Page 294 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
The inside was also a clean, sterile white, but not in the same way that infirmaries were white; it was more the color of abalone shells or pearls. It had a purity that infirmaries didn’t have, and it made me feel calm.
“Take a seat, Den Mother Bryn,” Elder Patrice Woods said. Her cotton-white hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. “We have some things to discuss.”
“Sure.” I glanced around the room as I sat down on the white couch. “Where are Elders Forsythe and Queene?”
“That’s part of what we’ll be talking about,” Elder Woods said. “We elders have decided to work together to tackle these symbols. To do that, we’re doing a kind of exchange. Half of us are doing research here, and the other half are in Wargs’ territory. Elder Thread is here with me.” She gestured behind me, where Elder Neil Thread had just entered from a side door.
He inclined his head, which showed the old, brown scar that tore through the center of his head. It looked like a scar from an axe wound. He had once been a fighter in the Wargs Pack, but I didn’t know how he’d been wounded.
“Oh,” I said. “When did you all decide this?”
“Last night,” Elder Woods replied. “Elders Forsythe and Queene are already on Wargs’ territory with Elder Westley.”
“I think your alpha and I would’ve liked to be informed about this beforehand, just so we don’t have to play catch-up,” I said reproachfully. “But I’m glad you’re working together. Your cooperation will help us with this merger.”
They nodded. “Apologies, Bryn. We’ll do a better job of informing you ahead of time,” Elder Thread said.
I nodded. Honestly, I wasn’t upset that they were doing this on their own, but I knew Night hated being left in the dark. Really, I was just glad that the elders were so willing to be a team about this, especially because this directly concerned my own history.
“What have you all found out about the symbols?”
“They’re even older than we expected,” Elder Sage said. He placed the drawings I’d made on the coffee table in front of me. “Thankfully, between our libraries, we’re finally piecing information together.”
“We were looking in historical texts for these symbols,” Elder Woods said, “but we found nothing. Eventually, Elder Sage had the idea to look through mythology and folklore, where we found a few depictions of the symbols.”
The elders placed a thick book with gilded pages on the table. Elder Thread opened the book to a bookmarked page that showed an illustration of a cave wall on which some of the symbols had been carved.
“Oh, wow,” I breathed.
“Yes.” Elder Woods nodded. “We’ve found that these symbols are linked to the portals Gregor and Troy were hellbent on finding.”
My eyes shot from the book to her, my heart slamming against my ribcage. “You’re sure about that?”
“Yes. It seems the portals do more than just take the summoner to other dimensions. They give eternal life, provide a gateway to the first shifter race, give access to caves filled with dragon’s gold, or even lead to a fiery place not unlike a human Christian’s version of Hell.” She paused. “Quite a few legends say the portal will take the summoner to Hell.”
I wasn’t as familiar with human religious texts, but hell and heaven were popular enough motifs mentioned in many of the novels I loved. That the Redwolfs were so desperate and greedy, they would put any stock in myths that could result in them ending up in such a dreadful place intrigued me.
“What’s more,” Elder Thread said, “there are a number of suggestions for rituals that will open the gate. There are some discrepancies about what symbols need to be drawn, the best time of day for the ritual, what things to eat beforehand, whetherto fast, or even the age of those doing the summoning. But one thing that is always consistent is that a lot of blood is needed.”
A shiver passed between my shoulder blades. I didn’t want to ask the next question, but I had to. “Blood from where? Or from whom?”
“Young children,” Elder Sage said. “Or a pack mother.”
I touched my belly as another shiver crept over my skin. Not only was I a pack mother, but I was also carrying a child. I satisfied both requirements.
“The symbols in your vision are odd,” Elder Sage went on. “Some of them are actually amalgamations of several symbols, while others are not that ancient or have been stolen from more benign rituals, like the one we performed with you. It’s almost like someone was trying to create a new mystical language.”
Elder Woods nodded. “That said, there are a few symbols that remain untouched.” She seemed hesitant to continue.
“What are they?” I asked, my voice soft and raspy.
She sighed, pointing to the book and the pictures I’d drawn. “Those for ‘death,’ ‘blood,’ and ‘open’ are very clear.”
A few moments of silence passed as I digested this information.
“Is there anything else?”
“We’re learning new things every day,” Elder Thread said, “but that’s all we have on the symbols for now.”
