Her Unforeseen Destiny

The Council

FOUR DAYS LATER

A knock on the door woke Emmeline from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes, waking up from her recurrent dream of the wolf in the woods. She had been having the same dream every time she fell asleep, ever since she left Black Down.

She swung her legs off the edge of the bed, pushed her feet into her slippers and walked to the door. She opened it, only to find that there was no one on the other side. 

As she was about to close it again, she spotted a large cream envelope lying on the doormat. Emmeline Peters was written in fancy calligraphy on the front of it. She picked it up from the ground and turned it over in her hands. How odd.

Emmeline walked back inside and closed the door behind her. She sat on the sofa and curled up her legs below her as she inspected her mystery delivery. There was nothing else written on the envelope and it was sealed with a red wax seal. The wax had something stamped into it that looked like a coat of arms or something similar.

Her brow furrowed in confusion and intrigue, Emmeline carefully slid her finger under the envelope flap and broke the seal. In the envelope, there was just a card. A rectangle of thick, heavyweight card.

Her eyes widened as she read the words on it. What on earth is going on?

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Miss Emmeline Peters,

The Council requests your presence. 

1 Winterstoke Road. 

1st September, 11AM

Do not be late. 

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She reread the words multiple times. The Council? This definitely didn't seem like the local council that Laura worked for. First of all, they weren't exactly known for their luxury stationery, fancy penmanship or secretive delivery methods. They usually just used Royal Mail like everyone else. Secondly, this didn't sound like anything the local council would write. It was oddly cryptic, as if it was some riddle that she needed to solve. 

She glanced up at the calendar on her wall. Today was Wednesday. Her eyes landed on the 31st August, today. The 1st September was tomorrow. 

I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

10:45AM, 1ST SEPTEMBER

Emmeline fidgeted nervously, her fingers playing with the front of her t-shirt. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and then back again. She had made sure to arrive in plenty of time, she didn't want to look bad in front of whoever these people were.

The building in front of her looked like some kind of office, possibly belonging to a firm of solicitors or accountants. The front door was heavy and made of wood, mahogany possibly. There was a heavy golden doorknocker in the shape of a wolf's head and she lifted it tentatively and knocked. The sound echoed on the quiet street.

Emmeline waited for a few moments before the door swung open. She came face to face with someone she knew - Alpha Randall.

"Emmeline." His voice was gentle and his tone wasn't angry. She relaxed slightly. At least he wasn't mad about her running away from his pack as she had done. She hadn't exactly been the best house guest. He opened the door wider and stood to the side. "Please, come in."

Emmeline stepped into the plushly carpeted corridor and gazed around. It definitely looked like some kind of office.

"Why are you here? Are you the council?" She started asking all the questions that had been going round and round in her head for the past day, ever since she had received the mysterious letter. Alpha Randall raised his hand to quiet her, before turning to lead her towards a door further down the corridor. 

"Everything in due time," he replied, with a wry smile. "I hope you are well. You left so quickly that we were worried about you. My son said you were angry."

Emmeline bit her lip at the mention of Jamie. She remembered her final words to him before she had slammed the door in his face. I wish I'd never met you. She hadn't meant to be so harsh, but his kiss had made her feel as if he was trying to take advantage of the situation. If mates were these amazing soul connections that Hanne had talked about, why would he try and make a move on his brother's supposed mate?

"I shouldn't have said the things I did," Emmeline started to explain. She wanted Alpha Randall to know that she wasn't a bad person. Things had just been too much for her. Were too much for her.

Their conversation was interrupted as Randall pushed open the door to a meeting room. A long table filled most of the room and a group of men were seated at the end furthest away from the door. Her eyes flicked across them. They all looked so strict.

As her eyes travelled across everyone who was seated, her gaze landed on a very familiar face. He looked conflicted and an emotion she couldn't quite place flashed across his eyes when he saw her. Tristan. She breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked, but he quickly looked away from her. 

