Chapter Twenty-One – The broken window

As Adam left the office he mind linked Devan, asking the beta to meet him in the forest at the end of the property. He wanted to take his mind of the meeting that happened up in his office, hoping and praying to the Goddess that Talia wouldn’t turn his office into rubble.

“How did it go?” Devan asked as they met up at the edge of the forest located at the back of the property. This was one of the reasons why Adam had settled on this place when he first arrived. It was secluded and had a forest in the backyard. A win - win for both the pack and the people in town.

“I have no idea” Adam answered honestly. A part of him wanted to sit in, to get to know more about who and what Talia was. And most importantly, the range of her powers. He had seen what she could do, how she could knock down any of his delta wolves. She didn't have the physical strength like them. But she was a tiny being, agile, she easily ducked away from their punches. And in return, sent balls of pure energy their way. It was a painful way to go down, Adam knew from experience. But then fire, without even moving her hands? He both wanted and needed to know more.

“Since you trusted to leave her alone, I believe you have confidence in it going well” Devan continued, and Adam nodded slowly. “I have confidence in her. But I don’t know if I trust him at this point” Adam said honestly, eyeing his beta for a second before turning his eyes to the sky, looking for any sign of the little bird on a mission.

Katlyn had left at the crack of dawn and promised to be back just before noon. “Keep your eyes on the sky. She might arrive at any second now” They both looked up, walking around as they tried to catch a glimpse of the small white bird.

Devan and Adam continued to walk in circles, eyes focused on the sky, waiting and watching as the sun continued to rise in the sky. Five minutes turned into ten, ten to twenty, twenty to forty. “Where is she?” Adam muttered as he walked around another tree, giving himself a better view of the sky above.

“I see her!” Devan shouted from a higher ground. He had climbed further up the mountains in the back of the territory, giving himself an even better view of the clear sky above. “She’s coming in fast” He skidded down to where Adam was standing, both of them making way to a clearing in the middle of the forest, watching as the white bird landed on the ground before them.

“Now – anything I need to worry about?” Adam asked the bird, watching as it slowly turned back into a slender female with brown hair. “I’m fine, not tired at all, thank you for asking” Katlyn responded with a friendly voice, folding her long hair to cover her breast. “Hi Katlyn. How was your flight? Do you need anything to regain strength?” Adam rephrased, earning himself a wide grin from Katlyn. “Now that you ask, I could do with some sugar”

Devan pulled a small chocolate bar out of the pocket of his jacket, handing it over to Katlyn. He always had one stashed away, never knowing if she would need it or not after a trip to who knows where. “Thank you” Katlyn took the chocolate from Devan and waisted now time unwrapping it, moaning as she took the first bite. “You know – this is my favorite” She took another bite, closing her eyes and smiling with pleasure.

“Now, can you please tell me what you saw?” Adam asked impatient, his foot tapping against the moss-covered ground. “That’s the odd thing, I didn’t see anything or anyone. It was quiet. Almost too quiet” Katlyn answered once she was finished with the bar, licking her fingers clean.

“Quiet before the storm” Adam brows furrowed. The gears in her brain working overtime to figure this out. There were so much going on at the same time – and nothing seemed to be connected, but at the same time he refused to believe they weren’t. Like Lilith had told him, there were too much to all be coincidental.

“We should…” Adam was interrupted by a voice in his head. “Alpha – you need to get back” One of the deltas spoke through the mind link. “What’s happening?” Adam asked back, worry growing in his stomach. “Just get back” The link went dead. Adam looked to Devan.

“Go” Devan simply said, and before he could blink Adam was running back towards the house, jumping over logs, and bursting through branches as they made their way back. “It’s okay. It’s all okay” Damir repeated in his head like a mantra, trying to calm both wolf and human alike.

When he got back to the house, he was greeted by a large crowd standing around a person on the ground. Adam recognized the almost white hair – Xavier. Looking up he found his office window. Or what had used to be the window. In its wake was a big hole, and Talia was standing in the opening with both her hands firmly planted on her hips, her hair whisking around her face.

“What the hell happened?!” Adam shouted, and the crowd parted to let him through. Xavier was lying on the ground, his eyes wide open and his chest heaving after air. For the second time he had gotten the wind knocked out of him. “Ask him!” Talia shouted from where she stood, pointing a finger at Xavier.

“What the hell did you tell her?” Adam demanded as some of the other wolves helped the man sit up. He was mostly unharmed, a few cuts where his skin had come in contact with glass was all. “The truth” Xavier answered with a huff, still trying to regain his breath. “No one likes being told the truth” Katlyn said as she came into view, earning herself a couple of stares from the younger males. She didn’t care though, she was used to the nudity and staring, came with the whole shifter community.

“You don’t say” Xavier’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he tried to stand but was held down by one of the medically trained wolves that had come out to check on his being. “He said that me dying was the best thing that ever happened” Talia said, now standing by Adams side. How has she moved so quickly? Tears were present in her eyes, and all Adam wanted to do was reach out for her, wrap her in his arms. But he didn’t. He gave her the space she needed.

“Because it was” Xavier said, batting the hands of the medic away from his head. “And if you’d let me finish, you’d understood why. But no – you had to turn into a tornado of emotions and fling me out of the window” He continued, glaring sideways at his younger cousin.

“Then by all means, please explain” Adam hunched down. “Here? Now?” Xavier looked around at the crowd. “This is not a conversation to be held in public” He said through gritted teeth. “Fine” Devan took charge of the crowd, asking them all to go back to what they were doing before. Even the medic was asked to leave once she was done checking Xavier for injuries.

“Better?” Talia asked once she, Adam and Katlyn were the only ones left. Xavier eyed Katlyn for a second, taking in her appearance. “She might want to go fetch some clothes” He gave a short nod in the direction of Katlyn before turning his attention back on Talia and Adam. “She might” Katlyn answered, leaving the trio behind once Devan came into view.

“Now – the truth. The whole truth, and not just bits and pieces” Talia asked, her arms and legs crossed. Xavier sighed a defeated sigh; this was a conversation he had hoped he’d never have to have with her. He had dreaded it at first, but as the years went by and her memory didn’t come back, he’d started to hope that maybe it never would, and maybe he’d never have to have this conversation with her. Well, there goes that hope.

“You asked me why your parents didn’t get to know that you were still alive. And it’s because it was for the best. The fact that everyone believed that you were dead was for the best, for you. Not for everyone else, but for you” Xavier rubbed both his hands over his face. “I’ve always said you’re special, capable of more than any average fae. And it’s a reason for that. You weren’t born the way you are today – you were created. An experiment to test if the specie could get more powers, become more powerful."