by Jen L. Grey
As soon as all four of them closed their eyes, the energy around me increased. The longer they stayed on the paws, the stronger it got.
What's wrong? Liam's eyes filled with concern.
Can't you feel it? It was crazy that I was the only one who seemed to be alarmed by it.
He closed his eyes as if concentrating. I feel something, but it's not overwhelming. Almost like when we shift into our wolves.
I hadn't even realized that. When you shift, there are a few seconds where your skin changes and sprouts fur. It was a similar feeling to that only more intense. Maybe it had something to do with that magic, but what?
Forcing myself to pay attention to what they were doing, my eyes landed back on the four members. They now had their faces lifted toward the moon. Their skin seemed to glow as the wrinkles that had just been marring their faces seemed to smooth away.
It was the most terrifying thing I’d ever experienced in my life. They were doing something unnatural, and this must explain how they always looked so young.
I glanced over to the rest of the group and noticed how Simon, Micah, and Evan rubbed their arms as if they felt the same way as I did.
Dammit, my skin feels like it’s on fire. Simon’s voice popped into my head, startling me. Thankfully, I was leaning against Liam so I didn’t make a noise like I would’ve lying against a tree.
I had to be hallucinating. Mine feels like electricity is coursing through me.
The other three men looked directly at me.
Uh… I can hear you in my head. Micah glanced at me. And you’re not my mate.
You’re damn right about that. Liam glared at his friend.
It had to be the bond of respect that the professor taught us about in Shifter History. We were finally on the same side. Although, it didn’t make sense why Liam could hear us but not Bree. She was now the official heir to the council.
“God, I feel better.” Mr. Croft said as he stood and looked at the other council members.
“Not good enough.” Mr. Rafferty frowned. “That rebellion has gotten out of hand.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of them just like we did Brent.” A huge smirk filled Mr. Green’s face.
“Let’s go.” Mr. Hale pointed back in the direction of the school buildings. “We have a council to maintain.”
“That we do,” Mr. Rafferty chuckled as he patted his friend on the shoulder.
The four of them headed back in the direction they’d come from.
We waited five minutes before standing.
Let’s go. Evan motioned for us to follow him, and the seven of us hightailed it back toward the dorm room.
My thoughts were running wild. What the hell were they doing back there? And why did Bree and Sherry not feel affected like the rest of us had? None of this was making sense.
When the dorm came back into view, I took a deep breath. We had made it without being caught. At the last second, I smelled four distinct scents that shouldn't be possible.
They were dead.
"Lookie what we have here." Amber's face spread out into a huge grin as she stepped from the shadows of the forest and pulled out a gun. "Why am I not surprised?"
Evan stopped in his tracks, and Liam pulled me behind his body. Robyn and her two friends came into view to the right of us. They’d been standing at the edge of the tree line.
Turn around. Evan commanded, but as soon as we did, four guards appeared from the darkness.
None of this made sense. How had they known we’d be here?
"Mr. Hale, they're all here," Amber called out with a sick smirk on her face.
"Just as I suspected.” A dark chuckle filled the night air.
There was no way out, and we'd played right into their hands.
Chapter Eighteen
Mr. Hale's footsteps moved closer until he was standing next to Robyn. His face was smooth with none of the wrinkles I'd noticed the last time we saw each other, and the raw energy that filled the air was pouring off of him.
His face was a mask of indifference until his eyes landed on Bree. "You're in on this too?" A frown filled his face as his attention stayed locked on her.
"If you gave me more than a few minutes of your time every month, you probably would've known." She straightened her shoulders as she stared him down. "Hell, I'm the entire reason why Mia even came to this school. You knew I considered her a friend."
"Stop this emotional bullshit," Mr. Hale growled the words and turned his back to his daughter. "You've made your decision. Guards, take them to the holding place under the council building."
It made sense that they'd call it the council building since it's the very building that they conducted most of their meetings in.
"I'll make sure it gets done." Amber sneered as she stared into my eyes.
"Good." Mr. Hale nodded at her. "I’m glad I gave you four another chance." His words sounded like a proud father. "Had my son chosen you as his mate, things would've been so much better."
“All four of you are perfect to be their mates.” Mr. Rafferty praised.
"Like hell they would've." Liam's words were a deep rasp.
"Let's go." A guard came up behind me and shoved us forward.
Soon, we were all heading out to the grassy knoll with ten guards at our back and their guns aimed directly at us.
There is no way out of this. Micah glanced over his shoulder and winced. We're screwed.
Stop whining. Simon linked to us all. And that says something, coming from me.
He wasn't wrong there. I glanced over my shoulder as Amber made her way over to Liam’s side.
"You know, I could talk to your dad for you." She scanned his body up and down. "If you agree to drop her and be mine."
She had some nerve to not only capture us but still try to manipulate Liam. What kind of bitch does that?
"Not interested." Liam didn't even bother to glance her way.
