The First Chimera.

Chapter 10

Ria's POV

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I bang into Uncle's office and wait, pacing the width of the room, unable to settle, or stand still. All my beasts want out, and it's a war to try and remain in control. They push against my skin, clawing at my mind but I can't let them all out at once, we only have the one body and I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time they all tried getting out at the same time.

A shiver passes down my spine. We'd never survive that again.

A chorus of snarls, hisses, and growls emit from our body, and I can feel the heat behind our eyes, and our palms, flames licking at our hands. I know if any pack member was to walk pass and see me right now they'd be terrified of me and rightly so. I'm a monster.

"What is this about Ria?" Uncle Zavior asks, letting mom and dad walk into the room along with his Gammer and Delta. Gammer Austin's hand snaps out and latches onto uncle Zavier, a full warning in that grip on his friends arm. Everything in that man will tell him I'm a thread away from lossing it. He can probably feel our emotions, the primal rage, fear, panic, blood lust. It's a cacatophony of raw instinctual emotions that's rushing through us and I'm a little surprised he's still standing.

"Sweetie? What's wrong?" Mom asks, her voice soft, worried as they watch me. Delta Kyle closes the office door behind him, and I track everyone's movements, something I'm only able to do when I have all sides of me on the surface as one.

"The King of Vampires is no King. He was one of the rogues who kidnapped and tortured us," we say, more like snarl the words out. Dad growls, Espen on the surface as both he and his beast watch us. Mom's wolf presses forwards, bows her head in respect to us. She doesn't growl, instead, she chuffs to try and offer comfort to her daughters.

"Are you sure?" Uncle Zavier asks, earning him many a loud growl, and Seren's roar of outrage, and Austin pulls him a couple of steps away from us, and our father. I pull out the slip of paper and pass it to him, bitting the inside of my lip to try and stop my body from shifting and tearing myself apart. Uncle Zavier opens it and reads, then glances at me.

"Little butterfly, a new king to the vampires will rise. Don't trust Oliver, never let your guard down with him. There is a rogue attack planned to take place on the last day of the peace talks to discredit Alpha King Zavier. They're the same group who tried to break you, who killed Talia. They want you, and are willing to slaughter anyone and everyone to get to you. Be safe." He reads it out loud to the room, then places it on the table, letting the silence hang, loaded with unspoken questions.

I've not told anyone what happened during those six weeks. Never. Not even Zane.

The memories, the pain, what they'd tried to do to us. We'd wanted to forget, to let it go. Life it seems doesn't always allow the past to stay where it belongs, buried.

"Who gave you that note?" He asks, bowing his head in respect. I respect Uncle Zavier, so do my beasts. He's never, not once, demanded I submit, understands I can't. He's always respected my beasts. He might be the King of the Were-Wolves, but he understands that I out rank him.

"Oliver's second in command. A vampire named Ocean," we answer him, although none of my beast receed, no part of me settles.

"Can I ask?" We tense at uncle Zavier's question, silence suddenly filling our mind, an uncomfortable silence. I hate it when my beasts go silent. I sigh, and let them retreat to the furthest parts of my mind, so they're not forced to relive it.

Gamma Austin slowly walks closer to me, his hands up to show he means us no harm. His head tilted, bearing his throat in submission.

I nod, letting the man lay his hands on me, rubbing my arms and I let his gamma charm flood over me, a deep seeted calm pooling in my chest numbing my emotions.

"It's ok sweetheart, it's going to be all ok," a drawl enters his voice, sounds a little Irish, maybe southern, to me, but I let him do the job the Goddesses designed for him. It doesn't erase the emotions, just dulls them to where I find them bearable.

"You can ask uncle. If it means the attack is dealt with," my voice has lost the different tones and pitches and I suddenly feel lonely. It's not often that I'm left alone by my own beasts. Even Angel is quiet.

"They'll be back with you soon enough sweetheart. They haven't left you, everything is alright," Gamma Austin says softly, that drawl more pronounced. He's probably the only person in the pack who knows. Who understands my hatred of silence.

"Who was Talia?" Uncle Zavier asks and the corner of my lips quirk up. Austin guides me so I can sink into one of the chairs opposite his desk. Mom and dad come and sit beside me, the both of them grabbing one of my hands and offering comfort, their wolves chuffing and purring for me. After five minutes Espen yanks me off my chair and sits me on my father's lap, his arms wrapped tight around me, pressing my face into his shoulder. Freya sits beside us, never letting go of my hand her chuffing growing louder, causing mom to laugh at their wolves reactions to me having to confont the memories of six years ago. Uncle Zavier doesn't reprimand them, and Austin chuckles, letting me go, but placing his hand on my ankle so he still has skin to skin contact. It's the only way he's ever been able to use the gamma charm on me. It has to be skin to skin contact.

"Talia was a rogue vampire, a part of the group," the room erupts into growls and snarls, Espen's the loudest, his grip on me tightening further.

