Chapter 34
My heart banged in my chest. I didn’t know what to expect, but this reminded me too much of my past. Trees were everywhere, but the glow of lights shone through them. I walked behind Leo in complete silence. Seb was behind me and Zeke was taking up the back of our line.
“Leo,” I whispered.
He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Ally?”
“Why don’t you have anyone with you?”
“Well,” he started, “we didn’t really have time to pick anyone up. My guy will be here.”
I nodded and decided to keep my mouth closed. Scents violated my nose as we got closer to the light. The only thing I could identify was the smell of a lion shifter. The others I was not familiar with.
My body stayed tense. I couldn’t relax. Thoughts flew through my head to quickly for me to manage. I couldn’t do it. Facing those people was something that I just wasn’t ready for. I wasn’t ready to be part of this life. What I wanted to do was run; I wanted to run until I couldn’t any longer.
“Alex,” Seb said, “you need to calm down. Everything will be okay. They are just like you and me. The only difference is that we are leopards.”
I took a deep breath and nodded my head. I could do this. This wouldn’t be hard at all. The further we walked into the woods, the further the trees were from each other. Soon, we were standing in a large, lit opening.
I glanced around in confusion. Tiki torches made a pathway, and at the end of the path were four tables set in a square with the middle open. They were large, ancient looking tables, but there were only four: four tables with three chairs at each one. There would be no more than twelve people here. I let out a sigh. Twelve wasn’t bad.
I scanned the area and noticed that, although all the chairs were empty, there were people standing behind them. Some would be left empty. For example, I was assuming that the large man who looked like an older Leo was part of his people, but the empty chair must have been for his absent mate.
The first thing I wanted to do was ask why there weren’t more people, but at that moment I figured my question would only hinder me. It would make me look like a clueless, immature shifter. I knew I was those things, but there was no way I was letting the other’s realize that.
I walked towards the empty table with my head held high. The seven people I didn’t know glanced at me in an analyzing way. Were they wondering where I had come from? Or were they wondering why I was here in the first place? I stood by my chair with Zeke to my right and Seb to my left. We looked straight ahead. My eyes connected with Leo’s; they sparkled, but his expressions stayed the same.
“As the host for tonight’s meeting, I bid you all to sit,” a man from the right table called out.
All at once, everyone sat in there prospective seats. I kept my face forward, not knowing what to do.
“Now,” the woman from the left called out, “I’m the Tiger Queen. Honey, you can look at me. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but we all support you here. We all knew your parents.”
My eyes darted towards her. “I’m Alexandria.”
“Yes, I know. My name is Ari,” she told me with a smile. She was an older lady with black hair and orange stripes.
“I like your hair,” I blurted. Immediately I wanted to cover my mouth with my hand and let out a groan. I didn’t though; I just sat there and waited for what was next.
She let out a laugh. “It’s all natural. This is my mate, and the person I decided to take with me this time is my son.”
“Hi,” I said with a tiny wave before motioning to my left, “this is my mate, Sebastian. Zeke is my second in command.”
“I am Nicolas, the King of the Jaguars. This is my mate Melissa, and our second in command, Haley,” said the man who began the meeting earlier. The people at his table were a range of colors, but they all had one thing in common. Their eyes were bright and enrapturing with their golden color shining at me.
I nodded and gave him a smile before turning my eyes towards Leo. Leo sent me a large smile. “You already know me pretty well. This right here is my dad.”
“Nice to meet you, Ally. I’ve heard about you from my son,” the older man said with a smile.
“Nice to meet you too,” I replied.
“Now,” Nicolas called out, “we need to get to the bottom of this mess.”
“Agreed,” Leo and Ari said simultaneously.
I opened my mouth and asked one of the many questions I had, “What mess.”
“The mess that is your life, honey,” Ari said with a soft voice. “We need to find the problem in your species and rid your people of it.”
I quickly realized who the major players here were. Leo was the one to speak for the lions. Ari spoke for the tigers, and Nicolas was the speaker of the jaguars.
“I know who my problem is, but I don’t know if that person is just part of a larger whole,” I stated looking between the three of them.
They all nodded as Nicolas said, “We may have to get rid of that problem, but we shouldn’t do so prematurely. We need to make sure that the person is not working for someone else.”
