Page 44 of Shifters Unifying (Shifters Destiny: Willow Creek Shifters #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

emma

Six-Mile Manor

“Mom. Let. It. Go,” I repeated for the tenth time and leaned back in Logan’s desk chair, smoothing my hand over the patch of leather.

She pursed her lips and stared me down over Logan’s laptop and the mess of paperwork on his desk. “You know I can’t. I need to know what’s going on in your life.”

Caution and suspicion flicked through the bond I shared with Logan. Long distances diminished the details we shared, and I wished it was more like a direct phone call or texting. Experiencing the general sense of his feelings when he was far away… was hard.

You’d better be okay, Logan. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him while he was out there.

After I’d spent a few hours trying to sleep, I’d gotten dressed, made some coffee, and settled in his study. That’s where my mother had found me after the sun peeked over the horizon.

“There are things I am not willing to discuss with you right now,” I continued. “You must trust me when I say you’re not ready to know everything.”

My mother scowled at me from the other side of Logan’s desk. “Why?”

“Because I can’t be strong enough for you, too.”

She stood and came around the desk to place her hand on mine.

“You give me less credit than I deserve, you know. I’ve been hearing things.

It’s all much more serious than you’ve been letting on.

” She straightened and put her hands on her hips.

“Now where’s that boyfriend of yours gone off to? Maybe he can help convince you.”

“He had to go on a… mission, Mom. I can’t tell you anything more.” A figure passed by the window, blocking the light from the window that had done little to warm the chill in my bones. Logan could be strolling into a trap with some of our best people in tow, and I’d been made to rest.

Fat chance. Not with people I loved out there.

“Have you eaten?”

“Yeah.” I hadn’t, but the thought of food turned my stomach.

Dr. Wise knocked on the open door, carrying her attaché case. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “Am I interrupting?”

“No, not at all. Please, come in,” I said.

“I’m headed into Willow Creek to meet with Sheila, and I thought I might take Sophia for lunch at Vixen’s. I missed our last support group meeting.”

“Is it lunch time already?” I groaned. How long had I been seated in Logan’s chair, worrying for him? I should probably try to force some protein down my throat.

“It will be by the time we make it to Willow Creek and run a few errands,” Dr. Wise offered.

“Could Emma come along?” Mom ventured. “She could use some food, and I know how much she enjoys Phillies.”

But I shook my head. “No, I need to stay here, keep an eye on things.”

Mom pressed her lips into a tight line, and I could tell she was deciding which of us would be willing to give her the information she wanted. Finally, she said, “I think I’d like that.”

“Is Logan around?” Dr. Wise asked. “I need to check in with him.”

“No, he went on a mission,” Mom answered for me.

Another shadow, roughly the same size and shape of the first, crossed in front of the window again, and I put a finger to my lips to shush the other two women. I eased toward the glass. Who would be sneaking around the exterior of the house?

Salali stood on the other side of the study window, her head pressed against the manor well. My jaw slacked, and my stomach twisted as a suspicion formed. Why was she eavesdropping on our conversation? Fuck.

I should have warded the study against sound. Hell, maybe I should have warded the whole damn compound. Why hadn’t I thought of that before?

“Stay here,” I commanded and dashed out of the office.

When I reached the front porch, I stopped to listen. Footsteps hurried away, toward the back of the property. Shifting into a rat, I leapt off the porch and scurried after the retreating Salali. What was she up to?

Each time she stopped, I did, too, hiding behind buildings, trash, and fallen branches, my nose and tail twitching, my pulse pounding in my ears.

She walked along the tree line at the rear of the manicured portion of the property near where Theo had been cremated, as though searching the ground for something she’d lost, and then she spun and strolled nonchalantly into the forest.

Once the flora had thickened enough to disguise her movement, she changed to her squirrel form and increased her speed, and I raced after her, hoping my rat paws would move quickly enough to keep up. Anything bigger than a rat, and I might garner her attention, change her plans.

And I had to know why she was sneaking around and what she was doing.

We continued until we reached the far side of Six-Mile territory, adjacent to No Man’s Land. By then, the sun was nearly straight overheard, and Salali hopped up onto a large, rotting tree stump and shook her bushy tail as she studied the skies.

I tucked myself into a shallow depression in the dirt, probably dug out by a hungry animal, searching under the edge of a large rock. Salali had to be meeting someone out here, someone she didn’t want anyone else to see her meeting.

A shadow slipped over the ground, and I looked up as a raven settled on a low-hanging branch and cawed three times.

After Salali chittered back, three distinct times, the bird hopped down to the stump beside her and shifted into its human form—a young woman with a shaved head and rune tattoos skin over most of her body.

The stranger jumped off the stump and whirled to face the leader of East Nuttal. “Update?” she demanded, peering around the forest in the jerky way birds did. “Any news?”

Salali grinned, and her eyes sparkled with delight. “The wolf took the bait, and he’s already gone… just as Acheron promised. Six-Mile is ripe for my taking. East Nuttal will become the top clan.”

The stranger glared. “You must wait until Acheron collects more shifters and sends additional warriors to support you in your overthrow attempt.”

Salali’s gaze narrowed. “Well, tell our master that I’m growing impatient. Fawning over the multimorph is getting old.”

