The room was quiet, as everyone took in what Michael had just told them. Lea sighed and shook her head. It seemed like Gabriel had won this round, and she hated that. He had gotten rid of so much rogue life, though–was that all worth it? What was his main plan, if he didn’t mind all of those rogue deaths?
“I know that this isn’t good news,” Hann took over, that easygoing smile on his face again as he tried to calm the shifters in the gym. “And I know that it will only get worse from here. I think we all know that. But if we stick together, and if we unite regardless of what pack we’re from, then we can defeat those evil enough to wish all of our friends and children dead. We are better than them But we need to unite. We need to become a family. And I’m proud to call you all my friends after tonight. The way you all looked after one another, regardless of what pack you were in, is why we will defeat Gabriel and all of those that defy us. Because we are stronger when we are united.”
A deafening noise of clapping and shouts rose from the shifters, everyone united in that moment as they looked to their leader for courage and strength. Regardless of what pack they were from, everyone in that gym considered Hann their leader. Lea could see it in everyone’s eyes. She could see it in Finn and his pack members’ eyes.
Lea instantly felt like everything would get better–eventually. It would be hard, and it would take a lot of blood and fighting, but they would beat this. They would beat those rogues and Gabriel.
They had to.
Chapter 20
Gabriel was back in Europe, but he wasn’t in a rundown castle like that hellhole in Ukraine. No, he was back to some nice digs in France, and he was beyond happy.
The castle was nothing like Ukraine. It was classy. It was elegant. It was a saved part of history, a lesson of the past that had been kept up and adored throughout the years. And to humans, it was worth millions and millions of dollars.
Gabriel scoffed at the thought.
He remembered this very castle. This very house. Back when it was first built, in the 1600’s, it was one of a kind. Back then, the nobility of France all kept on building up castles and houses to show off their wealth. They all wanted to be adored, and what better way to be adored than to have people envy you in every single way? Gabriel adored the house back then, and he adored the house now, even if the humans had updated it with a new kitchen and technology advancements.
He just ignored those, of course.
“Gabriel,” an Elder said, standing in the garden behind him. Gabriel turned slightly and waved him forward, his pale skull shining in the sunlight among the roses and daffodils. Gabriel sighed as the Elder joined him. He sure loved this garden.
“Yes, my friend?” Gabriel smiled at him, knowing it was a ghastly sight. Even Elders seemed to be put off by an Elder’s appearance, which Gabriel had always found sad. He liked to embrace the skin he now lived in, though it was a completely different life and appearance that he had now versus when he was first born all those years ago. He was incredibly old. The only person older than him in the Elders branches was Michael. Though Michael kept his face and appearance hidden from all, even from other Elders, Gabriel was sure he looked as old as he did.
“I’m to inform you that Michael and Hann know that we were in Utah, as well as what went on in the cabin,” the Elder told him. Gabriel nodded. He knew they would figure it out–he planned on it. He wanted them to know that they had been duped. That was all part of the plan, too. “They are now searching for the rogue leaders, as well as your new habitat.”
“Keep me updated on whether they get any of the rogues,” Gabriel told him before waving him away as if he was a little pestering bug that he wanted gone.
And, in a way, he was.
Everyone was to Gabriel. They all thought that they had so much to say and tell him, but he was always annoyed and looking for someone else to talk to. He especially hated it when rogues came to talk to him, after requesting an audience, and they thought that they had some great insight or plans for him to listen to. They always turned out to be beyond idiotic, and it took everything within Gabriel to not kill the dumb rogues when they showed up. When they spoke, he had to leave the room in a fit of rage.
Whatever happened to intelligent rogues? Were they now nonexistent?
That was one of the reasons Gabriel didn’t care that all the rogues died in his message to Maine and the world. He knew that the majority of them would. They were young, old, or useless shifters that had become rogues from fits of rage. They weren’t skilled, and they sure as hell weren’t trained.
Gabriel didn’t need them. Until he needed them, of course. And what a great distraction they were. Michael and Hann were so busy protecting their shifters–that family of theirs–that they didn’t even notice that Gabriel was in Utah until he was gone. Gabriel was out of the state and on his way to France when they found out.
Winning this little battle felt good to him. Finally, things were looking up for the Elder. Finally, victory was right around the corner. He just had to instill that patience that he so hated. He just had to hope that the rogue leaders did what he told them to.
And he had to hope that no one tattled to the wrong person. The last thing he needed was Michael and Hann to get a tip from someone about what Gabriel and his rogues were planning. That would not be good for Gabriel, and just thinking about the possibility made his veins begin to boil with rage.
Gabriel began to walk deeper into the garden to try to calm himself, leaving the huge seventeenth-century castle behind him. Flowers danced at his feet as his hand softly caressed the rose bushes. He didn’t even wince when a thorn pressed against his thumb from his careless movements. He didn’t even bleed.
Gabriel sighed as he neared the middle of the vast garden. He finally felt better. He finally felt like himself. No more decrepit castles in Ukraine and no more bowing to Michael and Hann.
This time, he would do what he wanted to do.
Training went back to normal the next day, though Finn could tell there was an added urgency to everyone’s moves in the gym. Everyone wanted to be stronger. Faster. More in control. While they had won that battle, they knew that the worst was to come.
And they needed to be prepared for that final day . . . whenever it would come.
Hann and Michael were keeping everyone updated on the news, whenever they could. They wanted the pack to be informed and ready for anything that Gabriel could send their way. Gabriel was nowhere to be found, and his cabin in Utah had been thoroughly searched for any sign that could help out the shifters. They hadn’t found anything. The cabin didn’t even seem like it had any sign of life staying there, let alone a forgotten map or anything.