He doesn't want a mate like me, anyway. If he's this future heir to the pack or whatever, surely he should be with some other werewolf royalty or whatever they are. Emmeline thought to herself bitterly. She knew there was some kind of connection between them - that couldn't be denied. She could feel it stronger than she had been able to previously and it was if something was tugging at her heart, making her want to run to him and snuggle into his chest. Such a gorgeous, broad chest. I bet he has a six-pack, like the hot guys in magazines.

"Miss Peters." A sharp voice startled her out of her thoughts and a slight blush coloured her cheeks. She looked up to see one of the men had stood up and was gesturing for her to take a seat in a chair at the end of the table near the door. She sat down, her back pressed against the hard wooden back of the chair. She looked up at the group nervously as Randall joined them and crossed her arms over her chest protectively. Who are these men and why do they want to see me?

"Thank you for being on time today. We have a crucial matter to discuss and time is of the essence." The man who had addressed her before was still speaking. The two other men with him were staring at her as if she was an intriguing specimen in a museum. 

All three men were older, possibly the same age as Randall or slightly older. The man who had spoken looked to be the oldest of the group and she estimated that he had to be around 60 or so. They were all dressed in black suits and both Randall and Tristan were dressed smartly, much smarter than when she had met them previously. Alpha Randall smiled at her encouragingly but Tristan's face was expressionless, his arms crossed just like hers. He looked like he really didn't want to be there.

"Emmeline Peters, as a rogue wolf with no clan, you cannot be living among humans. The accords-" The man was interrupted as Randall turned to him. 

"Elder Frost, she was brought up by humans. She doesn't know about the accords."

Emmeline shot Randall a small smile, thankful that he seemed to be on her side. Her smile quickly disappeared when the older man, Elder Frost, continued talking. 

"The accords STATE that a rogue shall not live within the human territory. A rogue wolf without a clan is a danger to our delicate situation. We cannot afford another... incident." Emmeline wondered what the incident he mentioned referred to. It sounded interesting. "If you have no knowledge of our kind, then you must acquire it. This cannot be done amongst humans. We cannot have a rogue untrained wolf roaming around."

The way he said 'untrained' made it sound like something dirty, Emmeline thought. 'Treife', as Mr Isaacs would say, or something not kosher. She couldn't help but wonder what this man had against her. 

It's not my fault someone left me. Why am I to blame for being abandoned like someone's unwanted belongings?!

Anger started to rise in her and she noticed Elder Frost look at Alpha Randall knowingly. 

"This is why a wild one like her can't be unrestrained and free amongst humankind." His voice was sharp and his words were unkind. Emmeline bristled at his tone. "Miss Peters, you have two options. Either you move to a clan and live with them willingly or you will remain in custody of the Council. Until you learn to control your abilities and understand the world in which you now inhabit, these are your only two options."

Emmeline looked between Elder Frost, Alpha Randall and Tristan. Surely he couldn't be serious? They couldn't imprison her... could they?

"I have a job here. My advisor keeps in contact with me to make sure I'm doing well outside of foster care," Emmeline spat out the words, trying to keep her indignation in check. It was unlikely to help her situation at all if she lashed out now. "I can't just leave."

Elder Frost looked at the two other men with him and nodded. They stood up, almost as if they were in sync, and approached Emmeline.

"You have two options." Elder Frost repeated himself coldly. I guess his name really does suit him, Emmeline thought resentfully. The two men approached her from either side. 

"I'm no one's prisoner," Emmeline hissed, glaring at the older man and jumping up. "I will join a clan. But I have my own conditions."

Elder Frost steepled his hands together and looked up at her with icy intrigue. 

"Pray tell." He seemed amused by her demanding tone. 

"I will join a clan. It just will not be the Black Down Clan." She refused to meet Tristan or Alpha Randall's eyes as she stated the words. "I will join a clan but I don't want to be near here."

Elder Frost smiled slowly. It looked almost uncomfortable, Emmeline thought to herself, as if a plasticine figure had moulded itself a creepy smirk. She much preferred his pitiless, unsmiling expression. It was much less unnerving. 

"That can be arranged." He stood as if to adjourn their meeting. More like an ambush than a meeting, Emmeline huffed to herself. 

"My other request," Emmeline emphasised the word as if it was most definitely not a request, "is that this clan is by the sea.

Only then will I join one of your clans."