Chapter 34
-Ignati
Dorothy’s appearance at the top of the stairs had me captivated, frozen mid-hand shake with the first
guest who had just arrived. I gazed in awe as she descended the staircase, slowly, watching her step
and fixing her eyes on me like I was the only person in the room.
She looked gorgeous. My guest was forgotten as I gazed at my mute, pride swelling in my chest.
Finally, Dorothy reached the bottom of the stairs and glided over.
She smiled at the elder member who I hadpletely forgotten about for a moment. “Hello, Michael,
d you could make
It.”
Michael was one of the younger members of the council and this made him way more epting of
current events,
“Dorothy! Happy to be here,” he boomed, taking her hand and shaking it with genuine enthusiasm.
“You look ravishing. Your mate is a lucky man.”
He wasn’t wrong there. Dorothy blushed redder than her outfit and thanked him. Almost immediately,
more guests began to arrive and the party was underway in no time. The mansion was teeming with
people – all dressed to the nines for the
asion.
Both Dorothy and myself were swept from one group of people to the next, all interested in
Socialising has never been my strongest suit. I knew how to be witty and I knew how to be charming.
But talking to so m people at once was something I had never been able to enjoy whatsoever.
Dorothy, too, seemed to be struggling although she rarely showed it. I was impressed with my mate’s
ability to feign interest, dazzle, and draw in everyone that she spoke with, swirling her champagne
ss like it was the most natural thing in the world
If it was not for her constant stream of dialogue in my head. I wouldn’t have thought she was struggling
at all.
“Why does everyone insist on calling me little one? – Hello there, nice to meet you. I’m Dorothy – What
kind of name is Delorous? Nob*dy under eighty is named Delorous Oh, that’s very interesting – I need
another drink…”
And so on and so forth while I fought to keep a straight face and my focus on the conversation taking
ce before me.
So far the night was going well, which was both a relief and a little surprising. Although, neither Angie
nor my father had shown up yet so there was still time to change that.
I noticed Angie’s grandfather in the crowd and frowned. Angie was supposed to be there with him, and
yet I couldn’t pick up her scent at all
Either she was masking it in an attempt to hide from me among the bustling guests or she hadn’t
arrived yet. I wasn’t sure which possibility irked me more.
I noticed Emanual’s wife arriving, dressed in a brilliant blue evening gown that cascaded to the floor. I
kept my eye on her and waited for her to pick up a drink before approaching
“Mirriane, d you could make it. Although I don’t see your husband here with you?”
The woman looked startled at my sudden appearance and turned her gaze away, staring down into her
N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.
ss with a slight pout “He has business to attend to.
“On New Year’s Eve?”
1 had been suspicious when the Khall Pack had suddenly fallen silent on us and now my suspicions
were all but confirmed.
10:45 FM, Jan 26
If Emanual was not here it meant he was cohorting with another pack. He had sent his wife to cover his
tracks. It seemed the Khall had ns of their own.
Mirriane didn’t answer me but she lifted her gaze to focus on Dorothy, who slipped around individuals
before getting caught up in yet another conversation with someone named Delprous.
Mirane kept her eyes on Dorothy when she spoke, “Did you know she came from a supposedly wiped-
out pack?”
I stood next to her with my arms folded, my eyes following Dorothy, waiting for the moment it would be
just the two of us once again. “”Supposedly!
Mirriane frowned openly, her disdain for Dorothy was made wholly apparent just then. “She didn’t
deliver herself to our doorstep. Someone brought her to us – a woman- said she needed somewhere to
hide. Our people had just suffered a heavy loss at the hands of your jack.”
She paused, pointedly at that, to let her words sink in before continuing, “We couldn’t afford to take in
strangers. The risk was too great. But Emanuel had a soft heart – he always has. He told the woman
he couldn’t allow her to stay, but he would take in the child and hide her among our people. The woman
agreed. That is how your mate came to be with usi
She narrowed her eyes at Dorothy who wasughing at something we couldn’t hear “Fifteen yearster
and she’s still causing trouble for us
“You can’t possibly me her for everything that’s happened”
Mirriane gritted her teeth. “Not everything, no. But there’s no denying the trouble she brings to
everyone around her.
She stormed off and struck up a conversation with another pack elder before I could say another word.
