Page 29 of The Hidden Falling
“If you live peacefully, why is everyone so scared then?” Darius questions, coming forward to stand in front of my desk next to Leo, glaring down at me.
I tap my forearm where my arms are crossed and think about how to answer him. If we lived here all our lives, why are they so scared? Shit, I didn’t think this through. “They had some… issues not too long ago.”
“What issues?” he presses, and I grind my teeth and look out of my window.
I don’t want to go into this, and it’s not my place to tell them either, but I have to give them something. “Look,” I start, before turning my head toward him and the other Elites. “I won’t betray their confidence by telling you their personal experiences. What Iwilltell you is that some shit happened and big scary men, well… scare them, okay? It happened, and it’s done, but mentally not all are one hundred percent healed from it. They get by the best they can and live peacefully here. However, since I brought you all here it’s causing issues for them, and I will have to figure out the best way to deal with that. I asked you to keep your dominance low to try and not frighten them as much. As you could see before at the gathering, it didn’t do much, but their reaction would have been worse if you had just let your aura loose.”
“Is that why your aura is like an Omega’s? You give off barely any dominance,” Damian says, as he walks over to my bookshelves and starts looking at the books I’ve collected over the years.
“That’s the whole point,” I state, blowing out a breath and trying to ignore that he’s touching my things. “Omegas are non-threatening. They are kind, and gentle, so we have always kept our dominance as low as possible to make the pack feel safe.”
“So, what you’re saying is something happened here, and since then you all keep your dominance down so the rest of the pack feels safe?” Darius says slowly, eyeing me to find a crack in my facade.
I nod, my face still blank even though I feel like he isn’t buying my half-truths. But what does he expect? I just spill all of our secrets? Not a chance. I need to find a way to keep this place hidden, to stop him from telling the Highers. But I honestly have no idea how. He’s going to take me back to the Highers one way or another, and I’ll accept that if I can reason with him to let the others stay here and Eridian’s existence be kept secret.
“You know you have already broken the law by murdering some of my Elite trainees, and injuring others.” Darius’ stare becomes cold. “You have also broken the law by not declaring your home and pack to the Highers. When my injured are healed, you will come back with me, face sentencing and your punishment will be in my hands. But before that,” he cuts off the protests of the guys at my back, waving a hand at Leo.
Leo pulls out something from the pack he has on the floor. It looks like just a small piece of crumpled paper in his hand, that is until he flattens it out, puts it on my desk and turns it over. I keep my face from giving any reaction as he slides it toward me and my heart stalls in my chest as I look it over. Dark, shoulder length hair, toffee eyes, a bright smile and delicate face. I force my brows to furrow as I look it over in confusion.
“Who is this?” I ask Leo, who’s eyes haven’t left mine.
“This is the reason we are in The Deadlands in the first place.” He taps the picture. “A woman matching her description was seen entering The Deadlands with another person. She was taken from her pack, and we have been tasked with getting her back.”
Rescuing her from her pack is more accurate. “How long ago was she seen coming into The Deadlands?”
“Just over two months ago,” Darius informs me. So they have been searching for her pretty much since we brought her here, and they still haven’t given up. Great.
I chew the inside of my bottom lip. “You guys haven’t seen her?” I ask. At the shake of their heads, I continue. “Anyone that enters The Deadlands is as good as dead.” At Darius’ flat look, I scoff at him. “Apart from the Elites, clearly. But anyone else would last a few days at best. There is no way she is alive and out there somewhere.”
Darius tilts his head. “She isn’t here?”
“No,” I swallow. “Why would she be? No one has been here and we haven’t seen another person in the forest apart from you guys and creatures. How would this woman get here if you guys didn’t even know it existed?” He looks me over, and I hold my breath. My ice blue eyes clash with his light green one’s, neither giving anything away and neither backing down as we look for weaknesses. I don’t know if he believes me, but I know he definitely doesn’t trust us.
A knock comes to my office door before it swings open. Anna stops in her tracks when she sees us all in here before straightening her shoulders and looking at me. “Everyone is stable, but they will need to take a few weeks rest before any traveling is recommended,” she tells us, and I know she was reluctant to give us that information considering we don’t want them here. “Especially Jase,” she continues. “His rib is back in place, but his lung will take time to heal and shifting is not an option right now, for him or anyone else. They are too exhausted for the change. Kade is ready to move upstairs to his room. I gave him something extra for the pain to help him sleep, so he should be out until tomorrow morning.” Anger floods Darius’ face like thunder by the time she has finished talking.
“Thanks Anna. Rest up and head to the gathering,” I look toward my windows before looking back at her. “Dinner will be soon.” She nods and leaves as quickly as she came, passing the Elite with the plaited mohawk as she goes. He follows her, no doubt keeping an eye on her.
I’m glad Kade is ready to be moved to his room though. I want him close at the moment.
“She’s a blood witch, isn’t she?” Zaide states, the first time he’s spoken since he’s entered my office. His voice is quiet, but still strong. He’s the type of male who only speaks when needed.
I lean forward on my desk and clasp my hands together. “She is a blood witch,” I confirm, and they inhale sharply, all apart from Darius who looks at me with a curious expression.
“I knew she wasn’t a wolf, but I didn’t expect a blood witch,” Damian spits, finally coming over to us and leaving my bookshelves alone. “You’re harboring a dangerous being in your pack, Rhea. All blood witches are to be killed on sight.”
“That blood witch saved your men,” Josh growls from my right, coming around to the side of my desk.
“And whose fault is that?” Damian fires back, getting closer to Josh until they are almost touching. “You caused those injuries.”
Josh gets in his face, their height evenly matched. “And we saved the injured. If the others hadn’t died, she would have saved them too.”
“We have a right to kill her. She is not allowed to be left alive!”
I stand so fast my chair crashes into the bookshelf behind me. Everyone turns to face me as I growl at Damian, “You will not touch her. I will rip you to shreds before you even touch a hair on her head!” I feel Runa in my eyes, and my pupils dilate as a tingling sensation creeps up my neck as my anger builds.
Hudson comes up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. I sensed it was coming, but I still flinch anyway. The tingling stops, fading away instantly and I manage to get myself under control.
“No one will touch her, Rhea,” Hudson tells me gently, while Sebastian, Colten and Taylor grunt in agreement. “They are in our territory, not theirs. Vrohkaria law doesn’t apply here.”
