I'm Baaaaaaccccccckkkkkkkkkk. Did you miss me?
The song above has been the best motivation for this chapter and the next.
It felt like there was no sense of time passed within the meeting chamber, the sun blockers had made sure of that, making sure that not a single ray of sunlight interrupted The Gathering. Aston stared at everything but the blue suited man that stood in front of him discussing current issues, taking interest in the decor or the miniscule twitches of the people surrounding him. His focus was particularly fixed on the deadpanned face of Viktor, the elder looked as if he was dying from the exact boredom that was killing him. The man shuffled constantly, seeming to in turn distract his mate, something that was an easy feat as Kendrick, too, just sat and stared at his lover. Aston found it humorous at the interactions of the two men, who's love had defied time, and their ability to be so in tune with one another. It was something he was beginning to envy, his mind starting to reflect on his current 'situation'— the situation being that he had yet to mate with Nicolai and become even closer to him.
"Our border patrol has reported that there have been some disturbances within the outer borders of Falcon Haven. They have stated that they have found the mutilated bodies of other wolves, wolves that were part of other groups on patrol" Aston's eyes snapped forward, looking into the ocean eyes of Edward.
His cold gaze traveled amongst the leaders before him, "Mutilated in what way?"
Everyone's gaze then turned towards Viktor, his face now fixed with a curious expression. Out of the corner of his peripherals, Aston noticed that Nicolai now leaned forward with the intent of knowing why as well.
"The bodies appeared to have precise wounds, like they were intentionally struck in those specific spots for a reason. By the looks of their injuries they were not attacked by any other were-animals that we know of. The gashes were too clean to be done by claws or teeth" a wolf elder explained.
"Allan, what do you mean by specific areas of the body?" Kendrick inquired, the conversation finally capturing his attention.
Allan looked at the tiger elder with his dark dull eyes, his mouth setting into an apprehensive expression at the fact that he would have to explain further. The wolf noticed that all the eyes in the room had settled onto him and him alone. Aston waited to see how the elder would provide even more facts than he already had.
"Some of the bodies had appeared to have been decapitated by what seems to be a sword or sharp bladed weapon, even some bodies having their hearts impaled or ripped out of their chests. The attacks were calculated, like the attackers knew where to strike and how to perfectly combat the wolves in that patrol" Allan said, silent gasps filled the room from a select few elders.
Aston stared in shock at the information, his mind reeling from the possibility of someone or something being able to attack them in such a deadly way, a way that had hardly been possible before. The tiger knew were-animals themselves were extremely durable creatures, a mere human or others like them would have had to cause serious damage in order to injure or kill them. Their healing factor alone allowed for them to heal rather quickly during the heat of a fight, their bodies regenerating most injuries ten times faster than that of a human's healing rate. A single wound healed from anywhere from minutes to hours depending on the severity of it, making were-animals a hell of a kill.
The tiger alpha silently scoffed at the information that the blonde haired elder had presented, his eyes looking to his mate next to him seeing that a dark expression had rested itself upon his face. Nicolai looked dangerously troubled by the news, the tiger noticing a small amount of heat pooling around his mate, power starting to slowly emit from the lion. The lion leaned forward into his hands, looking as if he was conflicted with something that eluded Aston, the dark expression never leaving his face. His mate's actions getting lost in the loud whispers of the elders that surrounded them, Aston noticing not a peep from Bianca or Valentine as their faces remained expressionless.
"Oh, and one more thing," Allan spoke up amongst the whispers, "Their healing factors had all but stopped, not allowing for their bodies to heal from any of their injuries during the fight."
The room went still.
The occupants sat in horrified disbelief at the last tidbit of information from the wolf elder, his words hung within the room like a thick blanket that seemed to envelope them heavily. Aston sensed the other alpha's bodies stiffening along with his own, instinctively causing him to place his hand on Nicolai's muscular thigh for comfort. The heat from his mate's body comforting him, Nicolai's hand magically appeared grasping his own, the small action allowed for the tiger to center himself and gain a sense of being grounded. Even without the completed mate bond, Nicolai was still able to sense his uneasiness and react to his needs; Aston was thankful for that.
