Hyacinth - By Abigail Owen Page 0,51

been controlling my fear all of my life. I had to with Gideon as a brother.”

Lila grimaced. “From what I can tell, it’s not that you control your fear. It’s more that you push it so far down inside you that it just doesn’t show. But you’ve been doing that so long it has built up in your system, like a toxin. That’s what’s holding you back. We need to find some way to purge that poison from your soul.”

Selene stopped walking and turned to her, trying not to laugh. “You think my soul is poisoned?”

Lila frowned and rolled her eyes. “Me and my big mouth. That’s not really what I meant, exactly. You’re a good person, inside and out. My mother, my sister and I— we all have gifts that allow us to see this about you. But what your brother put you through —and I know you haven’t shared even a fraction of the reality with us—has left a wound inside you that continues to fester. Maybe poisoned isn’t the right word, but you’re definitely hurting, whether you realize it or not. And we want to help you.”

Selene gulped. “You think you can fix me?” she whispered.

“Not on my own yet, not completely. It’s a skill I’m still developing. But with Ellie’s help, yes, we can heal you.”

Selene took a deep breath, shocked at how much these words affected her. She’d always assumed that she was damaged goods, but having it confirmed had been like having an icy-cold hand reach inside her chest and squeeze her heart.

“Thank you,” she murmured as she hugged her friend. “Tonight? After the Council meeting?”

“I’ll meet you in your chamber and bring Ellie. Adelaide, too,” Lila replied.

Selene smiled briefly and then headed off to argue with the Council yet again. But this time with a lighter heart.

Chapter 32

“To do nothing would be the equivalent of signing this pack’s death warrant,” Xavier snapped, glowering at Selene.

Selene remained composed despite the antagonism directed at her. “I don’t believe that do nothing were the words I used,” she declared. “I said –”

“We all heard what you said, Princess,” Xavier cut her off. “We’ve been listening to you and getting nowhere for months now.”

“You cannot, in all fairness, put the state of this Council’s indecision on my shoulders alone, Xavier,” she countered. Her voice remained soft, a stark contrast to Xavier’s harsh tones. It gave Selene a small amount of satisfaction to witness how the calmer she remained, the louder and more agitated Xavier became.

“You said it. I didn’t. I only said we’ve been listening to you speak a great deal.”

“I’d say we’ve been listening to you shout a great deal more,” Oren said, stepping in to defend her yet again. His posture mirrored his sardonic tone, elbow thrown casually over the back of the chair, eyebrows raised mockingly.

Xavier narrowed his eyes, as the other Council members chuckled.

Selene took advantage of the momentary break in tension and pressed the point she’d been trying to make. “I think we should send an envoy to the clans Maddox has turned on us. Try to negotiate a peace with them.”

“After what we did to them, peace is not an option now, and you know it. Besides, we already tried that and got nowhere,” Xavier growled. His eyes glowed with an eerie sort of light as he gave a small demonstration of his wolf. Xavier was an alpha by nature and had only deferred to Selene’s father, and then to her brother, because they’d been more powerful alphas.

Selene averted her gaze. She forced herself to keep from ducking her head as well, though that was her first instinct. Technically, she was an alpha too, but she’d never felt powerful enough to directly confront Xavier. She hated this aspect of being part of a metamorph wolf pack… all the hierarchy drama.

“I agree with Selene on this point. Sending envoys to seek peace with these tribes is the appropriate step,” Sara, one of the other members, spoke up.

“I can’t agree,” Thomas’s gruff voice sounded before Xavier could turn on Sara.

Selene hid her disappointment behind her calm façade. Thomas rarely spoke up in Council meetings, though when he did, the others tended to listen. He and Ida were the oldest members and possibly the oldest people in the pack. The two of them were true elders in every sense of the word. Selene had hoped that Thomas might be counted on to be reasonable at least.

Thomas continued, “What we did to those clans, despite