Chatper Twenty Four （Part 2）
Dax gave a respectful nod and Lucien just stood there observing as the three other Alphas and one witch quickly introduced themselves.
I didn't know the other Council wolves well, only recognising them from passing groups and one who had a permanent sneer etched on his face from the snide remarks he made in Council meetings.
"We didn't expect so many," Valentina said, her unsettlingly watchful eyes falling on each of us. "The Council sends a war party for a conversation?"
"Only trusted delegates," Dax answered smoothly, the calmly stern expression he wore in Council meetings firmly in place. "This isn't a show of force."
Valentina studied him for a moment, painfully still before her eyes moved to my neck. "And yet you bring one in chains. Is this how you treat your allies or your enemies?"
I didn't flinch even as the burning itch flared at my throat. Her eyes settled on mine but I refused to look away as she blinked slow and languid. Dax took a step towards me, the moment instant, almost instinctual before his body swayed slightly away from me.
"She's here on request." His tone was diplomatic but a tightness stretched his shoulders. "These rogue attacks aren't just affecting the Council and their allies. She's bled for our safety."
"So the collar is a thank you?" Valentina asked, her round eyes turning back to Dax as her chin tipped down. "Or it is it a message for us?"
Dax's jaw flexed, but he didn't answer immediately. His eyes flickered to the collar, then to me. Just for a second, something uneasy passed through them.
A flash of guilt. Maybe shame. But it was gone before it could settle.
There was something disturbing about Valentina, a predatory watchfulness that gleamed with an aura of ancientness.
She set my nerves on edge and had the ice inside me frosting just beneath the surface.
But despite it all, I respected the strength in her forwardness and how she looked at our band like we were children playing dress up.
Lucien stepped forward, his voice smooth as silk with a disarmingly charming smile to match. "We're here because the rogues have grown more organised. They're not just targeting Council back territories anymore. This affects you too."
The man on Valentina's right spoke up, the muscles in his arms rippling as he crossed them over his chest. "We've seen the destruction these wolves bring. We burn the bodies of our fallen while the Council debates. You'll forgive us if your presence doesn't exactly bring comfort."
"Then why accept a meeting?" I asked coolly, my face an icy mask as their prying eyes turned to me.
I could almost see Valentina crouch, ready for the pounce as she looked at me. "Tell me, Collared Wolf, did they send you here hoping the heat would thaw your spirit? And yet you still fight for the Council?"
I wasn't surprised by her immediate knowledge of who I was. Shifter's human side often reflect their animal counterpart and my appearance was no exception. But her question was not genuine, just a challenge, that was clear.
"I don't fight for the Council," I answered with a steady voice, my expression impenetrable even under her scrutiny. "I fight for my people, for Northern Circle. With this threat, the best way I can protect them is to align our strength. What will you do for your people?"
The question stretched in the silence as Valentina took her time pondering before a small smile spread across her face.
"Come, let us talk."
Dax lingered back for half a step as we followed the jaguars. I felt him behind me more than I saw him.
A shadow at my back. Silent, watchful.
They let us through the dense, damp forest. The air was dense and sticky, quickly turning me into a puddle of sweat. I hated it. I missed the crisp cold that froze your eyelashes and numbed the tip of your nose.
"They're so still and blank," Lucien whispered in an almost inaudible hush. "It's unsettling. You'll both get along great."
I returned his cheeky grin with a deadpan look.
"They're too polished. They want something."
"Doesn't everyone?" I asked with a small frown as a traitorous bead of sweat dripped down my forehead.
"And what is it that you want?" Suggestiveness laced his words but I wasn't about to indulge his banter, not when we were so surrounded.
"Answers."
His eyes softened a touch, the crimson in view now that his sunglasses were tucked away in the inside pocket of his jacket. "I looked into that earpiece we found. Turns out the retailer's number is also on those call logs. Could be nothing. Could be smoke."
"I'm sick of fire," I said, stretching my neck as the heat of the collar became more unbearable in the sweltering humidity.
"Even the one burning between us?" he flirted, though his eyes only teased.
"Yes, even the one you're playing with now," I warned and he chuckled, drawing a pair of burning eyes that I knew all too well in our direction.
"When this is all over, we'll keep digging," I said as we reached a beautiful, vine-laced stone courtyard that was set up for a meeting. Lucien just nodded, eyes facing front again as though the conversation had never happened.
The rest of the afternoon passed by in a blur of the usual power plays and thinly veiled diplomatic threats dressed up in polite words.
