Page 54 of Season of the Wolf

And then there was Ivan.

He hadn’t gone far from Liam since first realizing he was here. I recalled Liam sharing that, of all my brothers, he and Ivan were the closest.

I smiled to myself from where I rested on the couch, watching the two chat about … probablyeverything.It’d been a while since I’d seen Liam behave so normally, so much like who he wasbeforethe last several weeks altered his life in so many ways.There had been such a strain on him lately, a struggle to deal with what’d been done to him. The guys noticed pretty quickly he was human, which forced him to explain why.Doing sothenled to a brief explanation to our current predicament with the Sovereign and his army, but we had yet to get into the meat of the issue.

However, when Elise stood and all eyes shifted toward her, I knew it was time to do just that.

In the center of the living room, she was poised and elegant like always. Her gaze passed over us all—her family. There was a look of pride that couldn’t be concealed. I was sure she would have preferred for tonight to be about nothing more than spending time with her boys, enjoying their company after so many years apart. In a perfect world, it would have goneexactlylike that, but inourworld, we weren’t fortunate enough to suspend reality for so long.

Some of the light went out behind her eyes the exact moment the air in the room thickened with tension.

“Let me start by saying how incredible it is to lay eyes on all of you again,” she smiled, emotion riddling every syllable. “You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of this.”

Some of my brothers lowered their heads as Elise’s feelings transferred to them.

“As you all know, the magic used to bring you here comes with grave consequences,” she went on. “Consequences dire enough that I swore I would only put the talismans to use if one of two things happened. One: if the Sovereign were overthrown and there was no longer a stigma attached to restorative magic. Or two: the survival of the people he’s ruled with an iron fist depended on it.”

Her watery stare panned around the entire room.

“Unfortunately, the latter came to pass first.”

We were all silent, listening as she explained to the newcomers.

“The Oracles prophesied that Evangeline would take the throne following a great war,” she went on. “As you all know, it was your father’s desire that she be the one to wear the crown should the day ever come. So, with Hilda’s help, and a special blessing from the Oracles, we brought her back eighteen years ago. She went most of her life having no idea who she really is. Which is why I asked you all to be patient with her. We’ve done our best to fill her in on her past, to teach her how to hone her abilities, but this is all brand new to her.”

I caught several of the guys passing curious glances my way. A sudden spike of insecurity had me turning straight ahead, focusing only on Elise when she went on.

“But Hilda and I pulled some strings to get you all back at full strength, with your memories intact, because, well, in addition to wanting our family to be whole again … we also need your help.”

She swallowed deeply, and then forced the next part out.

“In short, the war the Oracles predicted is upon us and things are not as they were in your day—shifters have forgotten their strength, their purpose,” she explained. “Those who have recently transitioned are just now coming into the knowledge of what they are, what they’re capable of. So, we’ve been on a mission to educate them, to help them fully realize their potential.” Her gaze dropped to the floor before adding. “However, as unfortunate as it may be, we were unable to complete that task, and now, the hour is upon us where we must face our greatest adversary.”

“Ready or not,” Hilda added.

The room was silent again, and I glanced around at them all. The guys were deep in thought, taking in the breadth of what Elise had just shared, maybe feeling overwhelmed by it all, or maybe—

“You need us to fight and that’s what we do.”

It was Declan’s deep booming voice that made the declaration, bringing some of the life back to Elise’s expression.

“It would be our pleasure to bring Sebastian’s reign to an end like someone should have done centuries ago,” Tobias chimed in.

There was the unmistakable gleam of excitement filling their eyes. It was as if they actuallywantedthis fight. I compared their reaction to my own—timid, frail, always imagining this whole thing would just blow over for lack of attention. Then there were my brothers—brave, ready, thirsty for war.

“We’ll need weapons,” Josiah said, standing as he went on. “With Hilda’s help, we can lace our blades with magic.”

Dallas nodded, joining in on the conversation when it switched to a topic he was well-versed in—combat.

“And keep in mind, a lot of time has passed since the six of you were in battle. A lot’s changed. Weaponry and tactics have all evolved quite a bit. I’ll spend a couple days bringing you all up to speed on what I can,” he offered.

The guys nodded and I was painfully aware of one who had strategically dismissed himself from the conversation.

Liam.

Instead of giving input and sharing his knowledge, he was completely silent. No one else seemed to notice, but I did.

Making my way to the other side of the room, I went to him. Giving a smile, I pretended not to notice how his mood had shifted. Mostly because I knew him well enough to know he would prefer it that way. So, I didn’t say a word, just settled in front of him on the floor, letting my back warm against his chest as his arms enveloped me.

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