I was left wondering what exactly Eanamal was up to and why it had his wife angry enough to put the
me on a single young girl.
-Dorothy-
From the moment guests started arriving I had been swept off my feet, swallowed up in a flurry of
conversation and clinking sses.
Ignatius had disappeared among the throngs of people to scoop up every elder of nearby packs who
could make it in an attempt to get them on our side. Convincing people that the Bielke were not
murderous tyrants, was a lot easier when they had two or three sses of champagne in their system.
After a while. I decided I needed a well-deserved break from the gathering and made my way outside
to walk the quiet gardens alone. I breathed in the crisp night air and cleared my mind of all the
overwhelming mingling scents inside the
The garden was empty, only illuminated by the light streaming out of the front door and spilling over the
relieved for it.
I crooned shrilly and heard the famr pping of wings as Artemis swooped down to perch on my
forearm
It was usually necessary to wear gloves when letting a sharp-wed wild falcon cling to you, but now
that my healing abilities had sped up exponentially, I didnt quiet mind the talons in my arm
Ignatius had called me a masochist for my indifference to the pain but it had just never bothered me all
that much
I trailed off further into the wild gardens, until the sounds of the party were barely audible and stared up
at the moon. Artemis co cked hals head to the side and regarded me with his heady ck eyes
I was just about really to go back inside when I caught a securt that was unlike the others I had picked
up on that evening I looked around me, peering into the dark and cursing my underdeveloped night
vision
Tcouldnt see anything out of the ordinary, nor could I hear anything but the chaping of crickets and the
fami voices of
Hirlke territory
was about to jjun around when a vonce behind me made me pump in my
10:45 Fri, Jan 26
skin.
“Hey there ru-, Hey Dorothy
I whirled around to face Angie, the odd scent forgotten as I took in the gorgeous shifter standing before
me. Artemis. sq uawked at my sudden movements but stayed put.
Angie wore a cream dress that swished around her knees and a low neckline that swooped just above
her breasts. She was holding two sses of sparkling red wine in her hands. She was also attempting
a weak smile and I mimicked her.
“Hey, Ignatius was wondering when you’d be arriving
Angieughed, a bell-like tinkling in the quiet of the garden. “I’ve been here for a while, actually. Just
wasn’t sure if he even wanted to see me.
Lraised my shoulders and dropped them again. “Well, yeah. You’re not too popr in his books right
now, all things
considered.
Angleughed again and ground her heel into the grass. “That’s fair. I havent been very nicetely.”
She was confusing me. One minute Angie hated my guts and now suddenly she’s talking to me like
we’re friends. I had my guard up immediately. I trusted Angie about as far as I could throw her, and
considering my twig arms andck of upper b*dy strength, that wasn’t very far at all.
I kept up the politeness though, ready to y along with her faux friendship charade for as long as she
would. Maybe she really did have a change of heart? Or maybe she was just trying alternative tactics
seeing as her threats had done nothing to
scare me JOY.
“Anyway,” Angie continued, eyeing Artemis warily and holding out one of the sses towards me. “I
thought maybe we could put the past behind us. For Ignatius’s sake. Maybe we can try to get along
I narrowed my eyes at her, her face was difficult to read in the dim light and I was distrusting of this
sudden shift in her approach towards me. But then again, this could be an opportunity to finally get
Angie onboard with everything
Like Ignatius said, we can’t appear divided. Thest thing I needed was for Angie to make a scene if I
didn’t go along with her new proposal for friendship.
I took the ss from her and stared down at the dark liquid. Angie lifted her ss. “To a better future.”
Before she could take a sip however, a new voice called over to us,
“Angie Darling, there you are!” A somewhat intoxicated young shifter straggled over to where we stood
and threw his arm over Angie’s shoulder. “I saw Fae inside and I knew you’d be hanging around too.”
The young man noticed me then and looked up at me with a shed face and a dopey smile. “Is this
the new Luna’ She’s shorter than she looked in the pictures.”
The pictures, I assumed, being the ones Angie had spread around the pack when I first arrived.
Angie lifted her eyes to the sky in exasperation and shoved the shifter’s drooping b*dy off of her.
“Enough, Gideon Why the f uck are you drunk? You’re supposed to be keeping guard with the others.”
