Page 31 of Rebel for Claws (Rebellious Mates #4)
TWENTY-FOUR
ALARIC
A laric stood at the front of the grand hall, his commanding presence drawing every eye as conversations gradually died into expectant silence.
The ancient stone walls seemed to pulse with the collective tension of pack leaders and rebellion leaders who had spent decades as enemies, now forced into uneasy alliance by Thorne's systematic purge of their shifter kind.
This is it. The moment that will either unite us or tear us apart completely.
His enhanced senses, still adjusting to the partial activation of his dormant genes, cataloged every heartbeat, every subtle shift in posture, and every flicker of doubt or determination crossing the faces before him.
The mate bond hummed strong between him and Vivian, her eyes meeting his with that fierce intelligence that had captivated him from their first volatile encounter.
"The strategy sessions have been productive," Alaric announced. "Each territorial group has outlined comprehensive defense plans that integrate traditional pack tactics with rebellion innovations. We're ready to return to our respective territories and prepare for war."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the assembled leaders.
Beta Kane from Granite Ridge nodded grimly as he stood beside Logan and Zoe, while Elena and Damon stepped forward from the Tidewater group, their tactical minds already working through logistics.
Kieran and Maya flanked the Silvercrest pack representatives, their lethal competence evident in every calculated movement.
We have the framework. We have the alliance. We have ? —
"Wait."
Vivian's voice cut through the room like a sharp blade, stopping Alaric mid-gesture as he prepared to officially adjourn the emergency war council. Every head turned toward her, and he felt that familiar surge of pride mixed with protective instinct as she stepped to the front of the hall.
Whatever she's about to do, it's going to change everything. Again.
"Before we scatter to the four winds to fight this war," Vivian continued, her eyes blazing with purpose, "there's something you all need to see. Something you need to understand about what we're truly fighting for."
Alaric's jaw tightened as he recognized the set of her shoulders, and the particular tilt of her chin that meant she was about to reveal another game-changing truth. Through their bond, he felt her determination like molten steel, unshakeable and absolute.
"Vivian—" he started, but she held up a hand.
"I can shift into multiple animal forms," she announced, her voice carrying to every corner of the hall. "An ability you all thought extinct for centuries. The High Council didn't just suppress our ancient bloodlines—they systematically eradicated knowledge of what we could become."
A deafening silence fell over the gathered group of leaders. Alaric watched Alpha Gage's face go pale, saw Beta Kane take an involuntary step backward, and witnessed the mixture of awe and fear flickering across the leaders' expressions.
Brilliant and terrifying. My mate is going to either inspire them or send them running.
"This isn't something to be feared," Vivian continued, beginning to remove her tactical jacket with fluid grace. "It's a beacon of hope for what our kind can achieve when we stop limiting ourselves to the High Council's narrow vision."
Alaric's enhanced senses picked up the spike in heart rates around the room, the sharp intakes of breath, and even some low whistles of admiration. But it was the scent of genuine fear from some of the pack leaders that made his protective instincts surge.
She's putting herself at incredible risk. If this goes wrong ? —
Vivian stepped into the open space at the center of the hall, her pale blonde hair catching the afternoon sunlight streaming through the high windows. "Watch," she said simply, and began to shift.
Alaric had seen her partial transformations before, but witnessing the full display in front of dozens of leaders was breathtaking.
Her body maintained its essential wolf form—white fur with those distinctive silver patterns—but her eyes became the large, luminous orbs of an owl, providing supernatural night vision.
Her legs transformed into the powerful, graceful limbs of a panther, granting her inhuman agility and silent movement.
Across her back and shoulders, the bulked muscle and raw strength of a bear emerged, promising devastating force.
Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent.
Gasps echoed through the grand hall like a symphony of shock and wonder.
Some leaders leaned forward in fascination, while others instinctively backed away from the beautiful, deadly creature before them.
In this form, Vivian embodied everything their ancestors had been capable of—power, grace, and magical abilities beyond modern comprehension.
She held the transformation for several heartbeats, letting every person present absorb the reality of what they were witnessing. Then, with the same fluid grace, she shifted back to human form and calmly retrieved her clothes from where she'd placed them and got dressed in record time.
"The High Council spent three centuries suppressing abilities like these," Vivian said, her voice calm and measured despite the emotional weight of her revelation.
"They manipulated our genetics, enforced the Severance laws, and eliminated anyone who showed signs of ancient power—all to maintain their control over what they considered a threat to our kind. "
Alaric stepped closer to her, his presence both supportive and subtly protective as he read the mixed reactions in the room.
"The experiments Thorne conducted on me during my captivity weren't random torture," he added, his voice carrying new understanding.
"He was searching for my dormant genes, testing to see if the ancient bloodlines could be reactivated through artificial means. "
And now they know why. Because when those bloodlines combine ? —
"The secondary prophecy isn't just about creating one powerful Alpha," Vivian continued, her eyes meeting each leader's gaze in turn. "It's about unlocking the potential that exists in all of us. The potential the High Council has spent centuries convincing us we didn't possess."
