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 Chapter 1

Sam

There has been a lot of commotion in the last few days, like the pack is in turmoil, and I’ve seen some unfamiliar faces through the window, but in the end, I don’t know anything about it.

Peter always says that I am an integral part of the pack, but in practice, nothing is less true. They are afraid of me just as I am afraid of them. And they have good reasons to fear me, just as I have towards them. Not this particular clan, but shifters in general. They are not a people I can trust, no matter what they say, and I learned that the hard way.

It’s hard to bond in that environment. Peter, my adoptive father, tried everything to make me feel comfortable, to make me trust the Treat. But I never did. I know I’m safe with the alpha and Greg. For some reason, I was never afraid of the shifter, and he never doubted me.

Maybe it was because he was only a child when we met, and his self6preservation instinct is practically inexistent. I close my eyes with all my strength to stop the images that come to me in a burst.

Blood, screams, tears, and helplessness. I am useless and dangerous, and I can feel Ashley pulling away from me more and more. She wants to make her own life and I do not belong there. I have never really been. I can see that though. I am able to hide my fatel origins, but what is the use since I can’t stand to be approached? My older sister, so beautiful and so sociable, left the territory of the pack to live among people and have a job. I can not do the same. I am too suspicious and too unstable. We don’t have the same background. Peter’s treatment helps me control my gift, but it doesn’t work miracles.

My powers are part of me, they can’t be taken away and I don’t want them to be. They are my defence against the outside world. I am aware that I am a public danger to the outside world, which is why my house is on the edge of the territory, far from the other houses of the clan. Only my sister insisted on being near me, but the isolation soon became too much for her. And that idiot Nathan did nothing to help me convince her to stay when she decided to live outside the territory. I can’t stand that one. I don’t like the way he looks at Ashley, with that mix of concupiscence and evil glare. If he is alive, it is only because I made a promise to my sister never to kill a Treat, and I always keep my promises. At least, the ones I make to her, I keep. However, that doesn’t stop me from having a little fun at their expense when a member annoys me. I spend time as best I can.

— Sam? Where are you?

This is the person who always makes me smile. Unfortunately, I suspect in advance what she’s going to tell me. She’s leaving again, as usual. She told me she had to go see her best friend, and I’m surprised she stayed with the pack longer than expected. It looks like the time for goodbyes is today.

— Sam! Why didn’t you answer?

My sister is glowing. She is a beautiful woman by nature. She is tall, blonde with green eyes and a porcelain complexion. I wish I looked more like her. But she looks even more stunning today. There is something different about her eyes that I can’t quite figure out. I don’t have her gift; I can’t read minds like she can. Sometimes, I think it would have been better if our powers were reversed. Ashley has much better control than I do.

— Lost in your thoughts, little sister?

I’m thirty years old, and she mothers me like I’m a little girl. Deep down, I am in many ways. And like a child, I need a hug to soothe my tormented heart. I’m hugging her, making her flinch. Obviously, I surprised her. It is true that I got up suddenly to take her against me without even saying a word.

— Is everything okay, Sam?

— Yes. I just wanted a hug.

— Are you sure?

I hate that she worries about me. She shouldn’t. That’s not her role. She’s my sister, not my mother, and it’s time I let her reclama her place. However, I can’t do it and I blame myself all the more. Anyway, I can’t hide anything from her. Well, almost nothing. She leaves me my privacy, never willingly interferes in my mind, but it is so unstable that, in some cases, she captures my mood without wanting to.

She told me this when we were young. But no matter how hard I tried, I never managed to barricade my feelings behind walls. She’s looking at me with concern and I am sure she sensed my gloom. It’s not a very good day. However, she acts as if nothing has happened, and I thank her for that.

— I’d like to introduce you to someone.

She has met someone. That’s why she’s so beautiful. She’s in love and I already hate the man who is going to take my sister away from me. I knew this day would come, but I’m not ready for it and a storm rages inside of me, between anger and despair. I am above all sad to lose her, because I don’t doubt for a moment that this man will refuse to have a crazy sister—in—law in his life, in theirs.

A tear rolls down Ashley’s cheek and I’m sorry. I know it’s coming from me. My sister wipes her cheek and holds me tighter.

— Everything is fine, Sam. It’s Sevana. I told you about her.

I don’t understand. I thought her friend was far away. I nod, though, my nose nestled in her neck wrapped in a silk scarf.

— Would you let her into your house?

In front of my suspicious air, she reassures me, as always.

— She won’t hurt you; I promise.

I shrug my shoulders. Of course, she can’t do anything to me. Nobody can do anything against me. I learned that too the hard way, thanks to an anaesthetic dart stuck in my buttocks. But this is not the time to think about it.

A woman has just entered my den. I am not a shifter; however, I am territorial, and it is difficult to accept her presence in my house. Her pleasant smile helps me to relax a little, as well as the presence of Ashley who holds my hand to encourage me.

— Hello Sam. My name is Sevana. I’ve heard a lot about you.

— So have I.

I have. Ashley was full of praise for her, and I don’t understand why. Sevana is a small woman with black hair and an innocent look. A small human like there must be thousands of them, I imagine.

— Don’t be so surprised Sam. She’s exceptional, believe me.

— I don’t want to offend anyone, but she’s ordinary.

Why are the two friends giggling at each other?

“I’m not as ordinary as I look”. My eyes go from Ashley to her friend and my amazed look makes them laugh even more.

