Of Fate and Freedom

Chapter Ten

"Alright, take a breather before this last round," Father's booming voice rings out across the field, thorium can barely hear it with all the blood rushing in my ears. Sparring with Niall hasn't been quite as much fun as I'd hoped, but I wasn't as outmatched as I'd believed when Isleen and I pondered the idea the night before. Even though he has a physical advantage over me, we have different fighting styles and my training in Muay Thai and a couple other martial arts has helped me hold my own against him. That's the problem, though. We've both landed blows, sure, but neither of us has managed to gain the upper hand over the other. Oddly enough, we either seem to be equally matched or he's holding back... both of which are frustrating.

I fall in step with Aedan ahead of the fray of Sentries as we head inside the main facility towards the water bottles we kept inside to keep from freezing over. He turns his face to me as we walk, a hint of amusement crossing his somewhat fatigued but otherwise inviting features.

"Taking it easy on Kane out there, Shay," he chuckles, holding the door for me to head inside first. "Thought you'd have him on his back by now."

"Why, jealous he's gonna take your usual place under my knee?" I push back lightly.

"Not at all. Might do you some good to have someone else kiss the ground you walk on. My lips are getting a bit chapped from it all."

"Is that so? I'm sure you'd be more than happy to kiss something else instead," I joke, grinning as I playfully tackle him onto one of the stacks of practice mats near the wall of cubbies that houses our water bottles.

"Oh, f**k right off!" he exclaims, struggling under me.

"Ooh-hoo, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"Nahh, lassie, I save it all for yours," Aedan shoots back with a roguish grin, finally overpowering me as he sends me tumbling a few feet away. I launch myself at him and we fall into a lighthearted sparring match of our own while some of the older Sentries and Father shake their heads in amused condescension.

We tussle for about a minute before a rare voice rings out through my familial bond.

Saoirse.

Caught off guard, I freeze for a split second, and Aedan seizes his chance to pin me down without hesitation. I laugh lightly and shove him off before turning my attention back to the voice.

Uhh... Yes, Mother?

Can you come to my study? Bring Moira as well.

Be right there, I reply, still a bit dazed from hearing her voice. If Mother was using our bond directly, then whatever's going on has to be urgent. Tuning back out, I reach my hand up to Aedan who stands over me, looking triumphant and a bit bemused before hoisting me up.

"Did you forget how to fight or just finally realize you'd never beat me?" he teases me as I regain my footing.

"I have to give you a win every now and again so you don't think you're useless. Anyway, duty calls," I respond, tapping my temple a couple times to reference the mental message I just received. "Mother called me and Moira up to the study." Hearing her name across the room, my sister makes her way towards the door at the same time I do.

"Send her my love!" Aedan calls after me, taunting me with exaggerated kissing noises. I flip him off while retreating, just as Father claps him across the back of his head. A sheepish look crosses his face as he looks at my father. "Sorry, Merric."

Somehow, I hadn't noticed that Niall is standing near the doors until just now. He breezes through them to hold the door for Moira and I to pass.

"Miss Conall," he nods to my sister as she exits, then turns to me, another cryptic gaze meeting my own suspicious one. "Thank you for the exercise this morning."

I simply nod, narrowing my eyes briefly at him as I pass. Not looking back, I join Moira who's a few steps ahead and we begin to make our way back to the estate.

"Did Mother say what she needed?"

I shake my head. "No, she just asked us to come back to the study."

Moira gazes thoughtfully off to the distance where the sun is just beginning to rise. With a sudden burst of energy, she turns back to me, excitement radiating off of her. "Training was so fun today! Uncle Alistair showed me some really cool moves, and they were surprisingly simple so I picked them up fast! He said with a little more practice I'll have them down no problem. And wasn't it exciting when you got to lead one of the stations today? You must've been really happy about that. I know Father was proud of you; I was, too. Oh, and you got to spar with an outside clan member! How was that? I know he kinda pissed you off yesterday, but it was fun watching you guys! It was kind of like a dance, but more lethal!"

