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“Rejection broke me once, and in that raw agony, I vowed to never attempt to think another worthy of discovering the true hidden secrets of Shadowborns unless they were destined to be my wife,” he confessed. “Please forgive me for keeping something like this a secret from you.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me.” My voice cracked with emotion as I reached out to press my hands against his cheeks. “I should be the one apologizing. I…should have trusted you had a reasoning for it…but recalling the past of when I was but a child matched with the multiple confrontations…I just wasn’t sure I could trust you. I felt…like if it was true…that if you really were against me…”
I couldn’t finish the word as I shook my head from side to side.
“I didn’t want to picture it, and I already knew if I killed you…I’d fucking regret it.” I blinked away tears and smiled. “I’m sorry, Alpha, for not have faith in you,” I confessed and added, “I apologize, to my mate, for not trusting you had nothing but good intentions for me.”
He didn’t expect me to apologize in return, which left him stunned for a moment before he slowly nodded and pulled me into another hug.
We didn’t speak more on it, as if we both wanted to move on and forget the previous five minutes that led us to this very space of protection. He helped me up before making sure I could stand on my own.
I felt a tad winded, but other than that, I could stand on my own without assistance.
After a quick exchange of reassurance, he walked over to the counter to retrieve our helmets, while my eyes focused on the glimmering jewel upon my fingers.
Just staring at the massive prism diamond and how it radiated so beautifully took my breath away. I could get lost in its twinkling essence for hours if given the chance, but this revelation made me realize I’d become a bigger threat to many who wished to dampen our rise.
I need to know more about what we just tapped into and I need to get stronger.
“What are you thinking about?”
I blinked and lifted my head to realize Asher was not only standing before me, he’d clearly been offering me my helmet long enough to make the poor man’s arm tired from the way it struggled to remain up. ‘
“Oh. Sorry,” I quickly apologized and tried to take the helmet from him but he moved it aside, his eyes never leaving mine.
“What are you thinking?” he repeated, as if he couldn’t read my mind.
I guessed there was no point of avoiding what I wished to say.
“As excited as I am to go to East Syndicate,” I began and bit my bottom lip to think carefully of what I really wanted to admit.
“Yes?” he pressed, knowing I was stalling.
“I…don’t want to go there yet,” I finally confessed.
“Why?” He seemed not only intrigued, he also had a look that told me if my admission was worthy enough, he’d say ‘fuck it’ to going to East Syndicate to fulfill whatever conquest I desired to dive into.
I looked to my engagement ring once more — fighting the urge to not fall into a trance as I stared at its tranquil beauty. It would become a new reminder of what I was fighting for, which was what pushed me to be confident in what I currently yearned for us to do.
For me and my future husband to accomplish.
“When Cinder looked into the magic artifact, it revealed a future where we weren’t a part of the Syndicate anymore. I assumed at first that it meant death, but now I understand that our enemy wishes for us to be replaced. To revoke all the hard work you, Alpha Azu, Alpha Samuel, and even Alpha Arianne have implemented within your designated Syndicates,” I explained. “Obviously, Alpha Azu has created a foundation where his shifters don’t rely on his leadership,which benefits them now with these sudden chances, but at the end of the day, these shifters are there for their own independent purposes, right?”
“Yes.” He gave me his full attention, clearly focused solely on what I was trying to explain while I sorted it out in my mind.
“At the end of the day, when these shifters reach a level of power that’s to a point where they no longer benefit from the Syndicates, what happens?”
“What happens?”
“Ya,” I began. “What happens once they’ve ‘graduated’ from the Syndicate? They just get a job in Shifter City and move forward?”
“Well…basically,” Alpha admitted. “It’s up to them and their goals in life, but like you said, they decide what’s best for them. Whether they remain in Shifter Syndicate in the post they’ve been designated to serve or protect, or they venture to Shifter City for employment. Some shifters obviously return home to their packs and homelands and live there to pursue the roles they seek to obtain within their own circle of hierarchy and sustainability, but other than that, Shifter Syndicate is it.”
“So what if we created something else?”
“Something else?” His curiosity only encouraged me to continue as I thought about it.
“We all have our own responsibilities, families, roles to play that led us to Shifter Syndicate, and obviously not everyone can reach the highest form of power, which is the High Council, but what if there was something after Shifter Syndicate? A place where the serious shifters that seek further evolution and change in our world attend while maintaining a bit of independencein their lives. Sure, they’re still going to be leadership in the form of Alphas, Betas, maybe even Omegas, but we invite those who want to take things to the next level of their lives and be privileged to take care of city and the people of their packs or homelands across the shifter universe?”
