Shadows of the Ancients (28 page)

“You look wounded still,” he said as he took my hand gingerly, and shook it. I watched as his nose scrunched up a little at my scent. I was well aware that I had to smell super funky by now.

“Yes, well, I’m pretty sure I lost the vast majority of my blood to a psychopath who poisoned me and locked me in a cage then shot me several times. Oh, and doused me with wolfsbane. I’ve been a little out of it, and couldn’t shift to heal. I realize I may not be recovering at a rate which your kind would, but I should be right as rain tomorrow.” I looked over at Evan, and then towards the door. “I was going to shift and run, but since we have company, I suppose that can wait for a little bit.”

He actually smiled at me, and it wasn’t a bad smile. I don’t know why I thought he would look old, but he did not. He looked to be in his early thirties, tops. Although, because he was a wolf, I knew that could mean he was far older. Judging from the ages of Evan and his brother, the man standing before me was probably in his 70s. “I am Antoine De’Lune, my dear, and I do believe my son has been silly enough to think that I would let a bond to a Lesser stand.” He looked me up and down keenly aware of everything going on around him as he did. “It appears you are not yet bonded though, just marked. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask why?”

“I promised my parents that when the day came I would do the bonding ceremony the right way. My mother lost her sister when she was young, because my aunt did not.”

“I see. Respect for family, pack, and rules. Perhaps something you could have taught my son while you were in his company.” He moved out of my way so I could maneuver off the last step. “It appears you are freshly bleeding again.” He said pointing to my right shoulder.

I just nodded. I knew. I felt it when I ripped it back open. I was panting slightly as I started moving for the door, and sweet salvation that was calling to me. My wolf wasn’t going to wait much longer. She was chomping at the bit to get out, because to her this pain was insanity. “If you’ll excuse me, I hate to be rude, but I’m in need of some wolftastic healing that I can’t do in this form.”

Antoine didn’t bother hiding the smirk that blossomed across his face. He simply nodded and moved out of my direct line to the door. Evan was there by my side in an instant. “No,” I told him. “I can do this myself.” I didn’t want him helping me in front of his dad, and making me look any more helpless than I really was in that moment. I knew that I was already bending over with the agony I was putting myself through. Pain. It’s all I felt. It had become my world over the past few days, and the only thing that was keeping me going now was the promise that I would feel immensely better even if I could only manage five minutes in my wolf form.

I was on the verge of collapse when I finally made it almost to the door, and I knew if I didn’t shift then I wasn’t going to be able to stay conscious. I looked up at Evan with dread written all over my face.

“A few more steps?” He asked, the questioning look he was giving me was practically begging me to make it.

“Evan, I can’t.” I screeched, just as the shift hit me. The screech became a growl, and my wolf was calling the shots now, tired of the pain I was putting her through needlessly. The change came over me quickly, but with it came a pulse of blinding pain. I heard the intakes of breath as my wolf’s form appeared in the doorway of my parents’ house. They all knew now.

“The white wolf,” I heard a woman’s shocked, and heavily accented voice say behind me. My wolf didn’t care, she took two tentative steps, testing out her shoulders’ ability to maneuver, and then she was off at a quick trot. It was the best I could do at first, because the healing I had done as a human had left everything stiff.

I was heading into the forest beside my house when I noticed a large black wolf with a silver starburst on each shoulder flank. They were the only markings on his otherwise flawless black coat. The cobalt blue in his eyes gave him away though. Evan was with me, and we were definitely a pair to behold.

We ran until the only thing I saw was the tree line passing us by. I stayed near Evan’s side, my wolf wanting to keep close to him. As we neared the lake, I nudged him playfully, and he bumped me back. Even his wolf knew to be gentle with me as I continued to heal though. I put my muzzle down into the lake and started lapping greedily at the cool water. I never wanted to stop drinking. I had been so thirsty. Evan came up and nudged me away though and tossed his head, indicating we should go back. Part of me didn’t want to.

