Of Fate and Freedom

Chapter Six

In my defense, I wholeheartedly admit to having anger management issues... but I believe everyone would agree that he had that coming to him. The next few moments are a bit dramatic: Niall screams out in pain (much to my satisfaction), I yank my heel clean out of his leg as Isleen and Moira pull me away from him, blood spurts everywhere, the Great Elders all start exclaiming in shock, and Beta Nessa does her best to calm down the room as Mother swoops in from out of nowhere and literally drags me toward the back entrance, her hand like a vise-grip on my arm.

The room is pretty much in full, unbridled chaos by the time we’re at the door, and as the commotion gets louder, I can feel Mother’s fury getting stronger. She finally relents from towing me out of the room just long enough to address the room.

“SILENCE!” she roars, her Alpha undertone making her voice deafening.

“What the hell, Mother?!” I exclaim, shrinking away from her as I do my best to cover my ears with my free hand. She snaps her attention back to me briefly, her normally deep blue eyes almost black now, and gives me a look that easily makes me fear for my life. If I had to guess, I’d say she was moments away from Transfiguring, which wouldn’t be pretty for anyone, so I shut up.

She continues on, this time in a more controlled tone. “Elders, compose yourselves. I will handle my daughter. Beta McCarthy, please see to Mr. Kane’s injury.”

With that, Mother pulls me through the door and slams me against a nearby wall, using her other arm to pin me down.

“What. The. HELL. Were. You. Thinking?!” she growls, her face mere centimeters from mine. “How dare you embarrass me and your clan with such insolent behavior?”

The fear I’d been feeling from seeing Mother in a rare state of rage is quickly replaced by my own earlier indignation. I find my strength and wrestle myself from her grip, which is no easy feat. Alphas are exceptionally strong in their human forms, and as a True Alpha, Mother was easily the strongest that I would ever encounter.

“You’re mad about me embarrassing you? How do you think I feel? That haughty bastard just said mine and Moira’s lives don’t matter, as if we were nothing, Mother. Nothing! And what did you say to him? ‘Thank you for your input,’" I yell in a mocking tone, adding air quotes for effect. At this point, I’m absolutely seething with rage, so the fact that I’m actually shouting at my mother is lost on me. “Are you quite mad? He just insulted us and the clan, and essentially questioned your competence as an Alpha! But sure, yell at me because I lost my cool for a few seconds. All you ever care about is your bloody image among the clans and for what? Why should they respect you when you don't even stand up for your own daughters? For that matter, why should I?"

Mother glares up at me from where I now stand, once again just a few centimeters away from her, but this time by my own accord. "Are you quite finished, then, daughter?"

"Why, so you can thank me for what I've said? You seem to be in quite the appreciative mood for blatant disrespect."

"Is that so? Because, as I recall, you gave me but a few seconds to speak before taking delicate matters into your own — rather intemperate — hands. I called this meeting for you. I gathered some of the greatest and most knowledgeable minds in the world for you. I have done everything in my power to ensure your safety and continued survival, not because you are the heir to the oldest and longest lasting True Alpha line in history, but because you are my daughter!" she retorts, pushing her finger into my sternum and pushing me back in the process. "Is that fact so lost on you? All I ask is that you control yourself!"

Mother steps back and begins adjusting my blazer and pin, sighing in exasperation before she continues. “Saoirse, this is not a matter you can handle on your own, and had you been paying attention in the Alpha classes you claim to be doing so well in, you would know that in any Great Elder Council meeting, the presiding Alpha who calls the meeting has the responsibility to remain composed to best lead the conversation, no matter their feelings. If I were free to act of my own volition, you would not have had the chance to react because I would have torn him apart myself.

“Unfortunately, I am bound by duty to maintain peace at all times. It should go without mentioning that Mr. Kane’s mother and I have been at odds for the past couple of decades, but it has been a quiet feud and I aim to keep it that way. The last thing that I want is a Kane on Róisín grounds for any reason, but that is the price we have to pay to ensure peace, and we cannot afford to instigate a war with the Ceallach clan. So, daughter, please apologize to Mr. Kane, not because he deserves it and not because you regret your actions, but because you are Heir Alpha and your clan depends on it, and so my attention can return to trying to save the lives of my daughters. Can you do that for me?”

I nod my head, knowing she’s right but a bit annoyed at that fact, and she makes her way to the entrance of the office turned auditorium. “Mother?” I call as her hand reaches the doorknob.

“Yes, Saoirse?” she replies, not turning around.

“I’m... sorry for my actions.” I'm not, really, but I'm starting to feel bad that I made a scene.

She finally turns, the smallest hint of a smile on her lips. “That makes one of us, darling.” And with that, we head back inside.

* * * * *

Aside from a few drops of blood barely visible at the top of my seat, there’s no sign of my earlier outburst. Niall must’ve had a spare suit on hand, because he’s now in a charcoal grey suit similar to his hair color, with navy pinstripes and a crisp collared shirt to match. He doesn’t appear to be in any pain, which means he must’ve already healed — a perk of being a conriocht who’s already transfigured. As I make my way back to my seat, I can feel the eyes of everyone in the room following my every move, no doubt to anticipate how I'll react. I do my best to channel Mother's air of authority by holding my head up and taking powerful yet graceful strides towards my place, not looking anyone in the eye.

