Ares:Alastair decided to wait a few days before reconvening. It seemed that his one-on-one with Merari ended far better than mine did with Valene. The alpha she-wolf or whatever she was, seemed to be in higher and far more sensible spirits than she was that evening. Though it was evident that she was wracked with some semblance of guilt over what happened. As much could be seen when everyone crowded into the meeting room that afternoon. An apology was itching to leave her lips with every single member of the meeting she approached. In a lot of ways-though I hadn’t known Ms. Van Doren for long, in many ways she reminded me of Valene. There was no wonder that the two could not get along. “Young alpha.” I turned to her when I heard her voice. I knew that she wasn’t talking to Alastair. She’d never call him young, and while I was significantly older than she, I could see why she’d consider me young. I certainly looked the part. “Ms. Van Doren,” I greeted. “Alpha Barbosa will do.”
Alastair:“He was the first known Gold Blood created by the Goddess Moon.” she said, and immediately everyone’s attention was captivated everyone in the room. Including me.No one had ever heard of ‘the first Gold Blood in history’ but everyone had always been curious about it. How could one not be?“He was human, of course, as normal as you’d imagine a young boy to be,” Merari smiled.And as she smiled, I wondered why. It bothered me that someone else’s memory…another man’s memory was something that she found some sort of solace in. What was worse was that, according to the path in which this story was headed, I knew that this bloody bastard was connected to the situations that had been going on in Shadow Veil of late. “Well, obviously he didn’t stay that way,” I retorted with a bit more aggression than intended. Merari noticed this and with her brow now raised with irritation, she continued. “Yes, alpha Wade, you're right. He did change. And that change started just like any other
“They’re right,” Merari seemned to agree with Harlyn and young Talon. Fortunately. “Knowing my story will not help you understand his. All you need to know is that he was there when I needed him the most. He saved my life and in doing so, he saved my daughter’s life.”There was something hurtful about what Merari had just said. The fact that another man was there for her. For our daughter…when I should have been the one to save her from the horror of Caris’s feral rage. It was almost too much for me to listen to, but I knew that it was a just punishment-this knowledge. In fact, I deserved far worse as an absentee, bum father.“Unfortunately,” Merari started again. “I thought he was good,” she said. “Until he wasn’t. I fled, and now he is looking for me,&rdqu
Alastair:Merari was hysterical as she informed me of this potential reality and she was almost certain that she was not imagining her suspicions of Agnes. While the assumption caught me off guard, I would not have put it past her to do so. Nevertheless, I knew that with the complexity of the suspect in question and her relation to my delta, this would not be an easy problem with an easy resolution. I had convinced her of as much that night during our conversation. She wasn’t happy about it-not by a long shot. However, I was at least able to calm her down enough to persuade her to allow us to reconvene at a later time. That allotted me a few days to consider how to go about pursuing the situation further. Unfortunately, Valene’s recent mental instability was another concern that kept her at bay for a few days as we both tried keeping her close on our radar. Fortunately, Ares made it no secret of his concerns and devotion to Valene’s well being. He assertively volunteered and it was
Ares:She had been playing erratically all throughout the day and night. Nothing had changed since last I’d seen her and we did not part on the greatest of terms then. My little pet was not the happiest of campers when I intervened in her last meal. Though part of her, I’m sure, was relieved when I did interrupt her last kill as this one, unlike the others, was simply an innocent man trying to get home to his wife and children. I stood at her door for a moment, not saying anything. There was no point, to be honest. We both knew that she was not in a talking mood. I just needed her to know that whether she was in the mood to talk to me or not, I was there nonetheless. And with a present for her, no less.“I could only imagine how incomplete you must be feeling about not having your bow.”It was then that I relinquished the bag in my hand and gingerly laid it against her door. "These are specially made. Just for you,” I said. I was under no assumption that she would open the door fo
Alastair:“Where is it you last saw them?!” I asked through the pack link as I brushed through the forest to go after the pack of rogues that we had spotted along the city line. They weren’t like the others. They were uniform and in sync with their movements as they fled. These beasts moved with far more intelligence than the ones that we’d been tracking and killing of late. Had they smartened up as well as strengthened?Somehow, my gut told me that this was not the case. There was something different about these rogues. Either way, they needed to be put down. If they were strangers to Shadow Veil then they were enemies to Shadow Veil. “We lost them around the bend, alpha!” Toran finally retorted through the link. “They’re faster than I remember them being.” “I am beginning to think that these are not rogues at all.” John Minken chimed in. I was glad that he had as he was the mitigator of this thing. With John’s strategic prowess, this thing could be far less messy than it had to b
ARES:“So, are you going to tell me why you’re here?” We stood there, sizing one another up for what seemed like an eternity. I wasn’t one for these kinds of things. Situations like this truly did annoy me.“Or should I just kill you now?” It was the form of a question, but whether he agreed with it or not, in the end, I’d do what I felt necessary to protect Valene. Or what I wanted to do.Nevertheless, his response was what I had expected it to be. A smirk. The question amused him. However, I could tell that he knew not to underestimate my seemingly easygoing tone. “No need for threats or plays for dominance, alpha,” said the young man. He glanced up at the window where Valene was still playing her cell. Then he looked at me; he knew that I was becoming impatient with him. I didn’t like how concentrated he was on her.When he noticed that I was watching him watch her, he showed no regret for getting caught in his action. In fact, he seemed quite…content with the fact that I noticed
Alastair: We all sat at the table in the meeting room, me and my pack members across from Merari and as well as a few of her own constituents. It was blatantly clear as we all sat there at the table staring at one another that neither side trusted the other, and for good bloody reason. At least on our part that is. “I’m assuming that we came here to do just more than stare in one another’s bloody faces all night.” I finally broke the tension-filled silence between us. Merari stood across the table from me with a cold glare. She wasn’t happy with my impatience. And I didn’t care. Not one. Bloody. Bit. “I can…explain what’s going on, Alastair. You jus-” “Good!” I cut her off. “Because you bloody well need to!” I snapped. I didn’t want to hear any more vague explanations and excuses as to why she wasn’t being forthcoming. “You should calm down, Alastair-” “I am as calm as I am going to get, Merari!” I felt my anger rising uncontrollably. “You have been keeping secrets since the