed went black.
Nico rubbed a hand over his face. “I need to call the other alphas. The ones nearby we couldn’t bring in. See how things are going for them. I want to see if they’re of the same mind as I am. I’m done hiding. Do you want to sit in on the call?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll be fine. You go do your alpha stuff.”
Nico went to his office, and Luis started breaking down all the video equipment he’d set up.
I wandered out the back door, desperate for some fresh air.
To my surprise, Maxwell was sitting in the grass beyond the porch.
I noticed his hands and saw that, in all the confusion, Sinthy had never reattached the magic bracelets that held his power back.
He was free to use his magic and could have vanished in the night but chose to remain here. Why?
“Maxwell?” I said as I walked toward him.
The young man jerked in surprise. “I’m sorry, Miss Sutton. Am I not allowed to be here? I can go back to my room. It’s not a problem.”
I dismissed his apology with a wave of my hand. “It’s fine,” I said as I sat on the grass beside him. “I was wondering why you didn’t decide to teleport away when you had the chance.” I nodded toward his bare wrists.
He looked down and let out the weariest sigh I’d ever heard. He shrugged. “Where would I go?”
“Well… maybe back to your mother? I know she’s terrible, but she’s still your mom. Maybe she’d let you see your siblings?”
He chuckled ruefully. “No chance of that.” He glanced at me, unable to meet my gaze. “I did try to leave, though.”
I blinked in surprise. “You tried?”
He nodded. “Late last night. I started conjuring the teleportation spell, but something in my magic… spoke to me. Telling me to stay. There’s something different now,” he said, staring at his palms.
“Like what?” I asked, truly curious.
Without looking up, he said, “Before yesterday, my magic never really felt like mine. It was always like it didn’t belong with me. Have you ever put your underwear on backward in the dark?”
I laughed. “Um… probably. At some point.”
“Right,” he said, finally looking at me. “It’ll work, it covers you and keeps the pants from rubbing you raw, but it’ll always feel uncomfortable, and it doesn’t make it easy to walk around. That’s how it always was with me.
“Yesterday, when Sinthy touched my hands and pulled my magic through her body and fed it into your friend? Something happened. When we saved that guy’s life, and it all poured back into me, it didn’t seem foreign anymore.
It was like… I don’t even know… like Sinthy using it, made the power accept me or something.
” He looked into my eyes. “I think I’m supposed to be here.
I am worried about my siblings, though. We must get them away from my mother. ”
The boy—I kept thinking of him that way even though he was clearly in his early twenties—looked like a child. Fragile and broken. I patted his shoulder, and he flinched before calming under my touch.
“It’s okay, Maxwell. You’re safe here. I promise we’ll do anything we must in order to get them back safely.”
The only answer he gave was a hesitant grin. The tears that glittered in his eyes told me how much he was holding back. All I wanted was for him and his family to be okay. I’d be damned if I’d let that bitch destroy another family.