Shifters

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

            The door opened and Rachel stuck her head in. “Some of the pack elders are here and want an emergency meeting. I set them up in the living room and Mum has asked you and Ella to come down,” she said, disappearing before receiving an answer.

            Ian sighed. “Are you feeling up to it? I can convince them to let you rest if you don’t want to face them yet.” He grabbed my hand in his and squeezed, his eyes searching my face.

            “I’m okay. The sooner they know what is going on the faster we can dispose of the problem.” I ground the last four words out between clenched teeth.

            He smiled. “You are a strong and brave soul,” he said, leaning in to kiss me on the forehead.

            I smiled shyly at him. It was the first time he had ever said anything like that to me. It was sweet and I really liked the feeling it gave me.

            Ian helped me get up from the bed because my body was still stiff and sore from the shift and I had ran the whole way home, which made my legs feel like jelly. I tried to put my weight on my legs to walk and stumbled. Ian caught me by the arm before I could fall and was soon sweeping my up bride style and carried me from the room. I didn’t say anything to him but my face felt like it was on fire. I put all my concentration into trying to cool my face before we faced the elders.

            Ian carried me like I weighed nothing more than a feather and it made me realize just how strong he was. He would make a great Alpha, I thought wistfully. Conscious of the stares we were getting as we came down the stairs, I looked at my hands folded on my stomach.

            Ian set me down in my favorite chair by the fireplace. Six of the elders were spread around the room on couches and chairs that had been pulled in from the kitchen. Mum was handing out refreshments, trying to make everyone feel welcome. Ian stood beside the chair I was sitting in and addressed the people in the room. Mum took her seat.

            “Thank-you everyone for taking the time out of your busy day to have this emergency meeting and making the effort of coming all the way to our home,” he said, looking at every one individually.

            A surge of pride enveloped me. Ian was taking control of the situation and was showing great potential as a leader, hopefully the new permanent Alpha.

            Everyone acknowledged Ian’s welcome with a nod.

            “As you know, despite our best efforts Ella was kidnapped and held against her will. Luckily she managed to escape,” he stated, shooting me a quick glance.

            One of the elders spoke. “Who kidnapped you?” he asked, staring at me intently. His name was John.

            Ian addressed the John before I could answer. “There has been a breach in our trusted pack. The newcomer Alex Perry assisted Dalton Stone in kidnapping Ella!”

            The sound of surprised gasps filled the room. Another elder named Quinn stood up, his face red with outrage.

            “They will have to be punished for this!” he yelled, but sat back down when Ian motioned for order.

            “The Perry family will be dealt with believe me, but right now I want Ella to tell us what happened. Also whether she learned the reason that her father is so intent on kidnapping her so we can deal with him accordingly,” Ian said, looking around the room until his gaze rested on me.

I took this as my cue to speak. I started shaking. How was I going to tell everyone in this room that I wasn’t even one of them? I felt like I was going to be sick, but I knew the truth would be found out soon enough and I’d rather everyone heard it from me, especially Ian.

“Alex Perry drove me out of town after we went to see a movie. I should have known something was wrong by the way he was acting, but I don’t know him well so I thought nothing of it.”

I was keeping my gaze locked on my lap. I didn’t want to see the looks on their faces when I told them the next part.

“He took me to an abandoned tower just south of town to where my father was waiting for us. He….he knocked me out when I tried to escape by punching me in the side of the head.” I looked up at Ian to see him clench his fists at his side, but his face remained blank. I looked back down at my lap.

“When I came to, I was chained to the floor of the tower.” I paused. Man I didn’t want to tell them what I found out from my father, but I went on anyways.

“Did you learn why your father is so determined to have you?” John asked.

“I did.” I felt a few tears roll down my cheeks and I could hear a low rumbling in Ian’s chest beside me as he growled at my discomfort.

“Perhaps this can wait. Ella just got home from a terrifying ordeal and needs time to rest,” Ian said, his voice calm but I could tell he was holding in his anger.

“No it’s okay. Everyone needs to know so he can be stopped,” I said, looking up and meeting everyone’s gazes except Ian’s.

“Take your time,” Quinn said softly, nodding in encouragement.

I took a deep breath. “My father wants me because I’m……not a werewolf.”

Sounds of shock filled the room for the second time and I looked over to Ian. He had a puzzled look on his face and I smiled weakly before continuing.

“Werewolves are Lycanthropes and I’m a rare species of were. I’m a Therianthrope.” There I had said it.

“What is a Therianthrope?” Mum asked. This was the first time she had spoken during the whole meeting.

I looked at her. She had treated me like one of her own since my mother had left me and I realized just how much it meant to me, how much I loved her like a mother.

“I can shift to any animal I choose, not just a wolf,” I said.

“Really?” Ian asked.

“Yes. I would show you but I’m too tired from shifting to escape. I had changed into a house cat in order to get out of the chains,” I explained.

“I wonder why he didn’t account for that?” John said, rubbing his chin.

“I think it was because he never explained how to shift to another animal and perhaps thought I wouldn’t figure it out?” I said, thinking out loud.

“I don’t understand why he wants you so badly though?” Cassandra Redwood asked. It was the first time she had spoken as well.

I flushed a bright red but told them anyways. “I am apparently the only female of my species. My father is one and so is Alex Perry who my father planned on…..mating me with,’ I said with a whoosh.

Now Ian was growling loud enough for the whole room to hear. Mum raised her eyebrows at him but said nothing.

“I think it best that Ella gets some rest,” Ian barked.

With that he scooped me up in his arms and started for the stairs.

“I will be back in a moment and we will discuss just what we are going to do about the Perry’s and Dalton Stone,” Ian said as he carried me up the stairs.

I could hear mumbling between the pack members as we ascended the stairs.