Nothing new was said, just posturing and teeth bared behind smiles.
It was as exhausting as enduring a Council meeting but at least the jaguars didn't pretend to care.
They were careful and deliberate but direct without the endless double entendres the overly political Council wolves used.
They didn't trust us but at least they were direct about it. It was rather refreshing, like a taste of home.
We were led to another courtyard under the shade of a cypress. Wooden lanterns hung from the branches and fireflies danced overhead. The air was still heavy, the smell of wet bark tinged with the delicate jasmine that the shifters held and grilled meat.
The jaguars sat on one side of the table with our delegates on the other. Lucien sat on my right, his arm tossed over the back of the chair and his legs stretched out in front of him. Dax sat on the opposite side of the table having a casual discussion with one of the jaguars.
He wasn't laughing like Lucien or charming like the others, but he listened. And when he did speak, his gaze flicked to me more than once, like he was making sure I was still there.
Trays of meats were laid like a banquet on the tables but the mouthwatering scent was put off by pungent, bitter herbs from glasses of tea that were passed around the table.
I lifted the cup and gave it a hesitant sniff, drawing an amused look from Lucien.
"It's panthera bew," the pinched face Alpha who sat on my left said when I hesitated. "It's traditional. If you don't drink it, they'll be offended."
He took a long, drawn out sip from his cup to punctuate his words.
I wasn't a fan of any kind of tea on a good day, any variation too bland, earthy or herbal for my taste. The bitter tang was particularly unappealing, especially with the succulent meat wafting over in a way that made the primal part of me stir.
But I wasn't going to be a scapegoat for the Council if talks fell through so I bit back my grimace and took a sip.
The sharp sourness filled my mouth and I almost gagged at the acrid taste. There was an odd metallic bite to it, like rusted metal. I forced another sip to make sure my participation was noted before setting the cup down to not be touched again.
Valentina was speaking, something about the symbolism of sharing food but her words were hazy.
Everything was hazy.
It was like watching the world through fogged glass. I blinked and squinted as the room tilted, swaying back and forth with nauseating dizziness.
I blinked hard, steadying my hand against the table as I tried to focus on the pleasantries and the platters of meat being passed around.
Someone handed one to my and I tried to take it but my hand missed as numbing tingles spread through my fingers and up my arm. Tingles turned to sparks and then the burning consumed me.
"Kiera!" Lucien shouted my name but everything sounded like it was underwater while the room spun.
And then the chair slipped from underneath me.
The stone was cold. I loved the cold.
Lucien stood over me, calling my name. I tried to answer but I couldn't breath. The air burned my lungs and my throat constricted.
Arms wrapped around me, pulling me to a warm chest. It felt nicer than the cold.
"Kiera. Fuck, Kiera. Look at me." Dax sounded panicked. I wanted to laugh. It sounded so weird to hear him worried.
His fingers brushed the hair from my face, leaving gentle tingles where they passed. His face was so blurry. He still looked handsome when he was fuzzy.
Black dotted him, pulling him from view. I wanted to fight it. I wanted to look at him more. I could feel the wolf inside me howl and scratch beneath the surface.
"She's dying." His voice sounded strangled and frantic, cracking with emotion. So silly.
Hands wrapped around my neck and I gasped against the added pressure. Everything was so hot. The pain stabbed like a knife.
The metallic clang echoed in my ears, shattering and sore. Nails scratched at my throat, point tips of claws as the metal shredded.
Power rushed through me like ice water.
The collar.
"Kiera - stay with me." His voice was ragged and hoarse and so very close. "I swear to the goddess if you die-"
I couldn't listen anymore. Everything was burning. I was breathing acid.
Something wet touched my face and my eyes fluttered open. Blood dripped down his fingers, skin broken from the jagged edges of torn metal.
"Dax," I hummed.
I wanted to say more but I couldn't remember. Everything was so fast and so slow at the same time.
His face crumpled and then his forehead pressed against mine, solid and reassuring. My eyes fell closed again, giving into the darkness that called me.
"I've got you."
My poor Kiera! Free from the collar but poisoned?!
Who do you think did it? Why would they poison Kiera?
Has Dax succumbed to his feelings for Kiera? Things have been changing already but will this push him over the edge?
I've been relying so much on my dogs to add in wolfish behaviours that I ended up having to research and watch a tonne of jaguar videos to try and add the same little details in for these shifters. Or maybe it's just time for me to get a cat...
Thank you so much for reading! And stay tuned because there may be a surprise on the way x