Aaden, Sam, and Jayden were gone more often with, well, alpha, beta, and third things. Chipper isn't a part of the meetings so she doesn't know what they're about. Jayden won't say anything, I'm new and therefore not a part of them, and Sam had no mate to know and tell us. I'd asked Aaden plenty of times and came up with no straight answer.
I was constantly stressed out about basically everything that was happening in my life. Let me review the list again.
1. I was part of a pack that may or may not trust me, and if not than for good reason.
2. I was breaking shifter laws.
3. I made myself regularly check on Violet who at least was starting to get her strength back, but it was hard to keep the others from getting suspicious when I left.
4. And, oh yeah, I have two mates.
Of course I can go into greater detail, like how interacting with one of my mates is breaking shifter laws, but that might take awhile.
"Do you think their meetings are about the noises they heard awhile back in the west woods?" I asked Chipper after we finished our training. Aaden, Sam, and Jayden had, of course, been at another meeting. I was so worried they'd find Violet and Landon.
"I told you Jayden won't tell me, but I guess it could be. I doubt they've actually found anything but they could be investigating it. I'm worried that it might've been rouges."
I wasn't sure if that relived me or worried me. We still knew nothing about what it actually was but Chipper at least didn't think they'd found anything. Still the main thing that had me constantly on edge I knew wouldn't go away until I took action. Things couldn't stay this way. Once Violet was better they'd leave to stay out of trouble from my pack. That'd be fine if it weren't for Landon. Why did the Moon Goddess have to make things complicated for me?
"Chip... Can I ask you something?" I said quietly.
"Yeah, of course, what's wrong?" Chipper replied with questioning eyes.
"Have you ever seen any other shifters? Like, besides wolves?" I asked in almost a whisper.
Chipper's eyes widened. She grabbed me by the arm to stop me, then opened a random door and pulled me in. Quickly, she checked that the room was vacant, and it was.
"Why would you ask something like that? Interacting with other types of shifters is-"
"Against shifter laws, I know. But I didn't say interact now did I?" I interrupted.
Chipper bit her lip and whispered, "Yes, I've seen other types of shifters. Have you?"
I found it fair she knew the truth and nodded my head.
"If we both agree not to tell a soul about what we say, will you tell me what you think about that law?" I asked, curious.
Chip nodded.
"I think it's bullshit. We're all shifters, we should stick together. It's like saying normal wolves can't interact with other animals."
I nodded, agreeing completely.
"There's something else that's happened to me recently I wanted to ask you about. Have you ever heard of someone with... two mates? Or, even better, a mate of another species of shifter?"
It was a lot to tell her, but I trusted Chipper. It's not like she had any evidence or knew if I was even talking about myself.
"Never," Chip admitted, eyes wide in surprise.
"Recently though, I've been thinking of... Well, leaving the pack. I've heard of a, well not a pack, but a group of shifters called the Rebellion who have some similar opinions to our own. If you found any friends out in the woods you might tell them."
"What about Jayden? And Sam, he'll hunt us down won't he?"
"I don't know about them. When we were young Jayden would say how stupid he thought that law was and then Mom would cover his mouth and tell him to shut up. Sam though? I don't know him well enough to know his opinion on that. Aaden however... He despises other shifter types. Tried to convince Sam to take out an entire skulk of foxes when then got within a mile of our territory."
I shook my head slowly. Did he really hate them that much? I thought of Violet and wondered if that could have been her old skulk...
"So what do you say? Do you think you can get an opinion out of Sam in, say, the next two days?" I asked
Chipper chuckled quietly.
"You can't stay anywhere very long now can you? But yeah, I think so, and if not its just us...?"
"Four," I confirmed.
"Then it's settled. And this meeting didn't happen," Chipper said with a smile of relief, probably that she found someone who'd go with her to join the Rebellion.
"What meeting?" I said, grinning.
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I got outside and shifted, then ran as fast as I could to tell Violet and Landon the news. It felt good to actually be doing something with my life, to help make a difference. I almost yelled out their names when I got close to the clearing but I remembered to prepare for the worst and checked the clearing for our pack's patrol. When I was sure the coast was clear I whistled a tune we'd made up so they'd know it was me and walked into the clearing. Violet and Landon walked out from behind a cluster of shrubbery, trees, and a few briars that made it look like the cuts on Violets arms had never healed.
