Amber
“Now then on to the last order of business,” My father says from his throne, sitting atop a marble dais. I sat upon a smaller throne a few stops down from the top of the dais, the rest of the council sat at a crescent-shaped table face the dais. “as We will be touring the packs for the next two months, Our daughter and heir will be taking on the responsibly of leading the people in Our stead.”
The surprised gasps that ran the length of the table had me smiling internally, scanning the faces of the councilors that smile faltered. Well, I guess it was too good to expect that the plan would work completely, I thought, there was one face that didn’t look surprised in the least, and it had to be him of all the councilors.
“My Liege,” the councilor in question spoke, “don’t you think this is premature, you, yourself did not start taking on similar responsible until you were out of high school and had spent a few years shadowing your own father. Not to mention with the new school year starting next week as well, Her Highness’s time will be split between the two. With both demanding copious amounts of Her Highness’s time, she will simply not have the time to give her full attention to the discharging of her responsibilities.”
Well, I will give him that, my free time for the next couple of months will be limited, I thought with a mental grimace.
“While you bring up good points, Councilor Evans,” my dad responded calmly, “is it not true that at times we all find ourselves pressed for time to execute our own responsibilities to the people. This will only show the people that Her Highness is dedicated to both her schooling and the future of our people, neither of which any reasonable person can find fault in. As for Her Highness not having the practical experience, she has attended more council meetings then We had at the same age. Her Highness has also been an active member, and in some cases the lead, in talks with the other major races of the Otherworld. Not to mention her continued participation in the guard. We have no doubt that Her Highness will have any problems discharging her duty to the people.”
“As you say, Liege,” Councilor Evans responded, conceding the point. However, I made a mental note to get Emily to watch the good councilor closer while dad is away. Something just told me that this wasn’t the last time I’d be hearing about this, and I’m sure he’ll try to persuade some of the other councilors to his side.
“In any event, if there are no other concerns that need to be brought before the council,” dad declared pausing long enough to be sure none of the other councilors had anything to say, “We officially call this meeting of the Shifter Council to a closed.”
###
I watched from my perch on the hood my car as my best friend pulls into the parking spot next to mine. How is that we can leave the house at the same time, and Ashley arrives a good five minutes after me, I think, sliding off the hood and slinging my backpack over my shoulder. As Ashley gets out of her car, I hear her muttering about old people that need their license revoked, and I got my answer: Old Man Johnson. He wasn’t all that old, somewhere in his late sixties, but the problem was that he drove like he was in his early hundreds.
“You know he’s going to cause an accident one of these days,” Ashley says, seeing my losing battle with the laughter that was trying to escape my lips.
“I know, and but there nothing legally anyone can do,” I say with a shrug as we both start walking toward the school.
“How do you know that, “she asked before adding after a pause, “wait, don’t answer that I don’t want to know. it most likely involves the words Emily and ‘Illegal records search,’ and the less I know about it, the better I am to deny everything.”
“You make it sound like I’m running some organized crime syndicate or something,” I remark with a distressed look, and she just stares at me. “how was your weekend,” I ask trying to change the subject, and Ashley proves why she’s my best friend.
“It was okay, but I’m more interested in how your meeting with the council went.”
“Boring as usual, at least until the last minutes or two when dad dropped his little decree, let just say some of the council members were not happy with his decision.”
“Not happy?” Ashley repeats with a raised eyebrow, “I would say that’s the biggest understatement in history, with how the council members were acting this weekend not happy is putting it mildly. Let just say I’m glad I don’t have to go to those council meetings because next Friday is not going to be fun.”
“Funny you should mention not having to addend council meetings,” I say with a smirk on my face and a look of hour slowly manifest on Ashley’s face. “my father in his infinite wisdom had come to the conclusion that as you are the future Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack, it would be good experience for you to attend the council meetings while he is away.”
“What have I ever don’t to you to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment,” Ashely bemoans as we pass through the front doors of the school.
“It wasn’t I who decided this, my father figured that the council should get a full taste of what it would be like when I do officially take over as the ruler of all shifters. Also, it only right that as the future Alpha of the BloodMoon Pack, who I might add has traditionally been the Shifter King’s Chief of staff, for you to get some experience as well.”
“Oh, don’t think I don’t see your figures in this as well.”
“It is true that I may have mentioned that you haven’t had any real chances of gaining experience in the role of chief of staff.”
“That because ever since we entered middle school, you’ve been filling the role of your father's Chief of Staff, leaving my father to actually act like any normal alpha.”
I smile at her response before commenting, “and you thought that would continue when I ascended, and you took over, I guess what they say is true that ignorance is bliss.” I let a small laugh escape my lips at the look on her face before a serious expression stole across my face, “in all seriousness, there is no one that I would trust in the role other than you.”
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“What about Emily,” Ashely asked.
“She more a fit for the role of my Spy Master then my Chief of Staff,” I respond after a few seconds of thought Ashley agrees with a nod.
“Speak of the weasel,” Ashley remarked, glancing behind me, and I turn to see what she’s talking about and find Emily running at full human speed toward us. Turning back around, I give Ashley a look, “what, it’s not an insult when it’s true. How does that even work anyway when both of her parents and even her brother are lions?”
“Most likely, her parents have enough recessive weasel genes between them that she expressed the receive genes instead of the more dominant lion genes. However, that not what’s important here; what is important is the fact that I can count on one hand the number of people who know what her animal is, and it’s not something any of us want widely known. After all, it is one of the major reasons their family had to move from their last pack, but more importantly, I would hate to lose a reliable subordinate like Emily.”