"She never hurt me, wasn't one of the rogues who snatched me even. She didn't like that they kidnapped a child... she didn't like what they were doing." Saddness touches me, pain welling up inside. She'd been a good woman, had a daughter too.

"She tried her best to protect me, free me even and it got her killed. Five days after my capture," I sniff, tears burning the back of my throat. My voice sounds small even to my own ears, but I know they have to hear this. They have to understand.

The whole pack, and the current and future rulers of our world are under threat. The only family I've ever had are under threat even, all because they've been protecting me.

"I recognise Oliver, he fed from me during my captivity. We believe that is how he was able to over throw the ruler before him, because of my blood," I tell uncle, reaching up to press my fingers against the scar. Espen and Freya notice and they pull my hand away to see for themselves the near invisible scar. The growl that rips out of both of them fills the room and Uncle's aura floods out of him, allowing quiet to fill the space.

"Calm down the both of you. I understand your pup was hurt, but we need to put together a plan of defense. Our pack is under threat, and all our hard work is possibly about to go down the drain," Uncle says, and drops his aura rubbing a hand over his face.

"What happened to you six years ago Ria? We need to know what we're up against," Uncle asks gently, and waits for me to answer with a patience that's uncanny in an Alpha.

"They kept me in a cage, and tortured me so I'd submit to their will. When that didn't work they got a witch to try fracturing my mind, and when that didn't work they attempted to rip my beasts from my body, my soul." I tell them, my voice devoid of emotion, disassociating from the memories that float through my mind like whisps of smoke, my beast curl into one big ball of bodies, comforting each other as pain ripples from them and me.

The room goes silent and I don't blame them. I could have died multiple times during those six weeks. If I had then uncle and my parents would have lost the goddesses daughter. They would have had to accept the goddesses wrath which would have seen the pack destroyed.

"Is that why you struggled so much when Chase and I found and brought you back?" Uncle asks. I nod and finally pull away from my father.

"Those rogues are vicious. They'll attack, try and split your forces," I tell him a shiver passing down my spine.

"Alright, come to the map. Do you believe they'll attack with only wolves or other beings?" father asks, letting me get off his lap, becoming all Beta in a matter of seconds. Mom pulls me in for a hug, her wolf still on the surface, chuffing softly. I smile at her as she touches my face before guiding me over the large map of the pack lands.

"They'll use wolves and others, probably witches and other shifters," I mutter and go over the map pointing out where it'd be easier for them to attack. Even showing how I'd divid his forces.

Uncle watches me, his eyes flickering as he talks to Comet. Glancing at the clock I sigh at how long we've been holed up in his office. My gaze returns to the map and I stick three pins into three different locations. If I was to make a statement that the rulers of the different species weren't safe, I'd want to get one on their own, split them from their unit.

"You think they'd focus on the North and East boarders?" Vesper, my fox, asks, her tail flicking, head tilted ever so slightly as she watches from behind my eyes.

"They'd probably try and get uncle at the south boarder, alone. By the time anyone picks up he's alone and injuried it'd be too late," I tell her, Angel rolls her rage at me, just the thought of someone threatening the place we call home is setting my Fae off. She's protective of her family, and she's always considiered uncle Zavier as family especially when as a child he's sit with her in the garden and let her grow the pretty flowers, or play with her magic.

"What are you thinking sweetheart?" Dad asks, coming to stand beside me, watching as I note down the areas that'll need extra patrols and which areas are more likely to be attacked first.

"I'm thinking they'll target uncle. This is his terratory, his pack land, he called for the peace talks. They'll want to make a statement to the others that are here. That no where is safe from them," I frown, really taking in the map, noticing the moutains to the west and sigh as other possibilites pass through my mind.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask, turning to face my uncle. His expression making my stomach drop to the floor.

"Have you thought any more on telling our guests what you are?" Uncle asks, and a low growl emits from my chest, Seren pushing forwards, Angel's anger goes up another notch, only now that anger is focused on the man she actually wants to protect.

"Why?" I ask, although I can guess why.

"Because telling them what you are will draw them out sooner. If you're right about Oliver then he'll try to get to you before the attack," Uncle states and leans against the tabel while I frown at him.

"I'm still debating it. It's not just up to me you know," I mutter, all of my beasts pushing forwards to watch uncle. He smiles at them, but shakes his head.

"Off to bed then. Your parents and I will put a plan in place," he says, dismissing me. The alpha in me has a growl rising in the back of my throat and my heckles up. They only snort in amusement at me as I leave, grumbling under my breath at them.

"Now what?" Esha asks, and I sigh, tilting my head back.

"Now we wait, and plan," I tell them. Dread settling in my stomach as I make my way up to the Beta suite just as Zane, Xander, and the future kings and queens of the different races come indoors, obvisiously having just let their beasts out to play. A pang of jealously makes my chest ache and I sigh. Wishing I could be that free isn't going to make it easier, and besides, we have bigger problems to deal with.