Michael was continuing to try to find Gabriel, as well as continuing to track all of the main rogues that were rumored to be the leaders of Gabriel’s whole movement. The theory was these rogues were the ones on the ground spiking uprisings and gaining more and more followers in Gabriel’s name, while Gabriel was the one who was putting together these massive plans and strategies.
Michael was also trying to come up with the cure to fix Gabriel’s magic poison that he instilled in the rogues’ claws and teeth in Michigan a few weeks ago. Hann assumed that Gabriel didn’t use this on the rogues for various reasons. Maybe he just thought they were life that needed to be sacrificed. Maybe Gabriel had to magically produce this poison for each individual, therefore leaving him drained if he produced a lot. No one quite knew what it was, and it hadn’t been seen since those weeks in Michigan. But Michael was trying to find a cure because everyone knew that was what would be used in the final uprising battle with Gabriel as the leader.
And everyone wanted to be as prepared for that day as they could.
Everyone in Maine was still pretty shaken up about the whole thing. Even though no life was lost, it was still a scary situation that everyone was having a hard time dealing with. Finn was worried about Lea and Lorelei. Both of them had had one-on-one rogue incidents before the huge b
attle, and he was worried that it was going to get to them. However, after pressuring both of the girls and making sure they were okay, Finn felt a little better. He knew that they just needed time. And he would always be there to protect them when they needed him.
Finn had just gotten to the gym, and it was packed. For six o’clock in the morning, that was pretty impressive. Especially after a bunch of rogues just came to town and tried to kill everyone the night before. He had to give it to the shifters here. They knew when to buck up and get ready for war.
And he did notice the atmosphere was changing. As Finn walked through the gym to get to the locker room in the back, he walked around mats and workout machines. And every single shifter that caught his eye sent him a nod and a good morning.
It was like he was living in a different world.
Only a few days ago, he had walked into the pack bar and basically been ignored. Treated as if he wasn’t one of the group. As if he didn’t exist. And now, it was like he was one of them. It was crazy to him, but he wasn’t going to question it. He assumed it had a lot to do with Hann’s speech, as well as the shifters from the Moonlight Maine Pack realizing that all the shifters, regardless of whether they were a part of the Maine pack or not, had shown up to fight against the rogues.
Once shifters went into battle united with each other against a common cause, Finn assumed attitudes changed. And he was a living example of that. He hoped that he wouldn’t go back to being that outcast that everyone liked but no one wanted to hang out with. He would much rather be a friend to the pack than an outcast to the pack.
He had to admit that the majority of the pack really was pretty friendly to him. Hell, take Lea, for example. She’d never once acted like he was anything different because he was from another pack. She never questioned him, never made him feel as if he was unworthy of her love because he wasn’t from a pack as strong as hers. Nope. In fact, she made him feel like he was worthy of being anything that he wanted to be.
Kato, Annie, Lukas, Grant, and Britta; they all were accepting and friendly to him from day one, never treating him any different.
Finn got to the other end of the gym, after stopping to say hello to a few people and laughing with a few others, when he saw Lea, much to his surprise and delight. She was laughing with Hazel in the corner of the gym, leaning up against the wall as she stretched her legs. Her long blonde hair was up in that high pony tail she wore when she worked out, and she had no makeup on, letting her natural beauty shine through.
Finn felt his heart skip a beat, and he wondered when she began to affect him so much. He didn’t care, though. He loved her and she loved him, and that was truly all that mattered. They were happy. And while he was sure there would be some bumpy moments along the way, he knew that they would make it. They were like two puzzle pieces that stuck together without any help. Without any glue. Just gravity and themselves–that was all they needed.
“Hey, Finn!” Hazel exclaimed from where they were sitting. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer!”
Finn hadn’t even realized he was staring. He chuckled as he walked over to them. He didn’t care. He wasn’t embarrassed. Lea was his girl, and he could stare at her as long as he wanted. And from the way she was laughing; her cheeks red and her eyes sparkling, he knew that she didn’t mind.
Finn sat down next to Lea, kissing her head in a hello as Hazel cooed at the two of them. Finn rolled his eyes, as did Lea, but both of them were smiling nonstop as they waited for their class to start.
Finn knew that they all had to prepare. He knew that they had the worst possible thing coming for them. But in that moment, as he looked at the woman he was now sure was his one true love, he didn’t care. As long as he had her in his arms, they would be alright.
* * *
* * *
Thank you so much for reading Finn! If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review to help other readers find it.
Thanks again for reading!
Sincerely,
Sarah
Dragon Elements Box Set
Read all 5 books for the price of one with the Dragon Elements Box Set! Get it HERE.
Dragon Elements Box Set
.99 or Free with KU
New Release Newsletter Sign-Up
For new releases, exclusive sneak peeks, and giveaways, sign up for my newsletter HERE.
You’ll also receive the Shadow Claw Prequel which is not published on Amazon and is exclusive to my newsletter.
Click here to claim your FREE book:
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/dpwaebtw83
Join My VIP Reader Group
If you’d like to connect with me and hundreds of other PNR lovers, join our vibrant VIP reader group HERE.
Click on the link below and request to join:
http://bit.ly/SarahVIPGroup
Also by Sarah J. Stone
A Note From Sarah
Most of my series are currently only available in Box Set format. However, I will be releasing individual books again going forward :)
All of my books are free with Kindle Unlimited. Happy reading!
Dragon Elements Box Set (best deal!)
Blaine
Nathanial
Bennet
Ricktor
Trevor
Brotherhood of Dragons (10 Book Set)
Shadow Claw Volume 1 (10 Book Set)
Wolf Mountain Peak (10 Book Set)
Finn (Moonlight Wolves Book 4) Page 12