Fates Entwined

66

I eyed the new Pisces alpha, Fisher, as I took my seat next to Wesley. He had Aiden's nose and chin, but his hair was lighter and he had a perpetual frown on his face. He avoided my gaze, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit of petty hatred toward him. Fisher was Aiden’s cousin, and if he had stepped up when his father, Amos, had died at the hands of the vampires, Aiden might still be here. It was only because Fisher was too much of a wimp to stand up to the Sun Witches that Aiden had become alpha and fought at the last battle, losing his life to make sure all the Zodiac Wolves were free. Now that the danger had passed, Fisher had finally taken over as alpha. I had a feeling he wouldn't hold it long though. He would be challenged, and he would lose, and the Pisces pack would be better for it.

“Now that we’re all here, let's get started,” Ethan said, standing and stepping forward into the circle of chairs so he could look at all of the alphas. There was a murmur of agreement, and Ethan clasped his hands together in front of him. He looked cool and put together as always. “The Pisces pack has a grievance with the Cancer pack that they would like addressed.”

Fisher nodded at Ethan, but he still refused to meet my gaze. Coward.

Ethan continued, looking around at the other alphas. “For those of you who don’t know, Adriana is nine months old and the daughter of Aiden, the former alpha of the Pisces pack. Her mother, Mira, has now been mated to the Cancer pack alpha.” He motioned toward me, and the weight of a dozen eyes fell on me. “Mira and Adriana have gone to live with the Cancer pack, but the Pisces pack wants Adriana back. Since it was the Pisces pack who brought this grievance to us, we’ll let Fischer speak first.”

Fisher stood up and put his shoulders back, finally looking like the Pisces pack alpha he was. He looked around the circle of gathered alphas before speaking. “Adriana was born a Pisces and is part of the alpha family’s bloodline. She is all that my family has left of Aiden, and Ruth and Kevin are beside themselves with grief over not only losing their son, but their granddaughter as well.” He turned to look at me, his brow knitted in sadness. “We’ve always treated Mira well. We took her in and we see her as a member of our pack and our family. But now she has betrayed us by running off to the Cancer pack and taking Adriana with her. She didn’t give us any warning, or any chance to stop her."

A murmur ran through the assembled pack alphas, and a few of the gazes turned a little less friendly from where they fell onto me. I wanted to protest his words, but it wasn't my turn to speak yet, so I tried to keep my head up and my back straight.

“Even if Mira chooses to go back to the Cancer pack, as is her right since her mate is part of the Cancer pack, she doesn’t have the right to take Adriana away from her pack.” He paused and looked around again. “I’m sure you all understand how important it is that Adriana be raised in the Pisces pack. She is a Pisces, and the daughter of an alpha, and she should be among her people, her pack.”

“What is it you’re asking for?” Ethan asked.

“Ruth and Kevin, the grandparents of Adriana, want full custody of Adriana. I hope the other alphas will agree that this is the best course of action, for both Adriana and the Cancer and Pisces packs.”

“Thank you,” Ethan said. I tried to read his face, to see if he was more sympathetic toward Fisher and the Pisces pack now, but he had an incredible poker face. It was part of what had made him such a good leader for the packs to lean on for support and guidance during the months leading up to the final battle. Fisher sat back down, and Ethan paused a moment before continuing. “The Cancer pack can now speak."

Wesley stood up, and I could almost taste the tension pouring off of him in waves. His earlier easygoing attitude was gone, after hearing the Pisces alpha speak.

"It's true. Mira and I discovered we were mates recently when we both visited my sister in the Ophiuchus pack. She is my alpha female and belongs with the Cancer pack. Surely none of you can argue against a true mate bond. But you can’t really expect to take a child away from her own mother either, can you?"

A few of the other alphas murmured and shifted in response, and I knew deep in my heart that I had to be the one to plead my case with the alphas, and hopefully appeal to Fisher’s better nature, if he had one. I had to fight for my family. I had run from too many fights in my life, but I wouldn’t run from this one.

I reached up and put my hand on Wesley’s arm before he could continue. He must have seen my thoughts reflected in my eyes, because he immediately nodded, and covered my hand with his own. He sat back down, and I braced myself as I stood up and looked around the circle. No one was outwardly hostile, not even Fisher. He looked uneasy like he didn't want to be making these decisions at all. I swallowed and hoped that this meant I still had a chance to plead my case.

“I’m extremely grateful to the Pisces pack for everything they’ve done for me. Especially after my family was killed, they were good to take me in and give me a home. I truly loved Aiden and always will mourn his loss. It was never my intention to take Adriana away from the Pisces pack, but I am mated to Wesley." I drew in a breath, standing even taller.