I stared wide-eyed, from the Elders, over to Thane, who was clearing his throat and about to speak. "I, too, wholeheartedly thank you for the welcome that most of you have shown Laila, but there is something else that needs to be addressed tonight. Something you may have heard some rumours about already." His words were followed by a loud rustle of collective whispers, like the wind drifting through the leaves, before all fell silent again, and he continued. "There have been some - a small minority - but still far too many, who have not been so welcoming, particularly because of her werewolf roots." There were more whispers again, mostly seeming to sound angry this time, and I couldn't help but feel a flurry of warmth at the reaction. "Many of you know that she was kidnapped," Thane continued, "and this was the reason behind it. They sought to do her harm, to take our future Luna from us, purely because of what she was born as, something she had absolutely no control over."The angry
As the gasps of shock rippled through the crowd, I glanced out over them, and realised that there were as many looking at me with shock as there were looking at Thane. Lisbet stirred at the back of my mind, and I knew then that mine were glowing that brilliant purple too. Looking at Cole and Finn, I saw the same, and in the Elders too, though their faces looked sterner than ever as they looked beyond, over the crowd. I turned to follow their gaze, and gasped at the sea of glowing royal purple eyes that stared back at me in amazement. Yet, many of them blinked out too, as their owners turned away from the pack, joining those who'd walked away into the darkness just a few minutes earlier, and likely to Derrick's and Samantha's side. I gave Thane an uncertain look, and he nodded understanding, sighing deeply as he turned his head, facing his pack, though his hands were still bound with mine. He waited patiently for those choosing to leave to do so, then nodded to the Elders, and Henrie
The rest of the night was.. a little awkward, but pleasant. Everyone seemed curious about what changes the events of tonight would bring, but not yet willing to voice the more serious of the questions they no doubt had, while the celebrations continued. There was also an incredible amount of gossip, over who might have left, who people thought they saw leaving, and speculation over who might join Derrick. The latter were mostly expressed in hushed voices though, and not directly to us. Thane managed to pull aside a couple of Elsie's friends at one point, Gavin, and the more outspoken girl from the hospital, whose name I learned was Mia. They both looked at us uncertainly, though while Gavin looked more uncomfortable, Mia seemed more sceptical, her eyebrow raised as she waited for Thane to speak. "There will no doubt be many rumours tonight, over who has left, and where they've gone," he said simply, and Mia's eyebrow lifted higher. "What's that got to do with us?" she asked defensiv
It was much quieter as we walked back down, now that the celebrations had long drawn to a close. Yet there were still a handful of groups socialising, though the largest, oddly, seemed to be at Elyanna's little cottage. I frowned, then glanced up at Cole, who hadn't seemed to notice. "I thought Elyanna mostly kept to herself?" I asked, and he nodded, "Yeah, she does. I think she's just never really felt a part of our pack." I stared at him a moment, then raised an eyebrow at him,"Her cottage seems awfully crowded.." I said, and he looked at me confused, before glancing through the trees towards her home, then stopping suddenly, looking puzzled. "I.. you're right, that is unusual," he said, sounding surprised, but then he shrugged and kept walking, looking thoughtful. "I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about though, maybe tonight is a special night among witches too," he continued, seeming unconvinced, but still not at all alarmed. "You know we can trust her," he added, sensing my d
Luca stared at Cole in stunned silence for a long moment, before glancing at me, his mouth trying to find the right words. But with a revelation such as this, there really weren't any, and he shook his head sadly again. "Wow.. I.. that's a lot," he eventually stammered, and Cole and I both nodded sadly. "Did.. you know? Before you came here?" he asked, and I nodded again. "Yeah, but not for long. Dad only told me about that part not long before I had to run," I said, and he stared at me for a long moment. "That must have been a rough night for you," he said gently, and I shrugged, wishing the subject would change. "It could have been a lot worse," I said half-heartedly, and Cole pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I'm glad it wasn't," he said softly, and Luca nodded agreement, "Yeah, me too. I'm glad we were there when you needed us." I frowned then, turning to Cole, "How did Thane know? To be there when he was?" I asked, and one of his hands moved to the ne
I looked up at the unfamiliar face, frowning slightly, though not so much as Cole, who looked more than a little bit annoyed at having his path blocked in such a way. "Beta, Luna," the man's deep, gravelly voice said, as he looked down at both of us. I couldn't help but think it odd, the way he did that, given that no one I'd met before had been taller than Cole and Finn, let alone Thane, whose height this man easily matched. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he continued, offering me his hand, "I've heard so much about you." I glanced at Cole, and took it hesitantly, and the stranger brought my hand gently to his lips, as he bowed forward in a gesture of respect. "Likewise.. " I said uncertainly, lowering my head slightly in return, and Cole tensed beside me. "Laila, this is Alpha Yannick, of the Silver Waters pack." "A pleasure, Alpha Yannick," I said politely, and he smiled, finally lowering my hand. "Indeed. I'm eager to get to know you more, I hear you have quite the inter
I frowned at him, and exchanged a quick glance with Cole, wondering what anything this man had to say would have to do with me, but Cole sighed, standing up and gesturing for me to follow. I gave him a confused look as we followed the two of them up to Thane's office, but he only shrugged, not seeming to have any insight to offer. As Cole closed the door beside us, the rest of us took a seat, Yannick stretching out casually, seeming to feel quite at home. "We're one short," he said simply, and Thane stared at him, "He's otherwise occupied," he answered, and Yannick raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Whatever it is, I'm sure this will be far more important," he said, watching as Thane bristled with anger. "I'd be able to judge that myself, if you'd bother to tell us why you're here," he said impatiently, but Yannick only smiled casually, tilting his head towards me. "I've been hearing a lot of rumours lately," he said, making Thane roll his eyes, clearly fed up with the indirect answers. "Some
Thane nodded thoughtfully, but hardly seemed convinced, "How?" he asked, and Yannick grinned brightly. "Well, the thing is, that this Fearmonger is something of a Royal witch speciality," he began, "They were the only ones who could summon or control them. And control them they truly can." He paused, looking satisfied as he watched our uncertain reactions, "Just so happens, I've got exactly one of those. Well trained, too, now that she's broken in.." Thane cut him off with a raised hand, "No," he said sharply, and Yannick raised an eyebrow, laughing as though he were being ridiculous. "No?!" he repeated in disbelief, "Are you in your right mind?" Thane only stared at him, his face hard and serious. "We've no wish to use your 'broken in' witch," he said angrily, "I hate to even think what that term implies. We don't keep slaves of any kind here, or support those who do." Yannick's face grew darker as Thane continued, clearly taking offense to his words. He scoffed derisively, "I gues