Shifters

Chapter 42

The full moon swelled over the alphas heads brightly, filling the cove with a ghostly light. William of the Lesion Pack, and Hayden of Arogos, stood at the shadowy corners of the entrance, keeping a watchful eye out for the hunters. They took respectful notice of Damian's warnings, and relied on their ears and eyes, rather than their noses. Multiple traps had also been set up all over the perimeter to warn them of anything that may be prowling. However, the night seemed empty.

Damian did not waste the full moon tonight. As soon as he had left the valley he used his alpha's blood to summon an emergency conference here, to change the entrance. He'd left his pack in the care of the Alastar family, and traveled with Logan. Anthony had been reluctant to take it, but he had to obey, and by midnight, the head of each pack had gathered.

Logan spoke, "Dangerous as it may be for us to stand in this cove, he was right to call us all here. We must close the entrance before the summer solstice arrives. Once that's done, we'll begin a hunt for Kevin, to end this once and for all."

"Then let's get it over with already." Anthony hissed. "The longer we stand here, the more we risk."

Tensions were high between him and Damian, everyone could feel it, but none commented on it. After all, tensions between the Serius and Pelisian pack had always been critical.

Hayden and William took the cue to approach, and as a unit, all alphas approached the water's edge in a straight line. Logan took the first cut, as the eldest alpha, with a blade carved sharp from Bermudan stone. After him, each alpha sliced their palm, from eldest to youngest, and once Damian had his turn, they started their chant.

"Bermuda." They howled. "Open and arise. Dire times face our motherland, and we seek to protect you and our people from harm."

The blood dripped from their hands, into the water, which began to defy gravity and rise around them. It moved slowly up the walls of the cove, blocked the entrance with a thick wall, and covered the open hole in the ceiling, causing the moonlight to scatter. When it was done, they stood in a thick dome of ocean water. Fishes swam above their heads, because they weren't able to escape the current, and they heard no sound except for the pressure of the water around them.

Two figures emerged from the shore and entered the bubble, one in the shape of a man, and one in the shape of a woman. They had no other features then an outline of a human body, and an outline of a face, but they were composed completely of water. Seaweed and marine life waved around inside of them, and the water continued to move with the same oceanic current, despite the form it had taken.

"Troy and Leslie?" Anthony gasped in disbelief.

Both water spirits simultaneously faced him with empty eyes and a clear face. "We only borrow the form of your guardians, Troy and Leslie, to speak the direct voice of your Motherland." They spoke together as one voice, the lower male pitch, and the female pitch combining into one eerie sound. "You, son of Pelisian, have committed a great crime, and we are most displeased with you. You owe the life of your pack to the son of Serius, and you robbed him of everything. You should be facing severe punishment for your hate crimes, but fortunately for you, the love the boy has in his heart, stops us from hurting you the way you deserve, but still," They reached toward him. A sharp whip of water cut into his chest, forcing Anthony onto the ground. It burned like fire, and froze him like ice. A black crystallized scar formed over the gaping crack. "This mark will forever show the blackness you refused to see in your heart. Now every lobain, including you, will know your true colors."

The rest of the alphas took a knee, and bowed before Bermuda. Anthony swallowed the lump in his throat, one of his hands clasped the icy, fiery pain, on his chest. He denied nothing. The figures nodded approvingly.