OLD VERSION: Amendable (Book 3 in the Original SOCIETY Series) ✔

❦Thirty-Four❦

❦ღ❦  

I wanted for the three to have been imagining things. To not actually be seeing the Werewolf Council. But when I struggled to push myself up, feeling how weak my knees were and had to push against the door, the three men kept staring out the front of the car window. 

The steps it took for me to get to where Easton was felt infinite and I could hear the loud thumps of my heart echoing in my eardrums; despite how muffled it sounded. I felt my eyes widen once I was able to peer between Dennison and Easton where the backroads we needed were definitely barricaded with two lined formations of Werewolves.

One was the armed guards standing in a defensive stance; their SMG's held ready in their hands, their gold-hued gazes staring forward from under the identical helmets they all wore. The second line, in front of the guards, was the Werewolf Council; dressed so immaculately in their red and black embroidered robes. There was one of the Councilmen who stood a little more in front of his companions and I assumed this was because he was the High Councilman.

Every single one of the Weres was male, except for the one standing beside the main Councilman. It took me a moment longer to recognize this person with their dark hair that was now tied back in a loose bun but with more graying tones within it. The fancy jewelry and wardrobe that had adorned them long ago were more simple and less extravagant. But that's probably because the former Councilwoman wasn't holding that 'High Council' title anymore. 

Well, Thea won't be any happier than she is now...

Even with the Councilwoman's presence, it wasn't as alarming as the creature that was snarling, salivating and twisting around like it had constant twitches every few seconds. 

From inside the van, that creature didn't even look like a Werewolf anymore. Its sudden jerked movements as those wild eyes looked around at the surrounding freaked the hell out of me. And more so, with the way its clawed fingers were curled against its chest one moment; the Were's head making those twitching, curt motions again until it opened its mouth and revealed the wolf fangs that... that weren't normal at all! 

It was horrifying to see how much sharper those fangs were, and the extra amount of those fangs collected together. So much that it was hard to tell how it fit all of them behind its lips. And then I remembered how this was someone, a person. A man who lost his humanity because of the Societal experiments. 

I was so concentrated on the idea of this creature once being a person, that I yelped when the creature opened its mouth; stretching it more than it should possibly be able to, and this horrible... agonizing... piercing... screech was coming out. My hands rose to clamp against my ears, and I noticed the three next to me did the same. 

 Little Maddie whined through the on-going screech, "That's the whistling I was talking about!" and I stared at him through my scrunched up look and my ears still covered. I glanced at Eli in my cousin's arms who arched again; his teeth grit, face scrunched and trying to hold back another painful cry. One of Eli's hands clutched to his mother's skirt while the other was gripping his t-shirt; his knuckles were turning white he was struggling to control what he was feeling. 

I turned back around once the creature stopped that deafening noise. 

The High Councilman stepped forward, his hand not letting go of the long, thick metal chain that was connected to the back of the creature's just-as-thick metallic lock around its neck. With a stoic look on his face, the High Councilman continued stepping forward to call out to us.

"I suggest you step out of the vehicles! I'd hate for this to get any messier than it has!" 

He waited for our response, and Dennison's jaw tightened before looking over his shoulder at those of us in the van; Maddox, Sr., Thea, Eli, Little Maddie, Thorton, Ophelia, Athena, Jonah, Dennison, Easton and myself. The next van over had Lincoln, his mother, Ruby, and Keishan with Valentine, Violet, Langley, Mr. Dennison, my Aunt Emeel and Penny, Thatcher, Alice, Cheryl, and her twin girls.