Chapter 213: Fallen Gods
"I didn’t realize there was a gathering in my room," a new voice added.
Whatever tears that had leaked from my eyes quickly dried up as I hastily wiped the remaining trails away. Taking the urn, I shoved it into the back of Blaise’s closet, using a speed that even werewolves would be proud of. There was nothing that could fuel me quite like anxiety could.
Blaise stood at the door behind Damon, his arms crossed as he watched out interaction. From a distance, the two brothers had never looked more alike― even their mannerisms could sometimes be perfect mimics of the other.
"What is it?" Damon asked. "Are there new developments with Hornstead’s shipment?"
"Not quite," Blaise said with a shrug. I was just returning to my room for a change of clothes. Didn’t know that I needed permission for that too."
Damon instantly scowled, though even a blind man could tell that there was no malice in it. He rolled his eyes, gesturing for Blaise to get in the room and get on with whatever he was doing. On the other hand, Damon made his way to the door.
They exchanged their places, with Blaise now standing right by my side and Damon at the door away from us. Once he got close, Blaise placed his hand on the small of my back, maintaining a bare form of physical contact despite not meeting my eyes immediately. He continued to watch his brother, their gazes never leaving one another.
Some sort of tension hung between them, as thick and heavy as the silence that had quickly filled the room. Blaise was the first to break that stalemate.
"Nicole might have some developments about Darach," Blaise said. "She mentioned wanting to speak with you."
"Is he awake?" I asked, my eyes widening a little at the mention of Darach.
"Not yet, unfortunately," Blaise replied. "If he was, Nicole would’ve informed all of us to head down. This was a call specifically for Damon."
"Oh." My heart fell with disappointment.
Darach’s recovery meant both Fangborne’s safety and the well-being of a new friend. With each passing day — or even hour — where he was unconscious, Alpha Thorton had the ability to accuse Fangborne of harming their heir.
I was starting to perfectly understand Damon’s initial concerns. However, we couldn’t just leave him on the road to die― not only would that be one innocent life lost, Alpha Thorton’s crimes would be further erased.
"There should be a council coming up," Blaise said, shattering my train of thoughts. His words, however, were directed at Damon. "I reckon Thorton Elrod would strike then."
Damon snorted, his eyebrows furrowing as he sneered at the thought. "What would the other pack leaders do with his complaints? Launch an attack to take back his son?"
"They could," Blaise said with a shrug.
"A fifth of the various prominent pack leaders across North America were present at the wedding ceremony," Damon pointed out. "They saw what happened― Thornton and Dahlia Elrod were batshit crazy."
"Or, they would’ve just witnessed us publicly shaming them on Thunderstrike’s own grounds," Blaise said with a sigh. "Whatever their stand is, be prepared that this will most definitely be a topic that will come up during the meeting."
"A council meeting?" I piped up. "And if I’m hearing it right, it’s with the other alphas?"
"Yes," Blaise said. He patiently explained, "A council meeting will be held with the various pack leaders of the region every total lunar eclipse. Occasionally, it might be canceled due to various reasons, but with the recent developments, I won’t be surprised if Alpha Thorton insists on it happening."
"When is the next eclipse?" I asked.
"In about a week," Blaise replied.
"It’s held in the Forest of Selene, a long drive away from here," Damon said with a sigh. "The forest is guarded by the Oracles of Selene, a group of warriors that are only seen during the eclipse."
"Some say that they reside in the moon when the eclipse isn’t happening," Blaise mused, a small smile curving his lips.
I returned a smile, appreciating the light in his tone in an attempt to water down the heavy atmosphere.
"But will it be safe?" I asked. "If you’re there, then no one will be left to protect Fangborne during this meeting. Thunderstrike could launch an attack."
"There is a ceasefire called during every meeting," Damon said. "If Thunderstrike were to attack, they would be facing the wrath of all the participating packs and punished as such. The oracles have more power than what they let on― they could strip a wolf from a man, both temporarily or permanently."
"Doubt Alpha Thorton would be too elated about becoming a human," Blaise said with a shrug. "Though, that would indeed be ironic justice."
"Darach needs to wake up by the next eclipse," Damon said, frowning. "Otherwise, Thorton Elrod would use that with his argument. Not to mention, we need to increase our defenses against a possible vampiric attack. They might work with hunters this time, and with us being so close to Everhaven, this is a bigger threat than before."
"Why?" My eyebrows shot up to the top of my forehead, curious. "Haven’t you all been protecting yourselves well all this time?"
Damon and Blaise shared a look, then a sigh. In perfect synchronization, they shook their heads, and I felt my heart plummet to the bottom of my stomach.
"We can," Blaise said, "on any other day. But the vampires and hunters have been increasingly active recently. Scouts have also been reporting increased wendigo activity in our neighboring forests. We suspect it might be the work of the Everhaven hunters."
"That’s not the most troubling part," Damon said with a snort.
Our gazes met, and when it did, I felt my entire burning up with a fire within. It wasn’t the warm burn of passion or even the heated blaze of anger, but an ice-cold flame that engulfed my body with fear. I could feel my hands turning clammy and beads of perspiration beading on my forehead.
"During a total lunar eclipse, all werewolves will lose the connection to our wolves for the entire duration," Blaise revealed. "At that time, we will be defenseless. No more than humans.
"Or worse," Damon said, "fallen gods."
