Page 61 of Wolf Bound

"You definitely kept me occupied," I giggle. I sit up when he's done and follow him into my bathroom. "For the record, you could keep me occupied any time."

"Noted," Wes says with a wink. "Now let's get you in. Forrester will be here in about thirty minutes to switch out with me. I need to be in the meeting to help Drayton with fielding questions."

I sigh and climb in, feeling both satisfied and nervous.

"You relax, I need to answer some emails. I'll just be in the bedroom so call if you need me."

Wes kisses me then leaves, and it's just me and my thoughts. I'm glad Wes didn't tell me until after our time together that everyone was arriving because I wouldn't have been able to think of anything else. What if they don't believe us?

My peryton nudges my mind, trying to soothe my fears and worries. Closing my eyes, I drift into the meadow with her. In here it's harder to feel worried, especially being surrounded by the goddess's light. They have to believe us. We have to save shifters.

We have to.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Drayton

The room is silent after I finish speaking. Wes would have been the better person to speak to the shifters, but when it comes to shifter hierarchy, it needed to be me. The only chance we have of getting through to everyone and finding a way to unite shifter kind, is if it comes from someone in an alpha position. Fucking biological politics. Such a pain in the ass at times.

Braun, the alpha of the Treviro pack, looks ready to fight me, while most of the others just look like they’re in various stages of confusion.

"You mean to tell us that the actual fucking goddess of shifters is talking to your mate and wants us to go to war with a bunchof humans?" Connor, a panther alpha, asks with a shake of his head. "You know this sounds insane, right?"

"In simple terms, yes. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it," I answer and glance back at Penn and Wes for help. "Wes has been the one to do most of the research on this and can answer your questions better than I can."

"Where's your mate? How do we know she's a mythical? Don't expect us to take your word for it," Braun speaks, his deep voice reverberating with anger. "We all know the mythical shifters are a legend, nothing more."

"All legends have some basis in reality," Wes answers far more professionally than I could. "We also call them legends when in reality, it seems they may in fact be history. A history that is close to repeating itself. You would do well to pay attention to these legends in the coming days."

Braun goes to argue, but I raise a hand to stop him. "Talia will be coming out soon, but first we need to make sure all of you are calm and on your best behaviour. She is our mate and any aggression towards her is an attack against this pack. Starting a war between shifters is far from the ideal path to take right now."

"Understood," Derrik, another wolf pack alpha, responds with a stern look at Braun. Their packs have been allies for a long time, and you can see that clearly in this interaction. Braun immediately nods in compliance, and sits back with his arms crossed.

"There's still two other mythical shifters that must be found," I continue on, hoping this will be what entices them to behave. "We have a meeting to get information about where at least one of the others is, so we will know more in a few days. Talia is just the beginning, we need to find the middle, and the end. Without them, we will fall to the humans."

The silence in the room echoes loudly as everyone processes what I just said. They took in everything, but didn't seem to piecetogether that if Talia is the first part, we still have two more mythical shifters that need to be found.

"Does anyone have any questions before Talia comes out?" Wes asks the room, trying to redirect the attention back to the present moment. "We can answer them at a later time as well, but it's best to open the floor and make sure none of you have any pressing questions."

Miles raises a hand briefly before he starts speaking. "You said we should brush up on our legends to be prepared, which ones in particular should we focus on? It might help some of us to go through them again."

Wes smirks at his buddy, and answers for us. "You want to look at any legends that focus on the first war. In some it's called the War of Origins, in others it's the War of Makers. There's one book called The Creation of Shifters: A War of Faith that covers it the best, but any that cover that war in particular is what you're looking for. I can make up a list and send it to anyone interested."

There's a few eager nods throughout the group of Alpha and Beta shifters in front of us and the aggression from before seems to have dissipated throughout the group. I look over at Penn and nod to signal him to notify Forr and Talia to join us in the dining hall.

They won't truly believe and rally behind us until they see the proof of who Talia is with their own eyes. The folly of men and shifters alike, they must see to truly believe or it's simply called faith.

"Talia, our mate and a mythical peryton shifter, will be joining us momentarily. I am going to remind you that any act of aggression towards her is an act of war against this pack. She is the mate to all four of us," I say with a motion towards Penn, Wes, and Alaric. "As well as my brother Forrester. She isimportant to this pack and she's important to all shifters. She is meant to heal us, don't forget that."

Talia walks in with Forrester directly behind her, his glare swinging across the room to make sure every one understands just how much he's not to be fucked with. Tal makes a beeline for me, a soft smile on her face just barely concealing the nervous energy behind her eyes.

When she reaches me, she tucks herself into my side and finally looks out over the room and the shifters scattered around. I kiss the top of her head, encouraging her silently that she can do this.

"Hello," Talia murmurs quietly, but the silence of the room as everyone takes her in makes it easy for her to be heard. "I'm so happy all of you could make it today. I understand some of you are unsure of the truth behind who I am and the upcoming war between us and the fanatic humans of The Croises cult. Would it help if I shifted for all of you?"

A chorus of yeses and nods goes through the crowd. Talia smiles in response and steps away from me. Myself and the other guys step back, giving her space to shift.

Teal magic sweeps over her body and the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on stands where Talia previously stood. Her fawn coloured fur melds seamlessly into large, beautiful teal wings that are tucked along her back. Her hooves click on the floor as she shuffles under the various eyes on her. Reactions vary from disbelief to awe in the crowd before us.

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