The larger part of me wanted to stay right there, and secure my bond with Evan before anyone could do anything about it, but that made me think of my Aunt Anna, and I didn’t want to live out her fate. I followed behind Evan, eventually catching up to him. When we got back to the house, there were robes waiting for us on the porch. Evan shifted first, and I did not politely turn away as I should have. Instead I stood boldly, checking out all he had to offer. He grinned at me as he put his robe on came over and scratched behind my ear. “You’re a naughty girl!” Then he held the robe up for me so I could shift, and dress without him being able to peek. Now, that was chivalry.

“And apparently, you’re not naughty enough.” I said. “Evan, maybe we should have just kept running back there.”

“If you had, I would have followed,” he confirmed what I already knew. He was letting me call the shots here, because he heard the story I told my mom about her sister, and he had already known the promise I made to my parents before we found out just how important that promise was. I leaned up on my tip toes, and kissed him before we headed into the unknown.

“So glad you two could join us again. I was just having a talk with your parents about how it could be possible for a Lesser to be a white wolf. It would seem you aren’t so much of a Lesser, but more a hidden Ancient that we weren’t aware of. That makes me wonder how many other times the white wolf has come forth, only to be hidden away by small packs, or killed.”

“Well, since you seem convinced that I am an Ancient that means that you shouldn’t have a problem with me bonding with Evan then, right?”

“Wrong.” He said plainly.

“What? But…” Antoine held his hand up in front of him in a gesture meant to shut me up. It worked. I was speechless.

“Antoine?” A tall woman who was sitting to the left side of Evan’s father called out.

“No, Eleanna. You know the rules.” Antoine said, and then turned back to look at Evan and I. “The oldest son is the one set to inherit rule. The eldest gets first crack at his choice of mate. If he denies an eligible female, then the younger brother may pursue her. That is how it has always been.”

“But, Malachai is already bonded with someone.” I said, looking at the woman beside him who held his hand anxiously.

“This is true, but Mikael is not.”

“Father, you can’t possibly...”

Antoine cut Evan off. “I can. I am. You do not have permission to be with this woman, this white wolf. Your brother will make an attempt at wooing her, if he discards you may have her.”

“Excuse me?” I said. He was talking about me like I was meat to be passed around at a barbeque.

“What part did you not understand, sweetheart?” Antoine sounded just like Mikael in that moment.

“I understood everything perfectly, but I do not agree with it.” I looked at my parents hoping they could make this man understand, but their faces seemed as hopeless as Evan’s did in that moment. “I don’t even like Mikael. He was a jerk when we first met, and he hasn’t changed at all in the time he’s been here.”

“I’m not sure I understand either, father. Mikael was given an option to mate, and he waited until I was far gone to say he didn’t want her.”

“Yes, well, that was a wise decision on his part, as it turns out because he now has a chance to be with the white wolf. I decree it so. She may continue to see you both, if she so chooses, but your brother will get equal opportunity until the Summer Solstice. On that day, a final choice will be made, and a bond will be sealed.”

“You can’t make me adhere to anything, father.” Evan said defiantly.

“No, but I can make her, for now.” He turned to me then and repeated his terms, throwing the weight of his power as King of the Ancients behind his words. I would be forced to follow them to the letter, until I rose to my power as the white wolf, or until a choice was made during Summer Solstice. I felt the power in his words wrapping around me and binding me like a tight cloak that I couldn’t take off.

“No!” I yelled then, and nearly ran for Evan’s father, because I had never wanted to hurt someone so much in my whole life, and that included what I had already done to Marcus. “You can’t do this to me.”

“It is done,” he said as Evan caught me around the waist to kept me from doing what I wanted. I turned into Evan, and allowed the tears to fall into his chest as I tried to reign in my anger. Antoine had just done to me what Zach and Marcus had tried numerous times. He had mind-raped me into dating his son. He may not have a say in who I chose at the end, but he could most definitely make me date Mikael right alongside Evan. The thought turned my stomach, and made me wonder if Evan would stand by me as I had to date his brother too.

“Sorry, I’m late. I actually had to go and borrow a car from one of Evan’s workers to get out here, because I don’t have one. Asriel was supposed to come pick me up. Where is that fool?” Mikael finally shut up and took stock of everyone’s moods as he looked around for Asriel. “What’s going on?”

