"Adeline, dear! Are you ready to go? Dillon's waiting for us." Another knock sounded, a tad more forceful than the first.
With a surge, Adeline threw her towel off and rushed to get dressed. "Yep! Just give me a minute!" Despite the speed at which she was getting dressed, she could still hear her aunt's exaggerated sigh on the other side of the door.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She thought as she threw a shirt over her head. I'm coming.
In no time, she was fully dressed. Adeline was about to race out the door, her hand practically on the door knob, when she realized that her hair was still a complete and utter mess. There was simply no time to deal with it now, especially not when her aunt was waiting right on the other side. And especially not when she had an important meeting to attend… a meeting with the one man that had the power to help her. The alpha of her pack. Also her uncle.
As she pulled her hair up into a pony-tail, Adeline vowed that she would get it cut soon. It had been too long since her last trim and the length was getting old. Really, really old.
Another knock. Followed by a slightly irritated "Adeline…"
Pulling open the door, Adeline whispered a soft apology before heading instinctively towards Dillon's office. She didn't pay any mind to the two males behind the Luna, their faces stoic. In the past, Alexandra resisted having guards when in close proximity to her niece. But, after a particularly bad attack eight months ago, Dillon had assigned two males to supervise Adeline at all times. Whenever she was alone in her room, a male always stood guard in front of her door… And whenever she was walking anywhere, there was to be two guards by her at all times.
Despite the fact that it had initially annoyed her, she'd quickly come to accept the precautions. Those guards were the only reason she hadn't seriously hurt anyone, at least lately. When she had first come to that realization, she had wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. Heck, she still felt that way.
Her aunt quickly fell into step besides her, just chatting about pack business and recent drama. Adeline didn't give a flying crap about the drama between two elder females, or the fact that a neighboring alpha may or may not have beaten up one of her uncle's top enforcers. There was only one thing on her mind… The Seer.
With a twisting stomach and wringing hands, they made it to her uncle's office in no time. Her aunt knocked, and all too quickly the door was pulled open and they stepped inside.
Dillon was standing at his oak desk, two hands braced on the corners. He had a computer to his right, and two large bookshelves to his back. A massive window overlooked the forest, taking up nearly the entire wall. And, in front of the desk were two grey chairs… chairs she was all too familiar sitting down in.
The Alpha offered the both of them a kind, warm smile before gesturing at one of the chairs. "Please, sit down."
Her stomach practically flipped inside out. It's never a good sign when I'm the only one sitting down… But she did as he asked, sitting down in one of the grey chairs despite the fact that Alexandra didn't follow. And she watched as her aunt and uncle exchanged a long look. One that she couldn't even begin to decipher. They held that look as the two guards took their post on either side of the door, their arms crossed over their chests.
Thrumming her fingers, Adeline finally broke the silence. "Sooo… what's the news? Am I able to see the Seer yet?" With her words, her aunt and uncle broke their silent exchange.
Dillon, in his stoic way of his, was nearly unreadable. It was a talent that both he and his mate wielded with years of expertise. But Adeline knew them better than anyone else did, and she knew their small tells. Judging by his clenched jaw and the muscle feathering there, she knew that he had information that she wouldn't like. Information that she had been expecting, but hoping that wouldn't come to fruition.
"Travis still needs more time to decide." That was the excuse last time. And she wasn't stupid. Travis was all but telling her "no." Despite the fact that she knew that Travis wasn't likely to give in, there was still a little butterfly of hope that liked to flutter around in her soul. It was all but dead now, crushed by the heel of disappointment.
Shaking her head, Adeline's nails dug into the fabric of her chair.
Stupid stupid stupid. Despite the fact that this had been an ongoing issue for the better part of a year already, she was stupid enough to still have hope. Hope that Travis would finally gain an ounce of empathy and help her. But there was something darker beneath that hope… a sort of panicking desperation, a sputtering engine that was desperately trying to hold on.
Dillon let out a heavy sigh, his eyes dark. "Travis is refusing to allow his Seer to travel here. He's not willing to risk her or his best enforcers, especially since the territories she would need to travel through are not very stable at the moment. There are several packs that have recently undergone alpha changes, so there's an increase in rogue activity. And with the unpredictability of your wolf, we don't think it's safe for you to travel either… I'm sorry, Adeline."
