“I got lucky.”
They chatted for a while, but they eventually became painfully aware of the silence around them. The councilors and their advisers were waiting for them to calm down, indulgent smiles on thei
r faces. Avelyn rolled her eyes, Amelia winked and whispered “Later. We have a lot of catching up to do,” and they went back to their seats.
Arthur Harington hugged Delyse before she took her own seat next to Eric.
“I’m so glad to see you,” he said.
“Me too. How’s mom?”
“Oh, she’s fine. Busy bee with a new charity project.”
“For orphans and shifter brides…” There was sadness in Delyse’s voice. Her mother, Margaret Harington, had always been more interested in other peoples’ children than in her own.
“You know her.”
“And James?”
“Neck-deep in research. He barely leaves the lab these days.”
Delyse nodded and sat down. Now that she was a proper shifter-bride married to a powerful Alpha, she hoped she would get to visit her parents and spend more time with James. While they were at the boarding school, the brides were isolated from the outside world and taught how to be the best wives and mothers they could be. They were only allowed back into society after they were bought by shifters.
Everyone in the conference room was looking at Arthur Harington, as he was the one who had called the meeting. Delyse took her time to look around her, study faces, body postures, and tense smiles in an attempt to figure out where they stood.
The Bear Councilor, Zachary Willamar, looked like he was presiding over the meeting. It was just an impression, of course, given by his ridiculously wide shoulders and bulky chest. He had short hair, black eyes, and dark skin, and his bushy eyebrows showed he was a bit confused about what was happening and he didn’t like being confused. Delyse knew he was ex-military, and Eric had told her he would probably be the hardest one to convince.
Dimitri Voinom, the Wolf Councilor, seemed just as scary as Willamar. At least, he was flanked by Karl Blackmane and Max Blackmane, who had Avelyn by his side. On that part of the table, Delyse knew she had friends.
The Eagle Councilor, Christian Kwahu, seemed blissfully harmless. He sometimes exchanged a couple of words with his two advisers, and when he didn’t, he doodled in his daily planner.
These three were the people they needed to charm. Blake Sylfur, Amelia’s best friend and the former Alpha of Clan Sylfur, was the Fox Councilor. Amelia had taken her place when she married Blake’s Beta, Seth, and gave birth to Marcus, the only nine-tailed fox-shifter in the world. Well, until his sister was born… Now, there were two nine-tailed fox-shifters, and the fox faction couldn’t be more proud of Clan Sylfur. Amelia was a pretty good Alpha, too. She was also Blake’s main adviser. Calder Grimmr, the Dragon Councilor, was an old friend of Eric’s, so he was on their side. And the Human Councilor, Arthur Harington, was currently standing, dominating the long table with his rather short, frail form. For the thousandth time in her life, Delyse noticed her father’s authority didn’t come from his posture or looks. As a simple human, he was at a huge disadvantage when compared to all the shifters in the room. His authority came from the way he held himself, from his voice, and from within. Delyse remembered why she respected him so much and why she had always wanted to impress him, make him proud of her, give him the political advantage he needed by marrying a great Alpha, such as Eric Drekinn. Arthur Harington was too proud to admit he needed his daughter’s help, but Delyse knew. She had always known why he had chosen to donate her to the Alma Venus Boarding School, and she had never held it against him. Against her mother, yes. But not against him.
Councilor Harington asked the secretary to place the thick files he had prepared in front of everyone, then cleared his throat and informed them he was once again, after many years, bringing to their attention the importance of developing antidotes for the five types of shifter venom they knew. The reactions he got from Voinom, Willamar, and Willamar’s advisers weren’t encouraging. The wolf-shifter sighed deeply and settled in his chair for what knew would be a long speech, while Willamar tensed and leaned forward to better fix Harington with his dark eyes. The bear-shifter still didn’t know why Avelyn, Delyse, and Eric Drekinn were present, but he had an unpleasant feeling about it. Sure, Amelia was Blake’s adviser and she sometimes came to London, but the other three had no reason to be there. As far as he knew.
“When I first came to you with this project,” continued Harington, “it was in its first stages. This isn’t going to be the same speech I gave you then, trust me. We’ve made some significant discoveries, which I believe will change your perspective on the matter.”
Dimitri Voinom immediately perked up. “Significant discoveries… How exactly did you make them? Your labs and facilities were closed, Councilor Harington.”
The Human Councilor smiled uneasily. “Please bear with me. I’ll get there. First, I want to talk about the advantages, the real advantages of these cures.” He made sure to emphasize “real”. Years ago, he had come with too many hypotheses, and that was why he hadn’t been able to counter his colleagues’ arguments. It would be different this time. “At some point in the evolution of shape-shifters, nature and genetics decided to turn the females infertile. Shifters started to claim human females as mates so they could ensure the continuation of their species, and we all know this was one of the main reasons why we ended up waging war against each other. The peace treaty, signed over a century ago, helped our species function together, but I hope you will agree with me when I say humans were forced to make more compromises than shape-shifters. We agreed to the clause that says humans will provide brides for the five shifter factions, and we even created boarding schools where these young women received the education and upbringing they needed to become proper wives and mothers.”
He made a pause and looked around the table. The only ones who were fixing him were the other humans in the room. Humans and hybrids, actually. The shape-shifters pretended they were busy studying the table, their hands, their pens… anything. “So,” he thought, “This does have an impact.” Time to hit harder.
“The point I’m trying to make is that shape-shifters need humans. Their only chance of survival stays with the brides we offer them as per the clause in the peace treaty. Now… we’ve all made mistakes. Before and during the war, when no rules were in place, many humans were turned into shape-shifters against their will and were forced to give up their families, jobs, their lives. I strongly believe that shifters owe this to them. The cure to shifter venom can offer them the chance to take back at least half of what they had. Without the ability to shift, these people can live normal lives.”
To his surprise, Christian Kwahu actually nodded. It was true: while born shifters had no problem shifting at will in a matter of seconds, turned humans went through terrible pain the first couple of times, and they could never learn how to control their animal instincts enough to hold a normal job or build a family amongst humans. The change also took quite a toll on their sanity. Avelyn, for instance, knew very well. Sabine, her husband’s ex-bride, had gradually gone insane after she was turned.
“If shape-shifters want to right this wrong, then they will not deny turned humans this unique opportunity,” Harington pressed.
The air was heavy with tension. Some of the shifters around the table moved uncomfortably in their seats, although there was nothing uncomfortable about the expensive leather chairs.
Councilor Willamar took a deep breath before speaking. If no one was going to say it, then he would.
“More or less, you came with the same argument the first time. And we understand your point. We do. But don’t forget the war was started by you, the humans. Turning humans into hybrids will give them the same physical strength, enhanced senses, and incredible speed shifters have, and this time they will have it all: power, long lifespans, and the numbers.”
“I agree,” said Voinom. “The human population has always been greater than the shifter population, even if you assume there are, indeed, more than five types of shifters.” The scientists studying shape-shifters had yet to come with certain proof there were more than five species in t
he world. “It’s an incredibly big risk. How do we know the idea isn’t to give humans the power and strength they need to start another war?”