"Abula was an ordinary child. Small for her age, disregarded by the rest of the pack, for her beginnings were all too common in her part of Africa, and the children and the mothers always suffered for a fate that was not their fault. As a pup, her beast was also small. She would cower where others would play, she was weak.
"As she grew, her mother realized Abula's She-Wolf was different. She had each of the three Alphas' markings. Blue eyes where they should have been amber, white spotting on her hind legs, and golden striations on her fur. Each of these were traits particular to the Alphas who had raped her.
"Abula was a child begotten from three Alphas. Ludicrous?" he asked, his tone whimsical. "Perhaps. But what are we if not miracles? Men that roam the Earth, able to shift form, to make a place for themselves in both the human and animal kingdoms." For a second, he stilled, his thoughts taking him elsewhere. A smile to match his whimsical tone drifted across his face, then, he murmured, "Regardless of her miraculous and extraordinary birth, Abula never rose in the rankings. She died young, having mated a Beta who beat and abused her, but she birthed three boy pups."
As rapt as everyone in the council chamber at his mesmerizing voice, Thalia whispered, knowing the answer, knowing what he was going to say before he even said it, "Triplets."
He nodded. His eyes on her. "The very first TriAlpha."
For a moment, there was a silence as every single person in the room absorbed the Elder's words.
That silence was broken by a councilor who dared ask, "How do you know this? Your specialty is healing. Not history."
The man cowered when her fathers shot him a glare, but the Elder merely shrugged his thin shoulders and, in a musing tone, murmured, "I am of her line. Abula's mother birthed other pups. I share blood with the TriAlphas on each of the Lyken nations' thrones through those infants. We are not kin, no. Not that. Not in the way we understand it today. But our ancestry aligned centuries ago and we are of the same blood. You expect me not to know my own family history? Even if my specialty is healing?" he demanded, rheumy eyes seeking out his naysayer from within the folds of his scarlet robe.
When that caused more whispers, as well as the shunning of the councilor who’d dared question the Elder, Thalia ignored the buzz and reached out, clinging to his hand as she asked, "What of me, Elder? What will become of me? Are we related?"
"Abula wasn't born of a TriAlpha, not in the sense as we know today, but your situations are similar in other ways. You will bring change, Thalia. A much needed breath of fresh air in a society that has grown too confident, too secure. Stagnant. You will help the nation survive these changes, and your mates will be your support."
Biting her lip, Thalia whispered, "You mean, I'll have an active role in the council?"
"Without you, your three mates are just males. It is you who are the glue. You who are the bond. The magick has rooted itself inside of you, and will manifest when you and your She-Wolf are ready.” He turned to her fathers and, in a stern tone, said, "Now, we have reached a time when Thalia can find her mates according to our tradition. You must not hold her back. You must free her from the nest. She must find her mates. The sooner the better."
All three of her fathers looked to be in various stages of bemusement. At the Elder's reprimand, Adam looked embarrassed, his throat bobbing with his unease. Luca looked pissed off; his gray-blue eyes were stormy and his fists were clenched where they rested on his throne. And Damien? Well, Damien's eyes seemed a little less sad. When he looked at her, there was less shame, more humility.
From a soft and gentle tone, one that bordered on hypnotic and that had lulled the dozens of men seated in the council, the Elder's voice suddenly boomed out, making them all jolt in place. "The Goddess will punish those who treat her child, babe of her bones, blood from her flesh, as outcast."
And with that announcement, suddenly feeling like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, Thalia sank down to the floor. Because she was the Goddess’s child. Oh, she knew they all were, but the Elder’s meaning went deeper. Thalia was a babe of the Goddess’s bones… she was… She dropped, the strength in her muscles disappearing as she landed on her knees and stared, blindly, into space. She'd wanted change. She'd needed for something to happen, something to free her from her pretty prison.
But this?
Gods, did she sound like a pain in the ass when she said it was all too much? She'd been bitching about her circumstances, hoping that something would happen to alter the shitty status quo, but she hadn't expected to be the second coming of the Lyken Nation, for fuck's sake.
Overwhelmed, she concentrated on not passing out—she wasn’t breathing right. It made her feel short of oxygen, like she was choking, and oblivion beckoned, tempted her. And who could blame her if she succumbed to it?
As the TriAlpha's child, she automatically had a future of duty and responsibility. It wasn't all preppy parties and asslicking. Her fathers might be dicks but they were responsible for millions of lives. Lyken males, females and children were all under their protection.
Just the thought that one day they'd be under hers made cold sweat line the length of her spine.
Swallowing back the panic that made her feel like she was about to choke on it, she nodded to the Elder. "Blessed be. I am humbled by the tale you have told, and I thank you for making my naysayers, these cynics, see the truth." She hated that it happened, but her mouth began to tremble, and her entire body quivered when he reached out, his bony fingers coming to cup the ball of her right shoulder.
In front of her fathers, seated on their thrones, before the dozens of councilors who had shamed and disrespected her, the Elder carefully bobbed down in a small bow, going as low as his ancient bones would allow him.
“Child of the Goddess, it is I who is thankful.”