"How does it feel to be rejected by someone even when they're held at gunpoint?" I was going to kick her ass before this was all over even if it killed me.
Bree snorted before she caught herself and reined it in. However, there was still a huge-ass grin on her face.
"You see, snakes like her only care about one thing." Simon frowned. "Themselves. It doesn't matter that everyone else views them as pathetic, worthless, and stupid. They still want to be on top."
"Oh, shut up, Simon." Amber swung her gun in his direction. "You don't know anything about me."
"Hell if I don't." He took a deep breath and glanced at Sherry. "I was just like you until her. Thank God I woke up. To see how others viewed me makes me want to vomit."
"You've come a very long way." Sherry gave him a small smile filled with pride.
Amber scowled, which scrunched up her face, making even her beauty uglier.
The rest of the walk was spent in silence.
When we were just feet away from the doors of the building, a few of the guards moved around and got in the front while the majority stayed behind us.
The ones in front ran to the doors and opened them wide for our group to walk through.
However, I wasn't prepared for what we found.
The council was standing about twenty feet away, turned partly away from us. There were at least fifty alphas and students standing on the other side of the council.
They're here to see us being held at gunpoint. Liam's voice was full of rage, but his mask of indifference was carefully locked in place.
The guards had their guns drawn on us, making it even more of a spectacle.
Mr. Hale waved his arm in our direction. "As you can see, our own sons have turned against the council. The very one they were set to take over because of some girl." Mr. Hale pointed right at me as his nose wrinkled in disgust. "They aren't fit to lead."
Are they being serious right now? Simon's body tensed as he stared his own dad down. "You never intended to turn it over, did you?"
"You gave us no choice.
"That's bullshit, and you know it." Simon shook his head and took a deep breath.
"Dad, come on." Micah leaned forward, trying to capture his dad's attention. "You know I've been doing everything that was asked."
"Really? Everything?" His dad's eyes flickered to his and he frowned. "You are following a nobody girl around who thinks she’s more than what she is. We can't let weak-minded people take over the Blood Council."
The men behind them glared at us with disdain. They were the alphas they had brought in just for this show. I refused to cower and met each one of their stares head-on. There wasn't one single woman in the mix. It was all men... a dick party.
Stop. They wanted the heirs to beg and plead. Micah was giving them the very thing that they were hoping for. The more you act out, the better the show. Shut it down. Now. I lifted my chin as I took a step forward. The three guards in front immediately pointed their guns at me.
"There's no reasoning with pompous pricks that have never allowed themselves to feel something for someone other than themselves." This may be my only chance to tell these bastards how I felt. "You think you're strong, but every single one of you is half the men these heirs are. You allow your people to starve, to live in horrid conditions, to be treated as property, to be something you demean. You think you're feared, but you're not."
"Like hell we're not, you stupid, stupid girl." Mr. Rafferty charged toward me and got right in my face.
He expected me to stumble back, but I stood tall. My eyes locked on his and my wolf raised to the front. "You are hated, despised, and every single person outside of this room hopes you die a slow and miserable death."
At first, he laughed, but he must have realized that I had no intention of backing down. His smile dropped as his body shook. "That's not possible."
His breathing became rapid when he realized he wasn't going to win.
I was stronger than him even after whatever they'd just done.
Sweat appeared above his lip, and he yelled at the guards, "Get them down there now!"
You're stronger than him. Evan's shocked voice rang in my head.
One of the guards grabbed my arm, yanking me from Mr. Rafferty's gaze.
"Don't touch her," Liam pulled back his arm and punched the guard square in the face.
The guard stumbled back, letting go of my arm.
Guns pointed in Liam's direction, but it was like he was oblivious. He was staring down the guard who'd hurt me, his body tense and ready to fight again.
Stop. You're going to get hurt. I reached out and touched his arm, needing him to relax.
"See." Mr. Hale pointed at his son. "He's lost his mind over her." He shook his head in disgust. "Get him out of my sight."
The problem was we were screwed, and until we could figure something out, we needed him to keep his shit together. "Just come on." I took his hand and tugged him, making him follow me.
One of the other guards jammed a gun in Liam's back as the one he hit stood back up.
Our group continued the trek down the stairs. When we stepped into the basement, it took me by surprise. I had expected a prison, but it was a long hallway with a door on the left.
"Go on." The guard Liam had punched shoved him forward with his gun.
"I hope you remember this moment." Liam turned and looked the guard dead in the eye, "because I'll make sure that the first act of the new council will be to get retribution."
The guard laughed, but the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth made it lose some of its impact. "Yeah, you and what army? You guys will never lead us."
"Don't worry. He must have a small dick he's overcompensating for." Simon arched an eyebrow and grinned. "It has to be hard to try to overcome that."
Those comments used to irritate the hell out of me, but now that he was on our side, I found them quite funny.
Stop antagonizing them. Evan chastised him through our new link.
I'm not so thrilled about this anymore. Simon frowned as he looked at his friend.
