My father laughed and shook his head. “There are a few stories, and no one really knows the truth. One was that she gifted a man with a second soul and with it, the ability to shift into a wolf. Another, she gifted a pack the ability to shift into men, saving them from death by humans hunting in the area. I believe that story.”
“Can you tell me it?” I stared up at my fathers face and he nodded.
“We lived here as wolves for over a thousand years before the humans came here. They started hunting us. Even went as far as killing the Alpha.” My father turned and started walking backwards. “The Goddess saw our destruction. Our people, our wolves, have always worshipped her. So she granted us our salvation. She offered us the ability to shift into humans, so we could survive. It became easier to survive as humans who shift into wolves, and here we are.”
“Why do other packs believe differently?”
“Because our stories are only told by mouth, and through the years, stories change, evolve. The only thing that has stayed the same through the years is the story of the first family. Wolves from around the world were created but it was the first’s line that remained unbroken since the first wolf shifter. A fact we have kept hidden since the beginning.”
“But why hide it?”
“Because the Agora holds power. Which means our pack holds power. Strong wolves are born from the first family, strongerthan any other line. The only pack that was closer to the Goddess were the Lycans, and they were wiped out.”
My eyes snapped back to my dad. “Why were they wiped out? Why is the King the only one left?”
My father smiled. “That is a fantastic question. One I wish I had the answer to, but only the King himself knows.” He shook his head slowly. “I have my own ideas.”
“What are your ideas?” I pushed, but he shook his head again.
“If you want to figure out the answer, ask the King himself. I won’t add my own reasons to the mix. But I think it would be around the same reasons that we have been targeted here.”
“Wait, you have been targeted? Dad, what aren’t you telling me?”
“People crave power. They think if they take out the two highest packs, the vacuum left will be easy to step into, but without the Goddess, we are nothing.”
“I don’t know what that means…”
“You will.” He turned around and pushed through the last bit of trees and it opened up to what I could only assume was the Agora.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
T
he Agora was breathtaking. The clearing looked like a natural stone quarry, if that made any sense. Rocks were staggered down toward the lower floor, like steps, and it was already filling up with the pack. There was a path that circled down the side wall of the crater until it ended at the bottom, where a chair, or should I say, a throne, waited. There was a smaller one to the side, which I could only assume it was for the Alpha and Luna.
As I stepped down with my father, I could feel the truth settle in my bones. This was the birthplace of our kind. You could feel the ancient roots wrap around you. The trees bowed outward, allowing the sun and moon to shine down on the people collected here.
This was where fates were decided.
My father and I reached the bottom, and he gestured for me to sit in the Luna’s chair and I nodded. I settled and my father walked to the floor as everyone filed in. I could see the wolves that knew the unspoken truth of what Agora held, each filled with a sense of pride. And those that weren’t privy to the knowledge settle, but tremble with the power that wrapped around them.
Everyone was whispering and my father raised his hands, quieting everyone down. “File in, find a seat.”
“Alpha? What is this about?” A wolf called down from the back row. I looked to see who it was, but I missed them.
“I will answer all of your questions. But settle. Please.” My father waited for a few minutes. He turned to me and nodded. He settled into his throne and raised his hands again. The Agora went silent. “I called you all here for a specific reason. I need the Williams family to step down.” My father called out coldly.
I watched as Amanda and her family slowly walked to the pathway and headed down to the ground. They made their way in front of us and bowed. “Alpha? Why have you called my family down here?” Jay Williams, Amanda’s father, asked.
I scoffed as I glared at Amanda. “Do you feign ignorance as well, Amanda?”
Jay snapped his eyes to his daughter and then to me. “Amy. I don’t know what my daughter has done, but I swear I knew nothing about it.” Jay turned on Amanda. “What the fuck did you do?”
“Nothing!” she screamed and dropped to the ground. “Alpha, whatever was said about me was a lie.”
My dad stood and walked over to her, crouching and lifting her face. “Are you calling my daughter a liar?”
Tears fell from her eyes as she darted her eyes to look at me and then back to my father. “No Alpha.”
