“Her family have been Coven Heads for four generations. They are the Heads because her great-grandmother uncovered the treacherousness of the previous Head. You will have a hard time convincing the Council that someone of her illustrious family name isn’t cut out for the job?”

“This is extremely important. Please, I will explain...”

He gazed at her sternly for what seemed like forever and then he nodded. “Fine. It best be now before Marita catches wind of it.”

Shrugging up the sleeve of his jacket, Alfred pressed one of the tiny buttons on his watch and it made a beeping noise. He looked up to find Caia and Vil gazing at him quizzically. “The watch was made in magik. All of the Council members have one. When one of us wishes to meet we press this button and the others’ watches beep to signal the request.”

Caia was impressed. “The CIA would love that.”

Alfred chuckled nervously. “Yes well, they have their own little gadgets.”

Before Caia could reply the room began to fill up with magiks she had never met before. Penelope appeared beside Alfred and she smiled at Caia in acknowledgement. The others glared and frowned at her and Vil.

“What is the meaning of this?” One tall, elegant, male magik strode past her to Alfred.

“Is this everyone?” Alfred searched the room. There were nine of them, including Alfred and Penelope. “Very well, ladies and gentleman I’ve called you here par the request of this young lady.” He gestured to Caia. She felt their attention on her like burning coals under her feet. She hopped back to distance herself from them. The power emanating from them all together was unlike anything she had ever encountered. These people were strong and old. And they meant business. The nine of them filed into a line in front of Alfred’s desk.

“Is this who I think it is?” a waifish female asked, her sharp eyes drinking Caia in with fascination.

“This is Caia Ribeiro, yes.”

A murmur rippled through them like one. It was really quite disconcerting.

“And why do you wish to see us, Miss Ribeiro?” Penelope asked her warmly.

Be cool, be confident... be persuasive.

“I’m here to ask you for the right to campaign against Marita for Head of the Coven.”

The murmuring turned into heated exclamations and Caia shifted closer to Vil unconsciously. He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“Why?” Penelope asked, seeming hurt by Caia’s request.

“Because I believe that I can end this war, but not using Marita’s methods. I’m not asking you to kill her and give me the trace,” she rushed on, “I’m just asking that you give me the authority to make the decisions in this war. Marita would still continue using the trace, but working for me.”

A few of them almost looked disdainful, but Albert’s gaze had softened. “That’s quite merciful of you, Caia.”

“I have no wish to harm anyone. But I don’t believe this war will ever find closure under the leadership of Marita.”

The tall magik who had spoken first scoffed. “And how do you think you can do any better? Marita has had quite a few victories recently.”

“Because of Caia,” Penelope inserted. “Marita has been doing just as well as any other Head of the Coven until Caia came along. Those victories you speak of have had Caia’s hand in them somewhere.”

More murmuring as this sunk in.

Caia rubbed her sweaty palms against her trouser legs and stepped forward a little more confidently. She wouldn’t tell them her suspicion that Marita had tried to kidnap Jaeden for her own nefarious means because without proof she would appear as a spiteful little girl, completely undermining her position with the Council. But she would tell them about the children. For that there was proof.

“While I was at the Center I followed Marita one day. She disappeared under a trap door in the Altar of Gaia. The second marble slab to the right of the statue of Gaia has a gold button attached to it. If you press it, it opens to reveal a basement. Inside the basement you will find at least one laboratory where Marita is conducting illegal experiments on lykan children who are caged down there.”

A flurry of outrage erupted in the room, some admonishing her for ‘such nonsense’, others like Alfred and Penelope paling in fear.

“All you need to do is send a spy in. Someone who can mask their thoughts well in their trace.”

“You really expect us to believe this?” the elegant magik sneered.

“I expect you to go in and find the proof for yourselves.”

“Alfred,” a surprisingly young looking magik intoned in a bored voice, “I’ll go.”

Alfred nodded, never taking his sad eyes off Caia. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, Caia, I promise.”

She refused to let go of the bigger picture, however. “And when you do?”

Penelope sighed wearily. “If you’re proved correct then Marita will be sentenced and the Council will vote on a new Head.”

Be strong. Be powerful. Be confident.