"Guys! I've got great news. Have either of you heard of the Rebellion?" I said, excitement causing my voice to be a little higher pitched than I'd meant for it to be.
"No, I don't think so," Violet said.
"Quite the creative name," Landon responded.
I rolled my eyes.
"This is serious! The Rebellion is like a pack or a skulk for all shifters, where we can all stay together and we don't have to go hide. I was talking to a friend of mine at the pack and-"
"Wait, you told one of your pack members about us? Are you crazy?" Landon exclaimed.
"Well, in a way, but-"
"It doesn't matter what way! They can't know we're here at all, we have to leave!"
'I can quite tell if he's protective of Violet or just easily scared,' Ria said, causing me to fight back giggles.
"Landon calm down!" Violet said, worry in her eyes as she scanned the surrounding trees for eavesdroppers. She'd been paranoid the whole time she'd been here that someone would find them or hear them.
"She doesn't know where or even what you are, she has no proof you're here, I just asked if she'd ever seen other shifters besides wolves and her opinion on the law. She said she thinks it's like wolves not being allowed to interact with other animals, and told me about the Rebellion," I explained.
Landon finally stopped freaking out.
"So what are we waiting for? I'm healed, I've been training a bit, why aren't we leaving now?" Violet asked.
I bit my lip nervously, preparing for Landon to freak out again.
"Chipper, my friend that coming with us, is going talk to a couple others about their opinions. She won't mention us at all, it's just she's known them longer so they'll tell her over me most likely. If they're coming with us then great, more people joining a great cause, if not then we can probably move faster. The only reason Chipper knows you exist at all is I said if they're not coming it would just be the four of us."
Violet nodded but seemed upset that she could leave now, and Landon seemed like he wanted to yell again but kept his mouth shut.
"Two days tops until we leave for the Rebellion. After that, no more hiding."
"What about your mate?" Violet asked.
"He's not coming," I said, avoiding both of their stares, but mostly Landon's.
"Did you talk to him?"
"No."
"Then-"
"He's not coming. End of story," I said, then turned around and stalked off back towards the pack house.
After a minute of walking I was about to start running but I stopped abruptly when I heard Landon behind me.
"Hey, can you stop? I don't really want to go any farther than this."
'Well he's a silent walker now isn't he?' Ria responded.
"You followed me?" I yelled, probably a little louder than I should've.
"I want to talk to you okay? And not with Violet there. Alone," he said, his brown eyes staring into mine but showing no emotion.
"Well, today must be your lucky day," I said, sounding more annoyed than I actually was.
"You said your mate wasn't coming," I forced myself not to interrupt him with a loud sigh, "Why?"
"Chipper told me he basically hates other shifters that aren't wolves," I answered, "Happy now?"
"Chipper told you, but did you talk to him yourself?"
"No, I don't really want to experience that conversation. Why would Chipper lie to me anyway?"
"I don't know, but don't let somebody ruin your relationship with anybody," he paused then added," Don't let me ruin your relationship with... someone, either."
I understood why he was saying that, after loosing his mate and all, but it wasn't necessary. Lately the mate pull with him had almost entirely disappeared, and with Landon it was getting stronger. I hardly talked to Aaden at all anymore, and yet everyday Violet, Landon, and I conversed until I had to go to avoid suspicion.
Without waiting for an answer Landon turned around and walked away. I watched him for a minute before running back to the pack house and swearing at the Moon Goddess for doing such a thing to us. I got to decide whether Aaden or Landon had a mate. I wouldn't be happy with Aaden, I knew that. I'd have to stay with the pack and if I ever talked to Violet or Landon again it'd have to be in hiding. But what if Landon wasn't over his other mate, and never will be? Or what if they sent wolves after me and I got one or even all of us killed?
'I don't care what happens to us, I'm not staying with that pack longer than two days, I'm sick of us hiding and I feel useless there,' Ria said.
'I know, I agree it's just, I don't want to be the reason something happens to them, you know?'
'Now you sound like Landon.'
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That's right, I'm uploading again. If you didn't notice I unpublished most of my stories except for this one, Mystical Creatures: The War, and my Short Stories and Extras, that way I can basically focus on two books instead of, like, five. I realized I never included a picture of Landon so I added that and his lynx in this chapter. Hopefully I can start uploading more often! Thank you so much for reading, if you liked it give it a vote, and comment what you think!
~Snuffles🐾