Gasps, not only at the statement but at his actions, ricocheted around the chambers.
She stared in astonishment, in outright bewilderment, as the Elder’s eyes clashed with hers. “You will bring change, you will bring peace. You will bring acceptance to those who have been shunned. Your pups shall bring forth a new generation, a new age that will protect our people for centuries to come.”
“We’re in danger?” Luca demanded, his tone harsh—ever the strategist.
“We are constantly in danger,” the Elder mused. “But more so than ever. Our behavior, if not rectified, will bring us to the attention of the humans. Thalia’s fate will protect us from that.”
“H-How?” she asked, licking her lips nervously, and trying not to feel like those skeletal digits on her shoulder were a burning, searing brand.
“Your fate is your own, child. It is not for me to guess, nor for me to advise. The Goddess has set you on a path that is unique to you; but you will not travel it alone. You shall have your mates at your side, and through them, and through your bond, you will shield us from our past mistakes.” He let out a sigh. “It is not fair to place this burden on shoulders so young, but it is imperative you seek out your mates. That you bind yourself to them. Change is coming,” he whispered, his voice turning from soothing to a croak that had fear rasping along her nerve endings. “The storm is brewing; I can feel it in these old bones. It has already begun, already set us down a path we cannot move from—not without your aid.”
He ran those bony fingers along her cheek, bringing fire with the gentle, caring touch. “Your mates will help you, and will help us all.”
“What kind of path?” Luca growled, his tone insistent as he leapt to his feet and started to pace. “Nothing can’t be unchanged. Surely we can take steps…”
“Factions have made their move, and games are in play,” the Elder said dismissively, his focus, as it had been since the beginning of this interview, entirely on Thalia. “You are the key.”
The key?
She didn’t want to be the key.
She just…
Thalia blew out a shaky breath as she climbed to her feet. “I will do my best not to let you d
own, Elder.”
“Tis not I you shall endanger, child. My time is short on this plane. It is the future generations who need you. The humans are…” His jaw tightened and the storm he’d mentioned began to brew in those rheumy, age-addled eyes. “Their numbers grow stronger. Their population has always overwhelmed ours, but our secrets have kept us safe. Without the protection of living among them without their ken, we are heading for a new chapter where no pup is secure from their tyranny.
“They are more dangerous than any predator, and though we are stronger, we are their prey for we are too few and their might too fierce in the face of our lack.”
“B-But what do I do?”
“Just find your mates, child. Take one step at a time and know that the Goddess walks with you.”
Her mouth trembled again until she firmed it, then, in the buzz that had overtaken her mind at his revelation, she heard the councilors calling out, her fathers making demands—not just on the Elder, but on her.
She reached for his hand, squeezed his wrist in warning as she straightened her shoulders. “Blessed be,” she whispered once more, bowing her head in respect, before starting to back away. She whirred into action and ran down the central aisle, ignoring her fathers' shouts and ducking away from the hands that tried to grab her to hold her in place. To keep her there where she’d never, ever wanted to be.
The instant the doors slammed shut behind her, she heard the thunder of their steps as they came for her, but she dropped her robe and shifted. Faster than the blink of an eye. Switching from human to She-Wolf in a blur that few would ever be able to match.
Only in this form could she process the panic she felt. Wolves didn't feel overwhelmed. It wasn't something they were capable of. As it was, she just wanted to run. To run, and run, and run. Not away. Not now the Elder had made a believer out of her fathers and the council. She just needed space.
As she ran down the corridor and toward the staircase that would lead her to her apartments and ultimately the gardens, a faint scent wavered in the air. It was weak, barely there. But something about it had her hovering on the landing.
Behind her, she could hear them. They wanted to drag her back to the council chambers, but still, she lingered despite the approaching threat. It was faint, yes, but strong too. Enticing.
It stirred the dual sides of her nature in ways she’d never experienced before, and that was why she stayed in place when it was to her detriment.
She had little access to the rest of the palace. Unless she was accompanied, she couldn't leave her suite of rooms to move around the other wings.
But that was in her human form.
She was in her wolf skin, and as the She-Wolf, she was unstoppable.
Tempted by that alluring scent, she diverted course. Heading not for the gardens as she’d originally intended, but that part of the palace where the whisper-soft tendrils were sourced.
She started to pad down the stairs, her steps careful on the treads. It wasn't totally unusual for a wolf to roam the palace but security would usually appear, and they’d demand she shift. She knew she wouldn't have long before they spotted her, so she ceased padding and took off, uncaring if she fell, following her nose as though the palace kitchens were cooking a vat of bacon and sausage and her bitch was hungry.
Snout in the air, she made it to the North Wing, where the administrative offices were housed. The scent was stronger here. Still vague, but enticing.
Curious, she continued down the barren corridors that led into offices. At the end of the hall, there was an open door and she poked her head around it to look inside.
Spotting six women all with signs of tears on their face, some still hiccupping and sobbing after their bout of crying, her head tilted to the side. She wandered in, making sure to be slow and as non-threatening as possible. Her bitch sensed that the women were very low in the pack rankings. The She-Wolf felt most superior to these creatures, but the woman prevailed. She didn't like to see such signs of unhappiness and she made sure to keep her tongue lolling from her mouth, to walk with as non-predatory a gait as she was capable of.
