The Decision

LORELAI

I sat in the nursery on the floor as Enzi fed. I cradled her close as she suckled, with Zale between my legs on a blankie. He was cooing and babbling, his hands trying to reach the rattle I was holding above his head.

My shadows were out, playing with his, while Enzi kept hers close.

It was the usual thing I did to fill my days outside of the pack, but it was different this time.

This time, it didn’t make me feel better.

Because everything was on the line, and the witches were acting like it wasn’t.

We had asked them for help, and they had asked for dinner.

The alphas had reassured me that it was normal, that they deliberated during the dinner, but it was bullshit. I didn’t care that they normally did it that way; we needed an answer.

If we could turn the beast back, turn Adrenna, then we got her magic.

We needed that to even the odds against the numbers that the vamps had.

The witches had to know that.

So there was only one choice: give us a chance or take it from us. If they really worked for the balance, it shouldn’t need deliberating.

I sighed, trying not to let the anger get to me, and finished feeding Enzi.

I put her on my shoulder and looked down at Zale.

They were perfection, and the love that bloomed in my chest when I was with them was more than I had ever thought my body and heart were capable of.

But that love came with emotions I didn’t know what to do with: protectiveness, anger, resentment. It all swirled inside me, making me need to get things done and make sure they were protected at all costs.

They were our heirs, our legacies; they had to survive this war. If we let them die, let anything hurt them, then we failed.

I couldn’t handle that.

Just like I couldn’t handle the idea that the witches might say no.

The alphas didn’t seem to think they would, but I didn’t trust the witches. Something inside me didn’t like the way they were talking to me, the way they saw me as a hybrid.

The winter-born thing back to bite me in the ass yet again.

But they were scared, of the power I had, of the power I was going to get if they said yes. But it shouldn’t be about power. It should be about doing what’s right. And giving Adrenna and the beast back their lives was right.

Adrenna couldn’t hurt anyone if she had no magic and had the future she was getting revenge for, given back to her.

They had to see that. But I wasn’t allowed to badger them, apparently.

I had wanted to explain more. I wanted to explain the entire situation, the reasoning, the aftermath, every part of the plan, but the witches wanted none of that.

And the fact that the only question they asked was about power did not make me feel any better about the way their decision was going to go.

I laid Enzi down on the blanket, then looked at the twins.

So innocent, yet so wise. Enzi, so protected, so quiet. She looked more like me, with a small tuft of dark hair growing, her eyes slowly changing, settling into the blue.

Zale was more like Brax. His strength of features already, his expressions, the way he protected his sister.

They were perfect.

I finished feeding them, then put them in their crib as my mother came back in, with Galen not far behind, as usual.

“How’s dinner going?” I asked.

Mom’s brow furrowed, but she tried to hide it, going to the twins and smiling down at them.

“It’s okay. Tense, though. Not like the dinners I am used to having with the pack.”

“Have the witches said anything?”

“No. Just picked at their spinach and barley. They did enjoy the wine, though. Are you ready to go back out there?” she asked. I hadn’t been ready after the duel. I had needed a minute, and luckily the twins had needed feeding too.

So I had taken my minute, but I had to be luna now, and that included making up for the shitshow I had made of the shifting ceremony.

“Not really, but I don’t have a choice,” I sighed, then took one last look at the twins and headed for the doors.

“Lorelai,” Mom said, turning to me. “The humans will help you fight if that’s what this comes to. You and the wolves saved us, not the witches. We will repay that. We’re not strong like the wolves; we don’t have sharp teeth or claws, but we do have courage. That may be just enough to beat whatever comes for us.” She smiled.

I grinned at her, walking up to her. I hugged her, squeezing her like I used to when I was a kid. I wished things were as easy as they were back then. It was hard being responsible for others—something I had never appreciated before.

“Thank you, Mom,” I whispered.