“You son of a bitch,” Evan started, as he let go of me, and ran after his brother. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

“Planned what, brother?” Mikael asked as he jumped out of the way at the last minute when his brother lunged at him. My father jumped in between the two, and grabbed hold of Evan as Mikael stepped off to the side. “What the hell is this about?” Mikael looked from Evan to me, and back again. I’m not sure what he saw when he noticed me, but his face immediately changed, becoming softer, but with a puzzled expression.

FINALLY

I sat down on the only empty chair in the living room. My mouth was hanging open, all the color had drained from my face again, and I couldn’t think straight. Evan had just torn after Mikael, but my dad beat him there. Asriel went to help my father. Mikael still looked completely confused when he sought out his father, who had been watching everything with a modest amount of curiosity.

Everyone was slightly taken aback when the person Mikael chose to address was me. “Jess, what’s wrong?” The fact that I was the first person he spoke to managed to piss Evan off further, and he began struggling in Asi, and my dad’s arms.

“Brilliant!” Evan railed at him, “Ask her what’s wrong. You are what’s wrong! You’ve already had a woman handed to you. Who knows what happened with her, really. So, now, you come and take my chance at happiness out from under me!”

“I think you need to take a moment and explain. I don’t have a damn clue what you’re talking about.” Evan was fuming, and wasn’t going to give him a clear answer. Antoine just shrugged his shoulders and pointed at me. The disgust that had to be clearly written on my face just made him chuckle. Arrogant bastard that he was. So I turned to Mikael to tell him myself.

“Apparently, you’ve got dibs on me, because I’m just a soulless puzzle piece to maneuver among the Ancients. Your kind seem to think it’s okay to mind rape my choices away!” I was screaming the words at Antoine now, not even trying to hide my disdain for him.

“Jess, don’t!” Evan warned me when he saw the look on his father’s face.

“What did you do, father?” Mikael asked, now looking almost as pale and stricken as I felt.

“I did you a favor, Mikael. She is the white wolf, and you are my eldest son who has not been bound. She should be with you, and now you will get your chance.”

“What?” There was no way Mikael could fake the shocked look on his face. “What the hell did you do? A true bond cannot form through force, and you know that!”

“She has a choice, son. I simply made sure you had a shot. By Summer Solstice we will know who the better man is.”

“Certainly not you!” I spat at him.

“Jess!” Evan threw out another verbal warning. My dad and Asriel were still standing near him, though they had been able to let go. I assumed that Evan came to his senses when he saw Mikael’s response. He couldn’t have known about this ahead of time. Hell, it didn’t even make sense that he would. Mikael didn’t even know I was the white wolf.

“Jess, please,” Mikael said at the same time Evan had spoken.

The moment the words left Mikael’s mouth with the slightest hint of concern in them, Evan’s temper flared again. It threw him over the edge, and it no longer mattered who was holding his human arms again, because Evan shifted into his beautiful black wolf and took off running. He didn’t come after Mikael this time though. Instead he was gone, out the front door, and beyond before I could even think about what to do. For a moment, I thought to follow him, but I needed to be here to see how the rest of this conversation played out first. I had hoped that when Mikael understood what his father had done that he would relinquish any claim to me.

Mikael moved closer. “You can’t talk to my father that way. He’s killed men for less, Jess.” The concern for my well-being was evident, and puzzling to me. My anger was still at the forefront though, and I didn’t hold back.

“Too bad! My white wolf is apparently precious to him. Let him kill me then he loses her too.” I had already been through plenty with Marcus, and survived. At this point, I was just done with all the power plays that were being put in front of me. I was tired of being subjected to men’s rule.

“There are far worse fates than death, my white wolf.” Antoine said to me, then he turned to his son. “School your bitch on how to properly address us or you’ll be courting her from a cage over the next seven months. I hear she’s been recently acquainted with what the inside of one feels like.” With that, Antoine turned and snapped his fingers, his entire entourage got up and followed him out of my parents’ house. The woman who spoke in a thick accent, I could only assume she was Evan’s mother, gave me a look that promised we would talk later. She mouthed, “sorry” to me as she walked by, and held out her hand to touch mine briefly.