Alphas, pack members, and even lone shifters had come from all around the world. Bears and wolves together. Tens of thousands of them filled the Island. I had seriously underestimated Calista’s ability to get word out in a very short period of time.
We were set up on the same hill where the mid-summer festival and stage had been. At first Calista protested, saying there were too many raw memories of those we had lost there, but I wanted them to understand what was at stake here, that those losses were nothing compared to what we could sustain if we didn’t join together and lock the fae out of our world. Even though I had fixed the mecca, I knew the winter queen would not be satisfied. She wanted the earth side mecca and would stop at nothing to get it. She also wanted the power inside of me. I had no idea where or when they would hit, but we needed to be prepared for her attack.
I stood on the edge of the huge platform, thousands of shifters spread out before me, bears along the left side, wolves on the right. Unlike last time, there was a decent gap separating the two races down the center. Selene had done this. In her very short time screwing up the role of queen, she had someone managed to increase the already too large divide between our people.
“You ready, Ari?” Kade was at my side and Finn by my legs, but I would step out alone.
The wolf council were not in sight yet, but I knew they were out there, lingering in the outer areas. They would jump in if I failed, to try and wrest control of the wolves from me. I couldn’t let that happen. They would continue down the same path as Selene.
Straightening my shoulders, I smoothed down my red silk dress. Calista had gone all out with my appearance. My hair was pinned up in a braid crown. I wore my arm cuffs, and had my sword strapped across my back. The sheath was from Kade’s armory, and I might have shed a few tears thinking of how Ben wasn’t here to find me the right piece. Actually, standing here, all the memories of my friend came flooding up from the box I had shoved them into, the box in which I had stored all my grief because there had been no room, no time for it. This still wasn’t the time, but my emotions were dangerously close to the surface, especially when I caught sight of Victor and Blaine – rigid jaws, hard eyes, throats working. They were close to losing it too, but they didn’t. I drew strength from their strength, and I walked out onto the stage.
A large group to my right let out a cheer as I moved across the platform. I turned to find Bianca front and center; behind her were hundreds of wolf shifters, many of them I recognized as the defectors who had been at Kade’s Staten Island mansion. They wore proud expressions, their warmth and energy touching my heart and bringing a true smile to my face. I inclined my head toward the shifters who had helped me destroy Selene, before turning back to the larger crowd. I was center stage now, staring out across a sea of shifters.
There had been a lot of noise until this point: arguing, fighting, crying over lost loved ones, even some laughter. For many this was a reunion. But as I stood alone, facing out toward them, a hushed silence slowly descended over the hill. I didn’t speak straight away, I let the silence reign until there was only the birds, the ocean, the thousands of heartbeats in the clearing.
It was clear that my fae-ness had shocked them, but so far no one was screaming obscenities at me. Taking this as a good sign, I used the mecca to project my voice far out into the clearing.
“Thank you all for coming today on such short notice. Thank you for giving me a chance to explain to you everything that has happened over the past few months.”
A few whispers echoed around, but for the most part I could tell I had their attention. “I want to start our new relationship with the truth. I won’t hide things from you like the council and previous leaders have.” Gasps and curses rang out. “They told us that wolves and bears were enemies. That the bears would destroy us. That we should attack first. This was a LIE!”
I added more mecca because they were starting to get louder. “In the beginning, bears and wolves ruled together.”
This caused the most uproar. Turning my head, I gave Violet a nod, and she lifted the book from Baladar up in her hands, and then with a blast of energy the information on the pages projected above the crowd as if on a movie screen, ten feet tall so everyone could see.
“This is the first family tree,” I told the hushed crowd. “Bears and wolves are opposites in lots of ways for a reason. Male heirs for the bears, female for the wolves. This is because our true mates lie within the other races. King Kade is my bonded mate.” Another series of loud cries from the crowd. I could sense their disbelief, and maybe even slivers of hope. “He is my true bonded mate. We are connected and have a mental link.”
As I spoke Violet continued flicking through the pages, through the history, through the family trees. Kade stepped up at my side and linked his hand through mine. He wore his golden crown, and had on his royal armor, full military style. He had never been more beautiful, and I found myself growing even more confident standing with him.
I lifted our joined hands. “Together Kade and I can control the mecca in a way no other can.” We gave a quick demonstration, shooting out blasts of energy, sharing it with all of our shifters. “Together our people can fight the true enemy who has caused all the mayhem and destruction in our world over the past few months. The fae.”
“You’re one of them! Why should we trust you?” This cry came from the other side of the stage, and I wasn’t even remotely surprised to find the wolf council standing there. Well, most of them anyway. I could see eight or nine members.
It was Torin who had spoken. “You come back here looking exactly like the Tuatha, and you kill our queen. Why should anyone believe a lying, treasonous, snake like you, Arianna. You are just like your aunt, a failed queen. A traitor. A disgrace.”
Rage ripped through me and I lashed out at Torin with fae power, forcing him to kneel. Everyone gasped and backed up a few paces, staring at the kneeling councilman.
Looking up, I spoke to my people, laying my fragile soul bare for all to see. “I am a victim of lies as well. I found out only a few days ago that my true mother was the Red Queen herself, and…” I struggled to finish, tears lining my eyes, but I swallowed them down and said. “My biological father was fae, a very evil fae who I hope to kill. I didn’t know any of this until I went to the Otherworld to get Violet back.”