Chapter 15

**Amelia**


Alexander, Owen, and I finish breakfast and wait for Liam and Olivia to…finish so they can join us. The elder and the other arrive a little later and we are sitting in the same set up as the day before.

“How are you feeling?” The Elder asks me. “Has your wolf settled?”

‘Bonding and mating were not required for that.’ Anaya says. ‘The old man is mistaken.’

‘That’s rude you know. He is a wise man.’ I remind her.

‘He is a child.’ She replies.

‘Then why did you call him an old man?’ I ask.

‘He looks old. I do not.’

Well okay then.

“The mating bonds have been solidified and I do feel a completeness, but it has not had the same effect as before.”

‘That is because you are stronger now. You do not need anything to finish the process of power. You need to simply release it.’ Anaya tells me.

I want to trust her but I’m not sure how to manage that without alerting every wolf in the country of who I am. At the same time if we are about to fight a war on both sides, I will need that power. It’s a difficult line between protecting my people and not showing my strongest weapon.

“The alpha is aware of me being here now and wishes for us to have a pack meeting to welcome me. It may be a chance for us to see how nervous my presence makes him. For an elder to visit pack usually means something is imbalanced.” The elder says.

“That could work. I’m not sure if his plan will be the same this time. It may take time for me to figure out his angle.” I stand and start to pace in front of them all.

“I will introduce you to the pack as my mate as well. My father will be overloaded and might let something slip.” Owen says.

“But when I came before he was to receive a visit from another alpha in hopes of you bonding with his daughter. You of course refused and there was a big accident. Your father killed many in the pack and had his mind set on taking the girl as his mate instead. It was a mess, but there hasn’t been word of a visit from an Alpha, right?” I ask him.

“Not that I’m aware of. If there had been plans of him introducing me to a potential mate he would have been prepping me for months.”

“In that case any knowledge I have from past times may not be any help to us.” I drop back down in my seat feeling a little defeated.

‘You must emerge.’ Anaya tells me again.

‘Should I? Won’t it put us in more danger. Owen’s father could move forward with his plans and many of the humans will die.’

‘Some will have to die for the larger good. There is no saving everyone in war.’

I know she’s right, but it hurts to hear those words. I’m meant to be a leader to these wolves, so how can I resign myself to the idea that some of them will die?

‘The others are not pushing hard yet, but you remember what happened before. We must emerge fully and let the goddess’ energy bind with the powers of the white wolves. If we are to bring balance, we cannot be divided.’

‘I know. Maybe we can find a secure location to do it then. That way it won’t be noticeable. I was out in the open last time.’

‘Very well. Perhaps the elder will know of a place.’

“Elder?”

“Yes goddess?” He says and I want to correct him, but I guess he isn’t wrong.

“Do you know of a place protected enough for a large explosion of power? I need to fully emerge without exposing my power to everyone.”

He makes a sound of consideration. “I know a place, but it is a days trip from here. It is very secluded and protected land so we should not come across anyone.”

“Perfect. Are you all prepared to leave soon? Except you Liam and Olivia. We need someone here to keep an eye on things, plus you being with pup I don’t want you in any danger.”

“Of course. Go save the world!” Olivia says pumping a fist in the air.

“Okay, let’s get ready. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

Everyone gets to their feet and go their separate ways. I go to the kitchen and try to grab easy to carry foods that will last a good distance before we will need to stop and hunt.

“Amelia.” I turn to Owen standing behind me. “I know it might feel like all of this is resting on your shoulders, but I am here for you. Anything you ask of me I will do.”

I smile at him and wrap my arms around his waist. He hugs me back and I take in a big breath of his scent. It is so familiar, and it reminds me of all the times I have done this before. In every version of my life, his scent has always felt like a protective shield around me.

“Thank you. I know it must feel weird having your mate making the decisions, but I want this to be over as soon as possible. I want us to be able to live a happy life together and do so without as little loss as possible.” I try my best to explain.

“I understand. We will have that time; I’ll help you make sure of it.”

“So will I.” Alexander says from behind Owen. “I’m excited to see what our kids will look like. Little vampire wolf hybrids. They are going to be bad ass.”

I chuckle and release Owen so that I can hug him as well. He doesn’t just hug me though. He leans in and steals a very deep kiss from me that has my toes curling. I feel one of his fangs nip my lip and then he’s sucking it into his mouth. My head starts to spin with need, and it takes Anaya in my head telling me to get it together for me to pull away.

“You’re trouble.” I tell him.

“The best kind love.” He winks and grabs the bags he had brought down with him.

“I don’t like that guy.” Owen says with a scowl.

“Really? Because in one version of our lives he was your beta and you were best friends.” I take off after Alexander with Owen on my heels.

He wants me to explain how on earth that could be possible but hell if I know. None of our lives were exactly normal, so it’s hard to say. We meet Alo and the others near the gates.

“Did you have any trouble getting away elder?” I ask.

“I simply told the alpha that I needed to take part in a spiritual cleansing before meeting with the pack. Which isn’t altogether untrue. I will be witnessing the greatest power being unleashed. I have no doubt it will be a very spiritual experience.”

“I hope it will meet your expectations elder.” I say nervously.

“It will be. You are already a very impressive woman. Now let’s get on with this.” He signals Alo to continue driving and their car moves in front of us so we can follow them.

We arrive at the gates and are stopped by the patrol wolves. “Elder, we were told you would be meeting with the pack today.” One of the men says.

“Your alpha must not have informed you of the change in plans. A lack of communication I find concerning, and I will mention to the alpha on my return. For now, I must meet with the ancestors and ask their guidance on the best way to deal with your pack’s needs. May we pass?” The elder’s voice is firm, and the men know well not to argue with him.

Wolves believe elders are in direct contact with the goddess, and as of now that is true. They just don’t know the goddess is sitting right in front of them.

They don’t bother questioning Owen when we pass them and we’re able to leave without any further questions.

“They’ll be reporting this to my father. I don’t know if the elder mentioned us joining him.” Owen points out.

“You will be alpha soon enough. Remind him that you are within your rights to join an event like this if invited by the elder.” I tell him.

He smirks. “I will do just that my goddess.”

My face flames at his words and I have to quickly look away to hide my reaction.

‘It is natural to be affected by your mate’s words. Why are you embarrassed by it?’ Anaya asks.

‘Because even living many lives with him it is still odd to be treated so well by someone like him.’ I try to explain.

‘I see. Past trauma has made such kindness feel out of place for you. You are not the girl you once were and deserve a kind and loving mate. He will be loyal and protect you well. His wolf has made his undying declaration of love to me on many occasions now.’

I snort a laugh at her words. She doesn’t sound touched by Owen’s wolf’s actions, but her words aren’t as sharp as before. I think he’s growing on her.