Hidden Lycan. (COMPLETE)

Chapter Thirty One

Everyone wasn't as quick to ready themselves as they normally would have been, but then again who could blame them? After what happened yesterday I was surprised they were even standing. Even if I was thankful. I continued to watch them as they all grabbed their bags off the ground. Some wincing, some groaned. It was like they'd aged over night. What would happen if we were attacked again with them in such a condition? Could mini hulk and I fend off another attack alone? 

"Are we ready?" I asked coming to stand among them. The Cerberus following behind me. I rolled my eyes turning back to them. "Go ahead and make sure the path is clear. Stay out of sight." I demanded. The massive beasts bowed their head, then took off at a sprint. Watching them I was left wondering what would become of the gates to the underworld with the Cerberus not there to guard it. The book never said if they were there to make sure things didn't go in, or to make sure they didn't come out. That last thought made a shiver go through me. The last thing I wanted to do was face the undead. 

"We are ready Fallon." Eli said, his voice strong but not as powerful as it would be if he was at full strength. I nodded slowly, not sure if we should move but I also knew we didn't have a choice. They must have saw my hesitance. "We are alright Fallon." Eli assured me. "We need to get to the gathering grounds as soon as possible. I would be willing to bet they called us late to see if we could survive the woods alone." The sneer on his face was made of pure fury. The malice and hatred in his tone could cut ice. 

I nodded but gave mini hulk a pointed look before looking ahead of us. He knew what I wanted and nodded as he took up the front of the group and I fell to the back. The sides may not be covered but between myself and mini hulk we should see any threat that loomed or tried to come at us. 

I was so tired and staying on alert was hard. My lycan was held back by my fatigue, but her strength and alertness greatly outdid my own regardless of my lack of sleep. I held her close to the surface, ready and willing to protect us should the need arise. "I know what you're doing." Xavier whispered beside me. Why he was whispering was beyond me, the others wold hear either way. 

"And what am I doing?" I asked, feigning ignorance as I looked over to him. The corner of his lips twitched like he wanted to smile, but kept his face hard but knowing as he raised his brow at me. "It doesn't matter what I'm doing." I finally said after a beat of silence. "As long as we all stay safe and arrive in one piece, it shouldn't matter who takes up guard duty." My voice was strained and I avoided eye contact as we continued down the path. 

"It is our job to protect you Fallon." He said in a hard tone. I cut my eyes at him. "Protection isn't based on gender or which role a person plays in a relationship Xavier." I bit out. "As long as we all stay safe it shouldn't matter." I wanted to storm ahead, get out of the conversation, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave Xavier back here alone. Not knowing for certain if he could protect himself properly or not. 

"She's right." Eli said never looking back at us. "You might also take into account who she is Xavier. It is her nature to be protective." Xavier grabbed the straps of his backpack and grumbled under his breath. He didn't like being protected. He wanted to be the protector, and I understood that. But right now he really needed to swallow his pride and let me take care of them, let me protect them like they had me. I didn't say this out loud, but Xavier didn't say anything more after Eli spoke. 

I sighed heavily after who knows how long we'd been walking. "How far is the gathering grounds?" I asked mini hulk, trying to keep the whine out of my voice. My tiredness was turning to exhaustion, my limbs were starting to feel like jelly, and I was sweating heavily. I've never sweat before. "They wanted to make sure no one would find us." Mini hulk said with a grunt. "But we should be there within the next half hour as long as things continue as they are." 

My growl was cut short by the Cerberus shooting out of the forest and taking what looked to be a battle formation around us. They completely circled us, keeping us all out of sight and in between them. They dipped their heads and growled, their hackles rose. Something was out there, something the Cerberus thought we needed protection from. Why? Why can we not get through one day of this trip without something happening? I thought angrily. All I wanted was to get where we were going and take a shower. Was that too much to ask? 

I could tell the others were still not comfortable around the beasts, but they also knew they would protect me. So if they thought there was a threat, the guys took it seriously. They dropped their bags to their feet, and the sound of bones breaking sounded around me. I'd never seen them shift, and as fascinating as it was, I didn't want to again. Well, I didn't want to hear it at least. Before I knew it five wolves stood around me beside the Cerberus. I couldn't shift, not with mini hulk here, and I felt extremely exposed and vulnerable because of it. 

I could see through a slim opening between the Cerberus to see a form slipping through the shadows. At first I thought it was another one of the spirit creatures, but that thought was instantly squashed when a solid form stepped from the darkness. I couldn't see well enough to make out his features but the power that came with him was smothering. It was nothing but potent raw power. No one in their right mind would challenge whoever this was, and yet the Cerberus bravely stood between us and him. 