"Mr. Kane," I say once I reach my seat, gathering every ounce of civility I can muster as I turn to face him. "I apologize profusely for my earlier outburst. That was unbecoming of an Heir Alpha and I hope you don't consider my actions to be a reflection of my clan. I hope we can move forward from this with civility."

Niall leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together, and as he dons a lazy grin, I swear I can see the devil himself in his eyes. "Miss Conall, that was a £4000 pair of custom trousers that you — how did you put it? — provided your 'input' on. If you didn't like them, using your words would’ve sufficed just fine." I swear, this smug bastard was practically begging for a round two, but I wasn't going to let him get the best of me this time.

"Again, my apologies. Please feel free to bill the clan and we'd be more than happy to accommodate you."

"Why, thank you, Miss Conall. Your hospitality is ever so refreshing," he replies, sarcasm literally dripping off of every word he says. "Of course, I accept your apology. And you needn’t concern yourself with replacing anything. I'm sure you can repay us in some other way." I have no clue what he means by that but, judging by the mischievous look still in his eyes, I have no doubt that it's not good. I turn and take my seat without looking at anyone else, but I can still feel the eyes of the room all locked on me, even after Mother calls for the attention of the room again.

"I apologize for that brief intermission. Now, I believe we still have a few Elders left to hear from. If you have any information that you believe to be helpful, please raise your hand," Mother states, her calm expression meaning she's back to business as usual.

Nobody moves. The unmistakable feeling of nervousness washes over me again because there are only four Elders left that Mother didn't get to before my little outburst. After a few seconds that seem to span on for ages, a rather pleasant-looking woman from the end of the row slowly raises her hand. She has jet black hair and a strong, rounded jaw with rich, chocolate-colored eyes that perfectly compliment her deep beige skin tone. I can tell simply by her appearance that she's a direct descendant of the some of the original Limikkish conriocht, before they were settled by the humans a few centuries ago. The early Limikkish were the second-oldest conriocht clans in existence, right behind us Ossorians.

Mother, looking almost relieved, nods towards her. "Yes, Elder...," she begins, then looks towards the seating chart Beta Nessa had filled out at the beginning of the meeting.

"Roby," the Elder responds simply.

"My apologies. What can you tell us, Elder Roby?"

"I understand that your people have lost connection with that of those who created us, but we of the Massachusett Tribe have always been taught the full history. We know of the Sìthe who created the Elder Alpha, as they helped us to live in harmony with tribes dissimilar to our own when we were first discovered by them. The Sìthe created and spread the myths that drew attention away from us so that we could thrive, because they insisted that our existence was pertinent to their survival. I know they still exist today, because the great-grandson of one of our Elders teaches a course here on their history. I assume your daughters are familiar with a Professor Carlisle Sutter?"

My eyes widen in shock when Elder Roby mentions his name. Sutter is a human professor at OA that I'd had as a first year for Supernatural Studies, but he always seemed more interested in the actual myths he taught in his class rather than real supernatural beings like us. I look over to Moira, who seems just as incredulous at this revelation as I am, and turn our bond back on because I can feel her prodding at me through it.

Nutter Sutter is a conriocht? There's NO way, she tells me.

I mean, technically, it is possible. He could’ve chosen not to Transfigure, I reply matter-of-factly.

Sure, but considering how obsessed he is, I just figured that he was one of those humans that found out about us through too much studying or a loose-lipped conriocht, and the Academy hired him to keep him from going public.

She has a point, and I'd definitely considered the same thing when we met him, but he never told anyone how he came to be a professor at a predominantly conriocht university.

I return my attention to Elder Roby as she continues, "Professor Sutter's grandmother chose not to Transfigure and leave the tribe due to some family tension, but he became interested in his family history at a young age, and after his parents died in a car accident when he was young, his great-grandmother was his only surviving family member, so he came back to live with her on our grounds. She reached out to the Sìthe soon after, hoping that he still carried the conriocht gene so he could be a part of the pack when he came of age. That was not the case and they could do nothing to help him, so he left us on his 24th birthday to spend a few years with the Sìthe before he was approached by the Academy to become a professor. If there’s any solution for your daughters, he will be the best person for you to talk to. From what I understand from Elder Sutter, he still keeps in contact with their Priestess. I hope this helps, Alpha Conall, and I wish the best for your children."

"Thank you, Elder Roby. I was unaware that the Sìthe still existed. We have had no record of them since the eighth century, but this gives me great hope," Mother replies, and I can tell she means it. Elder Roby simply nods and clasps her hands in her lap.

There are some murmurs among the other Elders as Mother begins to close the meeting, no doubt as confused as I am by the mention of the mysterious Sìthe. Professor Sutter barely mentioned them in his class, instead opting for more outlandish folklore like kelpies and the humans' Greek gods. Isleen seems completely unaware of my visible confusion as she gives my hand a quick squeeze and flashes me a hopeful grin. I smile back halfheartedly, but knowing that "Nutter" Sutter (as every student and even some other professors call him) may be the only one who can save us makes me more concerned for my life than I was when I first stepped into this room.