Chapter 76: Chapter 76

We met with Axel, Thomas, and Liam just an hour later. The tension between Liam and Ethan’s reassuring gestures made the situation somewhat hard to take seriously.

Finally, I invited Aly to join us, ending the distance between us. Aly, acting like some kind of bodyguard, had been assigned by Liam and Ethan shortly after the incident with the rebels, which surprised me a bit. Maybe I had underestimated her warrior skills, as until that moment, I only had eyes for Liam and Ethan on that fateful day.

Every time I reflected on my life in the pack, I felt amazed. I went from not trusting anyone to finally having my own family. Aly, Liam, and Ethan were people I trusted with my life. As for Axel and Thomas, I only entrusted them with my survival since both of them needed an heir for their pack, and unfortunately, that role fell to me.

We gathered in Liam and Ethan’s spacious and open house, in one of the many rooms I hadn’t explored yet. It was some sort of office with a large table in the center, surrounded by office swivel chairs. Some large maps were hanging on the walls, showing our territory and neighboring packs.

Finally, I could understand what Axel and Thomas were talking about. Their lands were directly beneath Liam and Ethan’s, making it difficult for them to expand their territory. Although I hadn’t discussed it with Liam and Ethan yet, I was starting to consider a possible solution to that problem. If we absorbed Thomas and Axel’s packs, all the territories could unite. This would free up space for some citizens and perhaps expand our own territory to the north.

Thomas and Axel arrived first, showing some weariness on their faces. While Axel and Liam were looking for more information about my abilities, Thomas was investigating the rebels’ attack. My instincts told me there was something more behind the attack. It was the first one I witnessed, and I hoped it would be the last, but the magnitude of the attack was larger than I thought possible. I shuddered at the idea, wondering what a full-scale war between werewolves would be like.

Axel stood by the circular table, palms resting on its cold surface. He furrowed his brows, and his lips formed a thin line. Thomas looked almost the same, and even Liam showed a frustrated expression on his face, which softened a bit when I entered the room.

As much as I wanted to appear strong and brave, my muscles ached bitterly. I sank into one of the chairs, grateful that Ethan occupied the one next to mine. Liam, on the other hand, chose to lean against the table to my right, and despite his frustration, he still looked incredibly attractive with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows and his hair artfully disheveled.

“Alright, then let’s continue with that,” Axel said with some annoyance, not caring too much about formalities, once the parents of the twins entered the guest room.

All eyes focused on Axel. “I haven’t found much yet, but I haven’t exhausted all my sources. I have some contacts in the High Council who might be on our side,” he admitted.

“I’d say you found something more than nothing,” Liam growled, giving Axel a quick glance. “Doesn’t mean anything,” Axel responded, straying from his usual polished demeanor. The intense emotions in the room were starting to give me a headache. Thomas, Axel, and Liam were all frustrated, but their feelings were not that simple. Their emotions intertwined and sometimes mixed. Although Axel was frustrated, he also seemed anxious and concerned. Liam mirrored Axel’s emotions to the last drop. Whatever they had discovered, it was something worrisome.

“Axel, tell us what you know,” Ethan growled, crossing his arms over his broad chest. Axel’s eyes landed on Ethan, blinking with annoyance. It felt strange to see my own gaze reflected in those eyes, knowing that I had inherited that trait from Axel. “Any information is useful.”

“A few centuries ago, white wolves were much more common. Hunting them almost to extinction has led to a decline in their population. Who would’ve thought?” Axel scoffed dryly. “Abilities were classified into categories. Those who didn’t pose a threat were usually allowed to live, as long as they didn’t cause trouble, so to speak.

“There’s more information about peaceful abilities. They spoke of animal communication, increased knowledge, and nature control. All seemingly harmless skills. The next level had even less information: levitation, telekinesis, and weather control. Dangerous, but not the worst in the group. Those wolves were either controlled or killed.” Liam picked up where Axel had left off, running a hand through the lower half of his face.

“The highest level only had a few names, most of which didn’t make sense, except for one. ‘We have no evidence that Sussan is what they mention,'” Axel growled, wiping the emotion from his face as if he had forgotten about my strange abilities. What I sensed from him was fear, which only confirmed that Axel cared about me in a peculiar way.

Love was not perfect, nor was it always healthy and pure. Whatever Axel felt for me was not solely because I was his daughter. That kind of love could be selfish, but did that make it invalid? I wasn’t entirely sure.

“You’re right, we won’t hide this anyway,” Liam said, not bothering to conceal his anger and general displeasure towards Axel. Then, he turned his gaze towards me, and I felt a glimmer of comfort amidst my exhaustion.

“The passage mentioned fire starters and something they called an ’emotional leech,'” he mentioned.

“An emotional leech?” I scoffed, somehow feeling offended by the term. Sure, my abilities were related to emotions, but I wasn’t sure I agreed with being called a leech.

“Well, what you did during the battle was somewhat similar to what a leech does,” Gea chimed in, not concerned with the crude term. “You absorbed all those terrible emotions from everyone and then gave them back. Hence the term ’emotional leech.'”

“Okay, you’re right about that, but that’s the only time I feed on emotions,” I growled defensively. “I’m not feeding on their emotions right now, am I? Besides, they are all starting to give me a headache. The amount of frustration and suppressed aversion is giving me chills, like when an insect crawls on your skin.” I squirmed in my seat as overwhelming emotions invaded me, setting my teeth on edge. The only thing that eased the bitter impact of those emotions was Liam’s gentle touch. His lips curved downward, and concern radiated from him.

