Remember

Chapter 24: The Council

The room was damp and musty as if it hadn't been opened in years. Lewis and I walked in hesitantly, our entire focus was set on taking in the room. The hardwood floors that creaked under our weight, the white walls with flickering light bulbs, the shadows dancing on the walls, and the dusty table in the center of the small room with a large book on the top.

I approached the book reverently. This book contain everything that an alpha needed to know, and it was written a few hundred years ago. I let my hand brush against the leather cover and trace the title, a thick layer of dust rested on top.

"Let's get started." Lewis's words snapped me out of my revive.

I just nodded, not trusting my words at this seemingly inconsequential, yet truly momentous occasion.

With a practiced ease we began to search through the Codex, skimming passages and flipping pages. Searching for any scrap of information to help us.

An hour, and innumerable paper cuts, later we finally found what we had been searching for. Article 15 Section 3. It stated that any alpha had the right to convene the Council if they believed that the safety of the entire species was threatened. Albeit the wording was much more complex, however, layman's terms worked just as well for getting the point across.

"Thanks for the help." I told Lewis as we tidied up everything, putting it all back the way that we had found it and shutting the hidden door.

"Wait a second." He said, as I began to walk away, alone. "You actually think that I am about to let you call the Council, on your own." Taking a step towards me as he talked.

I tilted my head in confusion. "Well two people can't exactly call the Council together can they?"

He chuckled, "That's not what I'm saying." He took a deep breath before he plowed on. "You are going to need an insane amount of mental energy to call the Council, let alone to hold them together long enough for something to be done. Let's just say that I am offering a surplus to your own."

Understanding dawned in me. "You are offering me the use of your mental abilities."

"Yes." He answered, his tone no-nonsense, no hesitation evident.

"Why?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to understand why he would do this. If I took too much energy he could loose his abilities for good, not to mention kill him.

A small smile crossed his face. "Because I trust you." 

Who would trust me with their life? It's not like I had the best track record of protecting people, my parents, Bryce's parents, Alex & Jace's sister, all of them were dead.

I was finally able to put the complex web of emotions filling me into words. "Who are you to me?"

Lewis looked at me, his eyes brimming with an emotion that I couldn't identify. "In time," He whispered to me. "In time."

I shook my head at his cryptic answer, before gesturing with my head for him to follow after me. We made our way from the library to a large clearing in the woods in silence. My mind was a jumbled mess of trying to piece together the past and prepare for the future. Lewis had a look of nostalgia on his face, as if lost in the past.

I took a deep breath of the fresh forest air, the brilliant greens of spring hung from every tree and sprouted from the ground, the short bursts of grass crunched softly under my feet, all worked to steady my mind. My thoughts slowed, focusing on the task now at hand.

Lewis stepped beside me, holding out his hand to solidify the connection between us. Once I took his hand I looked towards him, my eyes questioning. He nodded to me, he was ready.