Page 10 of Fated to the Rogue

His expression fell for a brief moment, but soon his usual determined look was back to his face. “Don’t worry, son. Everything will fall into place.” He squeezed my shoulder before turning to his team. “Warrick. I need you to arrange a meeting with the pack’s Elder as soon as possible.”

“Of course, Alpha.” The Beta nodded right before his eyes clouded over, indicating that he was mindlinking someone.

Then, Dad turned to his Gamma. “Hudson, I want you to work alongside Alexandra to prevent rumors about Zephyr’s first shift from getting out of control. Find her and fill her in on my decision.”

“Yes, Alpha.” The man bowed his head.

“The Elder said he will see us tomorrow at six,” Warrick revealed.

“In the morning?” I questioned. “That’s when training starts.” As irrelevant as it may seem, we take training very seriously at Wind Howlers. We spar two hours a day, five times a week. As the future Alpha, I always had to be the first to arrive to set the example.

“You are excused from training tomorrow. We have other priorities right now,” Dad insisted, and I didn’t have it in me to argue with him. Once the issue was settled, he turned to his men. “Thank you for your assistance, Beta. Gamma. You are dismissed. Before you leave, I must remind you - none of what we discussed here tonight leaves this room,” he ordered with utter seriousness in his eyes. “Also, what happened at the falls doesn’t change anything. Zephyr is still my heir and the Alpha to this pack, regardless of what gender his wolf is.”

My old man’s words honestly surprised me. He was in a much calmer state now than he had been when we arrived here,but still, I didn’t expect him to handle the situation with such clarity. It seemed he still had a lot to teach me about being a great leader.

As Warrick and Hudson left the office, I turned around to do the same, but the former Alpha stopped me by grasping one of my shoulders firmly. “None of this is your fault, Zephyr. Remember that and try to get some rest before we meet with the Elder tomorrow.”

Despite my exhaustion, I forced a smile. “Yes, father.”

“Good night, Zeze.” Mom returned the gesture. “Sleep tight.”

“You too,” I whispered before walking out of the room.

???

For the second night in a row, I couldn’t sleep. First, the threat of the Fallen, and now this? After all these years anxiously waiting for the moment I would finally meet my wolf, the other half of my soul…they turned out to be a female.Thankfully, she remained quiet, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Out of all the troubles keeping me awake, the same question rang repeatedly in my head - what was our unexpected union supposed to mean?

I still hadn’t thought of an answer when I watched the first rays of sun illuminate the village through the large windows. My night had been awful, but at last morning came, and with it, I would hopefully get some explanations. As I rolled out of bed to get dressed in the first clothes I found lying around the room, I just hoped most of the members would either be asleep or at training. I wasn’t ready to face them after what they had seen at my ceremony.

By the time I made it to the entrance hall, my father was already there, alone. Beta Warrick was busy conducting warriortraining, while Gamma Hudson was probably with Alex working damage control. At first, I thought Mom could be asleep, but knowing she wouldn’t miss the chance to be by my side at such a difficult moment, I realized she was probably covering for Dad so he could come with me. We exchanged nods before walking in silence towards our destination, as no words could soothe our worries.

The small stone shrine, which was home to Wind Howlers’ Elder, was located in the main square, right next to the pack house. Every pack was required to have at least one Elder; since they had more affinity with magic, they were needed to perform essential rituals. They were also in charge of reporting problems or irregularities to the National Elder Council - the highest authority in werewolf society.

A pack’s Elder was also the only individual who was above the Alpha, holding the power to dethrone any leader he judged unfit to rule, which was why I felt quite anxious.

As soon as we stepped into the building, we lowered our heads before Elder Laelius. He was standing behind a stone pedestal, where a thick open book rested. It didn’t take long for his hoarse, yet intimidating voice to echo.

“Alpha Zephyr Wyndham.” I immediately lifted my gaze to look at him. “You claim to have been paired with a female wolf counterpart during your First Shift Ceremony, correct?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

“Excuse me, Elder Laelius.” My father took a step forward. “Do you believe this could be some kind of mistake?”

“The Moon Goddess makes no mistakes,” the ancient man stated firmly before turning his attention back to the book in front of him. “As unusual as the situation is, there is no reason for us to believe your son’s union with his wolf was unintentional. After Beta Warrick contacted me last night, I was able to find some information on the matter.” My eyes glistenedwith hope as he flickered through the old pages. “It appears there have been reports of shifters being paired with animal counterparts who don’t reflect their physical characteristics, nor complete them. Is that how you feel, boy?”

“Precisely.” I couldn’t hide the anxiety in my voice.

“The first case dates back to over a thousand years ago. According to the tale, there were twin sisters whose wolves had been switched after birth. A few rare situations similar to this have been registered through the centuries.”

“Is that what might have happened to my son?”

The Elder nodded. “I think it is likely that Zephyr has been paired with another werewolf’s counterpart. Although I didn’t have time to further research the topic, I do believe it can be reversed.”

“How?!” Dad and I asked in unison.

“I’m afraid my current knowledge won’t allow me to answer your question.” As quickly as our expectation bloomed, it was cut at the root. “I will contact other Elders to see if they can assist me. Once I have more information, I’ll get back to you.”

My father and I exchanged hopeless looks before he turned to the Elder one last time, his voice low. “Thank you, Elder Laelius, but where does that leave my son?”

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