The Brotherhood

04

The Supreme stared out at the scene before him. The Mother had summoned him to her realm that lived outside of the world that the compound lived in. The Supreme wasn't entirely sure how the magic around this place worked. All he knew was that this place raised fear inside of him like nothing else could. 

The Supreme shivered from the cold. He gazed out at the wintery landscape. Snow covered the ground in huge drifts that were the size of the Supreme's body. Dark, barren trees littered the landscape, twisting like shadows in the grey, wintery light. Snow drifted in mists over the ground, curling like ghostly fingers around the bases of the skeleton-like trees. 

Everything about this place was designed to bring fear to the hearts of any who visited this place. Even the Supreme felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his pulse fluttering in his neck. His eyes darted around the snow littered landscape, searching for the one thing that truly inspired fear in this place. He looked, but he didn't find what he was looking for. 

"Abel, my lovely Supreme," the cold, seductive female voice echoed in Abel's mind, "how are you doing?" 

It was a ploy and he knew it. She always began their conversations by asking about his welfare, but she didn't care at all. She only cared about whatever it was she wanted from him. Abel turned to see her walking over the snow drift, her paws sinking into the powdery snow as she made her way toward him. The white wolf stalked closer to him, her yellow eyes staring deeply into his soul. Abel refused to turn away from those eyes. 

"I'm doing well, Mother." He replied smoothly, deflecting immediately. 

"I'm glad to hear that, my lovely," The Mother whispered delicately. The wolf didn't speak through her mouth. The voice she used echoed in his mind, surrounding him and caging him in. There was nowhere to go where he'd escape that voice. At least, here he couldn't escape it. She continued speaking to him, "Do you know why I've called you here?" 

"No, Mother," Abel responded quietly. 

He felt the Mother's gaze searing into him from where she stood on the snow drift above him. Abel refused to shift, to squirm under that scrutinizing gaze. He didn't lift his chin, though. No one dared to look the Mother in the eye. It was a death sentence to meet her gaze without permission. 

"I wish to know how our alpha is progressing," the Mother commanded him. Abel wished he didn't have to obey the order in her voice. He wished her dominance didn't make him bow over from the weight of it. 

"He is progressing well. He struggles with getting along with others, though," Abel reported, his voice slightly choked from struggling against the weight of the Mother's dominance. 

The Mother hummed, "That is no matter. I do not care how he gets along with the others. It is of no import of what he's capable of. How strong has he become?" 

"He's become strong enough that all of the other alphas are afraid of him. They fear what he could do to them if they get on his bad side," Abel explained. He remembered the report that Ethan had given him about what happened at the alpha meeting. He remembered the vivid detail that Ethan had used to describe how Kane had bashed Anders's face in without a second thought, like it was nothing for him. If Abel was honest with himself, even he feared what Kane would do if he was unleashed. 

"Good," the Mother practically purred with delight, "He's progressing just how we wished he would." 

Abel nodded unsurely. The Mother had been invested in Kane ever since he'd arrived at the Brotherhood. For some reason, it was the only thing she wanted to discuss whenever they met together. It made Abel feel apprehensive to say the least. He didn't know what the Mother wanted with Kane, but he knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.