"It seems someone has tamed my beasts." Said a deep voice. There was no malice in his words, only amusement. My nerves were on edge, my body vibrating from the power that radiated through the air. While he radiated raw unbridled power, it almost called to me, while the others struggled to stay standing. Their legs shook beneath them, their breath coming in ragged pants. They were fighting him too hard, their bodies still healing.

 "Stop fighting it." I pleaded with them. Their wolves looked to me, questions circled in them. I shrugged my shoulders at them because I really didn't know why I wasn't affected. I didn't tell them I was indeed effected. Instead of feeling weak, I felt invigorated, on edge, refreshed. Almost as if his power called to my lycan. but it also called to something else within me that I was not aware of, something that was locked deep inside me fighting and clawing to reach the surface. 

"Stand down." The voice said, his tone deepening as a commanding edge taking root. The Cerberus twitched, their growls turning to whines as his command hit them, but they stayed standing. It was causing them pain to disobey whoever this was. "Listen to him." I said, my mouth going dry at the thought of facing whoever was on the other side. 

I however didn't notice that while he commanded the Cerberus, he somehow also commanded the guys. So as the Cerberus dropped so did the guys around me. I looked around in shock as the wolves lay on their belly panting heavily. The only one remotely alert was Eli. He didn't lay down on his belly, he sat on his haunches beside me. His large wolf looking tired and worn, but stood at my side all the same. I lay my hand on his head between his ears, wishing I could push some of my lycan's strength into him. 

Slowly I turned from Eli to the man I knew was now burning a hole into the side of my head with his eyes. I was stunned by what I saw. He looked so out of place. He looked like he belonged in an office somewhere, or a mansion. He wore an immaculate black suit. A silk silver vest and white shirt underneath with a vibrant blue tie. His hair was black with a blue hue and was sleeked back. He was tall and lean, he looked muscular, but it was hard to tell with every inch of skin covered. His skin was pale and his eyes so silver grey they looked like they glowed in the darkness of the forest. He was clean shaven with sharp cheekbones, a proud nose and squared jaw. He was stunning, and didn't belong in a forest. 

"So you're the one who tamed my beasts. Tell me how did you do it?" The man asked, his tone almost bored. His eyes however told me the exact opposite. He was interested, envious. "It wasn't me." I told him coldly. I looked to the guys giving them an apologetic look before turning back to the man. "It was my beast that tamed and claimed them. Check their right shoulder if you don't believe me." 

The man raised a brow as he proudly strolled over to the closest Cerberus and glanced at his shoulder. His eyes widened and he smiled. And I'd be damned if the man didn't have dimples to complete his already devastating looks. Alaric was perfection, but this man was a god. "I see." He said looking back up at me. His eyes shinning proudly. But why? "You're a lycan." He said smugly. 

My body stilled, my heart clogged my throat. "How?" I choked out. The man laughed. "Do you know who I am? Do you know where the lycan race comes from or how they come to be?" He asked, his tone excited that he gets to explain something that should be obvious. 

"No." I said through clenched teeth. "I just recently found out what I was." The man gave me a questioning look. I just sighed. I might as well, I'm going to have to explain to the council anyway, then the entire wolf community will know. "I was held captive since I was six when I turned. Twenty years to be exact. They tortured me wanting me to shift but I refused." I wouldn't explain anymore than that. I didn't know this man and he didn't need to know my entire past. But the anger that flashed in his eyes, the red hue that glazed his silver grey eyes was unsettling. 

"And your power?" He asked. It was my turn to be confused. "Power?" I asked tilting my head. The man sighed shaking his head. "You really know nothing." He said sadly. "Come sit. I'll explain." The man waved his hand and my eyes all but bulged out of their sockets when chairs and a table full of food appeared out of nowhere. The man laughed at my reaction. "I'll explain." He told me calmly. "But first tell me who these men are." He said waving to the wolves around me. 

"The grey, black, gold, and white wolves are my mates. The red wolf is our guide." The man nodded taking a seat before waving his hand and making four other chairs beside mine appear. And with the snap of his fingers my mates were in their human form, fully dressed and very aware. Did he heal them? They ran over to me, all of them searching me for injuries. Finding none they shoved me behind them and snarled at the man. All he did was look at them as if they were the most boring thing that ever stood in front of him. 

"Guys don't." I said quickly darting in front of them. "This man knows something. He knows what I am." They growled, but nodded trusting my judgement. I calmly took my seat on the right of the man, my guys on my heels. "Now, can we start with who you are? I am Fallon. I have no last name, at least I don't know it." I shrugged popping a grape in my mouth. 

A smile spread across the mans face as he leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles. A fire lite in his eyes as he studied me a brief second. "I am Hades."