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Hekate walked back to her throne and sat down. “Thank you, Natalie, for answering our questions. Please refrain from telling anyone else what happened tonight.”
For a second, I said nothing. I couldn’t. That was it? That was all they were going to say?
I nodded, then added, “You should know that I already told my mates about the infected wolf, and they're very much aware of the odd occurrences that have been happening lately.” I looked from one god to the next. Didn’t they understand? “I was almost killed, erased." I paused as a bitter taste filled my mouth. "I just killed a fellow werewolf. Why is this happening? Some sort of virus is spreading and putting souls at risk. They have to be warned!"
"You may go, Ms. Blackwood," Zeus said once more, and this time, my wolf growled in my head.
I exhaled, trying to keep myself in check.
“I killed one of my own,” I said, my voice low as I lifted my hand that was covered in blood. “This is her blood. Something is wrong in this realm, some danger is coming—no, it's already here—and yet, all you do is question me, then send me off without so much as an ounce of an explanation about what I just faced?”
I swallowed, fighting to stay in control of my anger. “Trying to understand what’s going on isn’t an insult to you or any of the gods. But I took a life! And a human life was also taken. People need to know what's happening to be on guard. Not everyone is as capable of protecting themselves as you are."
Bolts of lightning danced across Zeus’s horns, but I didn’t look away. I refused to be intimidated by him—not when I stood there, covered in the blood of my kin.
For weeks now, we’d all wasted time speculating on what was happening to the animals and why the gods hadn't put an end to it. And now, souls were losing their lives.
Yet the gods were still keeping secrets. They didn’t seem to care about the two souls who had just been erased from existence.
I knew my place. I was nothing but a werewolf, one of many. But I was also a soul at risk in this realm. It hadn’t been very long since I’d lost my life on Earth, and I had no intention of losing my afterlife, too.
I’d skip the nothingness for all eternity, thank you very much.
“Calm down, Zeus,” Heldon said. He sounded as irritable as I felt. “She’s the mate of the Werewolf Goddess’s son, Rumir, and Lucian Wolfborn, the first white wolf. Those two men are problematic as it is, so let’s not make things worse by attacking their mate. Natalie is not wrong to be curious, and we all know that Rumir won’t let this go. He’s already raising hell outside.”
I looked behind me at the white double doors but could hear nothing beyond them. Rumir was here? That was quick, but then, I wasn't surprised. Their refusal to let him in was even less surprising.
If Rumir got involved, his fiery temper would make this discussion a thousand times worse. Although I was barely managing to control my irritation for Zeus, Rumir wouldn’t even bother to try. Then again, maybe that was what it would take to get some answers.
“He’ll ask the same questions she has, but he’ll be much more difficult to deal with. After all, he’s already been poking around,” Heldon said as if he’d been reading my mind. “Let’s not waste time arguing now, only to do it again in a few minutes with him. Natalie, understand that you’re being allowed to speak freely with your mates, that vampire hybrid, and your demigoddess friend because they’re already involved. But no one else is to be told. We, the Imperium, will handle this.”
Zeus's jaws visibly clenched, but he said nothing further.
“I understand,” I answered.
“I’ll speak to Rumir," Hekate said next. “Natalie, I’m sorry for what happened to you tonight. Unfortunately, we’re not in a position to speak about what's happening right now. We realize that we’re risking the lives of the souls in this realm, but if we cause a panic, it’ll only cause more problems.”
I sucked my cheeks in to stop myself from telling her I disagreed. If the masses knew of the risk, the gods could order them to stay inside. Order in this realm had so far proven to be far superior to that on Earth.
I was a relatively new soul, but tonight I'd faced the same kind of violence I'd left on Earth, and I knew in my gut it wouldn't be the last time. Personally, I just wanted to go home and stay there, and I felt the souls here would feel the same. They wouldn't be eager to come face-to-face with the risk of dying again.
They wouldn’t cause mayhem to stop the gods from doing what they had to do.
Nonetheless, I’d said my piece. Rumir was the Werewolf Goddess's son. She was an Executive of this very council, although she was currently asleep. And Lucian was the first white wolf she’d created. So if I couldn’t get answers from the gods after what happened tonight, I knew those two men wouldn’t stop until they did. Especially Rumir, who was one of them.
So I decided to keep my mouth shut. At least they now knew they’d have both men to contend with. I smiled at that thought.
Placing my fist over my heart, I bowed. When I straightened, Zeus raised his hand, and lightning bolts began to dance around me. I held his gaze, my eyes turning black, as I teleported from the room.