Gideon waved his hand around, brushing off her statement. “Angiiice. It’s not often we get to enjoy a
real party. And besides, You’re here. Nob*dy is going to dare try anything when the head of security is
prowling around in a pretty dress. Nowe. you need to try the punch, it’s fantastic-oh my, look at
that bird”
Angie was unwillingly dragged away with her intoxicated subordinate and I was left standing alone with
the untouched wine in my hand
I swirled the liquid around and prepared to take a swig when Artemis cawed loudly in my eye and dove
for the ss. His entire head ended up in the red liquid and the ss was knocked from my hand as I
stumbled back in shock.
62
The wine ss hit the ground andy sparkling in the dim moonlight while Artemis sq uawked and
thrashed at my feet.
I was unsure of what had just happened and had no idea how to console a distressed falcon. I watched
as Artemis pped and hopped about on the ground, twitching and spasming before suddenly going
limp.
Horrified. I knelt down next to the bird and picked him up. His little heart had stopped almost
immediately. I picked up the fallen wine ss and sniffed at the leftover drops of liquid. Something
potent, harely detectable over the strong scent of wine. Something like poison.
I dropped the ss, mortified at the implications. This time it hit a small rock jutting from the grass and
shattered at feet. I still held the dead bird in my arms, at a loss for what to do next. Crying was not an
option. Not yet.
My mind raced as I tried toprehend what had just happened Angie. Angie had tried to poison me.
So much for friendship. This was a hold move. I had never expected her hatred for me to cross over
into murder.
my
I fought to keep my knees from giving out beneath me and gentlyid Artemis down on the grass, I
focussed my attention on seeking out Ignatius through the cluster of noises in my head
“Ignatius.”
After a moment of waiting his voice in my mind. “Dorothy? Whats wrong. Where are you?”
“Outside.” I wrapped my arms around myself, closing my eyes to escape the image of the dead bird in
front of me. “Artemis is dead. And Angie.. I think Angie tried to poisón me
For a moment, he said nothing and all I could hear was the intensity of my own breathing. Suddenly,
peace was shattered when I heard a crash and a scream erupting from back insde the cottage.
Hiking my dress up to my knees I ran back to the entrance, bolting pass startled smokers and bursting
through the front door.
I arrived in time to see Ignatius with pure unbridled rage on his face, holding Angie in a chokehold in
front of all the guests.
“Ignatius, stop!” I darted over to the two of them.
Angie was wing at Ignatius’s arm which was constricted around her throat like he intended to break
her neck.
Ignatius was a seething mass of fury, his shoulders popping and cracking as he threatened to shift and
bite off her head. His fangs were protruding from his mouth and his jaw was looking more wolf than
human.
I shed a glimpse at the guests surrounding them. Some of their looked horrified and frozen in shock.
Others looked bored, like this was something they were used to. It was easy to spot the cutthroat packs
from the more timid ones this way.
“You dare try to murder my mate.”
Ignatius’s voice was deep and hollow, an ufortable emptiness that set me on edge. He was
uncontroble in this state and Angie looked like she knew it,
I had never seen real fear on her beautiful face before. She was kicking her long legs and hissing as
she tried to w at his face with her arms raised above her head
Two other shifters, one of them being Gideon who I had met earlier, as well as a small, dainty looking
girl with dark skin and shock of curly hair were looking on in agitation. They wanted to intervene, but
were held back by both their rank and their fear of Ignatius.
“I was only doing what’s best for our people, I was doing what needed to be done.” Angie’s voice was
choked and straining as Ignatius tightened his arm around her throat. Blood vessels had burst in her
eyes and turned them red. Her gutteral wheezing made my skin crowd.
1 reached for Ignatius, gripping his shoulder and trying to force him to let go of the writhing woman.
Nob*dy else dared move to jutervene, all of our guests stood observing the scene before then. At the
murder about to take ce.
4/6
10:45 Fn, Jan 26
“Ignatius,” 1 growled at him, digging my nails into his shoulder. “Ignatius let her go. Now,
:
He ignored thepletely, his eyes as hollow as his voice had sounded and Angie’s b*dy began to
spasm as she entered her death rattle.
Ignatius My voice rang out loudly in the otherwise silent room. “Enough. Let her go!”
