Page 4 of His Impossible Elf Mate
The door to my chamber, which I’d left ajar on purpose, opened further to permit Hakeem, Teagan,and Ívarr entry. Like Ívarr, I was also related to Teagan and Hakeem, though more distantly in Hakeem’s case. His family had a different name and symbol and were linked through marriage.
“Are you sure you want so few to join you?” Teagan asked as she picked up items and carefully packed them into my bag. She was such a dear friend of mine. We had practically grown up together, each taking separate paths once we had reached adulthood.
I removed some of the more formal items of clothing from the bag with a significant look to my friend. “I am just a guard, remember?”
She just shook her head at me before looking through my jewels. “Here, you must wear a symbol of your house. You would stand out without one, and this is the plainest I could find.” The amulet was spelled with protective charms and held only the image of the owl in silver with two glowing yellow eyes. The citrine gems held the magic perfectly.
Taking it with thanks, I placed it over my head before tucking it under the plain tunic I had changed into. This was far more practical and comfortable than the garb mother expected me to wear for my audience in front of her gathered parliament.
“We only have one pack the council believes will work with us. They are also the worst affected, with all of their betas sick,” I explained, giving them the information I had just received. We had very little time to prepare. No time to research the pack correctly.
“The Sweetwater pack is incredibly vulnerable at present. Going in with more of us would be an error and would likely end with them shutting us out for good.” I caught Hakeem nodding as I talked. “We’ve been arguing with the shifter council for weeks, ever since I was given that vision.”
“But us?” Hakeem’s skepticism was sharp, despite his agreement over the small party. The elf deceived many with his easy-going manner and wide smiles which were so contrary to his intimidating presence. He was tall, dark skinned, and muscular. Hakeem held many scars from his work with shifters, rescuing them from terrible conditions. While he looked self assured, inside, the elf was doubtful of his place on my team.
“Who else would I choose but you three? My closest friends and truly the perfect elves for the task.” I talked while I helped Teagan finish packing my things. “Hakeem, who besides you understands shifter nature better? Teagan, who could charm the birds out of the skies while keeping us to task?” I squeezed her hand.
They both laughed, finally coming around to my way of thinking.
“And me?” Ívarr questioned, the barest hint of a frown on his ageless face.
“You, my friend,” I said, laying a hand on his arm, “are vital to this. Without you and your science, we would have nothing to offer the shifters.”
Color rose on his cheeks. “Thank you, my prince—“ Regardless of our familial bond and long friendship, Ívarr struggled not to be formal with me. A trait from a difficult upbringing and the scars they had left.
“Tearlach for now, please. You must learn to view me as a guard. I have had enough training to pass as one. Do you need more time to prepare?”
Ívarr shook his head. “No, whatever we need we can request the shifter council provide for us. I believe they have already given medical assistance to the pack?”
I nodded. Everything should be in place for our meeting with the pack Alpha.
Within the hour we were outside of the castle, ready to portal to the Sweetwater pack.
My initial impression of the pack was of a large family. They all appeared to care deeply for each other. This sickness had rocked them to their foundation. The pack relied on their Alpha as their tether, their strength came from him, but his absence was felt with his mate’s pregnancy. The babies the omega carried were much too important to risk with such an unknown, so the Alpha’s precautions made sense.
None of them held any suspicion over our arrival, just a sense of relief to have the assistance they so badly needed. I was treated exactly as I hoped, with the pack deferring to Ívarr as our leader.
There was much we could do to help the sick, and those who watched over them, I was sure of it.
During our brief meeting, there was a commotion.
A beta woke!
Our new friends were trusting and with good reason, we wanted to solve this for them. Without much prompting we were allowed into the sickroom. In it, there were two beds holding twin wolf shifters.
No matter how much I tried to keep my attention on Chase, the awake twin, my eyes constantly gravitated towards the still sleeping twin. I wanted to see the color of his eyes. Were they the same gray-blue as his twin’s and Alpha brother’s?
Though they were twins, the two shifters were not identical. I found myself comparing them, always looking favorably upon the sleeping one. Though Chase was handsome with his athletic build, easy-going smile, sharp jaw and brown hair. Axel continued to steal my gaze. He had darker hair, a thinner face, more interesting features. In truth, he was beautiful.
Axel.
Even his name did something to me.
Was this fate?
Was he to be mine?
Awake
