Chapter 16
The meeting was called as soon as everyone got back to the village. Michael was happy to see that all had worked out the way he had seen it happening. Sometimes his visions changed and that’s why he was so antsy to make sure that the one he had now didn’t change. His people needed peace and even his own scheduled demise wasn’t going to be enough for him to stop it.
Calum had taken back the reins, but instead of just the young brothers being involved, the elders were getting involved as well. They wanted to make sure that the next steps made were the right ones. After Michael pressed upon them how important Ali and the baby she was carrying were to the clan and their powers, the elders started to sit up and pay attention. Now he had the floor, and he had to explain to everyone how imperative it was that they get her back and she could stay. The rules were not going to apply to her, not now and not ever. The clan was going to have to accept that the blending had begun.
It took a little while to get the room to settle down. There was success today, even though it had started so wrong. The number of dead were counted, as was tradition, and the wounded were honored. No one from the clan lost their lives, which was surprising, and it made everyone realize that they had just had a very close call.
“We need to talk about the vampires and how quickly they are growing. With all that we killed today they have probably made that many more. They aren’t getting one or two at a time anymore; they’re getting bolder. Maybe we need to get bolder.”
Michael gave Abott a dirty look. “I think that you’ve done enough today, Abott. Everyone here is here because you wanted to get the lead. You lost, so now you are to sit down and shut up. Don’t make Calum regret sparing you.”
There was a murmur throughout the room. Michael was always calm and the voice of reason, but he showed true anger towards the one who had just spoken up. Everyone was feeling the sting from his lashing words and no one else wanted to get on the wrong side of him.
“We will talk about Trenton’s coven, but we have more pressing matters.”
That got everyone’s attention because the most pressing matter of all had always been the nightwalkers. What could be more important than that?
“What are you speaking of, Michael?”
Michael turned to Calum. “I’m talking about your mate. The ceremony took place?”
Cal didn’t say anything, but he did give him a nod to know that it was true. He wanted to keep that private, but there was nothing private in the pact. Sometimes that was a good thing. Other times it wasn’t.
“Good, then this is what we need to discuss.”
Someone in the back piped up, wanting to know what was so special about Ali. Calum had a pretty good idea, but since his views were biased, they had to hear it from Michael.
“She’s carrying his child.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I am, Calum. You know that I know things. I have visions of the future, and she’s in it.”
“But why is the baby so important? You said the fate of the pack rests on the baby’s shoulders. Why?”
Calum didn’t understand, and for once he just wanted plain talk. He didn’t want the old man to beat around the bush. He wanted to know what was really going on because none of this would be happening if Ali was just another girl.
“If that baby dies, Calum, the line of succession will end, and we will all start losing our power. That’s why it must be the strongest male in the line as the Alpha. He has to be able to take care of his pack and protect his young.”
Cal had never heard that before, but he knew that it had to be true, and by the look on the other elder’s faces, they agreed. There were still so many old rules and traditions that he didn’t know, and now Calum was starting to realize that maybe he needed to learn them quickly, especially ones like that just noted. That was something that he should have known.
“Why was this never discussed before? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Michael stopped. “It has happened to other packs and here we’ve always had the village to keep the pregnant women safe. We’ve never had one get taken by nightwalkers before. You know that shifter pregnancies are faster than normal ones. We must get her back before they realize that she’s pregnant. They may already know. If Trenton knows, which as old as he is, he should, there is no way that they will let that baby live. We have to act fast.”
Cal agreed wholeheartedly, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t going to be able to track him down right now. The track had run cold, and now he didn’t know where she was.
“I’ve lost her.”
“You’re not alone, Calum. Everyone here has a stake in this and will do what is necessary. Of that I’m sure.”
He was looking into each and everyone’s eyes to make sure that they realized that he wasn’t messing around. He wanted to make sure that everyone knew that their power was on the line too. They had to come together, or they were going to fail in the face of the enemy.
Calum and the rest of the pack were looking at each other, unsure what to do. This was all news to them and Cal had never heard of it either. He was worried about the powers of the pack, naturally, but his biggest concern was for Ali and the baby. Really Ali. The baby was just a seed, if that, and Ali was the woman that he’d fallen for. She was the one that made him feel like a new man and now he had to get her back.
The rest of the pack was there to help. Michael had been right when he thought if the truth was known, then there was no way that they could make a mistake about Ali. Yes, she was a nightwalker now, but there was a part of her that was shifter as well. That was the part that Cal was holding onto and he wondered how much she’d changed since going with them.
Cal didn’t know if she’d went willingly or not. He knew nothing, and he wasn’t going to be able to rest until he figured out where she was. Then he would be able to go from there.
While the rest of the family planned and tried to figure out what to do, Calum’s mind was elsewhere. He was thinking of the mating ceremony and wondered how long it was going to be until she was in his arms again. Hopefully, it wasn’t going to be all that much longer. Calum felt incomplete without her around.