“While the name is a bit crude, it somehow fits,” Liam said, frowning, lowering himself from the edge of the table to sit in one of the office chairs, and I settled into his lap. His love enveloped me like a warm blanket, driving away the other difficult emotions that were assaulting my mind.

“Crude?” Aly snorted under her breath. “More like ignorant. Of course, men criticize what they barely understand. It’s better to just kill them all and then try to comprehend them.”

“Not all of them were needlessly killed, girl. White wolves were brought into this world to help bring peace, but many were dragged into wars started by Alphas,” Axel growled, looking at Aly with bitterness. Then, his eyes shifted in my direction as he uttered the following words, prompting Aly to shoot him a furious look.

“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“Are you saying Sussan’s power will corrupt her?” Aly sneered, shaking her head at Axel.

“Forgive me, Alpha, but you’re mistaken. Even a blind person could see that she would be an exceptional Luna. If anyone can handle that kind of power, it’s her. Besides, she has me and the twins, of course,” Aly firmly defended.

“Despite that, many Alphas in the High Council will want her dead. It’s better to be safe than sorry in her case,” Axel growled in a low voice.

“Then it’s your job to convince your friends to join our side,” Ethan intervened, his deep voice resonating in the room. “Alpha Grayson may no longer be in the High Council, but I still consider him a good friend. Perhaps he could help influence some of the others,” the twins’ father mused.

“So it’s settled,” Liam nodded, turning his gaze to Thomas, who had remained silent during this tense conversation. “What did you find out about the rebel attack?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Thomas frowned, and the tension in the room seemed to multiply. Realizing the confused expression on my face, Thomas turned his gaze towards me and continued. “Usually, after a rebel attack, word would spread among the packs. Rogues rarely act quietly. I’ve spoken with all the packs in the vicinity, and none of them have seen a single rogue.”

“Everyone was focused on our pack,” Ethan muttered darkly, his eyes flickering towards where I was sitting on his brother’s lap. “This was planned by someone. Have you heard any rumors of another Alpha planning something like this?”

“I haven’t heard anything, not a single whisper,” Thomas sighed. “Many members of my pack have family within the rebel communities. They’ve suffered many losses.”

“Are they still loyal to your pack?” Ethan asked bluntly, and Thomas’s face hardened at the question.

“Of course. Where rogues live without rules, they also lack discipline and protection. I offer them that protection, give them a safe life where they can find their mates and build families. No one would ever betray me, I’m sure of that,” Thomas responded coldly.

“Speaking of that, I would appreciate you returning my pack member, the one I sent to retrieve Sussan. I heard he’s been sitting in your dungeons.”

“I think the release of George should be Sussan’s decision, don’t you think?” Ethan remarked, the corners of his lips trembling. Despite wanting to hold a grudge against Thomas for the poor decision, feeling the emotions of others gave clarity to many situations. For instance, all I could sense from Thomas was concern.

I was worried about George, about the family that missed him. That was enough to make a decision, ensuring it was the right one. “I let him go,” I nodded, maintaining eye contact with Thomas. “Thank you, Sussan,” he responded firmly and sincerely. I warned him, “Do something like that again, and it will be you sitting in the dungeons,” although my bravery was more apparent than real. Ethan let out a booming laugh, almost making me jump. Aly followed with a soft chuckle. Even Thomas’s lips curved into a smile. The only one who remained serious was Axel.

I was exhausted, and the emotions flooding the room only made things worse. When the meeting came to an end, I longed to have some time alone with the twins. They were the brief respite from the emotional whirlwind assaulting my mind, the calm amidst the storm.

However, Aly had other plans in mind. She insisted I needed more training, wanting to teach me some basic combat moves. At least I was glad to know I wouldn’t have to go back to the gym. The twins had their own small gym in the house, perfectly suited to our needs.

As Liam and Ethan led me into the basement gym, I felt a bit intimidated. It was no secret that I had little to no knowledge of how to defend myself. One would think dealing with Dub would have pushed me to learn self-defense, but I never had the resources to do so.

My shyness disappeared as soon as Liam and Ethan started adding their own advice. The three of them showed me how to disarm an enemy, whether they were carrying a weapon or a knife. Ethan taught me some moves to use in case someone attacked me from behind. To be honest, it was much easier training with Aly. Every time the twins got close to me, their strong hands on my waist or arms, it was hard to concentrate on what they were saying. One hour turned into three, and I was almost staggering with exhaustion when we finally finished.

The sun had set in the sky, and the night reigned. From the living room window, I watched Aly run down the street toward her home. Before I could say a word, I was scooped up into a pair of familiar arms. “Looks like someone had a long day,” Liam chuckled softly as he caressed my face in the hollow of his neck. A shiver ran down his spine, and his fingers tightened around my waist. “Should we talk to her now?” Ethan said in a distant voice. I tried to listen, but my eyelids were too heavy. My whole body felt like lead, and I appreciated the light and comfortable feeling of being in Liam’s arms.

“We’ll wait for her to mark us when we get there.” “Not now. I have a feeling she’s not listening anyway,” Liam chuckled softly, brushing some sweaty hair from my forehead. “It’s going to be a challenge for her to have two mates. The mark of an Alpha is complicated enough.”

“If anyone can handle it, it’s Sussan,” Ethan defended sincerely. Although I heard every word, my sleep-invaded brain considered them unnecessary and discarded them. I didn’t feel the soft bed beneath my back when they laid me down, nor did I perceive them taking off my socks and shoes. However, I experienced the comfort that flooded every sore muscle when both of them climbed into bed beside me.