"But we just got back!" Craig complained, shoving clothes in his drawer.
"There's a meeting tomorrow," yesterday on our way back, an emergency council meeting had been called. Once they heard we were attacked, everyone freaked out: emails bombarded us, phone calls came in every minute, and the news was already up a story. Thankfully, all the Alphas were safe and only a few from my team got injured. I wrote the whole report on the way back so everything would be ready. Because of that, if he wasn't going to go, I was. And, by go, I mean to his parent's house. "If we don't go now, there might never be time. You never know what might happen so the present is the time to do it. Come on, they're not like us and won't live for long."
"You're type of long is very different from mine," he concluded.
"Yeah, probably," my smirk lifted the corners of my lips. Surely, he was close to saying yes.
"You'll go anyway, right?" Those eyes of his bore into me.
Did he already know me that well? "Yep!"
"Fine," he sighed. With one glance at me, he held me in his arms. "But, I want to go like this most of the way." Our faces barely had space in between them.
Heat centered on my cheeks. Before I could protest, Craig called out to Peter that we were going out for the night. Then, he broke out into a run once outside.
The driveway--if you could call it that--was littered with vines, weeds, sticks, and all sorts of nature. It was hard to pick through everything on our way to the house. Obviously, they hadn't left the property in years. After a limb clawed at my arm, I concluded that they really didn't want anyone intruding on their private place.
Once two yards away from the house, the lawn was cut and nature was tamed. A garden surrounded the side with flowers blooming all types of colors. The house was built from cedar logs and a brick fireplace; it was really small, probably only had two rooms.
From the inside, I could hear stomping all the way to the door. The both of us tensed, not knowing how they would react to our presence.
"Craig!" yelled out a feminine voice from the door. The woman had overalls on matching her gray braid--which ran down her back. Wrinkles covered her skin presenting her old age like a tree stump. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" She ran up to us while her husband trailed behind; she took a deep breath in. "Why are you an Immortal?" She turned to look at me. "Did she do this to you? You shouldn't have trusted her! She only wants to use you! Don't you understand? You need to wait for your mate!!" Her hands gripped his shoulders to move him closer.
"Mom," he growled, "stop it."
Instead, she barreled on. "If the Immortals had done their job, your poor adorable little sister wouldn't have been killed; she wouldn't want you to mate this slut. That Sabrina wouldn't be roaming around killing, poor innocent children. This lady will lead you down the wrong path. You must leave her!"
Taking one of her hands, I lifted it gently off of Craig. "Hello, ma'am, my name's Kailyn. I'm the commander that lead the party that brought Sabrina's downfall."
"What?" Her husband gasped. The both of them widened their eyes and their mouths hung agape.
Giving him a small smile, I turned to him. "Would it be alright if we sit down to discuss this?"
He nodded then hooked arms with his wife. Together, they lead us inside. Right inside the door, there was a tiny kitchen. A table stood off to the side. Then, there was another door in the right corner. It wasn't even close to the luxuries they used to have.
"Now, please tell me how you're connected to Sabrina," the father calmly stated. His wife opened her mouth with a snarl. "Stop Lilian. Just stop." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he turned back to me.
"Some of my family were kidnapped and others killed. So, I set out to track her down. I was finally able to do that last year with the help of your son."
Michael, I had finally remembered his name, lifted his eyebrows. "You're that Kailyn? Kailyn Gracchus?"
"I am but now I'm called Kailyn Ortivo; I remember you when you were so tiny. Crawling all over the picnic blanket with your little toys."
"Well, that's not awkward," muttered Craig sarcastically.
"You'll get used to it," I poked him in the side.
"Where did you go? My father waited for you until the day he died!" His eyes drooped as he looked down while swallowing.
"My hibernation became longer, to the point I could barely control it. I was sleeping fifty to seventy years away in a matter of seconds." I couldn't look him in the face; even if it was the truth, it was an excuse.