— Ash, is it you who…

— You know it’s not.

True. The presence I felt in my head was less intrusive and the voice wasn’t my sister’s. She stayed on the surface, just communicating without really entering.

— She’s a telepath!

I’m surprised. I never thought I would see another fatel. I thought my sister and I were the last of our people and that they would die out along with us.

— I am a fatel, yes, just like you. I am a prophetess. Well, among other things.

Ashley nods at her and I don’t quite understand. A silent conversation ensues. Magic crackles in the air like an intangible, invisible fog. I’ve always been able to feel it, like a sixth sense. Another quirk of mine. Perhaps because I am always on the alert, waiting for potential danger, and the power of fatels can be extremely dangerous. I find it hard to bear being kept away in my own home.

— Can I know what’s going on?

It’s obvious that Sevana wants to tell me something and my sister is against it.

— Ashley, I can hear everything. I’m solid.

She frowns. She doesn’t believe me. Neither do I, but I want to know what’s been going on for the last few days and this fatel has the answers, I am sure of it.

— You trust me, don’t you?

Of course. She is my sister. The only one who will never betray me.

— Forever.

— So, promise me you will listen to the end without getting scared.

I don’t like where this conversation is going. However, I trust my sister’s judgement. Besides, listening does not commit you to anything more.

— I promise to listen.

Ashley is undecided, but her friend makes the decision for her and drops a bombshell I wasn’t expecting.

— I am the alpha female of the Guardian Angels pack.

I instantly tense up. This fatel is linked to a shapeshifter. I know exactly how she got there. I was only five years old, but I could see and understand everything. I too should have been bound by force to one of them. So what does this woman want? Is it help? Or does she intend to betray us and feed us to her clan as if we were nothing more than animals being led to slaughter?

— Sam stop.

Ashley squeezes my shoulder, but I only have eyes for Sevana. I unconsciously move closer to her and now see the bite on her neck. I know what it means. Peter explained it to me a long time ago so that I wouldn’t be frightened when I saw the couples in his pack proudly displaying it. How can someone be happy about being bitten? How can you enjoy suffering?

— Sam, that’s enough!

I blink, regaining some semblance of control over my emotions, and realize I’m way to close to Sevana, I could touch her by reaching out my arm, and her nose is bleeding. I should feel bad about it, but I can’t. Too many dark thoughts are racing through my head. Promises of retaliation that a child should not have heard. Besides, Sevana doesn’t mind and wipes her nose with the back of her hand without further ado.

— I’ve never had a nosebleed in my life. This is a first. I’m all for new experiences.

I’m completely taken aback by her thinking. Even more than her smirk.

— Now that you have demonstrated you power to me, it’s my turn to show you one of mine.

One of her? I don’t have time to question Ashley before my coffee table begins to rise into the air, pitching and spinning. Sevana has her hands in front of her, making them dance like a conductor. She quickly stops and my table settles back into its place on the floor, as if nothing had happened.

My face must be funny, because despite her obvious fatigue, Sevana laughs lightly.

— Now that I have your full attention, we can talk. But first, I need to sit down and drink something sweet or I’ll collapse. And a tissue too.

My sister is quicker to respond than I am.

— Come on, I’ll make you coffee with double cream and sugar.

I watch as the two friends leave arm in arm towards the kitchen. Sevana relying partly on my sister to move forward, and I stand in the middle of my living room, unable to react to what has just happened. I don’t really know what just happened. How could I? I was very young when my parents disappeared.

I didn’t know much about fatels, except that each member of this people had powers that developed with age and practice. I should have started my training on my sixth birthday, but that never happened. Events did not allow me to gain the knowledge I would have needed and Ashley, only five years older than me, did not know enough to help me. She had been taught how to use her own power but had not yet been told about the others that existed. This knowledge was not acquired until the age of twelve or thirteen, as it was considered secondary knowledge. The fatels were not entirely wrong. What’s the point of knowing that someone can fly if we can’t fly ourselves?

So, I didn’t know that some fatels had telekinesis. But I know one thing for sure: a fatel has only one gift. So how is it that Sevana can also speak telepathically? Not to mention that my sister said she was a prophetess.

For the first time in a long time, my curiosity overcame my distrust, and I joined the two women who were sitting in front of a steaming cup, obviously waiting for me.

— Now that I have your full attention, we can talk like adults.

I don’t say a word, totally focused on her every move. Ashely squeezes my hand, but also remains silent.

— As I told you, I am a fatel. I am also the alpha female of a pack. Ashley gave me the broad outline of your story, but mine is very different. In a word, I have been living with humans, unaware of my origins. A few weeks ago, I was attacked by shifters at the hospital where I was working with Ashley.

A dull anxiety rises inside of me. It could have been my sister instead of her. Why didn’t anyone tell me? The answer is simple: I would have set the hospital on fire, and everyone in my path, good or bad, would have died.

— Sam, Listen to the rest. It’s all good.

Ash has this hope in her eyes that I don’t know why. It’s important to her that I keep my cool. She’s used to my mood swings and has never blamed me for them despite the pain they cause her. This time, however, she begs me to control myself. This story is very important to her, and I want to know why. My voice is hoarse as I urge Sevana to continue her story.

— Your father, Peter, treated me remarkably well. And a pack, associated with the governor, has been assigned to protect me.

— What pack would be interested in that? You said you lived as a human.

— A pack that hates dissenters as much as we do.

— Like the Treat?

— Yes, they do. Except they fight them.