The Hunter's Pack

The Prophecy

I resisted the urge to scoff - that would be rude, and being rude is not a good decision when people you hold dear are at the mercy of the King. 

"King, I would like to respectfully disagree with you. I do not see how a piece of furniture could be reserved. It is a chair. But now that this chair is 'mine,' I see no problem with letting a pack member use it to recount everything she told us."

"Yeah dad, it's just a chair. Plus, she has a little kid with her, so..." Conner spoke up, still standing behind me. I guess he decided not to go back to his seat and just stand, holding his mate's hand.

The King seemed hesitant, but eventually nodded, urging us to continue. 

"Anyways, Amber, could you please tell them everything you told us?"

The red-head nodded and began describing her life, starting from the time she was adopted by an elder and leading up to this moment. Some alphas gasped every once in a while, but otherwise no comments were made. Once she was done, the Queen was in tears and most of the people around the table seemed to be convinced. However, there were still some who were dubious.  

"How do we even know you and your brother were pack members? What if she" he jerked his head at me "bribed you or something?" A skeptic, seemingly in his thirties, asked rather angrily. 

Amber simply turned her torso a bit, moving her hair away from her shoulders to expose an already fading pack tattoo. 

"Well, how do we know you were actually abused?" He persisted. The ginger stood up and turned her back towards the table. She lifted up her hair completely, revealing the edges of still-pink scars peaking out the top of her dress. No more explanations were necessary. Amber moved away from the chair, seemingly offering it to me. I glanced at Anastasia, wondering if she would like to sit, but my delta was too entranced with her mate. Cole had followed his sister, not wanted to be separated at all. I shrugged, sitting down cross-legged once again.

"Very well. But we still need proof that the elders were killed. According to the young alpha of the former Bloodfang pack, they went on a vacation along with the leader." I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Seeing my expression, the King continued. "We trusted the young alpha...and although we did check the airports to see if any tickets were brought - which they were - I have to admit that perhaps we didn't investigate as thoroughly as we should have. But we still need evidence that they were killed."

"As Amber mentioned, the bodies were burned. I apologize, but as a busy alpha, I personally won't be looking for a pile of bones around the territory. I can let some pack members do it, but I would still like at least a messenger from the Royal pack to help and eventually, deliver the remains."

"Very well. I will send someone over in a few days." The King agreed with my terms, seeming to already have someone in mind.

"Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I would like to know more about this "prophecy" everyone is speaking of." 

There was an instant buzz of noise, the leaders sharing wide-eyed looks and speaking to each other in hushed whispers. The King chuckled a bit before speaking. "With such a cunning and perceptive leader, I can see how the Cross pack became such a frightening force. Well, now that you have cleared your innocence in this case, I suppose you are an official Alpha, considering you follow our laws - an email will be sent to you on this case. We can share it with her, men. Especially considering our suspicions." 

A child dressed in light green and white robes entered the room, walking towards the Queen with an antiquated box in her small hands. She respectfully bowed and quickly scuttled off, the metal doors shutting behind her. The Queen gave the box to her mate, who then delicately handed it on to the alpha near him. The box was passed on from alpha to alpha until it reached my hands. I looked at it carefully before opening it. The wooden container was painted black, with elegant red vines lining the edges. Tarragon probably gave this to the werewolves; they were known for their accurate prophecies, after all. I opened the top, revealing a folded white paper. Unfolding it, I read the black cursive words aloud:

"The castle of the west will suffer by the shadows of the man of the east, yet

The daughter of blood and misfortune appears,

Wielding emerald eyes, bringing both justice and joy.

The empress of the moon will force a surprising story

To save what she can of her children."

I sighed. "Tarragon's prophecies may be accurate, but this one seemed a bit shitty to me."

"Well, we were told that the leader accidentally made it during her lunch break..." The King replied rather sheepishly. Oh. That explains a lot. 

"So...I'm assuming you guys think that Anastasia, my delta, is this "daughter of blood and misfortune?" 

There were nods of agreement and an expected exclamation of surprise.

"What? Me?! Guys, I know I have green eyes but what else is there?" Annie declared, a tinge of defiance in her voice. Yeah, I wouldn't want to be part of a prophecy either. 

"You have green eyes and are the delta of the Cross pack, which, according to all the information given to us, has served the former Bloodfang pack 'justice,' and given Amber and her younger brother 'joy.' There's also something else. The 'empress of the moon' here can only mean our Moon Goddess, who created werewolves and pairs mates. The 'surprising story' could only be a surprising pairing, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that nobody expected the delta of a rather...murderous pack to be paired with the younger son of our King." 

"I...I guess. But I still don't really think it's me. And if it is, what am I even supposed to do?" Anastasia stated skeptically. 

The King exchanged looks with his mate while the some of the other alphas coughed a bit to hide their embarrassment. 

"About that...we don't really know yet. A man will be attacking us and you're supposed to save the werewolf race, but that's all we know. We'll inform you of any new developments."

I refrained from laughing, deciding against pouring more salt into some very obvious wounds. My delta uttered a mild "Ok" and the room's atmosphere became a rather awkward silence. The King and Queen stood up, with the rest of the alphas following their example. The child from before entered the room once again, this time carrying a medium sized box. Another child entered behind her, also carrying a box. The Queen took the boxes, opening them and passing the contents from alpha to alpha. When she came to me, I realized she was holding out a phone, open to a simple link. 

"There have been many developments in this meeting. Everybody will be notified if there is any more news regarding the prophecy. Alpha of the Cross pack, I just remembered: what is your name?" 

"Alexandria Cross, King." 

"Remember our agreement, Alpha Cross." I nodded. "Refresh your pages and you will be transported back to your respective lands. The meeting is now over."