“Who is this person, Alexandria?” Ari asked.
I turned towards her. “Stacey Holt.”
Ari winced. “The woman who was supposed to treat you as a sister, but instead was jealous of you as you grew into the woman you are today.”
“There is another problem,” Leo said while motioning towards me. “She mated not long ago.”
“Damn,” Nicolas mumbled while throwing his head into his hands. “Did you get a bond mate? Your mother would roll over in her grave if you didn’t.”
“I got a bond mate,” I told him.
He let out a sigh and stared at me. “You are pregnant. For some reason I didn’t think of that possibility. I honestly figured you would have waited to go through with the ritual.”
The woman next to him slapped him on the shoulder. “Be quiet, Nick. You know how young love is. It’s hard to keep your hands to yourself once you find your mate.”
“I know, love. It just complicates things,” Nicolas told her while wrapping an arm around her shoulder. The woman leaned into him and closed her eyes with a sigh.
“I understand that it causes problems,” I told them, “but it is something I am dealing with. I believe that we should keep it secret. Telling all of you was not a problem, but if my sister found out, she would use it as leverage. I couldn’t deal with putting my daughter’s life in danger.”
“We all understand that, Ally. There are many things that are said here that will never be spoken of. We will keep your secret until the time is right,” Leo said.
“Agreed,” Nicolas and Ari called out.
“I heard rumor of your sister being mated,” Ari stated.
I nodded at her. “A man who I only know as Jack claimed to be her mate, but he said they have not mated yet.”
“That makes things easier,” Nicolas said, “Now, when you go after her, she will not be any stronger than she was before. You, though, will be. You are mated. The only thing you need to do is tap into that extra power harboring inside of you. Once you do that, open yourself up to a whole new level.”
“How do I do this?” I asked them.
Leo leaned forward in his seat. “It’s quite easy actually. You just need to stop.”
“Stop?”
“Yes,” Ari threw in, “you need to stop thinking. You need to stop worrying. Everything you are doing needs to be stopped and put to the back of your mind. You need to let your power flow through you without being stopped by all of the hardships you keep harbored in your mind.”
I relaxed my body and tried to stop like they said. Closing my eyes, I heard laughter rain out from around me. My eyes snapped open. Everyone, with the exception of Seb and Zeke, were laughing. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
“What is it?” I asked with a tinge of anger.
Ari attempted to stop her laughter and eventually chocked out, “Not now. You must do it when you are alone or with your mate. Doing it here could be quite dangerous. We just never thought you would be so open as to try something like that in front of us.”
I sent them all a mock glare. “Well, how was a supposed to know that I needed to wait?”
“Oh, honey, you didn’t,” she told me.
“Is there anything else that needs to be addressed,” Leo asked once he calmed down.
“Nothing,” Ari and Nicolas stated.
Leo looked at me until I shook my head. He sent me a large smile. “Good, I need to get home to my family. Nicolas, would you do the honor of calling this meeting adjourned?”
Nicolas eased out of his seat with a serious expression, “As your host for the evening, I adjourn this meeting.”
Everyone rose from their seats; I followed their lead. Walking back to the clearing, I stared at Leo’s back. Everything that had just happened was a bit of a shock for me. I had gone in expecting a serious bunch of royalty. What I got was a group of people who felt more like family than anything.
“I’ll ride with my father, Ally,” Leo called out, “and any questions you have, I will answer.”
“Thank you,” I yelled as he jumped into the passenger’s seat of a white Jeep.
I turned towards Zeke and Seb. “Do either of you understand what just happened?”
Zeke nodded. “You were accepted, Ally-Cat. They know your family, and they know you are the rightful Queen.”
“Answer me this,” Seb said. “Why are there only four groups?”
“Easy,” Zeke said. “There are only four major species of big cats: the lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars. The others are categorized under those four. Some have their own leaders, but those are the main four.”
“I understand,” Seb said with a nod.
I nodded along with him. “Now what?”
“Now, we go home, get you to ‘unleash your powers’, and we ‘rid you of your problem,'” Zeke said quoting the previous conversation.
“I can do this.”
Seb grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “We can do this.”