Enigma

Chapter 33

Arthur didn't raise his voice, but it rang around the crowd, silencing pack members young and old. They all shifted their attention to the vampire lord.

His tone was calm and soothing, as if he was telling a bedtime story and not the tale in which the world had suffered boundless damage and irreversible changes.

"Humans were the only people who walked this earth," he said, shadows flickering across his face. "One day, the monsters of another world opened a portal to our realm."

"Demons!" one of the pups in his father's lap piped in. He couldn't be older than four. His father shushed him gently, and the pup climbed over his father to sit on his shoulders.

Arthur's face lightened. He nodded. "Yes. Demons are the ones who opened the gate. However, creatures other than demons made it through. Angels, along other beings for whom our current world does not have names.

"Vampires and shapeshifters were born from demon and human parents, the fae were born from angel and human parents."

Thankfully, Arthur had simplified the story for the children's benefit, sparing them the horrors of rape and violence the creatures had subjected humans to. The pups would know the full story with all its gory details once they were older.

"And the witches, as you all know, were made by the very first fae king, whose special powers enabled him to turn humans into witches.

"But since you are werewolves, let me tell you the story of the very first shapeshifters."

Everyone leaned forward. Noah, like most immortals, knew the history of their race. But, as Elle said, it was always interesting hearing it from someone who witnessed things firsthand.

"The first Born Shapeshifters were nine," Arthur continued. "Three of them were werewolves. Those three were the originals who made all the werewolves back then. They are called the Born Shapeshifters, and their descendants are the strongest among your race."

"Alpha Noah is one of them!" A small girl pointed out, proud.

Noah shifted in his seat. Arthur glanced at him. "Yes. They are the strongest."

Their wolves were the strongest, which was a double edged sword. The stronger the wolf, the most difficult it was to control its instinctive urges. Noah and Sean had to work twice as hard on their discipline and control growing up, compared to their peers.

Some of the descendants of the Born Shapeshifters were the most insanity averse. One line, specifically, was known for having at least one wolf per generation go insane. The descendants of that line lived down south, their pack known for being extremely insular.

But that didn't mean Noah's line was any less risky. Look at his father.

Noah shook the dark thought away, it had no place near Lillian and the twins. Lillian reached over and put her hand on his, brushing her fingers over his knuckles. He looked down at her to find she was enraptured by Arthur's story, the motion of her hand on his absent-minded.

He flipped his hand and linked their fingers. She glanced at him with a smile and rested her head on his shoulder, banishing the darkness.

"Making werewolves was as difficult back then as it was now. And many humans died in the attempt to increase shapeshifter numbers," Arthur said. "Humans suffered the most during those times. Their numbers decreased, ravaged by wars and the monsters' attempts to change them. It was estimated that only one third of the human population has survived the First Gate. Not to mention the damage done to their civilizations and cultures.