Elder Callum, representing the Silvercrest pack on the High Council, leaned forward in his chair, his weathered face thoughtful. "You're suggesting that our entire understanding of shifter capabilities has been deliberately limited."
"I'm not suggesting it," Vivian replied firmly. "I'm proving it. Your High Council didn't just separate humans and shifters to prevent hybrid births. They did it to prevent the evolution of our kind into something they couldn't control."
The magnitude of the conspiracy is staggering. Three hundred years of systematic suppression.
Kieran stepped forward. "If dormant abilities exist in our bloodlines, abilities that can be reactivated through specific matings or circumstances..."
"Then every leader in this room represents untapped potential," Maya finished, her scientific mind clearly racing through the possibilities. "Not just political power, but actual supernatural abilities that could reshape our entire shifter society."
The room erupted into heated discussion, voices overlapping as leaders grappled with revelations that challenged everything they thought they knew about their own nature. Alaric watched Vivian closely, noting the slight tension in her shoulders as she waited for the emotional storm to settle.
She's not done. There's more she needs to tell them.
"There's something else," Vivian said, her voice cutting through the chaos with razor precision.
The room fell silent again, anticipation crackling like electricity.
"The secondary prophecy has a hidden clause that Lena discovered.
The mating of the last descendant of the original ancient shapeshifter bloodline and the Silvercrest Alpha will either unite all wolves in the Pacific Northwest Cascade territory—or destroy everything completely. "
And there it is. The truth that's been haunting us both for days.
Alaric felt the blood drain from several faces around the room.
Alpha Gage sat down heavily, while Beta Kane's hand moved instinctively toward his concealed weapon.
The leaders exchanged glances loaded with implications, and he could practically see the political calculations spinning behind their eyes.
"You're telling us," Elder Callum said slowly, "that completing your mate bond could potentially annihilate every wolf shifter in the territory."
"Or it could unlock abilities that finally allow us to coexist with humans, to evolve beyond the limitations the High Council imposed, and to become what our ancestors were meant to be," Vivian countered.
The weight of an entire civilization's future resting on his shoulders. No pressure whatsoever.
Alaric moved to stand beside his mate, his presence radiating the calm authority that had kept the Silvercrest pack stable for thirty years.
"The hidden clause is ambiguous by design," he said, his enhanced senses reading the room's emotional temperature with supernatural precision.
"Prophecies are warnings, not certainties.
They show us possible futures, not inevitable ones. "
"But the risk—" Alpha Gage started.
"The risk of maintaining the status quo is extinction," Elena interrupted, her rebellion leader instincts cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Thorne isn't going to stop with coordinated strikes.
He's going to keep escalating until he's eliminated every threat to his power, which means all of us. "
She's right. We're already on a path to destruction. The question is whether we choose to go down fighting.
Damon stepped forward, his analytical mind offering a different perspective. "The prophecy speaks of uniting or destroying all wolves in the territory. It doesn't specify whether that destruction would be physical annihilation or the destruction of our current social structure."
"A distinction that matters," Logan added grimly, "because our current social structure is already destroying us from within."
The room fell into contemplative silence as leaders processed the implications.
Alaric watched emotions flicker across faces—fear, hope, determination, and resignation.
These were warriors and strategists, people accustomed to making life-and-death decisions, but the scope of this choice was unprecedented.
The future of our entire world, hanging in the balance of a mate bond.
"We're not asking anyone to make this decision for us," Vivian said finally, her voice carrying the quiet strength that had first captivated him.
"Alaric and I will choose our own path. But you all deserve to know what that choice might mean for the territory, for your packs, and for your families. "
Alaric felt a surge of fierce pride through their bond. Even facing potential universal condemnation, she stood tall, refusing to hide from the truth or shift responsibility to others.
This is why she's perfect for me. Fearless in the face of impossible odds.
"What we're asking," he added, his Alpha authority lending weight to the words, "is that you trust us to make that choice with full awareness of the consequences. And that whatever happens, we face it together as allies, not enemies."
The leaders began to file out of the grand hall, their conversations subdued but purposeful. Some cast uncertain glances toward Alaric and Vivian, while others offered subtle nods of support. The atmosphere was thick with unresolved tension, hope, and fear in equal measure.
Mixed reactions, as expected. But no one's calling for our immediate exile or execution, so that's progress.
As the last of the leaders disappeared through the hall's ancient doorways, Alaric turned to his mate, reading the exhaustion and determination warring in her violet eyes.
"That," he said quietly, "was either the bravest thing I've ever witnessed, or the most strategically dangerous."
Vivian's smile held equal parts weariness and fierce satisfaction. "Probably both. But at least now everyone knows exactly what they're fighting for—or against."
Indeed. Now we discover whether truth is stronger than fear.