A female, a Gamma the She-Wolf thought with a sneer, finally spotted her and she gasped. All six jumped to their feet, panic on their faces, but Thalia rushed over to one and butted her hand with her head, needing to temper their alarm without knowing why. The woman stared down at her, curiosity battling with fear for Lykens in their shifted form did not seek comfort, or in this case a scratch behind the ear, from strangers.
As the woman did just that, played with her ears, a rumble of pleasure escaped her She-Wolf and she tilted her head to the side, following the female’s fingers. The Gamma laughed, and cautiously, took to her seat again. The others followed, staring owlishly at the wolf.
"Do you think she's a natural?" one of them asked, stepping over to sit close to Thalia.
"Could be, Lizzie."
The female named Lizzie reached out and stroked Thalia's scruff. "She's beautiful. And huge, too. Especially for a natural, but if she were Lyken, she wouldn't have approached us, would she?"
Thalia's ears twitched at the Texan twang; the soft drawl had her leaning into Lizzie's hand for more scratching. She had no idea why she was here, no real idea why she hadn't gone to her wing and taken off to the forest behind the gardens where the real naturals were probably hiding from the Elder’s presence. All she did know, was that this was the first time in nearly seven years where someone had actually touched her with warmth and affection, and that scent? It was here. Still faint, but it lingered in the air, making her She-Wolf relax in a way Thalia knew neither woman nor beast had ever experienced before.
It sucked that she had to be in her wolf skin and act like a dog, but still, beggars couldn't be choosers. Until now, she hadn't realized how desperate she was for contact. For communication with someone like herself, not a feral beast who lived in the forest and had simple desires, simple instincts.
If she could, she probably would have cried as another woman came and started to pat her back.
She was in doggy heaven.
Moments before, the room had been filled with tension. Fear, horror, anguish. Now, the mood was lighter. Not so frightened, or panic-laden, and it warmed Thalia to know that she'd taken away some of the misery these desolate creatures had been feeling.
She rolled on her belly, exposing a part of her that, in the forest, she had killed to protect, the place where she was most vulnerable. At the move, another woman came, trusting the wolf not to attack now, and started to pat her.
She was surrounded by Gamma females, each clinging to the distraction she presented, while she drowned in their affection. The tender touch that came from members of her pack, when she’d not been around anyone outside the palace in too long.
Footsteps suddenly sounded, heels tapping on the tiled floor outside in the hall, and with them, the tension started to rise. They came to a halt in the doorway and one of the women cried, "Rafe! How did it go?"
The words floated past Thalia's consciousness, because here was the owner of that scent. And with only five or so feet between them, Thalia had a ringside seat to soak up that delicious essence.
The She-Wolf wanted to howl in recognition. She wanted to leap about, shaking her hind legs in the wolfie version of a victory dance. Instead, her heart started to pound, a fast, booming pace that made her feel sick. Her skin started to itch with need for her mate's touch. Because this stranger was that.
She wasn't even sure how she knew, she just did. His scent did something to her insides, made them twist and twirl, shudder with relief. He was here. One of her mates was here.
It seemed like a dream.
The Elder had declared her words to be the truth; these last eight years, she hadn't been lying about her monthly heats, hadn't been lying about her visions or the fact she had three mates.
And now, almost as though the Elder had clicked his fingers, yelling, 'Abracadabra', she had a mate.
A real, honest t
o Gods, mate.
For a second, the only part of her that moved was her heart, beating away as though she'd been chasing after deer in the forest. She wasn't even breathing, and for countless seconds, she froze and then, she moved.
She had to.
Thalia needed to get closer, to be at the male’s side, to sink into him, to drown in his presence. Only then would she believe that this wasn’t a dream, that this was real, and that it was happening.
Rolling over on to her front, Thalia finally looked at the man who was her mate, and who one of the woman had called Rafe.
Rafe. She tasted the name, adoring it with all she had.
Her She-Wolf recognized and brushed off the fact he was Gamma. Neither part of her gave a shit. She wanted to go to him and rub herself over him, revel in the fact he was here, and he was hers. And because she was in her wolf skin, she did just that.
She noticed he was staring at her, frowning, a scowl in his eyes as well as puckering his brow as she approached him.
Like a cat, she started to move around his legs, rubbing her head against his calves.
Her actions once again lightened the mood in the room. Nearly all of the women laughed. "Looks like you have an admirer, Rafe," Lizzie called out, a smile in her voice.
He stared down at Thalia, the frown in his eyes as well as puckering his brow. "Who is she?" he asked, sounding perplexed.
One of the women called Mandy murmured, "She just came in. We think she's a natural. She wanted to be stroked. You can hear the naturals in the forest; maybe the TriAlpha let them come into the palace?"
Rafe grunted as Thalia wound herself around him, coating him in her scent—a fact that made her She-Wolf inordinately happy. "I doubt that! I can really see the TriAlpha letting ferals roam around. You saw the security around the Lunoi." He snorted.
Trinity (The TriAlpha Chronicles Book 1) Page 6