Page 78 of Artemis' Bow
“That’s what I don’t get,” Jayden muses. “How did they kill these things the first time without getting ichor all over them?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t really make any sense.”
Adrian slumps to the ground, his eyes turning that eerie shade of milky white, and I curse. That isn’t good at all. What the fuck do the fates have in store for us this time? No good comes from his damn visions, that’s for sure.
“What’s happening to him?” Dominic asks, eyeing Adrian warily.
“He’s having a vision. He’s a seer.”
“As in he can see the future?” Dominic asks.
“Yeah, but the visions are rarely a good thing for us.” I sigh.
“It would be nice if he could have a vision that was good for us,” Raven grumbles.
“Yeah, but he never tells us the good things anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
My eyes widen as I remember the coin in my pocket. They have a roguegods touchedshifter on the loose. What the hell is Dominic doing here without his brother? Jayden must see the concern on my face because his arms subtly tighten around me.
“What are you doing here, Dominic? Shouldn’t you be tracking Derek?” Jayden asks.
“My men are out searching for him, but my wolf hearing caught a scream and followed the sound to help out. Little did I know, I was coming back to the pack house to watch a damn arrow being ripped out of your shoulder.” Dominic shakes his head.
“Yeah, I’m sure that wasn’t my finest moment,” I joke but it falls flat.
“What’s the status on Derek? Did you find him yet?” I ask.
“No. It’s weird. He’s just disappeared. I thought I would find him back here since the creature was here, but I haven’t been able to track him at all.” Dominic rubs a hand down his face. “It’s like he’s just vanished.”
“Do you have any idea where he might have gone?” I ask.
“The only place I can think of is back to Phoenix to where Tristan is, but I can’t think of one good reason why he would travel on foot through the insane weather to go there.”
“You said he has a chip on his shoulder?” Greyson cuts in.
“Yeah, he wasn’t exactly happy with the alpha’s decisions on who his betas would be. I know Tristan likes to bluster and throw his weight around, but he’s a good man. He uses his resources not just for his pack but for humans in need too. He wanted betas who would do the same in his absence.”
“Yeah, he said something about helping the humans when we were in Phoenix. He said it so matter of fact that it didn’t register at first.” I nod.
“Yeah, he does that. He picked his betas based on that same quality. Derek thought he would be the beta in Tuscan becauseof strength alone. We’ve known Tristan our whole lives and he didn’t realize the man wouldn’t rule over the pack with an iron fist.”
“So he got mad because he’s perceived to be the strongest but Tristan didn’t pick him to lead this territory?” Greyson asks.
“Exactly. I knew you would get it. You were the alpha of California for a while, right?” Dominic asks.
“Yeah, before I becamegods touchedand couldn’t really be around shifters for a while.” Greyson’s shoulders slump.
“What’s going to happen to Derek?” Dominic asks, concern heavy in his tone.
I sigh. “We don’t know, to be honest. Greyson didn’t have a chip on his shoulder. He wasn’t fueled by rage at the injustice of life so his case is different than Derek’s will be.”
“We have to find him.” Dominic runs a frustrated hand down his face.
“Yes, you do have to find him. He can’t be left running free. I fear he’ll try to challenge Tristan,” Greyson says.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“There are only a few ways an alpha comes into power. Either the old alpha dies, they step down and appoint a successor, or a challenge. A challenge is a fight to the death for the spot as the alpha of the pack.”