I scratched at his face and he swiped at me with one half-turned fist. All the air left my lungs as his arm
collided with my stomach and both my feet left the floor as he sent me flying backwards.
My back hit the floor with a dull thud and my head throbbed where my skull had crashed against the
hard marble. I gasped at the impact and looked back at him.
This seemed to snap Ignatius out of his raging and his face went dealthy pale as he looked at me,
stricken at what he had just
donc
“Dorothy.”
He let go of Angie and she copsed to the floor, heaving in long wheezing breaths. Gideon and the
smaller shifter – Fae, I presumed – ran over to her, ced her arms around their shoulders and helped
her to her feet.
Dark bruises were already forming around Angie’s throat like a gruesome purple choker and she
coughed loudly – a hacking sound that grated my already fr azzled nerves.
“Dorothy, Ignatius was kneeling next to me in an instant, cupping my head in his hand. “Dorothy I’m so
sorry. Are you okay?”
I pushed his hands away abrupty and stood up by myself, my eyes fixed on Angie who was leaning
against the other smaller
shifter.
“You’re better than tant murder,” I said quietly to Ignatius, still keeping my gaze fixed on Angie who
stared back at me with real fear in her bloodhsot eyes.
“There are other ways to deliver punishment.”
Angie was afraid, I could see the quaking of her hands as she attempted to stand on her own.
Nevertheless, she raised her chin and faced me head on, epting whatever punishment I saw fit. I
weed the challenge and my own ws made an appearance for the first time. I barely had time to
shifting abilities though
“Wait please,” I snapped my gaze away from Angie to the elderly man approaching my side. I
recognized him as one of the elder council members as well as Angie’s grandfather.
“Please, don’t hurt my granddaughter. I’m sure she didn’t intend to hurt the Luna,” he directed these
words at Ignatius who looked like he wanted to tear him in half, before facing me. “Allow me to take the
punishment in her ce. The Rockbells will do anything you ask of us, just please don’t hurt my
granddaughter.”
I looked at him ndly. It was a kind gesture to offer himself in her ce, but Angie deserved what was
n from the start, and his offering of himself was something they had prepared for.
“That won’t be necessary.” I said to him, coldly.
“Geranium?” I called and the beefy security guard appeared at my side. “Escort Ang down to the
council’s office. I will be dealing with her myself.”
Angie’s grandfather began to protest but I ignored him and turned away from them all. I strode out of
the door while Geranium took a hold of Angies forearm.
“Apologies for the interruption, please carry on as normal.” I said to our guests who were standing
around at a loss for what to do next. I shed them my best sanile before leaving
5/6
10:45 Fri, Jan 26 GH
“Ignatius,” I growled at him, digging my nails into his shoulder. “Ignatius let her go. Now.”
He ignored mepletely, his eyes as hollow as his voice had sounded and Angie’s b*dy began to
spasm as she entered her
death rattle.
“Ignatius My voice rang out loudly in the otherwise silent room “Enough. Let her go!”
I scratched at his face and he swiped at me with one half-turned Est. All the air left my lungs as his arm
collided with my stomach and both my feet left the floor as he sent me flying backwards,
My back hit the floor with a dull thud and my head throbbed where my skull had crashed against the
hard marble. I gasped. at the impact and looked back at him.
This seemed to snap Ignatius out of his raging and his face went dealthy pale as he looked at me,
stricken at what he had just
“Dorothy.”
He let go of Angie and she copsed to the floor, heaving in long wheezing breaths Gideon and the
smaller shifter – Fae, I presumed – ran over to her, ced her arms around their shoulders and helped
her to her feet.
Dark bruises were already forming around Angie’s throat like a gruesome purple choker and she
coughed loudly a hacking sound that grated my already fra zzled nerves.
“Dorothy Ignatius was kneeling next to ine in an instant, cupping my head in his hand. “Dorothy I’m
okay?”
O sorry. Are you
1 pushed his hands away abrupty and stood up by myself, my eyes fixed on Angie who was leaning
against the other smaller
You’re better than tant murder.” I said quietly to Ignatius, stil keeping my gaze fixed on Angie who
stared back at me with real fear in her bloodhsot eyes
“There are other ways to deliver punishment.”
Angie was afraid, I could see the quaking of her hands as she attempted to stand on her own.
