Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 199

Gretta

Those seers were exhausted, and she’d had them all escorted up to their rooms to get proper rest, though in their rooms was breakfast waiting for them. If they wanted to eat before sleeping.

They’d worked nearly nonstop since getting here. There were now eight scrolls lined up next to each other on the war table before them all. Each one held the name of the wolf that had been seen into, the date and the seers’ name that had seen into them. They also bore the seers mark.

Something King Christian had established himself, and each witch or warlock he sent out to do something, now held a defined rank within their coven during the investigation, and had a separate symbol attached to them. That symbol was now attached to the scrolls as well.

This allowed him, if he deemed it necessary to revisit a prisoner, to use a different seer. To see if they came up with the same thing as the original seer. Somethings that were shrouded in magic already, couldn’t always be seen into by one seer and another that was considered more powerful would be tasked to the job, or several all at once depending on the magic they were themselves up against, in order to reveal the truth.

Now, for them, where to start was the issue. They would all also want to read them, but that took up a lot of time, especially if one was lengthier and more in-depth than the others. They would be read out loud at times like this, but again they didn’t know how much information was in those scrolls, they could take 10 minutes to read or all day long.

Those scrolls all looked the same, due to the magic that created them. There were none that were fatter or thinner than any others, it was a game of eeny meeny miny moe. Everyone was now once again seated at the war table, including Slade and his unit. That was why they had been called here in the first place.

The investigation was 90% over with the eight true culprits having been seen into.

Though Slade, Palmer, Yuri, Hayden, Lindal and Art had not been looked at yet, and not one of the seers had requested it yet. She brought that to those in the rooms’ attention and asked if they wanted to wait on that before starting the readings.

“I dare say,” Hailey commented, “There is no need for it.”

“Hmm, it is likely that they don’t need to. I concur with your thoughts, Hailey.” Austin nodded “I saw that Lindal is also pregnant, so none will look at her. Christian has new rules about that. Changed the law on it. So that no pregnant female, regardless of rank or species, can be seen into.”

“Unlike his father,” Marrian shook her head. “He never cared about it, only didn’t allow in on a Luna or those of the Alpha’s unit’s Mates.”

“I was, we were expecting it, and willingly to be seen into.” Slade stated.

“I believe it’s likely they got all they needed from those eight out there. Your parts were non-essential to the investigation,” Hailey stated.

“Though I wouldn’t rule it out, it could still come after they sleep.” Gretta nodded, and it could well do.

She’d seen it before, they all had.

They all also knew those seers had been up and working for two days solid, they only stopped to get something to eat or drink, use the bathroom, and when they let go of one to move onto the next. A five or 10-minute break and then right back to work. Seers rarely slept until they got what they were searching for, were on a mission and were solely focused until the very end.

These seers were also not the kings’ royal seers. These four women were part of a collective of neutral witches, that any realms councils could request the use of. They were not seen as good or bad and took no part in any of the realms’ goings-on. Were dedicated to truth seeing only. They did not use their witchcraft to aid or hinder anything or anyone in any of the realms.

They had taken an oath to search for the truth of things. They would not lie about what they saw and any that were stupid enough to try and bribe them found themselves at death’s door. It would not be tolerated.

They were also not a small collective and lived within a temple that had been built for them, by whom no one really knew. It was rumoured they’d created it themselves, but the white stone pillars didn’t match the stone of the land they lived on, and their temple sat at the conjunction of many realms, so they were easily accessible to all.

“She’ll decline that,” Austin told him quite simply. “Those women, their wolves, Ocean even, all believe in the will of the Goddess, will only ever accept a Goddess-Gifted. Ana having a child with you won’t change that.”

“You don’t know that.” Slade frowned at him.

“Hmm, from the look on your Gamma’s face,” Austin pointed at Palmer. “I’d say you all already know this as well. I wish you luck, Alpha Slade, because Sloan will not let you keep them here against their will. They are protected by a full Kitsune pack, it will start a war and one that will end up involving myself as well. Do you want that?”

“No, I don’t want a war with anyone.” Slade sighed heavily into the room. “I’m also not going to do anything until the full moon comes. Only then will anything be decided.”

“I’d be preparing you, son, to have her return to Maine along with your daughter if she’s not your Goddess-Gifted.” Austin stated “Just in case you don’t get what you want… I’ll have Sloan, who is up there watching Ocean, send Ana down.”

She watched Slade sigh on the heavy side and just nod his head. There was nothing anyone could do about the current situation between him and Ana, only the will of their Goddess and time could see them come to terms with all that had happened and maybe, be gifted to each other, though she’d thought that herself a long time ago, they’d fought like a mated pair before they knew what they were to each other.

That Alpha/Luna bond that was non-existent between them prior to the full moon setting, but also made them fire up at each other, because there was a connection as yet unseen to them: Lunas were rarely easy to claim. She smiled a little at the thought of Ana kneeing Slade in the balls right there on Alpha Council grounds.

Not many would have the guts to do that, it could see them punished by the council themselves. But a soon-to-be Luna, generally had the courage to stand up to Alpha-bloods, it was why she’d thought it, at the time: that they could be Mates.

She shook it off as she realised Austin, Hailey, Patrick and Tyler were all looking at her curiously. “Sorry, just a flicker of memory that I found amusing. Let’s get this ball rolling.”