Chapter 117

Grace

I could see myself on the screen as Amira activated the broadcast. I took a deep breath and stared into the camera, hoping that I looked more in control, more put together and assured than I felt.

I tried to focus on the words I was supposed to be saying, imagining that Eason was here, feeding me the lines the way he had before. That he was safe, that someone was just seconds away from finding him.

Amira did something to the computer and turned the screen into a teleprompter. My lips twitched.

Eason... really had thought of everything, and I...

I owed him to do this right. I owed it to him not to run.

"My fellow citizens of Mooncrest, I hope this message finds you well either in your homes or in the bomb shelter nearest to you. I'm addressing you now to let you know what actions I, the Mooncrest Police, the volunteer militia, and the Enforcer units who have come to our aid are doing to deal with Blood Moon's threats..."

I glossed over the shoot-out in front of City Hall using the same rhetoric Eason used to talk about the bomb that went off in the forest. As I spoke, I could almost hear Eason's voice in my mind, slow and patient, telling me when to pause and give myself time to deal with my own emotions.

The thought of him gave me some comfort, but his absence made my voice tense and made me harden my jaw.

"As the situation develops, I will give more updates. If anyone knows, suspects, or otherwise thinks that they may have information regarding where and how Blood Moon will strike next, I ask that you report it to the police or the volunteer militia immediately. Every bit of information has the potential to change the outcome of these trying times for the better. I recognize that most listening to me have no reason to trust me... No reason to believe me, and I can only apologize for not having earned that trust yet. I hope that my actions in the days ahead will start to pave the way to that trust. Thank you for your cooperation, your bravery, and your unyielding spirit. Together, we will overcome this. Until next time, stay safe, stay vigilant, and know that we will make it through this."

The broadcast ended, and I got out of my seat, unable to stay there anymore. My stomach was churning. Eason's words were haunting me. Ethan's words settled in my gut like a stone.

What did Alpha Shadow want with my brother? I bit my lip. Charles knew. He wasn't telling me for some reason. Did he think I'd fly off the handle?

You've done enough.

The guilt and self-reproach crashed over me. I bristled at the memory of his words. My hands shook.

Was he just keeping me in the dark because he could?

"Hey."

I turned to look at Amira as she gestured at me. "Whatever put that look on your face--fact check."

I blinked at her. "How..."

Amira wiggled her eyebrows. "Eason trained me in Alpha Wolfe-expressions. He's got a damn good impression of you. It's kind of eerie... But I guess if he couldn't imitate you at the drop of a hat, he would have to give up his little brother card."

I sniffled. "It's a shame... I can't imitate him at all."

She shuffled some papers. "Imitation... requires observation."

I winced at that. My hand clenched around my phone, and I started to call Charles.

"You did well," Charles said. "I could believe Eason was feeding you the lines."

"T-Thanks... Charles... I need to ..." I glanced at Amira. "Fact check. Are you busy?"

"Not for you. Go on."

"You'd never met Eason before you were at the house?"

"Not that I remember."

"What... What would it take for someone to get citizenship from Selene?" I paused. "Would you need it to get a visitation visa?"

"Talent," Charles said. "I assume you're asking about Eason. Since he wasn't born there, they would have had to have wanted to keep him, to have some claim on him, and he would have had to be in a position to not be claimed by the States. They hate fighting with the States, but... Eason has the talent, and they would have gone to bat for him."

"They need a communications guru?" I swallowed. "They couldn't have sent him to a better college?"

"The Selene Coven doesn't put much stock in college," he said. "Their entire education system is built on practical knowledge and application. Think licenses, not degrees, and while Eason probably could have gotten on as part of the Coven's PR team, that's not a talent they care about either."

I frowned. "I don't understand."

"Magic, Grace," he said softly. "Eason has magical talent... Trainable, powerful, magical talent."

My jaw trembled. "Werewolves can't use magic..."

"It's rare among lycans, too, but it's true."

"How do you know this?"

"You remember the exchange program Eason mentioned?" I shuddered. "Selene's use of exchange is literal. They trade someone with no magical talent for someone who does, giving them training and education. It's likely that he applied to a human college and got pulled into Selene."

"For the security..." I murmured, remembering his words. "Humans wouldn't know what to do against werewolves."

"That too. Eason told me he worked at the main hospital while he was there. He told me that a doctor there suggested that he go into medicine and that he'd been accepted into the program."

"But... he didn't go?"

"No. He didn't tell me why, but I've told him that he should consider going back."

I grit my teeth. "You wanted to send him away?"

"Having a talent for healing is rare... even rarer among lycans based on the way Eason has been reacting to the shift and the recommendations from the healer he saw at the base. I still think it's a good idea."

"I--" I shut my mouth, closing my eyes. "Why?"

"Because it could help him control the shift, among other things that I'm not entirely sure about, but if a healer said it'd be an asset for his life if he trained his talent, I believe it."

"Do you know why Alpha Shadow wants my brother?"

Charles blew out a loud breath. "I have a good idea."

"Is there a reason you didn't tell me before?" I swallowed. "When we were talking to Ethan."

"I didn't want to give you information I wasn't entirely sure about." He sighed. "But given what Ethan said and what Seraphina has confirmed, I'm pretty sure. Compulsions, binds, and other magics of that type can only be broken in a few ways: rituals, release by the caster, death, and very powerful healers. Ethan's all but confirmed that Ethan broke a compulsion on him when he was completely untrained."

"What does Alpha Shadow want with a powerful healer?"

"There are rituals and large-scale spells that would require the sacrifice of a healer, but Noir believes in making money, not war, so it's unlikely that they're killing all these people without getting something out of it. I was trying to figure out what they could be after, killing all these people, and of course, what the States could be getting in exchange... then Ethan said that your drug is an afterthought of Alpha Shadow, but his father and Fenris' faction have plans for it. Seraphina thinks that Alpha Shadow is using Blood Moon's attacks to carry out longevity rituals. For whom, I'm not sure, but those rituals create something similar to your drug, but instead of it being just useful for werewolves, it would be useful for anyone... and thus more lucrative. The problem is that it would require a lot of death... and a very powerful healer to make a long-lasting source."

My heart raced. "Long-lasting?"

"From a city the size of Mooncrest? Near infinite. It would be a problem if anyone with an army, let's say, dosed their forces and started attacking people. They'd be practically invincible."

I sank into a nearby chair, my trembling hands covering my face as hot tears spilled from my eyes. The fear for my brother's safety, the remorse for doubting him, the guilt for the accusations I had hurled at him, and the terror that he was going to be used to make some sort of Fountain of Youth for these insane people was too much.

"All the isolationism..." I whispered.

"Probably a cover for a plot for a takeover," he sighed. "It would start with replacing Lycan Enforcers, then attacks and demands on other territories, maybe starting from within the States to clear out anyone they don't like. It wouldn't end there, though."

"We have to stop them, Charles," I whispered. "We can't let that happen..."

My phone buzzed in my hand. I looked at the screen, and my eyes widened. My jaw clenched as I glared at it.

"I have to call you back," I glared at the number. "Fenris Mark is calling me."