Every cell in her body screamed at her to run, to hide away in her room and never come out. Through sheer will, she kept her ass in the chair, even if it took locking every muscle in her body. "That can't be the only option. What do we do now? Just wait until my wolf takes over and attacks more people? What if I eventually go completely feral? What then?"
Her throat began to burn as tears filled her eyes. Adeline tried to stuff her emotions down, tried to lock them in a box and throw away the key. But it didn't matter, they refused to be silenced. Words tumbled off her tongue, heavy and damn near painful. They were like glass shards on her lips. "I can't keep going on like this, Dillon. I just can't. It's been two years. Please. There has to be another option."
'For my mom's sake, there has to be another option…'
If the sight of her tears caused him physical pain, her uncle didn't show it. But his eyes softened ever so slightly. She was sure that, had she blinked, she wouldn't have caught it. But it was enough to reassure her, at least a tiny bit.
Alexandra, who had remained silent, cleared her throat. "Well, there is another option… But we can't promise that it'll work out. But your uncle and I are working on it and it's showing promise."
Adeline's ears perked up at that, and the crushed butterfly of hope began to reassemble itself. Very slowly. She craned her head to look at her aunt, who was now standing at the back of her chair. "Really? Is there another Seer visiting the U.S. or something? Who is it?"
Alexandra directed a pointed look at her mate, but Dillon remained silent. "That's the thing… She's not a Seer, or really even associated with Lycans at all… But she's able to do some of the things a Seer can do, just… slightly differently."
Adeline's brow furrowed. "What do you mean… Slightly differently?" Her stomach was a bundle of nerves and creeping excitement.
It was Dillon who spoke this time, his voice gruff. "She's a different kind of supernatural. An Oracle. I'm not very familiar with how their magic works, but they can look into souls much like Seers can. However, they are far more powerful. It's said that they get visions of the future, and can even manipulate magic, at least to some degree… And she's willing to help you, as long as we can get you to her."
The butterfly, that had been crushed to powder, was reborn. It flapped its wings, color blooming to life with every beat of Adeline's heart. However, she didn't let herself get too excited. She couldn't get too excited. Not now, not until she was at the doorstep of the Oracle. Not until her wolf was finally tamed and no longer a threat to society. Hope without promise was nothing more than foolish naïvety.
And she's willing to help you, as long as we can get you to her.
Even though the thought of traveling filled her soul with dread, Adeline could live with that. At least there was a chance. There was at least someone willing to help her. Sure, the Oracle was a faceless creature in her mind… She'd only ever heard of Oracles in whispered tales as a young child. They were incredibly rare beings in the supernatural world, and entirely mysterious. From what she could remember from the stories, they were independent actors… choosing to stay neutral in any and all conflicts. They were solitary too. Unlike shifters, whether wolf or even bear, Oracles stuck to themselves. They didn't seem to feel the need to rely on anyone but themselves, as they had their magic to protect them. She supposed that protection in numbers really didn't matter when one could harness their magic at a moment's notice.
Adeline took a shaky breath. "When can I see her?"
•••••
Two massive males knelt on the ground, bowing. Growls rumbled in their chests as the push of magic forced them down, but they didn't dare open their mouths. Not now. Not when she held their very fate in the palm of her hand.
"I have great news for you both." The old woman crooned. The presence of magic was heavy in the air, practically suffocating. It coated their limbs like oil, greasy and warm. The faint smell of sulfur tickled their nostrils. But no matter how badly the males wanted to recoil from the sensations, she had them stuck in place. And they knew better than to resist her power.
"You both have served me well these past 10 years. And I believe that it is time to award you both for your service. I believe that I made a promise to you both– an oath if you will– when you offered to serve and protect me." She tapped her lips. "What was it again…?"
She turned expectant eyes to the large Panthera male. White eyes clashed with burning amber ones. He visibly swallowed, but he didn't dare drop his eyes. "We made a blood oath, a decade ago. You promised that, should I serve 10 faithful years and survive, you would release me of my duties and locate my female. My mate."
The woman nodded once, then turned her attention to the Ursa male. Although he was only an inch or two taller than the Panthera male, he was massive. Whereas the Panthera was all lean muscles and long limbs, he was a mountain. But even he was no match for the old woman.