Aston then looked around the room to see that the others were still processing Allan's words, their faces trouble with the outcomes of the newfound information. His eyes instantly locked with the wild eyes of Catherine's, their unsettling deepness causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. The wolf's eyes looked from their joined hands to his hazel orbs, the look of anger spreading across her beautiful features. A small amount of anxiety started to fester within the pit of Aston's stomach as he gripped Nicolai's leg a little tighter, gaining the attention of his mate. The tiger met his golden gaze before having Nicolai follow his eyes towards the heated glare of the wolf across from them.
"Everyone calm down!" a voice broke out from the commotion.
Isadora stood to attention, the tiger's eyes being pried from Catherines' in order to center his attention towards his elder and friend.
"We need to take a second to calm down and rest these turbulent emotions. I can feel the power leaking from all of you
"We cannot let tensions rise anymore than they already have, it will not do us any good in the long run. Everyone just calm down so that we assess this situation in a level headed way," Isadora spoke once more, "We are not animals."
Her words lingered in the air as the room froze from what she said, their faces a mixture of shock and shame. Aston looked around once more, his hand still securely on his mate's thigh, seeing that everyone had slowly processed Isadora's outburst. His eyes surveying those closest to him, seeing that his fellow leaders had remained silent, before expanding to the others seated around the table. The thigh underneath his hand grounding him as he came in contact with deep brown eyes from across the room once more.
Catherine's glare bore into the tiger's face, his body starting to squirm from the heat of her stare, her eyes traveling from his hazel eyes to the sight that had captured her attention prior. A low growl erupted from her lips catching the attention of the other wolf elder seated beside her, their faces turning quietly in her direction.
"Catherine," Edward spoke, his voice sending shivers across Aston's skin, "What is it now?"
The female wolf continued to growl, ignoring the cold man that had acknowledged her, her eyes glowing a dark shade of honey. Aston knew she had connected the dots from what she had witnessed between Nicolai and him, his hand giving Nicolai's a reassuring squeeze.
"Catherine—"
"It seems like I am the only one who has taken notice of the two alphas sitting directly across from me," She answered.
Isadora and Ephraim looked at her with cautious wide eyes, the reality of the situation sinking in.
"And what is that my dear Catherine?" Ransom said, his voice catching Aston off guard.
The situation had turned into something Aston could not control, their secret being revealed sooner rather than later. Something they were not prepared for. Nicolai's answering squeeze reassured Aston for what was to come from Catherine's new found rage.
"It seems, to me, that Aston and Nicolai have something they have been keeping from us. If I didn't know any better, I would say they were mated. Just right under our noses." She explained, baring her teeth.
All eyes turned to the tiger and lion alphas.
Everyone took notice of their joined hands, their noses flaring from the sudden feeling of surprise at what they were witnessing—the tiger elders looking for a way to diffuse the situation. Aston froze under the scrutiny of the eyes of the wolf elders, their malice towards the pairing being felt from across the room, the tiger silently knowing the reason for it. The air on his arms raised in surprise, a familiar warmth radiating from beside him, his eyes turning towards the guarded expression of his mate. Nicolai looked ready to defend him, Aston's worries settling at the sight of it.
"Oh," Edward answered, power in his voice. "What is this sight before us?"
Aston stared deep into the glowing ocean eyes, "What does it look like, Edward?"
"Treason." A voice replied from a gray-eyed woman beside Allan.
Vivian Woods was the only elder amongst the wolves to remain calm, her demeanor not reflecting the actions of the others in her group, power coming more from the single word she spoke than any possible action.
"Watch your tone, wolf," Nicolai snarled, his fingers intertwining with Astons'.
Vivian looked at the lion, looking as if she was observing him from down her nose, a sign of dismissal to an alpha. Nicolai growled next to Aston, his restraint becoming harder and harder to contain, the tiger knowing that his anger might get the best of him. He also knew that the power leaking from his mate was nothing compared to the true power he held underneath; Nicolai's true power would have suffocated the room.