When one of the guards opened the door, the scent of blood almost knocked me over. I forced myself to walk into the room and nearly cried with relief when I found Professor Johnson.
He was propped up on the wall with dried blood all over the side of his head and his shirt. His body seemed to sag even more when he saw me.
"Get in there." A guard outside yelled as Bree stumbled into the room.
"She was going," Micah growled as he came in behind her. "There's no reason to be a dick."
"Remember what I said..." Simon started, but Sherry cut him off. "It's not helping right now."
Simon tilted his head to the side. "You have a point."
Once Evan came through the door, the guard slammed it shut, causing it to echo through the room.
I immediately went over to the professor. "Are you okay?" I reached out to touch his head, but he pushed my hand away.
"Don't worry about me, child. You all need to worry about yourselves." He sighed as he gave me a tired smile. "I was hoping you wouldn't wind up here, but I should've known better."
"We found your drawing." I leaned over, my words barely a whisper.
"Did you watch?" His blue eyes widened.
I nodded my head. "But I'm not sure what it means."
"I have a feeling I know what it is, and it's not good." He sighed as he laid his head back on the wall.
"What do you think it is?" Liam asked as he and the others gathered around.
"It's only speculation, but it's also the only thing that makes sense." He sighed and closed his eyes. "After he left your mother that night, he stopped by my house."
"My father?" He was the only person I thought he could be referring to.
"Yes, he asked me what happens when someone uses the alpha connection to their advantage. And I told him it shouldn't be used unless absolutely needed. It would forever affect the packs." The professor opened his pain-filled eyes and mashed his lips together. "He told me his children couldn't be born into something like that."
"The alpha connection?" Micah's brows furrowed. "What is that?"
"It's something that most don't know about, but of course, the information is passed down by the council to their heirs when they take their seats at the table. During war or conflict, the top alphas can pull power from the ones underneath them in order to survive or win a war. It's to be used rarely if ever and only in extreme and desperate circumstances."
"Is that what they are doing?" Evan stared at the ground.
"I think so. It has to be." The older man leaned forward and grabbed his head. "You see, the pull has dire consequences for the pack. If done too much or to the extreme, it can cause their magic to become unhealthy. They can have health issues, their wolf is weakened, and it can cause a shifter to grow old much more quickly."
That was everything we'd seen on the tour. "Is it possible to pick who to draw it from?"
"Ah, smart girl." The professor's face filled with adoration. "Yes, they can. You see, when you lead the council, you can feel all the connections from your territory inside of you. You can feel the strongest ones down to the weakest. You can pull from many or just one."
The council pulled from the lower levels.
"How do you know all this?" Bree narrowed her eyes at him.
"Because my brother-in-law told me one night over drinks." The professor pointed at me. "He was afraid he'd have to use it since there were a few uprisings going on in the territories."
"My grandfather?" It was so weird hearing stories about my father and his family.
"Yes, apparently, if you need to use the pull, the energy kills everything the council touches during the conversion. That's what I think the altar was built for. It's cement and hard to destroy."
"This is awful." Sherry clenched her hands into fists. "They had to have done that to my dad. He got feeble in the matter of a year. They wanted that asshole to take his pack."
"Yes, they like to force alphas to rise in rank who agree with their views." The professor reached over and patted my arm. "But you five can set everything right."
"How? We're locked up in what is the equivalent to a jail cell." Micah rolled his eyes and stared at the door like he was trying to make it open with his mind.
"We need to let the rebellion know we're stuck." Bree checked her pockets like she thought her phone would magically appear. “I’m going to link with Nate and let him know.”
"They should know we need help already." The professor took in a shaky breath. "I alerted them yesterday that I was afraid that the council had found out my connections. If they didn't hear from me today, that would mean I was captured."
"Bree is mated to someone back at camp. So we have something the council can’t touch." Liam took my hand in his.
“Professor Johnson’s right,” Bree whispered as she turned toward our group. “They already knew he was captured, but now they know we all are. They’re sending help.”
Thank God. Maybe we could get out of this after all.
The door to the room opened, and Mr. Hale stepped inside. "What do we have here? A family reunion." He pointed to me and then Professor Johnson. "I hate to interrupt, but I need to talk to the girl of the hour."
Holy shit. He knew about me.
Mr. Hale snapped his fingers and pointed at me. "Take her the long way upstairs and to the council room. Don't let anyone in except for the council members."
"Yes, sir." A guard entered the room with four more following behind him. As he tried to grab me, Liam pushed him aside.
One of the other guards ran over and put a gun to my head. "How about I shoot her if you don't get your ass against the wall."
Liam stopped dead in his tracks and slowly breathed as he obeyed the guard. "Here, I'm going. Don't hurt her."
"I told you she'd make you weak." Mr. Hale scoffed at him and narrowed his eyes. "But don't worry. She won't be around much longer. Hopefully, you'll turn back into a better man." He waved the guard on. "Take her upstairs immediately."
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