“So you hide your power level like you’ve been doing. And we stick with you being latent.”
“But that won’t explain my magic.”
“But only the witches know about your magic,” Kelly points out, grinning broadly. “And we aren’t huge fans of the Council, not since they turned down my mother as a member. All I have to do is make mention of it to the elders and everyone in the coven will remain silent.”
I look between the two of them. It can’t be this easy, can it? It’s not unheard of for a latent shifter to be an alpha of a pack. So long as you’re strong and dominant, it doesn’t really matter if you can shift. I just worry that the Council will dig deeper. Not every leader is able to pull a community of shifters and witches together as I have. A community like this hasn’t been seen since the last of the queens. What if they question it?
“We’ll need to work on it. There’s so much that can go wrong here. Shifters and witches haven’t lived together like this in centuries. They’re going to ask questions about that. They’ll want to know why, now, the two species have decided to band together again,” I reason.
“That’s not as easy to explain, but we can give them a partial truth.” Olivia leans forward, a grin spreading across her face. “We admit that Kelly and I went to you for help. We explain what Morgan was doing, how the dominant shifter females were going missing and he was blaming the witches. We explain that after you challenged and killed Morgan, we realized that the best way to keep something like that from happening again was to put aside any differences we might have and learn to get along. What better way to do that than to agree that you are our community leader?”
“Since I’m technically the voice of the coven both normally and while the Council is in town, I can simply state that the witches acknowledged that while you’re latent, you’re extremely powerful. That, plus your willingness to help us when you could have easily sided with Morgan and his ilk, means that we’ve decided to allow for a shifter leader for the community, taking a page out of their book.”
Olivia nods before stating, “We need to make this about the community. Stress that everyone has been integrating well. This isn’t a matter of shifter or witches, it’s a matter of our community. We don’t see ourselves as two separate species working together, we see ourselves as a family. Ass kissing doesn’t hurt either.”
“That’s a great point, Olivia.” Kelly smiles. “Stating we’re functioning as a family, instead of two separate entities who just happen to have a common interest, might just help sway them enough to get them to not dig too deep. They won’t want to ruin what we’ve built here. It’s one of their objectives, to see communities like this spring up around the world.”
I lean back in my chair. This feels way too easy. There has to be a catch. But we won’t know what it is until the Council is here. We’re going to need to be quick on our feet and able to improvise. Thankfully the majority of the community has been given a story along similar lines of what we’ve just discussed, so while there may be some differences, they won’t be blaring enough to raise eyebrows, I think. I hope.
Kelly and Olivia set off to discuss specifics with the community, leaving me to swirl my red wine and stare into the fire. The plan, as it now stands, is to tell the community what I am. Kelly and Olivia believe the community will rally around the fact that I’m a queen and want to protect me from being taken by the Council. While I want to believe them, I also know that when fear or money are involved, people do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. But I can’t exactly lead this community if I don’t trust them.
I’ll be addressing the community in the morning, answering any questions they may have, and reassuring them that everything is going to be fine. I just need to make myself believe that. I sip my wine, letting the earthy notes burst on my tongue, swishing it around in my mouth a bit before finally swallowing. Shifters can’t get drunk, not off normal alcohol. It needs to be made by witches. This is just normal wine, but it helps to settle my nerves. I have to believe that everything will play out the way it needs to. I’ve finally got a community and I’m starting to feel whole. It has to mean something. I don’t believe the gods would be so cruel as to let me have this only to rip it away from me.
You need to rest. Even my dragon sounds exhausted. The emotional roller coaster I’ve been on since the alpha challenge seems to finally be catching up to me. I can feel all my limbs get heavy, almost numb. My thoughts are sluggish too. I finish my wine and head back to my room. I need to sleep.
The next morning dawns far too quickly for my liking. I lie in bed staring up at the ceiling. I still haven’t figured out exactly what I’m going to say to the community, but I didn’t get any frantic calls from Kelly or Olivia last night, so I’m assuming everything went well. I get out of bed and grab some clothes. Dress for the job you want, right? Since both the witches and shifters are fairly laid back, jeans and a tank top will do. I’m just tugging on my pants when I feel Olivia brush against the pack bond. I open up my end to see what she needs.
“Are you ready? We have everyone out in the town center.”
“Yeah. I’m going to slip on some shoes and head down.”
“Hey. Everyone is really excited. They’re thrilled to have you as a leader. Some of the old-timers even remember other queens.”
“That’s reassuring. Thanks.” I try not to sound sarcastic.
“See you in a minute.” Her tone is cheerily optimistic.
We disconnect. It does feel better knowing that the community is excited about having me around. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a queen or because I killed Morgan, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter. I slip on some flip-flops and head off for the town center. It’s clear everyone in the community is there, since no one is running around the packhouse getting ready, and the houses along the main street leading to the center of town are all quiet. I can see the community gathered in the town center as I approach. There are almost fifteen hundred of us total, which is a low number considering we take up the entire New England area. Hopefully, now that Morgan is dead, more shifters and witches will come to the region.
Olivia and Kelly have everyone sitting around a wooden platform. Awesome. Because I want to stand on a literal soapbox. Great job, ladies. Rolling my eyes, I step up on top of the box and look out at the shifters and witches gathered around me. These are my people, my community. I now live to protect them. I feel a swell of pride as I gaze at them. I’m finally where I’m supposed to be.
“Good morning, everyone.” I smile awkwardly. They return my greeting softly, and I can practically feel the curiosity oozing out of the crowd. Kelly steps up next to me and puts her hand on my arm.
“As you all know by now, Ayla is a queen dragon shifter. Olivia and I have already explained everything to the community. Ayla will answer any questions you have this morning, and she’s going to give us some instructions for when the Council gets here. Okay?”
The silence that greets us is our answer. They’re waiting on me. No pressure.
“Thanks, Kelly.” She steps off the box and sits down. “I guess I’ll open the floor for comments and questions and go from there.”