<h4>Chapter 439: The Historian</h4>


    <strong>Eve</strong>


    Most had converged, waiting. The clock read two minutes to five as the council filled into theboratory, that I learned from Montague was the ce where Hades first exposed them to the intricacies of his n concerning the blood war.


    It had been hard for him to say some part of it but he had trusted me enough to give the details. And I couldn’t lie; the scar tingled for a second. It was healed, felt like a lifetime ago.


    His n to use me, drain me, and force me to be a soldier in his army; saviour and ve.


    "Back then he was in denial, even I could see through his charade. He was in love with you even then," he had said as he made ns for this pivotal meeting.


    The bloodmoon wasing and so would the war. I knew how easily the seemingly inconsequential details could be simply nced at and buried under the weight ofrger schemes.


    But not this time. Not when everything hung in the bnce. Darius had an ace up his sleeve and he had let us know it.


    I watched the council members file in. Ss, Gallinti and some of the lesser Alphas. They took a ce in theboratory, the very same one where my fate had once been decided without my presence.


    How different things were now.


    Just as we exchanged greeting, there were more footsteps as the honey-skinned high Gamma walked in with her retinues nking her on either side.


    She greeted the room, her eyes meeting mine with a pleasant expression on her face, but still far from a smile. "I am honored that you invited me to an official council meeting."


    I returned the pleasantries, "Don’t humble yourself so much." My tone turned serious. "You are integral here as much as everyone else."


    A curious look crossed her face before it faded. "So why are we here? You mentioned you wanted to fast track the preparations for the bloodmoon and the inevitable war that wille with it."


    Ss spoke up, brows raised. "What prompted this decision, Luna? The Alpha is not yet returned."


    Gallinti piped up. "Or do you perhaps believe that the Alpha might not..."


    "My husband will return in one piece. We have bonded ourselves by the Fenrir’s chain. I would know if anything befell him."


    The silence that followed lingered, until it pulled taut and snapped.


    "I apologise, Luna for my..."


    "Don’t," I cut him off, my voice firm but not unkind. "You have every right to ask questions." I swallowed hard, the words catching in my throat. There had not been any more reports from the search. Thest report was just to show how impermeable Silverpine Pack was.


    But now I had to focus on what my heart was telling me. To keep going. Even when Rhea, my wolf, had been ripped from me by wolfbane, I continued to move. And Rhea came back and met me in a better ce, in a better space. The same would happen with Hades.


    I kept all that to myself and addressed the council. Theb was white and sterile, no one except us was around, so the echoes were eerie.


    "We have noticed that Alpha Darius of Silverpine has always been a step ahead of us," I began, my voice carrying clearly in the stark space. "Even as I will concede that my father is the brilliant type of cunning, to be more potent, he always uses an edge, a tool to topple the bnce in whatever game he ys—be it chess, poker, or an all-out war."


    I paused, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "But time and time again, he drops a crumb for us to pick up."


    Montague stepped forward, his expression grave. "We first noticed this pattern during the kidnapping of my grandchild, Elliot. An arcane, ornate ’M’ etched into the wilting skin of the ferals—savage monsters with no thought or mind—yet somehow gave them amand: to abduct a child."


    The screen flickered to life behind him, disying the haunting image of the mysterious symbol burned into decaying flesh.


    "You said you saw it on your sister in your memory during the Fenrir’s Rite," Gallinti snapped his fingers.


    "Yes, the same mark." I affirmed. "It was the same mark that caused Lucinda Montague to assist in the attempted kidnapping of her own grandchild and assisted the abduction of the Beta."


    The air was snuffed clean from the room. The weight of my words settled like lead in their chests. I could see the realization dawning on their faces—the horrible understanding of what we were truly dealing with.


    Montague’s jaw tightened, his hands clenching at his sides. The pain of his daughter’s betrayal, and causing his wife to put under vampiricpulsion, was written clearly across his weathered features.


    "Mind control," Ss breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. "He’s been using mind control. This Changes things, this is too close to home."


    "But that was not the only time,"


    Every back straighted. Victoriana gracing me with a curious look. "There were other times?"


    "Yes, when we investigated the paths Hades took for his search for Kael, we ended up at thest ce he had been, Felicia’s room in Montegue’s manor. There we found that there was an illusion over the room to conceal the mess left behind, or more clues we could find for our investigation."


    Victoriana arched a brow. "If there was an illusion how did you know?"


    Montegue answered, "Elliot, thr Prince, Hades’ son was the only one who saw straight through the trick."


    They gasped.


    "How?" Victoriana asked. "How can a child see through an illusion like that and how are you sure what he was tell you was through. Children have wild imagination." She asked, not unkindly.


    "This bizarre, convoluted situation has been centuries in the making. But as my knowledge about Vampires and their abilities are limited, we have invited a specialist."


    As if summoned by my words, footsteps echoed from the corridor outside. The door opened and a man stepped inside, his presence immediatelymanding attention.


    He introduced himself with a slight bow. "Good evening, Council members. I am Dr. Jonathan ckwood." His voice had the same soft knowing lilth of his sister’s. Their simrities did not stop at their hazel eyes.


    I stepped forward to address the room. "Dr. ckwood is Dr. Amelia’s brother," I exined, watching as recognition flickered across some faces. "The therapist," I rified.


    She had be far more than just a therapist. Far more.


    Rmending her brother was for Elliot. With his abilities, I wanted to understand all there was to him; what his abilities would be and how his partial vampirism would continue to affect him as he matured.


    But after revealing all the strange urrences with vampirism, she had an even better idea. We had puzzle pieces of events and he had the knowledge to arrange them in order so we could see the final, probably daunting, full picture.