“Of course, Sweetie. I should also mention, just in case courage doesn’t work, we have bombs, poisons, and a lot of weapons. We’ve accomplished a lot, and we’re ready,” she said. I laughed and pulled back, kissing her cheek.

“Good. If we don’t need it tonight, then we’ll definitely need that for the vamps,” I said, then went back to the door. Mom went to the twins and started singing them a lullaby—the same one she used to sing to me.

I was almost out the door when Galen stopped me. He came out of the room with me, closing it, checking to make sure my mother wasn’t there.

I frowned at that, then looked up at him.

“Winter born,” he said, his voice low, his face solemn. “I hope you get the answers you are looking for tonight, but I feel I must warn you, what I sensed from the witches, was not in favor of your plight this evening,” he warned.

I nodded; it was what I had been expecting. “Thanks, Galen. I got the same feeling.”

“You saw their magic?” he asked.

“Yeah, apparently. I didn’t know that at the time, though; I thought everyone could see it.”

“We can’t. Only witches can. Only they are connected enough to the realm and the balance to see the offerings in that way. I think the fact that you could, and were drawn to it, is what has put them off,” Galen said. His face was looking down, his voice gruff yet quiet.

We were hushed and huddled together, trying to avoid being overheard—a useless idea in a mansion full of wolves, but it seemed appropriate.

“I can’t help what I see and don’t. If I saw it, I was meant to see it.”

Galen nodded, meeting my eyes. “I believe that too. Which is why I also believe you have the power you need to challenge their decision.”

My eyes went wide at that. “Challenge the witches? The alphas insist that is not a good idea.”

“It’s not. But if they say no, you will have no choice. I’m just telling you that I believe your intentions are pure, and the realm has spoken. They want the direction you are sending us in. The witches are fools to go against that or ignore it out of fear.”

“She should at least wait to hear what the witches say first before preparing to piss them off, Galen. What kind of stepfather are you going to be with advice like that, hmm?” Beenie came down the hall then, a smirk on her lips.

Her hair was red and wet, hanging over her bare shoulders.

Her dress was a different one than before; her nails were picked to hell, red and blistering. But her face was clear, as if wandering the mansion halls instead of being at dinner was fine.

“Stepfather?” I raised a brow at him. He didn’t even blush.

“I don’t understand your human terms or contexts, but if your mother does me the honor of agreeing to spend the rest of her life with me, then I will do the human ceremony that reflects that, whatever the title that gives me,” he stated, as if it were the weather. But the devotion in his voice also rang through.

I smiled up at him, then turned to Beenie. “And you are here eavesdropping in the halls because?”

She shrugged. “The witches are full of shit. They made me feel so sick that I vomited all over my dress. I went to get changed, and now I am heading back to repeat the process until they leave.”

I thought she was joking, but she was not smiling.

“That’s awful,” I said, screwing my face up.

“You’re telling me. So, are we heading downstairs to pretend like we don’t know what the witches are going to say? Anyone with any sense of aura can see the hostility they have for you,” Beenie said, nodding downstairs. Her face was bored, as if she couldn’t be bothered with any of it.

“So it’s my fault the pack aren’t getting the help they need?”

“Don’t play victim; it’s gross, and you’re stronger than that. Even the witches know it. That’s why they don’t like you. Anything with power that could outshine them disappears pretty quickly around here. Which is why they can’t fucking stand me either. Want to go rub it in their faces?”

I laughed and nodded, looping my arm through hers.

She looked at the gesture with a grimace.

“Unless you’re taking me to my mate for the heat, let's walk without touching.”

I grinned and stepped away from her, then looked at Galen.

“I hope things work out with my mom, Galen. She deserves someone like you, and she’ll treat you well,” I said with a smile. He tipped his head and went to walk away. “She likes poems, Galen. Flowers too. In case you need some tips on how to woo her,” I added with a grin.

He smirked and looked over his shoulder into the room. “Your mother is worth every flower and every word I could ever pen. Thanks for the tip,” he said with a smile, then went into the room.

