Page 116 of Alpha's Forbidden Fate

Before long, Sheriff Wraith emerges from the building. I can tell she’s a little apprehensive about meeting me, but I muster up a smile as she approaches.

“Hey,” she says, offering her hand for me to shake. “I appreciate you coming forward with information.”

I return the handshake, feeling a little out of my depth. “I’m Selene.”

Sheriff Wraith nods. “Nice to meet you, Selene,” she says. “We’ll get through this together.”

Just then, Liam appears looking expectant. “We need to get to the council meeting.”

The sheriff nods and turns to head toward her car. “I’ll be right behind you.”

As we drive off towards the council meeting, I can’t shake the feeling of unease that settles in the pit of my stomach.

Am I really doing the right thing by betraying my own kind?

Chapter 40

Liam

The council chamber is quite impressive, with ornate decorations adorning the walls and a long, polished table at its center. As we enter, I feel a surge of apprehension, knowing that this meeting could determine Selene’s fate.

I lead Selene to the front of the room, where the elders are already seated. Their expressions are guarded. Raskogr, the bear shifter representative, sits at the head of the table, his massive form imposing and regal. Ariana, the nymph representative, is seated next to him, her delicate features betraying none of her thoughts. Elara, the elf representative, sits opposite them with sharp, unreadable eyes.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself. “Good morning, Council,” I begin. My voice is steady despite the nervous flutter in my stomach. “I’d like to introduce you to Selene.”

There’s a murmur of interest from the council members, but their distrustful gazes are clear. Alyssa looks apprehensive as her eyes dart between Selene and the other council members.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I continue, addressing the elders directly. “But Selene has been living among the vampires and has information that could help us. Her perspective would be invaluable in figuring out what they’re up to.”

Raskogr snorts. “And why should we trust a vampire?”

I meet him head-on. “Because she’s not like them. Like us, she has no desire to hurt humans. I promise you.”

But Ariana shakes her head. “We’ve been at war with the vampires for centuries,” she says coldly. “There’s too much history there. They cannot be trusted so easily.”

Elara nods. “We can’t risk it,” she says firmly. “We need to handle this on our own.”

I knew that convincing the elders wouldn’t be easy, but I’m not about to give up. “Please,” I plead, turning to Alyssa. “You must understand that Selene is different. She can help us. She has only been on our side. I have been tracking her for months and I can tell you all for a fact that she feeds on nothing but blood bags. She has never, not once fed on a human. And as for the wolves that died, it was in self-defense. They attacked first.”

Alyssa hesitates. “I… I don’t know,” she says finally.

At least she is listening to me now.

“Please, Alyssa. Please. She is not a threat to us. To any of us.”

“Maybe we should give her a chance.”

I give Alyssa a thankful nod and press on.

“She’s brave, she’s strong, and she’s here, isn’t she? She’s risking a lot just being here. She’s willing to help us at her own peril. We can’t turn our backs on her now.”

But the elders remain unmoved. I exchange a frustrated glance with Selene through the silence that has descended upon the room.

As tension mounts in the council chamber, a stranger strides in. His mere presence commands attention.

With everyone looking his way, Elara asks, “Who the hell are you?”

“Watch your tone,” he says, baring his teeth at her. “You are speaking to the oldest and wisest vampire alive in this dreary little town.”

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