“I don’t see wah the big deal is, Emily is one of the rarest shifters there is, that should be celebrated not scorned,” Ashely said as we turn to wait for the girl in question.
“Where have you been the last seventeen years, if there is one thing shifter love to do more then proving their own superiority, it's degrading any that they find different or out of the norm. it one of the things that I hope to change when I officially take over, but I know it’s going to be a long road, especially with the old hardline conservative alpha.”
“Did you guys here about the new girl,” Emily says skidding to the halt in front of us before Ashely could respond.
“Um, what new girl,” both Ashley and I ask.
“The one that’s living with Alexander and Mitzi,” Emily responds with a satisfied smile knowing she was the first to let us know about this development, and it was.
“Are you saying that we actually have one of their ilk attending classes with us, “Ashley asks while I’m still processing everything. While it was true that both Alexander and Mitzi were what most humans would call demons, more specify succubae, they had never actually caused any significant incidents since they moved into the neighborhood almost a century ago. Well, there was that incident nearly thirty years ago, but from what I heard from dad, that was more a practical joke than anything with malicious intent behind it, I thought.
“Well, according to Mary, Mitzi introduced the new girl as a relative, so I would assume that means she is of the same persuasion, I have never heard of any of their kind mating outside of their…own circles.”
“This is not good,” Ashely said, turning to me, “what do you want to do?”
“Nothing,” I answer, and the surprise looked that crossed both Emily and Ashley caused me to smile, it was a rare event when I surprise both at the same time. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want this new girl under discrete surveillance, but with both Alex’s and Mitzi’s track record, I’m willing to give their relative the benefit of the doubt.”
“As you say,” Emily says with a formal bow, “I will have my best operative assigned to this.”
“What do you plan to tell the council,” Ashley then askes.
“Nothing,” I say walking toward the throng of students on the other side of the interior courtyard, “they don’t need to know about it and if they ask I’ll just tell them I’m dealing with it.” taking a few more steps I pause and turn to Emily when a thought occurred to me, “there is one thing that is bothering me, however. I’ve never heard that their particular circle having the third generation before.”
“Now that you mention it,” Emily said, both her eyebrows raising in thought, “your right, nothing I’ve come across ever mentioned anything like that either. I’ll get someone on researching this, but we may need to get access to the Otherworld Council’s library.”
“If we absolutely have to, I’ll authorize it, but exhaust every resource we have internally before then.”
“Understood,” Emily said, and we resume our walk toward the throng of students to get our own homeroom assignment. As we near the wall, a small corridor forms in the crowd as pack members either move out of the way or pull their friends out of our path. Moving up to the now-empty area in front of the sheets with our homeroom assignments print on them. I run my finger down the list of names, I look over to Ashely a few sheets down, and in unison, we say “Mrs. Ashholme.”
“Well, the goddess must be smiling on us today,” Ashely said as we move away from the sheet a new corridor opening as we walk back through the throng.
###
As I move through the lunch line to gather whatever the cafeteria has deemed edible today, I feel a sudden chill run down my spine. Looking over my shoulder, I see the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen walk through the doors. I see my fellow students mesmerized by this woman; it doesn’t matter if they were male or female; their eyes followed her every movement. Long black hair that seemed to drink in the light fell down her back like a waterfall slightly swaying as he walks. An ample chest that straining against her burgundy top that seemed to defy gravity, long shapely legs that fit perfectly in the almost painted on black jeans. In short, she looks like she just walked off a runway in Milan during fashion week.
The only reason I wasn’t as mesmerized as my fellow students was the fact that my wolf was terrified, and I had come to learn that when she’s terrified, nothing good could happen.
«What’s wrong», I sent.
«I don’t know what that woman is, but she is definitely not a succubus. She’s hiding it well, but her power is at the level of a demon lord ». My wolf sends back still cowing in the further part of my mind she can find.
«What are you talking about? I thought demon lords were banned from entering the mortal realm».
“Well, isn’t this interesting,” a voice says from behind me before my wolf could answer, “for you to resist my innate magnetism, you must be the heir to the shifter throne. I’m Lucy by the way” as she says this, I look around frantically at all the humans in earshot. “don’t worry, they won’t remember anything of this conversation,” and that sends an even more significant chill down my spine especially with how she smiles.
“What do you plan to do to them,” I say surprised by how steady my voice is.
“Just a simple memory suppression,” the other woman says in an off-handed manner as if it was no big deal, “it quite easy for anyone that has even a mediocre control over their mana.” She looked me up and down, not in an appraising manner, “even you could learn with a little training.”
“What do you want,” I ask
“Oh, it seems the wolf does have a backbone after all,” she say with a smile, and I was getting tired of that condescending smile, “I just wanted to introduce myself and to ask that you have your friends stop following me around it’s quite annoying and I won’t be responsible for any unfortunate incidents that happen. With that said, I do hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.” With one last smile, Lucy turned around and walked out of the cafeteria, but not before I felt a surge of power pass through everyone in the room.
A few minutes later, Ashely walked into the cafeteria and notices me standing in line and rushes over, “Am, what’s wrong you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Tell Emily to call of the surveillance of the new girl, and she has my authorization to do what she needs to find out what she can about what we talk about this morning.”
“Am what happened?”
“Let’s just say I just met the new girl, and she scares me more than my father when he’s furious.”
“I will,” Ashley assures, “but are you going to be okay?”
“I think so,” I say, taking a deep breath, “I just need some time to myself.” Walking out of the cafeteria, I head to the one place I know no one will ever disturb me: the library. I don’t notice that Ashley watches me until I’m out of sight before heading over to the table where Emily and the rest of our friends are sitting. I also don’t see the abnormal movement of the shadows.