Chapter 34: Black Magic

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The morning shine blinded me. An obnoxious ray of light peeking through the curtains, much like the moon. This light, however, was impossible to sleep through. I flopped onto my other side in an attempt to block out the light beaming on my face. Of course, that was fucking useless.

Mariah's scent weaved in and out of my nose as I breathed in, telling me she was near. Soon after, the soft pat on my butt confirmed her presence. "Genesis, it's breakfast time," she said.

"Five more minutes, please. . ." I groaned.

"No. Get your butt up. Now." Mariah slapped my ass harder this time. I rolled over and shot her a glare, trying to ignore the painful sting in my butt. I huffed when a smirk crossed her face. These people and their Goddamn brute werewolf strength were going to kill me one day.

"Take it up with Vincent. He's the one who asked me to wake you." She shrugged. "Straight after breakfast, we are to gather in the meeting hall. We can't be late for the discussion."

"I'm going too?" I pointed to myself, eyebrows knitting together.

"Yes, this is important. We need you there," she confirmed.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, taking in the emptiness of the room. Oh, I'd just noticed me and her were alone. The cot Dylan slept on wasn't even lying out anymore.

"They woke up a little earlier and headed out already."

"Okay, okay. Fine. I guess I'll hurry up then." I sighed and lazily slid from the bed onto the floor, on my knees. Mariah rolled her eyes, helping me to my feet. She then nudged me towards the bathroom with my bag in hand and shut the door behind me.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, I felt brand-new. My sleep haze wasn't entirely gone but I was alive enough to function. Breakfast was held in the same dining area as lunch but less simplistic. There was a buffet spread for us to choose from. An arrangement of food, drinks, and fruits. But it was short-lived as we now walked in a group to the meeting hall.

The meeting hall resembled the outside of a small church. Well, minus the church monuments and whatever else you'd find around a church. The inside of the hall was an even bigger surprise. I felt like I was standing in the middle of an over-sized conference room.

Black chairs had been neatly aligned in rows of five for all the guests. A black circular table, stacked with mini water bottles, a variety of granola bars, chips, and a bowl of mixed nuts, sat in the corner of the large space. The large white projector screen to the front of the hall finished the look off. While me, Vincent, Bennett, Claudia, and Mariah sat in one of the rows closest to the front (in that specific order), Dylan and Dimitri sat in the row behind us.

I could see Alpha Kai and Beta Odin in the next row over, across from us. Everyone else in this room was foreign to me with the exception of Miranda and the alpha of Grimfur—Alpha Merrick; who was standing at the front, just about prepared to speak. The projector glowed behind him with pictures that I couldn't quite make out in the light just yet.

"Do you want anything before the meeting starts?" Vincent poked my side, then gestured to the table with the snacks. I shook my head no, folding my hands on my lap. The piece of paper in my pocket crumpled when I moved. It was the sketch I had drawn a while back, thanks to the shadow in my head, and decided to bring with me just in case.

He nodded and leaned closer, whispering as low as he could in my ear, "You don't have to feel nervous, by the way. No one will talk to you without confiding in me first." Sometimes, I hated that Vincent could practically feel my nerves a mile away.

I forced a smile. "I know, I'm fine." He didn't believe me for a second. However, he didn't have time to retort because Alpha Merrick cleared his throat. The room fell silent as the lights flickered off. Miranda squeezed through the rows, joining Alpha Merrick at the hip.

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