^^^Asher^^^
The small Pride of Lions seemed to fill up the room to a near stifling level. The women were all identical, six feet tall, high cheek bones, almost ethereally beautiful. They would have been impossible to tell apart, but each had their light blonde hair in different lengths and styles from long and pin straight to a spiked Mohawk. They all clearly had vastly different personal styles and tastes in clothes and body art. They stood or sat around the room watching the wolves, silently listening as Cecilia laid out everything that they knew about the Cult of Mages, the Mages chasing Alistar, how they wanted Hammer and why they thought they had taken him.
The man was a few inches taller than the female lions but the similarities in features made it clear he was related in some way to the 6 women. His long blonde hair fell in waves around his strong features like a mane to his shoulders. The most startling part of his appearance was his eyes, one a bright cerulean blue, the other a deep amethyst.
"I'm impressed Alpha." Asher stated, "Few would have the strength to not blindly charge after their Mate, throwing all rational thought and intelligence to the wind. The strength of your character continues to defy expectations."
Pretentious Bastard. Oscar's voice chuckled in Cecilia's head; he was clearly entertained by the Alpha Lion.
"You sound like a douche little brother." One of the female lions scoffed, "You stay here and chat, were going to go do all the real work."
She playfully punched her sibling on the arm as she walked past him, followed by her other five sisters, all smirking at the fuming man. He shook his head as he watched the rest of his Pride leave the room.
"Your sisters?" Cecilia tried not to smirk at the glare Asher was sending towards the door, his irritation at his sibling's lack of respect very clear.
"Yes. We're septuplets." Oscar's eyebrows raised slightly at that, and Asher laughed slightly, "Yeah, it was hell for a while. Seven of us all going through shifts then puberty at the same time."
Cecilia chuckled then, "Your parents must have saint like patience."
Asher shrugged, "I wouldn't know, they were killed soon after we were born."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Asher cleared his throat and clapped his hands together.
"So, when do I have the pleasure of meeting the wayward mage who brought the fires of damnation down upon us all?"
Cecilia's eyebrows hit her hairline as Oscar let out a deep chuckle.
"He's with our Gamma, they are getting something that might help us."
Asher nodded, his hands clasped behind his back, eyes on the large map on the table.
"Well, I hope to make his acquaintance sooner rather than later. I do so enjoy meeting new people."
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His legs burned.
His throat was dry.
His feet were destroyed.
Everything hurt.
Steffan didn't know how long or how far he had run but it feels like he had been on the move forever.
He wondered if he should have shifted to his wolf. Maybe he made a mistake. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. One thing he felt sure about, this would kill him. He had tapped so far into his shifter sides for their strength he had nearly drained all his power and energy and he was still running.
At least he knew he was going in the right direction; he had started to recognize the land and mountains around him. He had passed where his parents were killed, still a long way from the edge of West Mountains territory but once he crossed it, he would be found quickly and then he would be done. Just relay his message and he could rest, forever.
For what felt like the millionth time he cursed living in the mountains. He couldn't take the paved road; it wasn't the most direct route and would be too exposed but trying to traverse the wilderness of the mountains in his human form was anything but simple.
Slowly his surroundings started to lighten, the sun was finally coming up.
Steffan stumbled when he heard the brush behind him move and shift.
His mind was frantic, he was certain it was Francis, coming to drag him back or kill him outright.
Survival instincts surged through him and before he knew what was happening, he was in his wolf form sprinting through the woods.
******************************
Celicia tilted her head back and looked up at the sky, the sun had come up a while ago and they had moved outside in front of the pack house to wait. Multiple tense shifters in one room was a recipe for disaster. Oscar had suggested they train.
"Your aura is in chaos, Alpha."
Her head snapped around, toward the black-haired mage behind her. He was sitting on the ground, his legs folded on each other in front of him, his hands on his knees, palms facing up. He hadn't opened his eyes, which Cecilia was secretly thankful for, not wanting to deal with the black void of his gaze.
"Fuck a duck McCraigen. I thought you were meditating."
"That was my intention Alpha, but your aura is pulsing with so many emotions, it is difficult to concentrate."