"So you just ran away?" spat the woman. "You could've killed that witch years ago. But, no, you just had to run and sign everyone's death warrants." Craig growled lowly as I held back some tears.
"As unfamiliar as that phrase is, I do understand the gist. Let me ask you, she only killed one of your family member, so why are you hidden in a hut? Why didn't you go search for her? Isn't this called running away?"
"How dare you! I've been grieving the death of my daughter. Yo-"
"And, I've been grieving the death of my mother, father, brother--who died last year, god-mother, god-father, god-brother, my friends--who died along the way, 250 pack members." I pronounced each syllable with a thick tongue. "Do you want me to go on? There's still more."
She shook her head that was turned downward.
I went on with my message. "Hibernating is an essential part of an Immortal because it allows the mental, physical, and spiritual parts of our body to recharge. We have to live through immense changes in our lives including the amount of loved ones that pass. Everyday, I regret not coming out sooner but I can't let that stop me."
A searing white raged passed through me. Before I could even think, I was standing. "And yet you have the audacity-mmmm." A hand was placed over my mouth.
"Calm down there fireball," soothed my mate. "Tayla's taking over." what?
Sitting back down, I rolled my neck back and forth. Craig's parent's mouths thinned. Actually, I didn't even notice them back up against the far wall. Tayla's eye color must've come out.
I'm sorry Kailyn.... I-I just couldn't......
It's okay. Not how I wanted today to go but it'll do.
"Mom, dad, Kailyn is my legitimate mate."
"But... but Immortals don't mate with regular werewolves!" His mother protested; there was almost a whine to her voice.
Is she still trying to get in between us?
"I didn't even know she was an Immortal when I met her, and that's when I felt the pull. Whether you believe or not, we have the pull, mom. We couldn't have met if it wasn't for that."
A frown deepend the wrinkles on her face. "Take them outside, I'm going to make dinner." Her back turned on us as she grabbed boxes from the cabinet.
Michael lead us outside. His hair was already gray; those eyes of his needed glasses; his wrinkles were symmetrical with his wife's; plus, a limp affected his gait.
In the backyard, a table laid on all fours, surrounded by flowers. We sat down without a word.
"I apologize," Michael sighed, "about my wife. She hasn't been the same since the death of Heather. That's why we had to leave, she went feral. She attacked everyone but me." He paused only for a moment. "How did you two meet?"
"I," began Craig, "was coming back from another pack when I had the urge to go through the haunted lands. There was this pull leading me to a cliff; everyone loved the spot so they decided to camp. Personally, I couldn't understand why Nitro refused to leave. That night, I saw a sleeping figure up in a tree which surprised me. I hadn't sensed you at all. Nitro explained to me that she was my mate--that she didn't feel comfortable with all the people. Earlier the next morning, she followed me to the river but I didn't expect her to reveal herself." He chuckled darkly making shivers run down my arms. "Adam came before I could speak to her and they thought she was a ghost! Anyway, she followed us back towards the pack then we stopped for a break. Honestly, I was testing to see what she would do. Well, she came back down, introducing herself. It wasn't until what happened later that I was entranced."
"What did she do?" queried his father, whom was leaning in.
"The children of the pack were attacked so we rushed to the hospital. Once there, she sang to the little ones. The thing is, it calmed everyone down; it allowed me to investigate what happened thoroughly. She's aided in the fights and governing of the packs. I don't know how I did things without her. Even with her council work, she takes a load off for Adam and I.
I had no idea what to say to that. My cheeks heated as it was hard to keep eye contact.
"You still have trouble with compliments don't you?" Michael's question startled me into looking in his eyes. "Dad and mom always joked around about your inability to take a compliment. Now I understand what they mean."
His mouth turned into a full blown smirk. It had me preening. Turning around, I met Craig's smirk as well. Unintentionally, my eyes began to narrow.
How dare they make fun of us!
