Raised By Humans ✔

Twenty

Tiberius' POV

"So, Fordomelse is Swedish for damnation?"

"Yep."

"But they're based mainly in Switzerland?"

"Yep."

"Nobody speaks Swedish in Switzerland." Sage scrunched his face in confusion. "They speak everything but Swedish."

"If you had listened to the first half of the history lesson, then you would know that The Fordomelse was formed in Sweden seven-hundred years ago but have been relocating to Switzerland over the last thirty years." I chided.

Sage paused. "But why? What's in Switzerland?"

"Not Fabian's sister, we know that much."

"I know that much." Sage spat. "But seriously, why the big change of scenery?"

I heaved a sigh, flipping the manila folder in my lap shut. "A couple reasons, the most important being the amount of trouble they caused the coven of witches living there. They harassed them for centuries, desecrating their lands, stealing their children. They do what they want when they want, the consequences be damned."

"So, they're the monster mafia."

"Basically, but don't ever let one of them hear you say that, or you can say bye to your firstborn." I chuckled. "They procure and distribute items and ingredients of magical significance. Things that people would kill for. They start wars they can't finish, leaving the rest of us to clean up the mess. Seven hundred years of undignified bullshit and all they've got to show for it is several mountains worth of dead bodies and the horn of a unicorn."

"Unicorns don't exist."

"Point and case."

I watched as Sage scrunched his brows in confusion. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he looked up at me. "Why would Freya want to join them if they're so horrible? What does she get out of it?"

"I'm not sure." I sighed. "Based off of what we know about her she's nothing too special. She doesn't have any extra capabilities that the Fordomelse would want, her shift is just like a regular wolf. The only thing she's really got going for her is that she's transgender. The Fordomelse would be extremely interested to see how a transition would affect your wolf considering there aren't many werewolves who identify as anything other than the gender they were born with. Gender just doesn't matter to your species."

"So, she's just an experiment to them." He stated. "If I didn't think she was a coward, I'd find that sickening."

"As would I," I said. "But unfortunately, she's one of their most valuable and dangerous assets."

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"Don't forget the fries this time, Ti, or I swear to Go- "

"Don't swear to someone who doesn't care!" I interrupted, slamming the motel door behind me. "And I won't you freaking vacuum cleaner, I've learned my lesson!"

I sighed frustratedly as I stormed away from the motel, stepping onto the footpath and heading towards the restaurant Sage had googled. It had been a long day, checking out every lead we had. This mess had started as a search for Fabian, but it was clear the kid didn't want to be found. Now it was a mad search for his sister, hoping that she would know where he was holed up. I hated to admit that I was extremely worried. Fabian's wounds wouldn't heal quickly, thanks to Michael being half-Fae. If they healed at all. Fabian could only go so far with a torn-up chest.

I stopped short, almost walking past the restaurant. I spun towards the door, shoved it open and moved towards the front counter. I quickly ordered both mine and Sage's meals to go, paying before I took a seat in a random booth, waiting for our food. Sage had been helpful during the last week and a half, following scent trails and staying up half the night to pour through countless files and websites. But I was also worried for him as well. He'd been running on fumes for the last three days, sleep almost forgotten.

I knew why he was working so hard; it was painfully obvious. He'd been kept from his pack for too long, despite the two weeks he'd spent with them before departing yet again. He also missed Cassiel. I'd tried to keep Sage's mind off of him, we both had, but it wasn't really working anymore. It was beginning to make me wonder if there was more to their bond than I first anticipated. We all anticipated. There was something more to it that I just couldn't even begin to comprehend. It was a little intimidating, not knowing something about werewolves. They weren't exactly a species that kept too many secrets.

I was so consumed by my thoughts that I didn't even notice the young woman who slid into the chair opposite me. Not until she huffed out a small laugh, one that had been seared into my memories, making it impossible to forget. I snapped out of my thoughts, my eyes zoning in on her face, her short honey blonder hair, the single dimple that adorned her right cheek, the rivers of black ink that ran across her skin. Her eyes, so familiar and so full of love. Unforgettable.

"Are you done staring, Tiberius?" She spoke softly. "It's not like a died."

"You might not have," I smiled gently. "But it felt like you did."

"It's going to take a lot more than some Fae to take me down." She chuckled again. Her grin faded, quickly replaced with a sad smile. "I've missed you. More than I care to admit."

"You're not alone, Banrigh." I sighed. "But why are you here? After...everything...why come now?"

"Something's wrong, Tiberius. Very wrong."

"Like what?"

"Everything. The so-called 'peace' we've been trying to maintain for the last thousand years is falling apart as we speak." She leaned forward in her seat. "It's only a matter of time until we're all facing a full-blown war."

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Hey guys, gals and fridges!

Oh my God! I am so fucking sorry! I know I said that I was back on track with updating but I've been so concentrated on polishing up the plan for the next book that I didn't even try to squeeze in time to update this one. I promise that I am back to my original updating schedule and this won't happen again during the last few chapters if this book!

Anyways, thanks so much for 323 reads and 57 votes! It means a lot!

Thanks for wasting your time on me!

~Daxton🌈