Page 26 of Dual Nature

Zander growled at him but stopped after what sounded like someone kicking him under the table. Colt gave Zander a warning look before both of them turned to me as if I was supposed to know what was going on.

"His growl didn't bother you?" Colt asked, perplexed.

"Why would it? I wasn't the one in trouble…” I ventured even though the reason sounded odd to my own ears.

Colt canted his head as he thought that over. "Interesting, and you lashed out at Elias earlier, which no one else would do seeing as the pack all think he’s scary. It seems you are turning into a different kind of omega than I’ve ever seen before. Must be the assassin in you," Colt chuckled.

"Elias wouldn't hurt me. He's my Sentinel," I answered, knowing in my gut that the term rang true even though I didn’t really know what it meant. I wasn’t even sure where the word had come from; it wasn’t something I’d heard before.

Elias' head snapped to attention, his eyes wide. "What did you call me?"

"Ah… Sentinel?" I answered.

"What about Mason and Noah?" Elias pressed.

I turned to look at them sitting there side by side, eyes locked on me with great interest. "They’re Companions. Wait, no. Noah is a Companion, but Mason is a Hunter... yet somehow also a Companion." Turning back to my mates, I frowned in confusion. "What does any of that mean?"

"Finley," Zander said, starting to make me tense by using my name, "what’s your family heritage?"

"I have no clue. From what the Organization told me, I was pulled from an orphanage at the age of five. They put me into training right away, and it's all I've ever known… Why?"

"Do you know which orphanage or if it's still around?" Colt continued, ignoring my question.

My hands fisted in my lap as irritation bubbled up, making my wolf whimper at my distress. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and focused on bringing myself to a calm center before opening them to answer. "There had been no need for me to learn that information since I had no desire to find out anything about my past. Could one of you please tell me what’s going on?"

"You might not have ever been human," Elias spoke up.

"These terms you used for them are Elvish in origin—Light Elf, to be more specific. Sadly, elves haven’t been around for quite some time… or so we thought," Zander added on. "Being creatures of the forest, shifters typically had a good relationship with them. They were honorable and proud people who kept to themselves, but they always came to our aid if we needed it. There were also the Dark Elves, though they were not so kind or honorable.”

“They were creatures of darkness who slipped into people's dreams, living off fear and nightmares. A hundred years before supernaturals came out, there was a war among our kinds when the Dark Elves tried to take over and cast the world into chaos and darkness. The Light Elves took it upon themselves to destroy them because the Dark Elves were created from Light Elves who’d been tainted by dark magic. The battle was of epic proportions, and in the end, the Light Elves won at the cost of their own lives. It was presumed that they were all dead, but it might be that there was a survivor or two."

"You make this sound like such common knowledge, so why haven't I heard of this before?" I demanded. My nails lengthened into claws, digging into the table as irritation turned into anger.

Colt reached over the table and took my hand in his, steadying me. "You've seen what the world has done with the information that it currently knows. Do you blame us for not sharing everything about our past? The elves gave a great sacrifice to the world, but the only ones who know about it are the supernaturals. The world knows of elves in theory only. They were private people, gifted healers who loved their community and the nature around them."

"Okay, so I used terms that they would, but that doesn't mean I'm an elf," I countered, trying to grasp at anything that meant my whole identity wasn't a lie.

"There aren’t many in the supernatural world who take more than one mate—shifters never do. It's not how we’re built. We mate to one woman for life, and one woman only. For three alphas to sit here without trying to kill us or each other is a miracle. In any normal circumstance, they would’ve torn each other to pieces, which leaves the reasoning that it has to be because of you," Mason explained.

I looked at all of them, feeling even more lost than I had after getting bitten by Cory. My training had only prepared me to handle problems I could fix—this I couldn't fix. "None of this makes sense. I have no magic, pointy ears, or anything at all that’s unusual about me."

"Elves have a lifespan of eight hundred years or more. They don't mature into their full form until they turn thirty… Are you sure you know your age?" Colt questioned.

Wracking my brain, I thought back through my life. The Organization didn't really spend time on acknowledging individual birthdays, so they had everyone age up on New Year’s. It could very well be that I wasn't thirty like I believed I was.

"There’s a strong possibility that I might not be thirty yet although I know it will happen this year. I just have no way of determining when my actual birthday might be," I answered. "Plus, I feel like we might have bigger issues to worry about. Has there ever been an elf that’s gotten turned into a werewolf before?"

The guys all looked to Zander who was absently scratching at his jaw as he thought. "I'll have to do some research, but I wouldn't say that it was a common occurrence. Elves didn't believe in mating outside of their own kind."

I was trained to handle things that got thrown at me, to absorb them and find the best move to make while going forward. Doing this was default, but it also kept me level-headed when I felt like everything around me was shifting sand. First, I became a werewolf, then I found out how rare it was to become an omega. So far, I’d been navigating this, but I knew nothing about elves, so what the hell was I supposed to do with that? Everyone assumed there weren’t any left alive. Me being alive was a clear indicator that was incorrect, but what did I do with that information? I needed to know more. The more I knew, the better I would feel.

"Alright, do you guys know more about these terms or what mating is like between elves?" I urged, trying to get any kind of answer to my situation.

"Female elves are treasured since not many are born, and they also have more magical talent. Through the years, many other supernaturals have tried to kidnap and enslave female elves to gain access to their powers, and that danger was responsible for the creation of their elven mate units—called a Nos. They’re a support system to share the burden of protecting females and offspring.”

“Alpha Mates are the ones best suited to be a strong leader for the female in all ways; they also tend to be better breeders. Sentinels are just like they sound, guardians. They’re there to back the Alpha Mates up with protection if they aren’t around. A Hunter is the best tracker and provider for the female, and he supports the Sentinel. Companions are mates who mesh with the female on an emotional level. They tend to fill the role of confidant, and they help manage domestic matters," Zander listed, then paused as if he were hesitant to continue. "The stronger the female, the larger the Nos. Only the female knows who belongs in the unit. Seeing as you haven't come into your magic yet, there could be more of us…"

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