A hand rubbed my back while Michael spoke up. "What's your side of the story?"
"Well, I just got out of hibernation so I went to my favorite spot. It has a cliff and the dawn is spectacular," I gushed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Craig give a thumbs up. I could practically feel Tayla roll her eyes.
"These men came to camp at the spot but there was this one male; he caught my attention and wouldn't let go. In the morning, Tayla had me follow him. Both times I came down--at the river and during the break--I felt compelled to get closer, closer to my mate."
By the end, Michael was brimming with happiness. "I'm so proud of you Craig. My greatest regret was leaving you. When your mom became feral, I had no idea what to do. Your grandpa suggested to leave you and the pack to him. My mate had to be dealt with so she wouldn't hurt anyone."
"It's okay, papa," that endearing term had his father in tears. They hugged one another while I heard sniffling from the house. She was probably listening in. The two males lead me inside.
Weren't we supposed to stay outside until she was done with dinner? I knew she was crying but what if she still doesn't want to acknowledge us?
When we got inside, we sat at the table as Lilian stood to the side. She scooted to the counter and kept her back to us.
"Tell me," her voice was soft to the ear. "What has the council been up to? You mentioned that they were changing." She paused for a moment in thought. "Call me Lilian."
With a small smile, I recounted all that happened after the written portion of the exam. When I got to the invasion of the Alpha Conference, Lilian was slamming her knife on the garlic.
"How dare they interfere! Don't they realize that the Council is trying? Who would impede that!?! And humans? Whose brain dead idiotic idea was it to bring in the humans?!! That's a whole other problem created. What stupid...." Her voice trailed off in unintelligible mumblings.
Turning to Craig, I asked, "Brain dead?"
"You haven't learned that yet?" His eyebrows rose. Shaking my head, he went on, "when someone makes an idea without thinking."
Pursing my lips, "that sounds about right." Rolling my neck, I went on. "We do have some suspects but the rest is confidential. Many Alphas have sent letters and emails about the conference; we've already placed for a date next year. Then, some Lunas have suggested places and dates for their conference.
In their conference, we'll discuss more about the orphans and child laws. There's going to be contests then other activities based on hospitality. We still have more planning to do." The rest of the evening we discussed about the different set-ups for administrations. At some point, we talked about the pack; the conversation bloomed until it was late into the night.
"We need to get going," mumbled Craig, who was glancing outside. "Kailyn needs to get up early." Our eyes met; tomorrow was going to be a long day. Because of the invasion, the council had an emergency meeting.
"We'll come by sometime," Michael led us to the door while Lilian waved.
Once outside, I took off my shoes. The grounds energy seeped into me like water filling into a pond from a waterfall. Sars twinkled in the night sky while a cool breeze hit our skins, shifting, we raced back home.
The next day, all of the members chattered around the table. I sat in the same spot while comparing notes with Hilda. Although there were a few people between us, we just slid them across the table.
"Okay everyone," the head of the council, Gaelynn, called us into order. "We're here to discuss about the Alpha Conference invasion. What exactly happened Kailyn?"
"A large group of rogues and humans got into the building. We chose that building because it was in a secluded part of the forest near the Crystal River; my team kept a 150 meter patrol around the perimeter. Somehow, the building's blueprints were leaked. Each one them crawled through the air ducts. Then, came out in the rooms surrounding the front door of the conference room. Luckily, they didn't know about the escape passage."
Gaelynn's eyes widened only a fraction before quickly narrowing. "They were all able to fit into the air ducts? That's alarming, maybe they should be smaller."
That's what he was going to comment on? Shouldn't he be more shocked and panicked? The only one besides my team who knew about the blueprints were him. And, who else knows about the wolfsbane mist?
"How did they get to the building? Didn't you say you had a border patrol?" Gracie asked; at least she was sensible.
"They used wolfsbane mist to knock everyone out. Right now, they're resting in the hospital. Ryan is the only one completely cured after two days. Did you know about this chemical weapon?"
