The Half-Blood

The Council

Artemis still looked at herself in the mirror with a contrite expression. The dress Uncle Pete had given her for the Council was very ugly. It was ankle-length, burgundy ribbed; it had ruffles at the bottom. It was tight, hugging her breasts and hips, making it difficult for her to move.

"Oh holy c**p!" exclaimed Tara as she entered her room. She had chosen a casual look for the occasion, wearing a tight white t-shirt that brought out her caramel skin, a pair of black jeans over a black leather jacket, and leather ankle boots. She was carrying a large white box in her arms.

"I know. Uncle Pete gave it to me," Artemis said, rolling her eyes.

"Is there a matching witchy hat?" Tara laughed. "Lucky for you, the hottest werewolf in town asked me to bring you a little present," she placed the box on the bed and invited her to open it.

There was a note on the box: For a princess - Mayson. It contained a white chiffon dress that looked like something out of a fairy tale. The shoulders were bare, and the long sleeves were light like feathers and transparent. It was ankle-length, and the skirt was slightly fluffy, made up of many layers of chiffon.

"He's oddly too friendly, don't you think?" She said, marveling at the dress.

"I think he likes you." Tara wondered how Artemis could not see that Mayson was interested in her, and especially how she could not see how lucky she was to have Gamma's attention. Tara was increasingly convinced that her friend's life was about to change for the better.

"I can't accept it, it looks like an expensive dress and Uncle Pete already gave me this one."

"You'll have to step over my werewolf corpse to get out in that thing," Tara said.

Artemis shed the burgundy nightmare and transformed into a forest fairy. She had braided some locks on both sides and tied them together at the nape of her neck. She decided to wear white ballet flats because the Council would be held in an abandoned house in the woods, and the last thing she wanted was to fall on her heels and ruin Mayson's dress.

She looked at herself in the mirror, she liked the dress and how it fit, but for a moment a strange thought crossed her mind: she looked like a virgin on her way to the sacrificial altar.

On the way, Uncle Pete explained that the pack had been busy making the crumbling house as cozy as possible, bringing in furniture and trying to clean it up as much as possible. They had no other suitable places in the pack's territory. The Gamma had insisted on increased security, so there would be many werewolves. Uncle Pete was dressed in his usual jeans and a blue shirt, he kept on unbuttoning and buttoning the first button nervously.

They had to wait outside in the woods for about an hour, because the Council had more to discuss before meeting the half-blood.

"Are you nervous?" asked Tara when she saw Artemis' shiny eyes.

All the eyes of her pack were on her, waiting in the darkness of the night for her to sign the agreement. At that moment, she realized that she never wanted to feel those eyes on her again. She had to get away. Tara was right, it was a chance to start a new life somewhere else. She had to leave. She had no expectations, she would always be surrounded by werewolves anyway. But there was more that bothered her: a bad feeling, and she could not quite understand why, but it was as if she sensed imminent danger in the air.

"The witch may enter," announced a tall man with long black hair and a beard.

The big wooden door creaked open, the smell of wet dogs overwhelming Artemis. Were all those security men there for her? Was Mayson afraid she might do something to them? Probably, Artemis thought. Witches had allied themselves with vampires and systematically targeted small packs to destroy them. None of this made sense to her. From what her mother had told her, witches deeply hated vampires, considering them abominations of nature, and the result of a witch's madness in casting a curse on an enemy clan thousands of years before. Werewolves, on the other hand, had been created by the Moon Goddess, one of the goddesses the witches themselves worshiped. Why slaughter them?

Four werewolves escorted her down a bare hallway. She heard a din from a room ahead.

She entered a large hall, Uncle Pete to her left, Tara to her right. Paintings of various landscapes had been placed on the walls, and a large LED chandelier had been mounted, with wires leading down from a nearby window, outside a large generator could be seen. There must have been about thirty werewolves inside, and another twenty or so she had counted outside.

Peeking between two large men, she could see wooden tables set in a horseshoe shape, positioned at the back of the large room. In the center seat she recognized Alpha Jared Moonriver. He had not changed much from how she remembered him. His honey-colored hair was short and gleaming under the LED lights, his full lips were tight in a stern expression, and his azure eyes conveyed pride. Though she lacked the instincts of a werewolf, she felt his authority and almost wanted to bow her head.

To his right sat Beta Caleb. She already knew that he and Mayson were twins, but seeing him made her gasp in surprise. Caleb had longer hair, tied into a ponytail. But his face, those beautiful eyes, they were identical... Artemis swallowed nervously. She shifted her gaze to Mayson, who was sitting to the Alpha's left. He wore a leather jacket and a tight gray shirt underneath that accentuated his muscles. He had a bored look on his face. She also recognized the two people sitting next to Mayson: his parents. Their faces were as beautiful as they had been, although there were now small wrinkles. The sweetness in Luna Astrid's face had given way to a greater hardness. There were ten other people at the table, she did not know any of them. The Alpha saw her and fixed her with his gaze. Tara squeezed her hand.