Nevertheless, she raised her chin and faced me head on, epting whatever punishment I saw fit. I
weed the challenge and my own ws made an appearance for the first time. I barely had time to
“Wait please,” I snapped my gaze away from Angie to the elderly man approaching my side. I
recognized him as one of the elder council members as well as Angie’s grandfather.
“Please, don’t hurt my granddaughter. I’m sure she didn’t intend to hurt the Luna,” he directed these
words at Ignatius who looked like he wanted to tear him in half, before facing me. “Allow me to take the
punishment in her ce. The Rockbells will do anything you ask of us, just please don’t hurt my
granddaughter”
I looked at him ndly. It was a kind gesture to offer himself in her ce, but Angie deserved what was
n from the start, and his offering of himself was something they had prepared for
That won’t be necessary, I said to him, coldly.
“Geramum” I called and the beely security guard appeared at my side. “Escort Ang down to the
council’s office. I will be dealing with her mysell
Angie’s grandfather began to protest but I ignored him and turned away from them all. I strode out of
the door while Geranium took a bold of Angies forearm,
THE
“Apologies for the interruption, please carry on as normal.” I said to our guests who were standing
around at a loss for what to do next. I ed them my best smile before leaving
6/6
10:45 Fri, Jan 26
“Enjoy the party everyone
Ignatius followed after me, as the guests slowly began to congregate once more.
“What are you doing?” his voice in my head was a tense growl.
“I’m doing things my way.”
Rita’s words resurfaced in my mind: “When pushed, push back harder.”
SEND GIFT
COMMENT
10:45 Fri, Jan 26 G H
-Dorothy-
When we were outside and away from the party, I stopped Geranium from forcing Angie into the sleek
ck car that all the security guards owned.
“That won’t be necessary. We can talk here.”
Angie looked both confused and fearful and Ignatius frowned at my side. “She needs to be detained”
“We can talk here. All of our guests had their eyes on us, we needed to appear both calm and orderly.
But we don’t really need to take a trip down to the main office, I can deal with Angie right here.”
Geranium had already locked cuffs on Angie’s wrists- silver cuts to dull a shifter’s abilities – but Angie
was still a powerful force to be reckoned with, in spite of her shackles. Ignatius seemed to be thinking
this too when he immediately protested my request for them to give Angle and me a moment alone.
“Absolutely not! Dorothy, she just tried to kill you. What makes you think she won’t try it again the
moment we’re out of sight
1 gazed at Angie coldly. “She can try.”
Angie’s lip twitched at thisment. I turned to Ignatius “I can handle this, okay? I’ll be fine.”
After much convincing and a threatening nce at Angie, Ignatits strode away with Geranium and left
the two of us standing in the dark of the parking area. Angie rxed when Ignatius left and rubbed her
cuffed hands on her bruised throat
“So what now, runt? Are you here to kill me yourself?”
Her eyes widened when I pulled out the thin faerie de that Rita had given me from a thigh strap
under my dress. 1 examined the cruel curve and twirled it in my fingers.
“No, I’m not going to kill you,” I said without taking my eyes off of the de.
“I’m not going to hurt you either,” I said when she stepped away from me. “As shifters, we’re more than
both our human and animal counterparts. We should be capable of more than just senseless violence. I
just want to talk.”
My words did nothing to make Angie rx and she stood poised on the balls of her feet, ready to bolt
the second I approached her. I slipped the de back into it’s sheath at my thigh and looked at her.
“How many people were aware of this n of yours?”
Angie refused to answer me so I pressed on. “Because it seems to me like there are a few people on
the council who would appreciate my sudden departure. I don’t think you were put up to this on your
own.
Still, Angie said nothing, but her tightened jaw told me I was right
“You know you’re just a pawn to them right? They used your own feelings against you. It’s no small
feat, taking out your best friend’s lover.”
Istepped closer to her and she turned her eyes away.
“You’re jealous of me aren’t you?”
Angie seemed a little taken aback by the sudden change in topic but then she scoffed, “G od, are you
that full of yourself?”
Hodded my arms. “It’s true though, isn’t it? You’re jealous that Ignatius brought me home one day when
you’d been under the impression that he would eventually end up with you”
Angie seemed irritated by this remark and tried to defend herself. “Of course not. I don’t care who
Ignatius decides to f u