I chuckle at her chattiness despite her mention of Niall. Her shock seems to be completely gone, left in yesterday's shadow; and my bubbly, somewhat erratic sister that I love has returned. We talk about the morning's events all the way back to the estate, Orrin joining us from somewhere along the way.

We file inside the house a few minutes later, kicking off our snow-laden shoes and parkas in the small foyer of our family's wing. Aside from a dry pair of shoes, I see no reason to change clothing, which is just as well because Mother's request felt urgent. Moira, however, doesn't share my opinion, so she darts into her room while I scurry off to the mud room, my sweet boy at my heels knowing full well I'm heading to set out his breakfast.

Although I thought I'd moved pretty quickly, I enter Mother's study a few minutes later to see Moira already changed and sitting in an armchair that had been pushed off to the side of the room yesterday for the meeting. Mother is finishing a phone call at her desk when I enter, so I sit in the chair near my sister and wait for her to finish.

"... That would be perfect... No, no, that will not be necessary.... Yes, though I appreciate your concern. My daughters can assist me when we arrive.... I will, thank you. I appreciate your assistance. Have a wonderful day." Mother ends her call, setting her phone on the grandiose desk and turns to face us. She looks at us, smiling more with her eyes than her face, but has a pleasant air about her all the same. "Good morning, darlings. How was practice?"

"It was great," I offer. "It feels good to be back with the clan." Moira chimes in with similar appreciation.

She does actually smile at this. "This is your home, my daughters. I hope it always feels that way for you. Now, to the reason I called you here: after speaking briefly with the assistant to your former professor, Mr. Sutter, I have arranged a meeting in a few hours to talk to him about the information relayed to us yesterday by Great Elder Roby. Seeing as this affects the both of you, I think it will be best to bring you in case you have any questions for him. We will be departing at 9 a.m., but we have a few matters to attend to before we go."

I quickly glance at the screen of my phone to check the time: it's 7:38. "What do you need us to do?" I ask.

"I am sure you would like to shower before we leave, so I would encourage taking care of that first. When you finish, Moira, meet myself and Beta McCarthy here once again. Saoirse," she says, turning to me, "find your father. He will have a list of available Sentries that can accompany us on our journey; select the four that you most depend on and ensure they are present in the garage and ready to go at 9:15. This will be one of your future duties as Alpha when you travel on official business, so take this seriously, but consider the needs of the Clan as well."

We both nod in understanding, and she dismisses us to our assigned tasks. As I head to my room with Moira by my side, I mentally go over the list of Sentries that I know, the ones I'd seen at training this morning, and how our schedule usually works so I can have an idea of who I want to bring along with us that could be somewhat inconspicuous on OA's campus.

We've never had a set Alpha Sentry detail like most Clans, mainly due to the fact that most of our Guard is similar in skill, but also because we're a very old Clan whose Alpha family members face continuous threats outside of protected grounds like our Clan and OA. They usually rotate based on the Sentries available and who the Alpha trusts, but every time we've traveled, Father has always decided on our convoy. Now that the countdown has officially started for when I'm officially named Alpha, it's my duty, and that fact excites me more than I thought it would.

As I breeze through a brief shower, I continue pondering the weeks that lay ahead of me. Most Alphas find their mate no more than a year after they've Transfigured for the first time, so the odds are I'll be mated before my 25th birthday. Once the mating ritual is complete, the Rite of Ascension takes place within three days on consecrated Clan grounds to seal the mate bond and connect the rising Alpha' spirit to her ancestors. From what I understand, it's a hard to explain process, but it essentially involves linking her life force to her mate, which simultaneously bonds them and gives her a living anchor to visit the passed on members of her bloodline who exist in the ancestral plane. Once she awakens, there's a bunch of words spoken, and then the ritual is complete. It's all very mystical and I've found it hard to really comprehend, but I get the basics.

