Page 8 of Shifters Unifying
“Don’t count on it,” Logan barked. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER THREE
emma
A New Gathering Place
Between Bear Trees & Red Tail Territories
Alphaholes. Every last one of them.My upper lip snarl wouldn’t help me at all, so I crammed the rush of temper into the corner of my mind. I had strolled into enemy territory, and true allies seemed few and far between.
Since they weren’t alphas, Jasper and Olivia had taken up position on either side of the entrance. Logan waited nearby and to the side, keeping himself in my periphery.
If one more alpha made a disparaging face at me, I was going to scream and do some primal energy shit that they’d all regret. Then I’d grab Alpha Logan Blackwood’s arm, drag him back to Six-Mile Manor, hop into his bed, and forget about all the backwards, obstinate alphas I was trying to convince to band their clans together.
My heart pounded a staccato drum beat in my ears, and blood surged through me. Adrenaline threatened to take over. I took a step forward and drew myself to my full height. My skintingled as the earth beneath me called to me, stirring my newly found instincts.
“You must listen,” I said. “We’ve discovered proof that Acheron isn’t gone, and he’s still in hiding nearby. The next days will decide whether we survive or not. We can no longer act as though it is each clan is an entity of its own.”
Grim silence met my impassioned plea.
Torbin met my gaze, steady and immovable as the large, white polar bear he was. He didn’t have to change his mind for anyone—me included. His wariness surprised me. After he’d been so supportive in the Acheron’s last attack, I had expected more from him.
“We lost our gathering place, and the sacred tree burned. But it might have been avoided had we shared our concerns, communicated our doubts, and formulated a plan to defend ourselves from Acheron. We must unify as shifters. I am here for such a time as this. Unifying our clans is the whole reason I’ve been brought into existence. This is the purpose of the multimorph, according to history and prophecy.”
My shoulders slumped, but I gestured around us. “This is the result of our loss. What will we lose if we do not unite?”
Construction debris littered the amphitheater area around us. Large boulders had been uncovered, left in place until they could be moved. Some alphas used these as spectator seats. The grassy, stair-stepped seating was in-process, but a large wooden slab had been placed at the bottom. Other alphas loitered the circular area. Most watched my display intently; most but not all.
A disinterested raccoon alpha sat at one end of the large table. She dipped a cookie into a metal camping cup, filled with water. When she took a large bite, her eyes darted from alpha to alpha, as though evaluating their reactions.
“The Raven clan isn’t here to cast their vote,” one of the alphas, a squirrel shifter I hadn’t met before offered. “Until they’re here, we cannot vote.”
“The Ravens are in the middle of a split between factions. I’ll remind you that the alpha and several of the raven members were accomplices in Acheron’s recent attempt to become a new multimorph mage,” Logan interjected.
“Nevertheless, until a new alpha is chosen, anything we discuss or decide cannot be official for our region, and we have many other shifters in the surrounding states,” the squirrel shifter answered, tucking her long dark hair behind her ear. “Have we invited the minor clans?”
I glanced at the squirrel. “Minor clans?”
“Clans with less than ten members—Blue Jay, Opossum, and any others we can find. They should also be made aware of the supposed multimorph emergence.”
“What of other clans in other parts of the state?” another asked. “We aren’t the only shifters in the world.”
“We’re the only shifters with a multimorph in their midst,” Logan snapped from the corner of the gathering.
I shot him a look, pleading with him not to upset the negotiations, however stalled they seemed to be. My pulse still pounded in my ears, and I was more nervous than I wanted to admit, uncertain how Logan would react to my complete proposal. Our discussion had been limited to unifying the shifters to acquiesce to a council that had the authority to intervene and punish where applicable.
“Then what do you propose?” Torbin rumbled from his seat at the end of the long, makeshift table.
None of them missed my deep breath; nevertheless, I forged ahead. “I propose a united council to govern all clans, all territories, and all shifters. We enact this now. We must not wait for others to arrive.”
The audible gasp didn’t make me feel any better about what I had to do.
“Meetings like this,” I gestured to the collection of alphas, “are nothing new. With a unified council, we could bring all shifters under a shared authority to battle common enemies. The governing of the individual clans would still remain the responsibility of the alphas of that clan. However, each clan will provide five of their best, most talented warriors, and we will train together to face our shared enemy.”
I continued. “As new shifters join us, they will send their warriors, and they will earn a voice to vote. This is integral to our survival. We must create an oversight body, a governing council that we make decisions, committed to ensuring the survival of the shifters as a whole. However, we have nothing to gain by calling a meeting and still going our own separate ways as though we are not connected.”
“Who would be in charge of this council?” Torbin rumbled.