"Come forward, Artemis," he told her. She looked at Tara, who hinted at her with a smile. Uncle Pete pushed her gently. A werewolf grabbed Artemis' arm, and pushed her onto a blue circular mat inside the iron. She looked around; she was surrounded by werewolves.

A bald man with a mustache, who looked to be in his fifties, stood up. He began to read.

"The Council discussed the terms of annexation of the Lance Rufus Pack, known on post-monarchy maps as TX1." The other Council members pulled out papers. Only Mayson stood and stared. They both found all this werewolf bureaucracy ridiculous.

"The Moonriver Pack and all its extensions will provide TX1 with: protection from hostile packs and attacks by other species; training, relocation, and exchange of warriors with other Texas packs; and economic support until autonomy is achieved. Assigns supervision of the area to Peter Brady, who will be assigned Sam Rayburn's property." Artemis turned to look at Uncle Pete in disbelief - that property belonged to her parents.

"The TX1 pack, in return, pledges allegiance to the one and only Alpha Jared Moonriver; promises to respond to requests for help and calls for war; gives up Tara Shepperd as a fighter to headquarters, where she will be transferred," Artemis lowered her gaze, her breathing becoming labored. It had all happened too fast.

"Gives up Artemis Rufus, half-blood werewolf-witch, sole descendant of the former King of Texas Lance Rufus, as a member of the security staff at Headquarters, where she will be transferred. It is emphasized that the entire agreement is bound by the acceptance of this last clause." The man said, glancing at Uncle Pete.

Artemis tried to remain calm, but all she wanted to do was burst into tears and scream at Pete, who no longer deserved to be called uncle, all the contempt she felt for him. She looked up, instinctively searching for Mayson.

The Gamma couldn't wait for the antics to end. He looked at the three people in front of him and all the werewolves waiting eagerly; it was a scene he had seen many times in the past months. But this time was different. This was about Artemis, and he was not going to let that stupid Council scare her away. He met her big blue eyes, they were shining, her body tense, her breathing erratic. She was afraid. He smiled at her. It will be all right, Artemis. I will be with you, he thought.

Artemis clenched the delicate fabric of her dress between her fists.

Alpha Jared Moonriver stood, and the bald man sat down. "Peter Brady, do you understand what has been said? On behalf of the TX1 Pack, do you accept the terms?"

"Yes, my lord. Yes, my Alpha," he said, moving to Artemis' side and bowing his head.

"Tara Shepperd, do you understand what has been said? Do you accept the terms?"

"Yes, my lord. Yes, my Alpha," she stood at her right side.

"Artemis Rufus, do you understand what has been said? On behalf of the TX1 Pack, do you accept your transfer and the terms of the agreement?" Only a few seconds elapsed before Artemis answered, but it seemed like an eternity to everyone.

"I have questions," she said. She heard Pete sigh nervously.

"Ask your questions without hesitation," Alpha Jared smiled at her.

"What will my living conditions be?" she heard some werewolves murmuring behind her.

The bald man stood up. "You will be housed in the Moonriver Mansion, where the most important members of the pack reside. You will be supervised by security and called to duty when necessary."

Here was the catch: I knew they would buy me as a slave and nothing more. I have no value to them, she thought.

"And outside my tower will there also be a dragon?"

"What?" the bald man asked, confused.

"You will not be a prisoner," Trevor Moonriver clarified, "you will be part of the pack, your location chosen for security reasons. The Alpha, Beta and Gamma, as well as several members of this Council, reside in this mansion. The place is guarded for this reason."

Artemis suddenly felt a strong pressure at her temples. She closed her eyes and breathed. "Mis, are you okay?" Tara whispered to her.

Now she understood the earlier feeling and the tension, understood what was bothering and worrying her. She turned directly to Alpha Jared.

"Are the witches I perceive with you?" She asked. Everyone at the table became alarmed. Mayson made a sign and about ten men came out of a door behind them.

"No, we have no agreements or collaborations with other witches," the Alpha said. "Can you perceive the presence of other witches?" he asked curiously.

"I can feel their magic." She replied.

A scream and commotion could be heard from outside. "It's getting bad..." whispered Pete.

Mayson stood up and took the direction of his men. Artemis felt a sense of protection for Mayson, the witches were dangerous, they would kill him.

Suddenly she heard all the werewolves growling. "Vampires!" someone shouted. Pete grabbed her arm and dragged her away. "Let me go!" she protested.

"Let's go, the agreement is off."

He dragged her to the trees behind the house, Tara in their wake. "They're busy facing each other, we need to find a safe place," Pete said.

"No! The Alpha is in there, we have to help them," Tara protested. Pete kept walking, dragging Artemis with him. Tara walked away, "I'm going!" she said.

"Tara, no!" Artemis shouted at her. "Let me go!" She threw Pete away with her powers and he crashed into a tree. Artemis pulled up her long dress and toward the house.