"I believe that I made a similar oath with you too, correct?" Although it was a question at face-value, the Ursa male knew that she wasn't really asking. The woman wasn't suddenly going senile after centuries of life.
He nodded once. "Yes, mistress. You did."
There was a long pause before the old woman continued. "And I suppose that it's time for me to fulfill my oath, yes? After all, you both only have a week left of service before you're free to do as you please."
Both of the males went silent. The growls that had been rumbling in their chests went dead… and their eyes began to glow. As if a light had suddenly flickered to life, their inner beasts perked their ears in interest. Fierce amber and violent silver. The males were very different creatures. One tiger and the other bear. But in that moment, as an image began to materialize in the Oracle's hand, they were one and the same…
A male desperate to claim his future.
In the Oracle's outstretched hand, a picture began to appear. It took several seconds for their eyes to make sense of what they were seeing… But the woman let out a laugh when the males began to struggle against the magic holding them down. The Ursa let out a vicious snarl as he tried to pull himself to his feet, and the Panthera male let out a hiss as he struggled too.
There, in the palm of her hand, was an image of a female. She had dark brown hair that reached past her shoulders. Her skin was pale with a heavy dusting of freckles across her face. And her eyes… Her baby blue eyes were expressive and soulful. Although it was a still image of her, there were deep emotions lurking with those blue depths. Emotions that furrowed her brows ever so slightly.
Both of the males stared intently at that image, so focused on looking at their female that they were ignoring a very critical detail…
The Ursa male was the first to notice. He went utterly silent, his muscles tensing as he turned his attention to the Oracle. His voice was deadly. "Why do you show us only one female?"
The Panthera fell silent too. Amber eyes flashed to the Oracle, then to the male besides him, and then back to the woman. His body began to tremble and black claws took the place of his human fingernails. Next to him, the Ursa male began to tremble as well.
The Oracle snapped her fingers, and the image of the young female faded away just as quickly as it had appeared. If magic hadn't been holding them down, the two males would've lunged. But the old woman wasn't stupid. She'd been around male shifters long enough to learn their warning signs. And the two males were trembling red flags, with blaring alarms and flashing lights.
A haunting smile crept across her face. "I was just as surprised as you when I discovered this. Never, in the history of shifters, has a female bonded with two males. It's unheard of." She shook her head in disbelief. "Not only that, but there has never been an interspecies matebond before. And not only has this Lycan female bonded with a non-Lycan male, but she's bonded to two non-Lycan males. This is completely unprecedented territory."
If he could've formed words, the Ursa male would've been demanding to know: when did you learn this? How long have you known? Why are you telling us now? WHERE IS SHE? But his desire… no, need to kill the male next to him was too strong. It didn't matter that they'd known each other for the past decade, and it didn't matter if they had once (up until a couple of minutes ago) been good friends. He needed to kill that fucker.
And judging by the way the Panthera male was glaring at him, he knew that the feeling was mutual.
The Oracle didn't seem too bothered by the homicidal rage boiling beneath their skins. And they knew she could sense it. Her magic was quite good at picking up on strong emotion. If anything, the rage spilling off the males only seemed to make her giddier.
She clapped her hands together. "I knew that the Moon was shifting her presence. I have sensed it for decades now, if not a century. Things are changing, Maxim and Lucien. Big things are on the horizon, just barely beyond sight. But they're coming. And your triad matebond is the spark that is going to ignite everything."
The Oracle then turned her eerie white eyes onto them. Her pupils were cloudy and unfocused, lost in the sea of burning moonlight that was now pouring forth. She was about to teleport herself away. She had to, especially once she released the males from her magic. They would attack the moment they were freed. However, just before she disappeared, she spoke one last time.
"Your female will arrive in three days. You males have exactly three days to come to terms with this. You must share her, despite your possessive natures and dominant ways. The Moon has demanded unity, not division or fighting. And your female is going to need her mates to be a united front, not only for the storms to come… but for the storms that have been brewing. That is all."
With that, the Oracle disappeared from sight. With her absence, the magic holding them in place dissipated… as with the shackles that had bound them to the Oracle for so many years. Just as quickly as the Oracle's claim on them had fallen away, a deeper one settled into place. Instead of being wrapped around their wrists, this oath settled deep within their souls.
Lucien and Maxim didn't waste any time. They staggered to their feet, stared at each other for a long moment, and then attacked.