Page 118 of Alpha Power

The mage Regent she knew of, only because of what Luther told her at DeVos. Ignacio Rixton, dark mage. Man, he lookedexactlylike Thaddeus. Or was it Thaddeus that looked like him? He had the same hazel-brown eyes, thick blonde hair and sharp, angular features. He might as well have been his doppelganger. The only difference between the two was the small touches of wrinkles around Ignacio's eyes and the hint of grey streaking through his hair.

He moved with the same regal elegance Thaddeus did, coming to a stand next to the demon Regent and planting his feet behind his chair. Those hazel eyes flicked to Thaddeus at her side and they narrowed, like he was surprised to see him actually on time.

The shifter Regent entered next, flanked by two of her own warrior shifters. She was a manticore shifter, and she was absolutely stunning. Beautiful but deadly. Manticore shifters were rare. Zamorra had never met one before, and the scent was definitely... interesting. She heard there was a manticore pack here in Australia, but since she never actually saw one, she just assumed it was a lie.

The shifter wore the same long, black robe as the others. Her auburn hair tumbled down her shoulders, coming to a stop at her waist, and her eyes blazed bright gold. Her creature was on edge, eyeing everyone in the room with caution and distrust. She had a soft face, despite the harsh look overriding her features, and a short, slim body.

Zamorra knew her, or at least knew of her. Her parents taught her a little about the shifter Regent of Australia before they died. Theodora Illyias, that was her name. And rumour had it she had a wicked temper and an extremely short fuse, one that could surpass her own.

As Theodora took her spot next to Ignacio, standing behind her chair and staring out into the crowd with a hard expression, the final Regent walked in. Luther.

Zamorra stiffened. She couldn't help it. No one else could tell it was her underneath this facade but knowing her crappy luck, Luther would figure it out.

He strode in with confidence, head held high and eyes burning red. A wave of his ancient power rolled over her and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. God, she loved the amount of power he had. It was like a drug. She just wanted to rub it all over her skin like a lotion and fall asleep. Roman and Ophelia were at his back, guarding him as he walked like they always did.

Their eyes scanned everything in sight, looking for the slightest hint of danger. Zamorra could admit she admired their professionalism. They looked like complete badasses. Well, just Roman. Zamorra didn't like to pay any compliments towards Red, even in her head. She hated the bitch.

With their matching dark clothing and glistening, sharp blades strapped to their waists, they presented a united front, one that screamed 'mess with us and you're dead.' They wore their weapons in plain view for everyone to see and she wondered if they were demon blades. If they were, she planned to steal one.

Each Regent had a personal guard of two, standing powerfully and tall behind them while the rest of their warriors lined the walls surrounding them to help police the meeting. It seemed fair to Zamorra, that way there was an even amount of their warriors between them and no one species had more than the other.

That long, black robe flowed behind Luther as he walked, and an image of The Grim Reaper flashed through her mind. All he needed was one of the scythes from his bedroom wall and the look would be complete.

Luther stepped up onto the platform and took his position behind the last empty chair. He gazed around the room with hard eyes and a dangerous expression, studying every detail slowly, meticulously, looking for anything out of order. He paused when his eyes hit her, narrowing slightly. They flicked left, taking note of Thaddeus beside her and that expression turned thunderous.

Her werewolf snickered.He knows.

Zamorra tried not to shift her feet and kept her eyes forward, refusing to look at him.You don't know that. Maybe he's just angry to see Thaddeus.

His eyes flicked right, frowning at the tiny man that stood to her right (Void) before he finished his survey of the room and then simultaneously the Regents all took their seats. The rest of the room followed suit, sitting down quickly. So quickly that she was the only one left standing.

She cringed. Thaddeus tugged her down and she thumped in her seat.

"Welcome," Luther's deep voice boomed throughout the room. "Tonight, we will resolve any issues that have occurred in the last month. Tonight, we will deliver our verdicts and execute suitable punishments to those that require it. Our word is law. Our word isfinal. Tonight, we will honour our ancestors by working together to keep the humans ignorant of our presence."

Zamorra leaned over to Void. "Ancestors?" She whispered.

"The OG's."

"Ah."

The original supernatural’s. The very beings from which they all descended. She wondered where they were. If they were even still alive. Could they die? Did they have a time limit on this Earth like the rest of them did?

Vampires were immortal and could technically live forever as long as they weren't set on fire, or had their heads chopped off. Shifters could live to be up to 500 years old, the oldest shifter she'd ever heard of was 503. Mages had roughly the same timeline. Their magic slowed the progression of age once they reached 30. It's why Ignacio looked like Thaddeus' brother, not his bloody father. And demons? Well, she actually didn't know how long demons could live for.

"First on the docket - Niya Winter. Step forward."

From the back of the room a female shifter rose from the crowd. Aphoenixshifter. Interest zinged through Zamorra and she perked up in her seat. Another rare breed of shifter she'd never encountered before. Damn. Had she of known so many cool shifters would be at these things, she would have attended a Regent meeting years ago.

She was only a tiny little thing with a demeanour that just screamed sweet and innocent. Her brown eyes darted frantically around the room in fear, sweat dripping from her forehead as she made her way through the crowd, slowly shuffling her feet. Her body hunched, like she was trying to make herself appear smaller than she already was. Like she was trying to hide herself from everyone's eyes. She looked terrified.

Her wrists and ankles were cuffed with thick iron chains, limiting her movements and preventing her ability to shift. She was immediately flanked by two warrior shifters and escorted to the front.

"My-my Lords," she stuttered, bowing at the waist. She straightened and started to fidget, wringing her hands together and shifting her feet in nervousness. She winced, the iron burning through her skin but she didn't complain. Didn't ask to remove the chains. She knew better.

"You know why you're here?" The demon Regent bellowed and Niya flinched.

"That's Balthus Drogic," Thaddeus whispered out of the side of his mouth. "He's a real hard ass. No sense of humour at all. Has the personality of a damn porcupine. Daddy dearest is next to him and then Theodora Iliyas - she's fucking crazy by the way - and of course finally, good ol' Luthy."

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