“I will be proved correct. And your decision should be easy. With me as the Head of both Coven’s I promise I will bring this war to a conclusion. There are Midnights who have an outright aversion for war, believe me it’s the truth. And no one else in our world can do what I can do. Only days ago I destroyed four magiks in four different locations simultaneously. In my short career as a magik, as one who has had a few battles in the last few months, I’ve proved the victor... and the victories could almost be called easy.”

She portrayed a deliberate iciness, emanating a balanced impression of power mixed with threat. She softened somewhat at their apprehensive expressions. After all she didn’t want them so afraid of her they would take her out.

“We’ve lost too many people we love to this war already. Make me the Head of both Covens and I promise you I will bring it to an end. If you remember... it has been prophesized.”

Her reminder of that small detail served to drain all color from their faces. After a few moments of thick, shocked silence they began to speak among themselves, their words so rushed and confused she couldn’t make out what they were saying to one another. Finally Alfred raised his hands to quiet them and directed his next words at Caia, “We will have to discuss this at length, Miss Ribeiro. For now, we will send in Derren to uncover this laboratory. We will visit you when we know more.”

Caia felt her heart beat slow. “When can I expect you?”

Doukas shrugged wearily. “These things can take days.”

She nodded. “I understand. I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”

Penelope gave her a bracing smile. “You’re welcome. You may go now.”

They rushed by her at lightning speed and she realized Vil, with his hand on her shoulder, had taken Penelope’s words literally, getting them out of there as fast as he could.

She stumbled away from him, feeling nauseated, as they landed back in Ryder’s sitting room.

Strong, warm arms encircled her and she found herself snuggled against Lucien’s chest, his familiar scent soothing her rattled nerves.

“You’re OK,” he breathed.

She wouldn’t go that far. They had a long wait ahead of them. If the Council failed, Marita would probably pin them as traitors and have the entire pack imprisoned indefinitely.

24 - Pack Woes

The following days changed over as if it were the passing of a season rather than a week. Arrangements continued for Jaeden and Ryder’s ceremony, a commotion that rotated around Caia in a blur as she waited anxiously for the Council to come to their decision. Marion did not appear to question why Caia had yet to arrive at the Center, leading her to believe that the Council had yet to make their discoveries or at least had not made Marita aware of them. The thought of losing Marion’s friendship was a sharp ache - another sacrifice that she knew would not be the last on this journey she had chosen to take. It was difficult for her to remember when her life had been anything but this one of power and conflict. She wondered if she would ever feel normal again; if life would ever be normal again.

And the pack was just one more of struggle to undergo. The announcement at the pack run on Sunday had been met with shock and anger. For most, they felt it should have been something they discussed before Caia had gone and spoken to the Council. Lucien faced their resentment like a shield, taking all the bullets Caia knew were for her. Trying to explain to them the feelings she had felt through her trace about the Midnights was met with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. The news of Marita’s experiments was met with a mixture of betrayal and a fearful unwillingness to believe it. Ella and Dimitri in particular were furious they had kept the information from them, and although fond of Caia, could not believe that she could think Midnights, beings who had tried to destroy their pack, could be anything other than villains. Magnus, as always, was quiet and watchful, his only words a reinforcement in his faith in Caia and his promise to Rafe that he would be there for her no matter what. The other older members of Pack Errante were as incredulous as Ella and Dimitri. Jaeden’s brother, Christian, Alexa and Malek’s father, Morgan, and his wife; Dana and Daniel’s mother and father - all were hugely against backing Caia in her coup. Their eyes followed her warily, unspoken words thickening the tension between them, we trusted your father, and look what he brought upon us. Only Sebastian’s parents, Isaac and Imogen, seemed unsure, speaking of their son and his love for Caia, how he would have wanted them to be loyal to her. And, as both she and Lucien had been expecting, the younger generation, Aidan and the twins, Malek and Finlay, even Lucia and Cera, were willing to consider that Caia could be right. The biggest surprise was Alexa - having never hidden her dislike of Caia, even more so since she and Lucien were officially mates – actually stood for Caia.

“Well I believe her.” She had shrugged in a bored manner. “I mean come on! These people can’t be that stupid that they still see us as a threat to humans when we are so obviously not. Hey, and if Caia does become, like, the Head of Daylights then the pack become, like, royalty. Uh, hello.”