Gracie glanced at Gaelynn before speaking. "Gaelynn, Derek, and I." Derek was the werewolf in charge of the medical section.
Realizing what this looked like, Derek jumped in. "I can tell you right now that the last bottle is still in the safe. The only person who knows how to make it is Gaelynn." Everyone's head turned around to face him.
"Who's to say that you're not lying about the container?"
"Then why don't we have someone bring it here?" Hilda suggested. "That way we all are witnesses."
"How do we know that he doesn't have worms all over the agencies," Gaelynn inputted.
"Sure making a lot of excuses," muttered on individual.
With a glance from Gracie, I picked up my earpiece. "Hey Ryan, I need you to get the 7th platoon, a member from the medical center, and a member from Gealynn's crew. You need to bring the wolfsbane mist container here."
"You just love to go against hierarchy, don't you?" Gaelynn's eyes narrowed in on her.
"What hierarchy? The council hasn't had any authority over the packs for the last hundred years."
The silence embedded into our skin.
"Really?" one whispered.
"That can't be true," Colin Davis waved his arm while rolling his eyes.
"Shut up you fool in denial," another snapped.
"See?" Gaelynn rose to his feet. "This country needs a council like this. None of you will understand. Ever. What I did was for the sake of this country." Everyone turned to him.
What?
"So you--" one of the members sat back in their chair, unable to take his eyes off the head.
"It couldn't be helped," was all he supplied.
"Do you know what you've done?" Gracie snarled. "Just because you couldn't deal with losing power? Or what? Because you were bested at your own game? The people actually like her changes?"
"I'm the one who should be running this country. She's just this snot nosed brat that spews whatever comes to mind. These people don't know what they need! I do, they just don't see it; they're ungrateful maggots."
Just then, a sound of a door opening echoed in the chamber. Ryan came in leading a werewolf holding a canister. The werewolf's head faced the floor until he was in the middle of the room. Once he made eye contact with the head council member, grabbed for the lid of the canister.
"Ryan, sto--" too late. A fog penetrated the clear air. Pressing on the earpiece, I ordered my team. "All personnel within the werewolf council building come to the meeting hall ASAP." Figures poured into the room from the ceiling. "Handcuff anyone in the vicinity near the meeting hall that has a mask not wearing our security uniforms. Wear oxygen masks because there's wolfsbane mist." The other council members nodded at me as our limbs went numb.
"Soon," whispered Gaelynn wearing a mask, "the regular werewolves will sleep while the rest are paralyzed. Tie them to their chairs."
Well, wouldn't be the first time.
A growl came from Ryan who fell on the floor.
Suddenly, hands gripped me by the upper arms, throwing me on the table. Gaelynn kneeled beside me. Shoving me on my back, his huge body crushed my legs. Fingers crawled on my neck.
"You," he snarled. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't have had to go to these lengths. None of you will never understand why my group maintained the government like this. Do you know why I let you come into the council? It's because of you ability to amass the people; you were supposed to keep them happy, not spout nonsensible ideas to them. Why couldn't you just do your job and keep them quiet? Then, I wouldn't have to kill you! Do you know how many times I've tried to kill you? No matter, I'll preserve. Too bad you won't." His fingers around my neck tightened. Not being able to move, I felt my breath catch in my lungs.
A large blast came from the door's direction. After a bunch of banging, people screamed. My hazy vision saw Gaelynn look up. Putting as much concentration on my arm, I tried to move it.
Come on. Come on. It migrated a centimeter. With my muscles flexing, I slid it to my chest. Just a little more. Gripping a hilt underneath my jacket, I put in another burst of energy to flip it.
Gaelynn glanced down at me with a growl. A knife plunged into his chest cavity. My hand fell limp to the table; I couldn't put anymore energy to move it. His thick, unmoving carcass fell on top of me as everything caved into darkness.