Page 39 of Bitten Shifter (The Bitten Chronicles #1)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

My jaw nearly hits the floor at this man’s sheer audacity. Merrick is practically vibrating with barely contained rage. The hand that isn’t holding mine is clenched so tightly that his knuckles have turned white.

Lander, oblivious or simply reckless, opens his mouth to continue without a care, utterly unaware of how close he is to having his head ripped off his shoulders.

Dayna cuts in, her sharp tone slicing through the tension. “No. None of that. We all know the Human First chapter responsible for the abduction ended up in little pieces in the Human Sector.”

“Sure,” Lander interjects, his smirk widening. “But it wasn’t the Alpha Prime doing the ripping apart, was it? That honour goes to a vampire.” His eyes gleam with thinly veiled malice as he ticks points off on his fingers. “Let’s summarise, shall we? First, the Shifter Ministry’s technological centre gets attacked, which leads to your technomancer and fated mate being bitten and turned. Then there’s a wizard’s house—how convenient. Follow that with her abduction by Human First, and, to top it off, an ancient vampire decides to ‘clean up’ under the guise of a hunt. It looks like you have got more than a few problems on your plate, pal.”

Merrick’s muscles bunch like coiled springs, tension radiating from every inch of him.

“Lander!” Dayna snaps, her voice ringing with authority. “Enough. We do not pick fights with allies.”

“I’m merely stating facts, sister dear,” Lander drawls, though the glint in his eyes is anything but innocent. “Nobody’s fighting here.”

For a moment, I’m certain Merrick will lunge across the table and tear Lander’s throat out. Then he exhales slowly. His entire body relaxes as he sinks back in his chair, his thumb brushing gentle circles against my wrist—a silent reassurance that he’s in control. For now.

At least Lander Kane does not know about the mage battle at the hotel with his sister, where I almost got fried. If he did, he’d probably twist that into Merrick’s fault too. My gaze drifts to Dayna, her face a portrait of exasperation. I can almost hear the internal sigh as she watches Lander with the kind of patience usually reserved for unruly children.

“The wizard’s house,” Merrick says, his voice low and measured, his mask of civility firmly in place. “Can you explain why my mate—a forty-seven-year-old human—entered it bleeding and emerged a shifter, looking decades younger? Do you know anything about that?”

“We don’t,” Dayna replies, her expression firm. Despite her youthful appearance, there’s a weight to her presence suggesting she is high-ranking in the council—and not by accident.

“We’re investigating it,” she continues. “The house seems to have disappeared—relocated to another sector or possibly another country. We will track it down and analyse it. Councillor Kane,” she adds pointedly, “will be involved in that investigation.”

Lander scowls, crossing his arms. “Will I now?”

“Yes, you will,” Dayna says through gritted teeth. “And pack it in.”

I glance around the room, fighting the urge to bolt. The other council members watch quietly, and this place feels more suffocating by the second.

“We have a human government representative arriving shortly,” Dayna announces, checking a sleek, enchanted watch on her wrist. “Twenty minutes, to be exact. They will explain why we were not notified of a technomancer in their midst.” Her voice sharpens. “We will also discuss compensation on behalf of the Alpha Prime, Mrs Winters and the Magic Sector. The sterilisation of a rare mage is a gross overstep, and from now on, all non-consensual magical sterilisations are suspended until Parliament reviews the matter. I also move to ban the practice entirely. It’s barbaric.”

A chorus of agreement ripples around the table.

I find myself nodding.

“Does anyone have any questions?” Dayna asks, scanning the table. When no one speaks, she adds, “No? Excellent. Let’s take a short break for refreshments.”

I’m exhausted and uncomfortably sweaty, the magic and atmosphere in here are taking their toll. Just as I’m about to sag with relief, Merrick speaks.

“We will be leaving now. There’s nothing further we need to discuss.”

“We haven’t covered Mrs Winters’s magic,” a man pipes up.

“We have covered enough,” Merrick says firmly, though there’s no mistaking the growl beneath his words.

“She will need to be assessed and trained,” a woman interjects, her lined face stern. “We can’t have someone untrained wandering the country and blowing things up. Laws exist for a reason. You are not above the law, Alpha Prime.”

“And I can’t believe you work in IT,” Lander Kane says with an infuriating grin. “That means your control must be impressive, but we need to ensure it’s sufficient. You have already passed small tests without knowing it. If this is your first time in the Magic Sector, the ambient power alone can drive an unprepared magic user mad—most cope only because they grew up here.”

Well, it would’ve been nice to know that before stepping off the plane. Still, I keep my face blank.

“My assessment,” the same woman continues, her gaze boring into me, “is that Mrs Winters has good control. From what Councillor Kane told us, she is well-grounded—no doubt self-taught. But she is powerful.” Her eyes are sharp and probing, as though dissecting me.

I shrug, refusing to give her anything more.

“In our history,” a man chimes in, adjusting his glasses, “we have never had a magic shifter. Surviving being bitten, turning, and retaining powers is unprecedented. Theoretically, magic would be the first thing to go—along with their humanity.”

“Shifters are human,” I say, my voice tight with anger, the words snapping out before I can stop them.

“Of course they are. Of course,” he backpedals, waving a dismissive hand that makes me want to shove his chair over.

“So we agree Mrs Winters will stay for a few days to be assessed and trained,” the woman declares, as if it’s already decided and they don’t need my consent.

“I didn’t agree to anything,” Merrick snarls, every inch of him taut with fury.

“I’d prefer a couple of months,” the woman adds, ignoring him.

Tea! my mind screams as everything begins to spiral out of control. I want to shout, “ You promised me! You promised they wouldn’t make me stay!” But I clamp my frustrated words behind my teeth. This isn’t Merrick’s fault. Having a tantrum won’t help; it will only make things worse.

Sometimes, you can’t fight the current—you have to go with it.

It’s only two days.

I inhale, steadying the turbulence inside. It would be foolish to refuse the chance to learn more about my magic. Even a day or two with a real tutor could help me refine my control.

Merrick looks torn, guilt and devastation warring on his face. He promised me, but he can’t fix this. We’re not above the law, and both of us know it. It must be horrible to wield so much power yet have a mate who keeps landing in trouble—though, to be fair, it’s never intentional.

“I’ve managed my magic for over thirty years without anyone knowing what I am,” I say. “I think I can handle two days of training.” I rest a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. You said yourself, we don’t want to start a war.”

“Absolutely not,” Merrick growls, fury roughening his voice. He glares at the Council. “This is not what we discussed.”

Behind me, Riker rolls his shoulders and cracks his knuckles.

The tension in the room tightens like a noose. The other shifters bristle, poised for a fight.