"You may think you have power over me, lion, but you are mistaken," Vivian replied, "You seem to have forgotten."
Aston released his power instantly to soothe his snarling mate, knowing that Vivian's words held no power over him, but it was intended to get a reaction out of his mate.
"Vivian, please do not antagonize my mate," Aston stated firmly, "before I shut that muzzle of yours, and you know Ransom will not be able to stop me."
Vivian looked Aston with a stoic weariness, her demeanor changing as she knew Aston's words rang true. Her eyes flicked towards Ransom, his face remaining neutral at the sound of the tiger's threat.
"Watch your tongue," Catherine snapped, defending the wolf elder, "or this place will no longer be neutral ground."
Before Aston could rebuttal, he felt a calm hand against his chest.
"Forgive my Alpha, we too, are still getting used to their unique pairing ourselves," Isadora stated, trying to cut through the tension like a peaceful blade.
"He has yet to realize his place among all of you," Ephraim added, "He is still young, and does not know the consequences of his actions."
Edward held up his hand, the room going silent from the simple gesture, Nicolai's growling still vibrating loudly from his throat. The wolf elder peered deeply at the alpha couple, his ocean eyes staring deeping into Aston's as the tiger tried to refrain from seeing it as a challenge.
"When did this pairing come about?" He asked.
"The day he came to introduce himself to us," Aston replied.
"Was this planned?"
"No."
"What do you mean by no, Aston?"
"I mean, that him being my mate was something that just...happened. It's not like we planned it from the start, all of you know that we do not get to decide our mates."
"Speak for yourself mi gattito," Ransom grumbled from beside them.
Nicolai glared at the wolf alpha from beside Aston, Ransom's pouting reminding him of the wolf's actions earlier in the day, only adding to the situation. Out of the corner of his eye, Aston watched as Valentine twitched at the wolf's words, his body language becoming closed off.
'Now, that is interesting' Aston thought before focusing on Edward once more.
"You know that could be seen as an act of treason to our alliance, Aston" Edward explained.
"Ransom and Bianca are both aware of the circumstances surrounding my pairing with Nicolai" Aston replied, the council looking away from him towards their leader.
"Ransom, you can not see this as an act of war," Allan said, "The merging of these two alphas could spell trouble for us all. You must know the consequences of letting this union come to fruition."
"My alpha," Catherine pleaded, "You must know that this is treason. Pure treason."
"Enough!" Ransom growled.
The wolf alpha's sky blue eyes bled into a deep red, the council members—all but Edward— looked away from their alpha in submission. His power started to wildly seep out of his pores and out amongst the other alphas. Aston watched as his friend lost his cool in front of his council members, the power not affecting him or his mate.
"We have discussed the pairing between Nicolai and Aston. It is a pairing and nothing else," Ransom added, "Bianca and I have agreed to disagree."
"Ransom" Aston said, a warning tone evident in his voice.
"You do not carry his mating mark mi gattito! Do not hold that tone with me, you are still fair game for another alpha to claim you as his own," Ransom snapped, his eyes staring into Aston's.
"Over my dead body," Nicolai snarled.
"I have nothing but time, lion, do not think I will not wait," Ransom warned the lion alpha.
Aston peered towards Valentine once more, seeing his face scrunch up like he had tasted something unappealing, his eyes glaring openly towards Ransom. On the other side of him Bianca looked bored, her attention had become focused on something underneath her nails.
'Interesting . So very interesting.' He thought once more, his eyes landing once more on Edward.
Edward had not looked away from him, his eyes still holding a question that lingered in the air moments ago. Aston knew he would not be able to evade the bombardment of questions, an arsenal of them locked and loaded from the council members before him. He had not prepared for this or the possibility of his mate losing his temper to Ransom's declaration.
Only one thought came to mind as he knew that The Gathering was far from over.
'Well Fuck'
This is dedicated to those that still believed in this story and the characters in it. I have missed writing about them as much as you missed reading about them.
Enjoy :)