"How can you be so calm, so.... cold about all this? No offense but I thought you would be more worked up, considering he is your.... Friend."
The implication in her tone was not lost on the Mage. Taking a deep breath, he tried to gather his rampant emotions. He knew they did not trust him; they barely believed his identity. He reminded himself he didn't need them to trust him, as long as they looked for Hammer. Alistar opened his eyes slightly and looked at the frazzled woman. She was clearly clutching onto the last dregs of herself control.
With a deep sigh Alistar gestured to the ground next to him, encouraging her to sit.
"I'm sure Hammer has told you somethings about Mages, our need for balance and the like, and how we learn from a young age to control our emotions."
Cecilia nodded, looking at the man sitting next to her, almost grateful for his distraction. Alistar looked out at the others. Oscar and Carson were sparring, while an overly large white lion stretched and yawned, draping himself over a large rock, shaking out his mane.
Alistar knew shifters were larger than their animal counterparts, but it was still unnerving to see a lion who came up to his chest and easily weighed several hundred pounds. If a lion or wolf were the size of bears how big were the bears, or goddess forbid an elephant.
Alistar had asked when Asher had first shifted and Cecilia had told him that the smaller animals like rabbits and the extremely large like elephants were only slightly larger than their animal counterparts, the rest it varied from twice to three times as large depending on the person.
"For Mages like Hammer and myself it is even more important to maintain our emotional balance." Alistar got himself back on topic.
"Innate Mages." Cecilia whispered.
"Yes, but it's not just that we are innate Mages or in my case, mixed-race but our powers are dangerous. Trust me Alpha, if I unleashed my emotions," Suddenly Alistar's dark blue iris's glowed and a fireball burst to life in each of his upturned palms. His voice dropped several octaves, coming out in a growl. "I could burn this world to the ground to get my brother back."
As quickly as they appeared the flames were gone and Alistar's eyes were black again.
"It's better I keep calm but please don't misinterpret my demeanor. I am feeling this deeply. He is more than my friend; he is my brother."
Cecilia huffed out the breath she had been holding since his palms had lit on fire.
"You mages are beginning to terrify me." Cecilia spoke quietly, so only Alistar could hear her, "How can we defend ourselves against powers like that."
Alistar chuckled, "Not to sound overly confident Alpha but there aren't mages like us. Few Mages are as powerful as Hammer, that man is in his own league even if you don't count his innate power. As for me, I'm only half Mage, I don't know what my father was and why I have the fire powers, but you won't find many like Hammer and me. We are not an accurate gage of what Mages are like. We're also much more attractive."
Alistar winked playfully at her and Cecilia couldn't help the loud laugh that bubbled out of her.
Alistar closed his eyes again, finding it easier to focus now that Cecilia was slightly calmer. However, the peace he found was short lived, as a deep rumbling growl came from the massive lion.
Faster than he could react Oscar had shifted into a large golden wolf, his low throaty growl mixing with the lions.
"Someone's coming, fast." Cecilia stated as they both rose to their feet.
Seconds later a large grey wolf bust through the trees, skidding to a halt. The wolf was not as large as Oscar but was clearly a shifter. Everything froze for a moment, then the air around the wolf shimmered and he was replaced by a tall, black-haired man.
Cecilia sucked in a breath.
"Steve." Her voice was shocked. This man was not the same as the one who had disappeared on the night of the full moon.
His skin was gaunt and grey, he had lost a noticeable amount of weight in a short amount of time. His hair was matted, stringy and limp. But the most noticeable thing was his chest, back and legs were now covered in new and healing scars. He was covered in blood and his eyes were glowing a startling pale icy blue.
Those haunting eyes connected with Cecilia, and he surged towards her. Carson shot over grabbing the man around the waist before Steffan could reach the Alpha or collapse, whichever happened first. As soon as their skin connected Carson's eyes widened even further, and he pulled the man protectively towards his chest.
Steffan didn't seem to notice, his sole focus on Cecilia. His mouth opened several times as he tried to find his voice. When he spoke, it was in a harsh, rough whisper.
"They have him....15 Mages....Alpha alive."
Then his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he slumped against Carson, finally letting go.