I left the top floor with Beenie, heading to the dinner, still not ready to face the witches again. They were so big on respect, so big on balance, and yet they were not willing to represent those things themselves when their power was threatened.

I wasn’t even asking them to use their power. I was happy to try the spell myself, happy to help with my magic if needed; I just needed permission. I went into dinner with Beenie, hating the feeling of being watched that came with walking in.

Beenie went straight to Cain, who was helping his mother fill her plate from the feast in the middle of their table. Derik’s parents were there too. They had been seated separately from the main table. All the tables were seated differently: the family, the council, the betas, the initiates—all separated.

It seemed wrong to me when we normally ate as a family together, on joined tables. It was usually loud with ale and laughter, bickering and challenges with smiles on everyone’s faces. That was not what I walked into. The witches were seated on the platform we normally sat on. Our seats were with the family table. They didn’t even look at the pup’s pictures. They were sipping the wine, though. It was the only thing I saw them touch as I made my way over to my alphas.

“Bow, beautiful. Acknowledge them as you go past,” Derik said in my head.

I did. They didn’t react, so I carried on to the table. I sat down between Derik and Brax, with Kai next to Derik, then Tabby, Cain, Beenie, and Derik’s parents. I kissed Derik as I sat down. Brax put his hand on my leg as Kai narrowed his eyes at me in a promising way.

I blushed and picked up my wine. I took a sip, then tucked into my dinner that was already plated for me. The music was classical in the background, the dining hall was quiet, and time ticked slower than I had ever experienced. I was over it.

Food came and went; dessert too. Wine and ale were served constantly. It was nice catching up with Tabby, and as much as Derik’s parents had hated the idea of me being the luna before, they were obsessed with the twins. They wanted more grandbabies, and I had to fend off constant “when” questions. I had no idea how to answer them. When we weren’t being hunted by vampires and pissing off the witches? That seemed like a good answer. D’s parents didn’t think so. I filled my mouth with more wine after that.

Tabby chatted away, but she looked ashen after a while. She weakened fast when she was away from her swamp, and it was just another reason for me to resent the position the witches were putting us in. When they finally announced the end of dinner, I almost said “finally” out loud. I held it back as Derik covered my mouth with his, catching the word before it fell. He leaned back and smirked.

“Hold your tongue for a little while longer.”

I grinned and nodded.

“We have come to a decision. We will go to the courtyard,” the echo announced. Everyone stopped eating as the witches left the hall. I assumed that meant we were to follow and did. The pack was right behind me and the alphas.

Kai wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in to kiss the top of my head. “We support you, Little Luna. Whatever happens. Know we are behind you,” he said, and I nodded, eyeing the gold cloaks ahead of us. They had to say yes. They had a responsibility to the realm.

The witches stood in the courtyard that led down to the main gates with stoic faces. They gave nothing away, but I expected nothing less. My heart raced, my body hot as I waited with the wolves. The flames of the torches seemed extra bright, the night extra dark. The tension in the wait filled the air, the bite to the cold making me shiver. Kai held me tighter, Brax in front of me, Derik holding my hand. Surrounded by my Alphas, I almost convinced myself we could be okay.

“We’ve made our decision,” the echo announced. I tried not to fidget, but the wait was ridiculous. Fucking say it.

“You asked us for our help. To turn a witch who betrayed us into a human. Turn a beast we cursed into a human. Give these traitors a second chance. Reward them for their bad behavior. We are insulted by this request. But, we also understand the reasoning behind it. The vampires are a problem and do need to be dealt with,” the echo continued. I begged the realm, the balance, the magic, everything I could, hoping like hell the next words were the ones we needed to hear.

“But you can deal with the vampires without going back on the punishments we have previously given.”

Oh shit. They were forcing my hand. The magic burned in my body, at my fingertips at their words. The front witch looked directly at me, her eyes glaring as she muttered the verdict.

“We’ve denied your request. Permission not granted.”