I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping. Fawning over…

“He spared you from injury in the attack at the creek,” the other one snapped. “Your fealty and obedience are required.”

A twig snapped somewhere in the forest, and they both froze to listen and test the air. Had someone else followed us into the woods?

“I must go,” the raven said. “I’ll return in two days’ time for our next report.”

Salali caught the arm of the raven. “But not here next time. It’s too close to the manor, and we’re just asking to get caught. Some place back in East Nuttal.”

The stranger hopped away, flapping her arms as she shifted into a bird who flew into the air. She circled once and then pointed her beak toward No Man’s Land.

Salali glanced over her shoulder and shrank down into her squirrel form before darting over the underbrush, back toward Six-Mile… like she hadn’t just given a report to the enemy… like she wasn’t on Acheron’s side.

After the noise of Salali scampering through the forest disappeared in the distance, I slipped out of my hiding place, changed into a hum, and sagged against the closest tree, fighting a rush of sobs.

I’d been so desperate for another supporter, any supporter, and I’d completely missed who Salali really was.

My ally…

The alpha of East Nuttal Delta…

…is a traitor.

The Gathering Place

Between Bear Trees & Red Tail Territories

“You won’t win,” Salali spat at me.

The squirrel alpha stood on display at the front of the now doubly warded Gathering Place, to one side, and I stood opposite as her confronter and accuser.

She seethed. “You will fail. Acheron is stronger. His is the only way for our kind to survive.”

At her words, Torbin, who had been leaning on the council table behind us, leapt forward. “You will not speak to the multimorph,” Torbin roared in Salali’s face, his spittle splattering her cheeks. “Traitors have no rights and no voice here.”

The minute Salali had strolled back into camp, picking leaves from her hair, I’d shifted to my human form, called an emergency conclave, and sent her warriors to contain her with other members of Six-Mile following behind, observing their behavior.

Maybe it had been a risky test, but it was the quickest way for me to determine if Salali’s best five had been in on it.

Evie, Ahmie, Reuben, Benjamin, and Levi had all gone to do my bidding with questions in their eyes. But they’d gone without challenging me. For now, none of them were on my shit list. Confirmation by delving would come later.

“Continue, multimorph,” Torbin instructed gruffly. “If necessary, we will gag and bridle her to keep her quiet. She will respect your position among us.”

With Logan gone, my appreciation for Torbin’s supportive leadership had doubled. The bear liked to play devil’s advocate now and then, but he was loyal and dependable. When he decided a thing, he was immovable.

“Thank you,” I mouthed.

He ducked his head.

I turned to the assembled alphas and clan members.

“As you know, I caught Salali at the window of Logan’s—of my—office,” I corrected, “eavesdropping. That alone means nothing other than a stern reprimand. But I left the manor house and followed her to the edge of Six-Mile where she met with a raven who I did not recognize. They spoke of our plans, and when the raven left, the shifter flew toward…” I stumbled on what to say since so few knew where Logan had gone.

And I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. “Toward Acheron.”

Levi stood from his seat in the assembled shifters. “How do you know the raven flew toward Acheron, multimorph?”

Salali glared at me, at him, at anybody who met her gaze.

“She speaks the truth,” Marcus announced from his spot against the wall, his head held high. He’d brought himself into the gathering place and felt his way down the stairs, stumbling only once. “I share the knowledge that sent Logan on a mission that, clearly, must remain a secret.”

A murmur filtered through the attendees.

“Ah, yes, had none of you noticed that her fated mate isn’t in attendance?” he boomed. “They’re as blind as I am,” he added under his breath. Louder, he added, “What reason could he have to leave except being sent? By your leader, by our leader,” he added.

“We should know what the multimorph knows,” someone quipped from the back.

Marcus scoffed. “We’ve discovered one spy for Acheron. Do you really believe there aren’t more?” His words sent icy tendrils down my spine. “It’s the same reason we kept our journey to ourselves.”

“There is only one way to determine the truth of my accusation,” I said. “As the most skilled in the talent, Torbin must delve her mind to determine her allegiance. She will not be able to hide from his mental questioning.”

“And how will we know that he speaks the truth of what he finds in our alpha?” That had come from Evie, and Ahmie nodded beside her. “How will he share this with us?”

Torbin growled at the implication that he could be anything less than honest.

I gestured for him to remain silent. “I have already considered this concern. To alleviate it, I will use a relic to connect a jury of twelve to Torbin as he delves her mind. These can be twelve shifters of your choosing.”

Marcus frowned. “What if a spy is selected in the twelve?”

“Then the spy will only discover what they likely already know. However, if twelve share the same visions, then there will be enough witnesses to determine Salali’s treachery.

” I had no idea if I could pull all that off or not, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

I continued. “Those same twelve will also determine her punishment, and I will approve it.”

A tumult erupted in the assembled shifters. Names were shouted and arguments began almost immediately. Anger, resolve, and passion spiced the air. Shifters jostled one another, and the horde threatened to turn into a mob.

Torbin slammed the large rock on the table like a gavel. “Silence!”

After the crowd had stilled, I nodded to him. Louder, I announced, “You have one hour. Make sure you have twelve. I am the multimorph.”

They exploded again, but I’d said my piece. So, my heart pounding, I marched up the steps in the center aisle and exited the conclave.