Page 30 of Blood of the Fallen
“That’s impossible,” I protested.
The Chieftess smiled knowingly. “Bethel predicted that a powerful triad would come together. We had almost forgotten about her augury when Kall, Maki, and Novuk’s bond snapped together. When it happened, we dared to dream, even though the next part of her prediction seemed impossible. She saw a lost child return, but so very few ever manage to escape. We despaired. Then one day, while you and three others fought the tetrad from the Samaqan pack and Kall tried to help them, he found you.”
That was the night Tello died. Kall had jumped out of nowhere and pounced on me. He’d been about to rip my throat out when he suddenly stopped.
“Something,” she continued, “some ingrained instinct told him not to hurt you. He came back and told me about it. He said he was sure you were pack.” She let that sink in, then added, “He felt an immediate connection to you.”
A connection?I searched the Chieftess’s face to make sure I hadn’t misinterpreted the suggestive meaning in her expression. I hadn’t.
I couldn’t pretend my blood didn’t start pumping faster at the news. Something within me rose to meet the assertion. I felt a connection with Kall, too. I liked him. A lot. I couldn’t deny it anymore.
“He disobeyed me,” Chieftess Yura said. “He put the triad at risk and went to Lux City to try to take you. You know how that went.” She shook her head at the ground as if she still couldn’t believe his stupidity. “And then the next day, Novuk found you and brought you here. As soon as I saw your birthmark…” She trailed off.
She and I had matching birthmarks in our hairlines. They were the shape of a perfect waxing moon. I could still see the outline of her mark through the section of hair she’d shave off with her knife to prove to the pack I was her daughter.
“So Bethel’s augury about a lost child returned to us was made true.” The Chieftess didn’t meet my eye. She seemed embarrassed, but that couldn’t be.
“You threatened to kill me,” I said under my breath. Her promise to slit my throat if I didn’t participate in her trials still made my blood run cold.
Finally, she lifted her head and looked at me, with no trace of regret in her expression. “I did what I thought necessary. I had to make sure you offered your blood.”
I remembered the hiss of my blood as it hit the fire, the last piece of the ritual that bound me to the pack and made it impossible for me to flee.
The Chieftess went on. “I remember too well the way I felt about the packs when I first escaped the Academy. I knew you would try to run away, and I couldn’t allow that—not when Bethel promised us that… a lost child would lead the most powerful triad to ever exist.”
I sucked in a breath, shock rippling through me. What she was saying, it was… what? Impossible? A lie? Mockery? I didn’t know which. I wanted to win the trials because leading the triad would give me the best chance to destroy the Academy, but there was too much wrong with me, with my mind. I would never beat the likes of Desna.
We sat in silence for a long moment as I tried to process everything she’d said. It was a lot to take in, and I understood that this was what Maki had been referring to before.
Yes, there’s more, but it isn’t the right time to tell you.
He had been right. If he’d laid all of this in front of me before now, it would have been too much to handle. Even at this moment, it was hard to wrap my head around the augury from a fifteen-year-old witch. All my life, I was taught to think of such things as ridiculous. But because that lesson had come from the two-faced Academy, it was a sign I shouldn’t ignore it.
Doing my best not to sound freaked out, I asked, “Does everyone know about Bethel’s augury?
Chieftess Yura nodded.
“And do they believe it?”
“Auguries are tricky things, and we’re told to be wary of them. Bethel’s was clearer than most. Some choose to believe wholeheartedly, while many hold their judgment or ignore the presage altogether.”
“Like Desna?”
She nodded. “Like Desna.” A pause. “You will win.” She added with certainty.
“Is that another threat?”
“No, Sheela. No more threats. I have a feeling you will soon find out who you want to be, and once you do, no one will stop you.”
CHAPTER 12
Istayedtalkingtothe Chieftess for a few more minutes as she explained that the trials to select the triad’s alpha would begin in a week.
“So soon?!” I asked. “I… I don’t think I’m prepared.”
“They were supposed to take place a few weeks ago, but the triad’s incursion into Lux City delayed things. Some of the contenders already feel we’re playing favorites. We cannot put them off anymore.”
“I don’t know how to be… a wolf,” I admitted, shame heating up my cheeks. There was that, and the fact that sometimes I didn’t even feel sane.