After I clean up, I quickly dress in a black tailored pantsuit with a soft, scarlet silk blouse similar to the one I'd worn yesterday, a pair of point toe stilettos, and pull my hair into a low braided bun to finish it off. The outfit is similar to what my mother wears when on official Clan business, and based on my assigned task, I figure that this is a clothing choice she'd approve of, no matter how uncomfortable it is. I leave my face bare — mainly because I don't want to deal with the hassle of makeup — and quickly turn to the bond to ask Father where I should meet him.

A few minutes later, I stride into Father's office, which is much smaller than Mother's and located on the second floor of our family wing. He's looking at a map of sorts with Isleen's father and his third in command, Wang Tae-hyun. Tae, as we usually call him, met Beta Nessa at OA a couple decades ago, and they pretty much fell in love instantly. He was born into the reigning Alpha family from one of the smaller human countries that makes up part of the Lángrén region, and as such, his primal side was actually a leopard, whereas his wife's is a wolf like the rest of the members born to our Clan. He looks up and smiles as I stride in. "Saoirse! Isleen told me you were back. It's good to see you home again."

"Thanks, Uncle Tae," I reply warmly, giving him a quick hug. Turning my attention to Father, I ask, "Has Mother told you why she sent me here?"

"Oh. Yes, pet. Her yeh are," he mutters, distractedly handing me a small file without looking up from the map before him. Father was always attentive to his work, so his continued focus on his task is nothing new to me as I take the file from him.

"If you need a second opinion, I'd be happy to help," Tae offers, looking up briefly from his work with my father. I nod gratefully before turning my own focus to the schedule at the top of the file, comparing it to the list of Sentries available. I cross-reference the list of conroicht to the schedule, taking note in my head of younger members who'd attended the Academy. Campus was always changing, and I figure newer graduates, while less skilled, will know the grounds better — not that it really matters. OA is protected by wards of every strain of supernatural creature, from conriocht to svetocher — which are half human, half upir (vampires). The detail we take today will be more of a formality than anything, but I suppose Mother wants to test me before the leadership falls into my hands.

After selecting Aedan, one older and two younger Sentries who attended OA that I didn't really know (but nonetheless know of), I stand and offer my list to Father and Uncle Tae to finalize.

"Good choices, Heir Alpha," muses Uncle Tae, his eyes twinkling in approval as he puts emphasis on my title. Father nods his praise, smiling encouragingly as he hands me the file back.

"I agree. Now, send them a message and let them know where to meet yeh," he tells me.

I look at him quizzically. "You know my bond only extends to the family," I reply.

"Does yer phone service only extend to the family as well?"

"Well... no."

"Their numbers are included in that file. Let them know."

Embarrassed, I nod in understanding and duck out of his office and head towards the garage, locating their numbers as I walk. I take a quick glance at the time after I send the message: 9:03 glows in the top left corner. I'm halfway to the garage level when the first message blinks across my screen from one of the three unsaved numbers:

Yes, Heir Alpha.

Wait, these people know my number? A bit caught off-guard, I continue my trek downstairs to the base level, receiving three more confirmation texts from the other two Sentries — who, again, somehow know my number — and Aedan. To add to my surprise, I push through the heavy entrance door of the garage to see one of the Sentries, a younger one, already waiting for me by the key locker.

"What, did you sprint here?" I joke, even though I see no sign of exertion from him.

"No, Heir Alpha. I was already on this level," he responds, his expression staying dead serious.

"Oh."

“Thank you for thinking of me to accompany you today, Heir Alpha.”

“Yeah. Look, you don’t have to call me ‘Heir Alpha.’ My name is Saoirse,” I tell him as I’m reminded of why I don’t come home. I hate the formality of my title; it’s always been weird to me.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you… Saoirse.” He literally sounds like it causes him pain to call me by my name. “My name is Sentry Stovall.”

“Kieran, right?” I ask, recalling his name from the list. “Can I call you that?”

“Of course, Heir— I mean, Saoirse,” he replies evenly. I groan internally.

This is going to be a long day, I think to myself.