Page 13 of Stolen Choices
“You mean with her mate Brayden?”
“Yes.”
“The other one prophesied.”
“Together they are powerful.”
“Together is the key word, Ethern. You know the humans will try to destroy them both. What if they succeed? What if one dies and the other lives? That is the true curse of all prophesies when they are prevented from coming to fruition.” The man grew more and more agitated. He picked up one of the bones from the pile. It was small. Possibly a rib, Ethern thought, from looking at its position in the collection.
“We just have to hope that doesn’t happen.”
“We can’t predict the actual future any more than these prophecies can. What about their child?”
“A multi-shifter. It already controls its mother’s powers.”
“A firstborn.”
“Yes.”
“We’ve played too much with magic, Ethern. We’ve changed the world, and we’re still doing it. The child could be the greatest ally or the most evil weapon. But either way, it is you and I who created it. We brought Selene to life. We orchestrated her meeting with Brayden.”
“But we didn’t force them into love,” Ethern interrupted. “That was purely where their hearts led them.”
The man placed the bone he was holding down in front of Ethern.
“Can you be certain of that?”
“Yes, you can’t force the heart to love anyone it doesn’t want to. You of all people should know that.”
The man slumped down onto the ground. Ethern knew he had wounded him with his comment. It was harsh because this man had made the ultimate sacrifice to bring the prophecies to life—he’d given up the woman he loved. He’d left her alone with a broken heart to grow old without him, believing he was dead. But he wasn’t, and the worse part was Ethern had watched her suffer. He knew the woman the man loved. He’d spoken to her on numerous occasions and seen her interact with Kas and the rest of the Glacial Blood pack. It broke his heart when she was injured, fighting for what was right, but there was nothing Ethern could have done. He couldn’t break the rules—he had to follow the path that would lead to the salvation of the world for shifters and humans.
“I miss her so much.” The man drew a heart in the sandy dust of the cave floor. “I know I won’t survive the choice I made. It’s impossible. But I long to see her once more before I die.”
“You will. I’ll make sure of it. I give you my word.”
They both fell silent for a few moments. Both staring down at the bone between them.
“Does it hurt?” Ethern finally shattered the peace.
“When I change or as I stand here now before you?”
“Both,” Ethern replied. It had been Ethern’s role in the plans to take charge of the Council and run it as best he could. Many thought he was younger than he actually was. He’d been reborn as a multi-shifter and was equally as special as Selene but different in so many ways. Ethern didn’t fully understand it all himself. It was as if he were an ancient soul in a young body.
“It doesn’t hurt when I change. It feels freeing as though I’m taking on my destiny. I embrace it and escape. There is no greater feeling than soaring high in the clouds. I adore it. However, when I’m in human form, I have to hide, and my longing for freedom hurts. We’re doing all this to achieve acceptance for shifters, but what I am will never be accepted.”
The man pushed the bone toward Ethern.
“Take it. Prepare it for her. But know this, Ethern Lennox, if this goes wrong, you are subjecting that young girl to a life hidden away in the shadows. A life with no love, no family. A life without the child she carries within her. The beast within her will take over, and the power will be too much. Be sure of your prophecies, Ethern. Be sure that Brayden istheone before you act.”
The man turned away and walked farther back into the cave. Ethern watched him go before reaching down to retrieve the bone. He was about to touch it when he realized the error of his ways. He wasn’t strong enough to contain the creature he could become with just one touch—only Selene was. He pulled his coat sleeve down over his hand and picked up the bone with the fabric to avoid touching it with his bare skin. He placed the bone in his pocket before exhaling deeply. He wanted to save Selene and Brayden from their future, but it wasn’t possible. She was the only one.
Ethern took one last look at the man before turning his back on him.
He couldn’t save Hayden just yet, and he couldn’t reunite him with Molly. But he would never give up trying.
Chapter Nine
Jackson watched from the shadows of the forest, in his panther form, as the tiger shifted back into its human and sat down on a seat outside the wood cabin. Katia’s father, Vihaan, had been granted a home on Nuka’s lands after he was kicked out of the Glacial Blood pack. He’d been here ever since, hiding in the shadows. Nuka wasn’t aware Jackson knew about him, but the panther had made it his business to know everything about everybody, wherever possible. It’s what kept him ahead of the game.