AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I needed to take a cold fucking shower and never,evertouch dark magic again.
I will never be like her.
Chapter18
Fenris
Villa Vizcaya
Miami, Florida
I walked the gardens of Villa Vizcaya, slowly surveying the gardens.Celeste would enjoy it here.In fact, I would’ve much preferred to be strolling with her along the hedges, marveling at the designs. Given her former place of employment, I imagined she’d enjoy the museum as well. But instead, I was checking on the security features I’d put in place before the meeting of the Order of the Stars.
I’d summoned witches from both the Thalassa and Vitalis bloodlines to fortify the area, and with the Thalassa family specializing in elemental magic and the Vitalis line’s prowess with healing magic, I felt confident our bases were covered. I’d also summoned members of the Island Hopper Pack to assist with the security. It was the largest gathering I’d personally hosted in centuries—if not in my entire lifetime—and I refused to be caught unawares the way I’d been at Tessa’s house.
It bothered me, not knowing how Celeste was faring, but I knew I’d be distracted if she was here with me. I would have been concerned about her well-being, my attention split in two, and I knew I had to be at the top of my game. Not only had most covens sent their most senior matron or patriarch, but many shifter packs had sent their alpha. It wasn’t just wolf shifters who’d convened, either—more solitary shifters, such as bears or big cats, still had a hierarchy based on strength, and the most powerful shifters from several regions were also attending. The Order of the Stars spread across all paranormal folk, even if the curse I held was only related to shifters.
After all, shifters certainly had a vested interest. If they were plagued by madness again, it would be almost impossible to hide our existence from humans, especially in the age of technology. One video could be ignored, maybe even two, but the evidence would only pile up. The fae would be in danger, and so would the vampires and sirens and skinwalkers. The list was simply endless.
I’d invited as many representatives as I could manage, as many as would fit inside Villa Vizcaya without it bursting at the seams. However, this much magical power in one place was enough to make evenmywolf uncomfortable, and he bristled as we stalked about.
“I believe everything is set, Fenris,” Walter said in that moment, as if sensing my unease.
I glanced over my shoulder. My assistant was a few steps behind me, eyes scanning the tablet in his hand as he went over a checklist. “Would you like to review this one more time?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I trust your organizational skills.” Far more than I trusted my own, in fact. Walter was more organized than most pack alphas I’d met over the years. If anyone was equipped to help run a meeting of the entire Order of the Stars—or at least, the members available on such short notice—it was him.
Walter nodded. “My cousin, Kenneth, will be arriving soon to help ensure everything goes off without a hitch. There’s too much ground for one man to cover. Even me.”
“I find that unlikely,” I said, showing a hint of a smile. “I assume he’s a lifelong member of the Order.”
“Indeed.” Walter nodded. “He’s only a year younger than I am, and we often studied together in school. I trust he’ll be most helpful.”
“Good.” I inhaled. “I’ll take one last survey of the perimeter. Will that be enough time for you to get everyone in the main foyer?”
“Of course.” With that, Walter finally smiled.
After a brief run as a wolf, I decided the perimeter was as undisturbed as when we’d arrived hours earlier. There was no reason to let this go on longer than it needed to—and I could hear the murmur of voices long before I got to the gathering. Despite the workout, my wolf was still restless, stressed by the presence of so many other paranormal beings.
I entered the room as quietly as I could, though I was noticed almost at once. A selkie leaned over and whispered to a siren. They gasped, their bright eyes wide, and of course every shifter in the vicinity heard them.
I barely withheld a sigh as silence fell over the crowd in a wave.Time to get this over with.I’d never liked speaking to large groups, and I hadn’t usually had to, either. Lyka was always much more charismatic than me. During the last eclipse,hewas the Lunar Lord, and the Order was his to address.
I shook off the melancholy before it could dig its talons into me.
As soon as I reached the head of the room, I turned to address the crowd. No one murmured, but everyone watched. Fear rolled off some of the weaker paranormals, while others stared with obvious curiosity. It wasn’t as if I’d made such an appearance before, and with any luck, I wouldn’t have to make one again. Even my wolf was thrown too far off his guard to lap at everyone’s fear like he normally would.
“Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to come here today. I know the summons was quite last-minute.” My voice boomed across the massive room, filling the space all the way up to the high, ornately decorated top. Light streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the room, dancing off the lavishly tiled floor. The room lookedoldwithout feeling dated, and something about that felt very right to me. My wolf stood up a little straighter.
“As I am sure you’re all aware, the solar eclipse is rapidly approaching. This is the time a Lunar Lord is at their weakest. I know this. You know this. The Solar Sovereign knows this, too.”
There were a few soft gasps at the mention of the Sovereign, but I wouldn’t mince words. If these were my allies, they couldn’t be coddled. My enemies certainly wouldn’t treat them gently.
“Given the recent coordinated attacks on several members of the Order of the Stars, I believe the Solar Sovereign has decided to consolidate their power and attempt to weaken me in return. I expect they won’t reveal themselves until they absolutely must, but theywillstrike during the eclipse, seeking to execute me and release the shifter’s curse.” I wrinkled my nose and bared my teeth, allowing some of my wolf to show.
“That is why I’ve called you. This matter is too big for me to handle alone. The Solar Sovereign will scrape up whatever allies they can by promising the world, but they won’t deliver it. I will need your help to prevent them from getting what they want, but it will be a battle. People will be injured. Some will probably die. But we must prevent the Solar Sovereign from shifting the scales, or far more will suffer at their claws.”
For a moment, the room was still. It was as if the entire gathering had forgotten how to breathe. I knew I could compel them to submit with an alpha command, but if I did that, I’d be no better than the force I was up against.
