Chapter 85: 85
BIAS
Lucian and Kade listened attentively as the seer spoke. They had heard parts of the story before, but this version was different. In this retelling, Ella’s pack didn’t seem as weak and insignificant as previously portrayed.
The Harper Pack, once believed to be dwindling and scattered—its members married into other packs and lacking territory—was now described as one of the most powerful packs. Even more shocking, the Blackthorns had gone to them to sign a deal.
“I don’t believe this,” Kade muttered as soon as the seer finished speaking.
“The Harper Pack is full of Betas and Omegas. The way I remember it, that Harper girl is the only werewolf left to carry on whatever legacy the pack had. There’s no way a Blackthorn—much less one directly related to us—would seek them out.”
“The problem is… Actually, the way I see it, there are two problems,” Lucian began. “One, you’ve refused to see that there could be gems in places you wouldn’t look at twice. Two, you’re clinging so tightly to your bias that you can’t accept what’s right in front of you. Why else would the Harper Pack be part of ours?”
“For obvious reasons,” Kade muttered, and Lucian shrugged.
“Exactly. A weak pack needed help, and we offered it,” he added.
“Since when are the Blackthorns so benevolent?” the seer blurted, chuckling immediately afterward. The twins frowned, unable to come up with a fitting answer. “I was wrong—it’s four problems. The first two I’ve already mentioned, but it seems your egos are bigger than your heads, and that’s hindering your ability to see past your own noses. The last problem is the misinformation—and blatant disregard for accuracy—in how our stories are passed down. That has caused a lot of—”
“You really don’t expect us to believe that omega—that Harper kid—is somehow an important part of our lives here, do you?” Kade interrupted, his tone dripping with disbelief and slight irritation.
“Why would I say something that isn’t true? Did you come here looking for bedtime stories?” the seer shot back, mirroring his irritation. He started to reply, but she raised a finger and stared at them long and hard before continuing. “That ‘Harper kid’ you keep referring to in that tone is most likely the most important piece of this entire thing.”
“No. That’s not how it works,” Lucian protested, and she sighed as an exasperated look crossed her face.
“What do you mean, ‘that’s not how it works’?” she asked. They shook their heads slowly, clearly having just realized the same thing at that moment.
“That’s something that happens in movies or the books they read to kids in elementary school. You know, how the rejected person becomes the key to everything. All that lovely nonsense that doesn’t always happen in reality,” Kade said, frowning.
He tried to recall any time someone had claimed an omega could be more than just a weak link. He hadn’t realized it until now, but much of his education on werewolves had been centered around his pack and his role as an Alpha.
The harder he thought, the harder it became to wrap his mind around anything beyond what he’d always known.
“You’re talking about ‘the stone the builders rejected’ kind of scenario,” Lucian added with a low chuckle. “There’s got to be a mix-up somewhere.”
“I don’t have the words to convey how disappointed I am in how myopic both of you are,” the seer said after a short silence, then scoffed. “But I’m not surprised. The council hasn’t helped your case either. They’ve always been frantic about only one part of the prophecy—a bloodbath coming. Never once have they truly focused on why it exists in the first place.”
“Packs have always been territorial. It’s no surprise they’d fight one another,” Kade’s voice rang throughout the room.
“Definitely. But in all my years in this town, never has anyone died the way one of ours did a few weeks ago. Even when we clash with humans, they aren’t killed like that. Something is coming… something worse than a territorial werewolf. And all you’ve done is dance in circles.”
“Now you sound like one of the elders,” Lucian quipped, and she shrugged.
“I never said they were wrong. The problem is their perspective. They need to focus on the important things—and that will only happen if you start asking the right questions. You’re waging war against an enemy you barely know. This is the point where you take all the help you can get. Your ancestors had the sense to do that.”
“Yet you say they allied with the Harper clan? That doesn’t sound very sensible, in my opinion.”
“Your opinion, Lucian Blackthorn, may carry weight when you speak to other wolves. But here—where past, present, and future intertwine—it means nothing if you don’t make the right choices. You and your brother have repeated the same mistakes of those before you, and we will all pay the price.”
“We came here to figure out what to do. You’ve given us absolutely nothing to work with. We don’t understand how the omega ties into all of this, and even if she does play a part, we still wouldn’t accept her as our mate,” Kade said calmly.
“That’s right. This has all been very confusing. But one thing is certain—we would never choose her. Alphas don’t mate with Omegas. It simply isn’t done...” Lucian began, but the seer closed her eyes and began to hum a familiar tune.
They exchanged uneasy glances. They knew that song. The pack used it when grave danger loomed—or when someone died.
She hummed with such intensity that it seemed to signal both, leaving goosebumps on their skin. She stopped abruptly. A heavy silence fell as she slowly opened her eyes.
She smiled sadly and stood. With slow, deliberate steps, she walked toward the door and held it open. The twins understood: their time was up.
They rose silently and walked to the door, both thinking about how bizarre the meeting had been. Just as they stepped through, the seer cleared her throat and spoke gently:
“As those meant to lead the pack, it seems rather unfortunate that you might become our undoing. Come back when you’re ready to see things from a different perspective. I only hope it happens before it’s too late.”