Achilles Heel

Shift

Achille's POV

We had been so exhausted entertaining the elders that I had nearly forgotten what day it was.  It was the day before her birthday.  The night of her first shift.  

'She'll finally know that we exist,' Shadow howled in happiness.  

'We still don't know what the elders will make of her,' I sighed, rubbing my temple.  After what the shaman had told us before going to send Mira off into the forest, and then her reaction when he brought her back, the elders weren't convinced.  

They still viewed her as a possible threat.  

And I couldn't say that I blamed them.  

Knowing that she was my mate was both exciting and terrifying.  

Sure, Sam had said that once I marked her and our souls intertwined, I would be more powerful than I'd ever thought, but did I want that because of her?  Did I really want a mate?  A Luna for the pack?  

I mean, my father had always taught me that a she-wolf was there to be the balance for their alpha, but what if she wasn't the balance?  What if she threw me off mine?  

What if I couldn't defend my pack properly because of it. 

'STOP DOUBTING OUR MATE,' Shadow growled.  He began pacing back and forth in my head, and I found it hard to concentrate on what I was actually supposed to be doing--listening to the elders.  

We had been on our way to the mountain and they were going over important information.  

"Do you agree?" 

I looked to the female elder.  She had a brow raised to me.  

"I believe I can speak for my alpha when i say he understands," Sam said, trying to be of assistance.  One of the other elders growled as a warning and he backed up against the wall of the car. 

"I was speaking to Alpha Achilles," she warned, "Not his Beta.  Achilles, do you agree?" 

"Yes Elder Alexandra, I do."

"Very well," she nodded, "in the event that she's too dangerous for her own good we will take her back to Canada with us and will dispose of her." 

'WHAT?' Shadow roared, 'THEY WILL NOT TAKE OUR MATE.  OVER MY DEAD FORM!' 

"Excuse me?" 

"Were you not paying attention?" Elder Anton asked with a smirk.  

I sighed, not wanting to lie to them any longer.  And since Raphael was in another car with three of the other elders, I felt compelled to be honest, "I've been distracted." 

"Over the girl?" 

"When Alpha Cas had originally called a few packs down with the intention of treaty I sensed her," I admitted, "I believe that she is my mate." 

Elder Alexandra raised her brow at me, "and you were planning on hiding this information from us?" 

"I wasn't volunteering it," I said, bowing my head to the two elders, "I did not find it pertinent until her death was thrown on the table." 

"Always the strategist," Elder Anton tsk-ed, "just like your father...did you broach the subject with your mate?" 

"She's not of age," I said, shaking my head, "given the circumstances, I did not think it appropriate to cloud her mind further.  Nor do I know if she would remain, so it seemed in my best interest to wait until I'm sure of a certain future." 

"You, young Dark Moon Alpha are a sneaky one," Alexandra said, shaking her head, "but regardless of your relationship with the girl, she may still pose as a threat.  We will oversee the ceremony for any outliers that suggest danger, and confront her the following day.  Her hunt is her wolves night.  Every wolf deserves at least one night of freedom." 

"I understand." I nodded.  She smiled and the four of us got out of the SUV.  Together we walked up to the ceremonial site where everything was already laid out.  Mira and a few others who were ready for their first shift sat on patches of fabric.  They had pelts wrapped around their shoulders but were otherwise naked.  Hunched over, around a fire, it was obvious that they'd already been given the sedatives.  

"It appears we are late to the ceremony," Elder Anton said to another elder. 

"A late-bloomer began to partially shift," he said quickly, "I'm surprised you didn't hear him screaming bloody murder." 

The two men chuckled and I stared down into the space where the ceremony was, from my spot on the rockface.  While most everyone else around the fire was staring at the ground, she was whispering something into the fire.  Even as the shaman cut her hand, she didn't move.  When he moved her hand over the flame, and a drop of blood went over it, the flames disappeared.  All motion and movement stopped.  

All of the torches went out, and the moon became the only source of light.  What normally would have been a calming scene felt eerily surreal.  A breeze hit the back of my neck and I spun around.  

She stood in front of me.  Only covered in the pelt, she somehow seemed different.  Her eyes were glowing so much they almost appeared white.  Her silver hair looked like real pieces of woven, curled metal.  

"I know who you are," she whispered, "my shadow.  My protector." 

'MATE!' Shadow screamed, pawing at the inside of my head. 

"And you know who I am, Shadow," she said sweetly.  Her hand reached up and caressed my face.  She looked at me so lovingly. 

"Skye." 

She smiled. 

A howl brought me back to reality.  It emanated from me.  And suddenly the fire came back to life, but there was a white glow to it.  It was so much brighter than anything I'd seen before, I had to cover my eyes.  It felt like the sun itself was coming from the flames.  

The elders continued to stare on, and in the brief moment it'd occurred, it had ended just as quickly.  But with that the shaman smiled, "The moon goddess herself has blessed this group.  She is blessing this night, and this very pack.  Thank you kind, wise goddess.  We live in your name.  We honor your sacrifices.  We praise your gifts." 

But instead of the traditional ways, Raphael backed up, and the elders looked at the new wolves.  The head elder, Anton stood ahead of the rest, and I knew what he was doing.  He was mind-linking the newest of the pack and commanding them to shift.  

As bones breaking and moving occurred with the rest of the wolves, there was one who didn't move a muscle.  She stared into my eyes, not moving.  

"Why isn't she shifting?" another elder asked, "you told them all to shift, right?" 

"She's proving a point," I said, somehow knowing what Skye would be up to, "she wants us to know that she answers to one being, and it's the goddess who gifted her life."