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“She wantsallthe other Elementals dead.” She squeezed my hand. “She’s hungry for power. Nothing more.” She sighed. “I should have told you everything years ago, but your mother was sure you’d remember when the time was right.” A sad smile curved her lips. “My hospital visit made me realize that might not be soon enough.”
I was an Earth Elemental. Fear mingled with raw emotions until a clairvoyant vision threatened to invade my consciousness. I grabbed the edge of the table. “No. Not now.”
Lillian took my hand again, her voice calling to me like a siren. “Visions are a gift, not a curse. Let it flow.”
I sucked in a deep breath and let down my resistance. Instead of seeing the red wolf in chains, Zeke’s smile filled my head. He placed something in my hand. A crystal. He leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Give this to the high priestess for me?”
It was a howlite crystal carved into a wolf howling at the moon. I met his eyes. “I love it.”
His grin widened. “Good. Let’s go ascend.”
And suddenly all the fear and rage that had been knotted up inside me loosened. I closed my fingers around the wolf, wishing I could kiss mine, but there were too many people around us.
As if he could hear my thoughts, he growled, “I need you. Soon.”
My body relaxed as I opened my eyes.
Lillian straightened in her chair. “What did you see?”
Heat crept up my neck as I shrugged. “It wasn’t anything bad. Just a peek at the new moon ceremony coming up.”
Lillian smiled. “Good.” She studied me for a second. “Are you all right with…everything I just told you? Is it too much?”
“If you’re asking if I’m going to curl up in a ball and stop speaking, no. It’s going to take me a little while to process all this, but…I’m glad I know now.”
Her eyes shone with pride. “Good. And now you understand why I chose you?”
I chuckled. “The jury is still out on that one, but I guess I feel more capable of defending our coven if she ever shows herself again.” Another thought popped in my had as I stared at my elderly high priestess. “If Sienna is still alive, do you think it’s possible her sons will inherit her powers when she’s gone?” The thought had my anxiety creeping in. Elemental werewolves. There would be no stopping them.
“Impossible.” She shook her head. “The elemental power passes from mother to daughter, remember?”
My mouth went dry. “Boys aren’t supposed to inherit magic either, but they had witch blood. Maybe being a werewolf changes all the rules.”
“No.” The color drained from her face, but she squared her shoulders and set her jaw. “If one of them had her powers, we would already know.”
Unless Sienna was still alive.
CHAPTER 16
Zeke
We let ourfarmhands go home early. The ground was still too hard and frozen to move the strawberries out of the greenhouses and into the soil anyway. With them off the property, we started to gather in the house. Kiefer was the last pack member to arrive. He came in and found a seat next to Jaron and Jackson. I was directly across the room from them with Wes and Wyatt. Ranger and Reason were by the window seat while Tanner leaned against the wall on the other side. Since losing his twin brother, Trevor, to the werewolf hunters, Tanner had been more distant. His bright hazel eyes flicked over to me, and he offered a slight nod of his head in greeting.
Did that mean I had his support? Hell if I knew.
Mathias sat in a big, black, leather club chair. He scanned the pack and clasped his hands. “Many of you have probably already noticed that I’m not getting a damned day younger.”
Chuckles filled the room as Reason called out, “Young at heart counts.”
Mathias grinned, bringing out the wrinkles around his eyes. “Thanks, boy.” He sobered and took in the rest of the pack. “I’ve decided it’s time for me to step down. If this pack is going to have a future and defeat the hunters, we need new blood in our leadership.”
The silence that swelled was a living breathing thing. Palpable. Kiefer leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. I kept my expression neutral, but my muscles contracted, tense and ready for a fight.
Mathias cleared his throat and stood. “I’ve made my decision, and I expect the support of every member of this pack. I didn’t make this choice lightly. This pack needs to evolve. We’ve been stagnant too long. You need to find your mates and pave the way for a new generation of the Salem Pack.” He made eye contact with every man in the room before finally looking right at me. “Zeke O’Brien will be our new Alpha.”
Wes and Wyatt patted my back. “Congratulations, man.”
“No.” Kiefer was on his feet, a vein pulsing in his neck. “This is fucked up. Kyle was your second. When he died, it should’ve fallen to me.”
