Page 43 of Brutal Alpha Beast
“I’m fine. Really, I’m okay.”
***
Penelope nods slowly, her thin eyebrows arched as she listens to all of the craziness I’ve been dealing with.
While she doesn’t look shocked, the other witches who are crowded around the table do. Penelope has seen a lot in her lifetime, and at this point, there’s probably little that can faze her. She has the calmness we need.
“You did the right thing in coming to the coven quickly,” she says thoughtfully. “Although you should have come as soon as you got back to the pack.”
“I know,” I say, softly.
I was distracted, and when Ellis invited me to join the council meeting, I felt shocked. Much of the past twenty-four hours has been a blur, but I do remember that distinct feeling—like I was somehow being accepted, welcomed into the pack that had rejected me for so long for the first time.
“But it’s good you did,” Penelope continues. “Because the tapestry called to you. What you saw is important.”
“What do you think it means?” A witch asks.
Monroe looks anxious, playing with her nails as she sits by my side.
We all wait, expectantly, for Penelope to respond.
She inhales and sits up in her chair that’s positioned at the head of the table. I’m glad we’re sitting down. I don’t tell anyone, but I’m feeling faint.
Strangely, I think of Ellis and mine’s kiss—as though it’s supposed to comfort me somehow. I don’t like the way my body reacts as I involuntarily replay it in my mind.
“Let’s see,” she says. “We have vines, a bright light, fire—of course, chaos, burning. It has to be something like what happened last time.”
“But there’s no water,” a witch says. “No witch or wolf who’s involved. How are we meant to stop it?”
“It has to relate to magic,” I say. “It’s through magic that the second image was revealed to me.”
“Yes,” Penelope says carefully, before taking a sip of tea from her small clay cup. She’s so careful with the way that she moves, so calm. “And you were pulled toward it, Danielle. The tapestry wantedyourmagic, not anyone else's. I suspect your involvement will be key.”
I don’t like being thrust into these high-pressure situations. I’m not a hero. I don’t fight. I’m someone who ran away and had a whole pack of shifters forget who I was.
“Right,” I say, my voice meek. “But, that vision... It was so chaotic. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.”
Penelope flashes me a small, comforting smile. “When the time comes, you will,” then she looks around. “In themeantime, we all need to keep watch. If Willow is lurking, we have to know—we don’t want a repeat of last time…no unnecessary deaths.”
A darker air fills the space as we’re all reminded of the tragic case of Violet, who was possessed by Willow and couldn’t be saved from her death.
“And,” Penelope continues. “We keep working with the shifters to find a way to fight. If the situation is going to be as bad as your vision, Danielle, we’re going to have to be strong.”
We spend the rest of the afternoon talking through theories. Some witches possess extensive knowledge of symbolism, folklore, and other legends from distant covens that may provide us with valuable clues. Perhaps it’s my age, but I don’t know much.
All I know is magic and how to wield it to the best of my abilities when I need to.
Soon, the sun is setting, the afternoon fades into the night, and when the gurgles of people’s stomachs rumbling fill the space, Penelope adjourns the meeting for the night.
“Do you want to stay here tonight?” Monroe asks me as I struggle a little to get up. Of course, she knows that I’m feeling bad—she can feel it, but honestly, I’m doing much better than I was before.
“It’s fine,” I say. “With everything going on, I’m not sure that’ll be a good look. We need to keep the alliance in good health.”
Monroe looks scared.
“We’re going to figure this thing out,” I say. “I know we are.”
But as I walk off into the night, I remind myself that we’re not much clearer on what the tapestry image means, nor how we can defeat the shadow monsters and stop this curse for good.
