Chapter 40 The Government

Chapter 40 The Government


“What?” Nova shot up from her seat, her chair scraping against the floor.

Rune reached for her. “Nova, calm down—“

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” She whirled on him, her voice shaking with fury. “You’re planning to wage war against the human world, and you let it be a secret? I have every right to be angry!” Her hands clenched at her sides. “Has your hatred for humans made you irrational? We haven’t done anything wrong!”

Lucien’s snicker cut through the room. “Your kind has done a lot of wrong things. This war is neither irrational nor unprovoked. It is the only conclusion we’ve reached to stop human exploitation.”

Nova spun toward him. “That’s bullshit. Humans don’t even know supernaturals exist. How could we have exploited you?”

He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his pale eyes. “That’s what you think.”

“Lies.” Her voice was ice now. “This is revenge for what Veronica did, isn’t it? You want to attack humans because she attacked you. Well, you should have taken it out on her. The rest of us had nothing to do with it.”

Eretria sighed heavily. “We never had the chance to take it out on her. She killed herself the moment her mission was complete.” 

Lucien’s voice cut smoothly. 

“It seems the Alpha hasn’t fully shared our history with you. If he had, perhaps you’d see things differently.”

Nova's gaze snapped to Rune. He sat motionless, his face unreadable, offering no defense. Her chest tightened. He had kept so much from her. She sank slowly back into her chair.

“Okay.” Her voice was steadier now. “Tell me then. What the fuck did she do?”

The supernaturals looked at one another like in a silent communication. Then Eretria cleared her throat.

“Back then, supernaturals ruled the order of the world. Humans were at the bottom. They grew dissatisfied with their status and wanted things to change. So they sent spies to every supernatural breed—to study us, to find ways to bring us down.” She paused. “Veronica was one of them.”

Nova listened.

“She was trained extensively skills to help her survive living with supernaturals. She was first sent to the vampire order, where she worked her way into the Elder’s trust with her meek demeanor.” Eretria’s voice hardened. “But at a gathering, she discovered she was mated to the werewolf Alpha. That made her mission far easier, since werewolves held the most power then. Mates between werewolves and humans were common so no one thought anything of it.”

Lyria picked up the thread. “She also got close to the witches. She saved one of their young once, and they blessed her in return.” Her eyes grew distant. “That blessing became her weapon. The weapon she used to destroy us all.”

Nova’s brows furrowed. “What’s a witch’s blessing?”

Lyria answered. “Witches are sentimental creatures. If you offend one, they place a curse on you. Earn their gratitude, and they leave a piece of themselves with you, a fragment of their supernatural gift. A human blessed by a witch can have extraordinary luck, among other things. For Veronica, it was premonitions and her ability to cast minor spells.”

Eretria continued.

“With her gift of foresight, her mate, Alpha George Eldridge’s reign flourished. His Luna was beloved—the one human who all supernaturals adored. Her pretty smile, her gentle eyes. She used that adoration as a sharp blade.”

The air in the room seemed to thicken.

“You see,  witches, though not as strong as other supernaturals, were feared because they held great spells capable of ending vampires and werewolves in an instant. Veronica knew that if she obtained the Book of Spells, her mission woild be complete. So she played on the witches’ affection, claiming she wanted a protection spell for her unborn child. They trusted her.” Lyria’s voice hardened. “She stole the book from right under their noses.”

Eretria took over, her tone growing darker.

“She used her blessing to brew a poison and hosted a grand feast. What followed was a bloodbath. She set fire to Eldridge Mansion, burning herself, the Alpha, and they unborn child in the flames. Most werewolf clans were wiped out by the poison; the survivors were hunted down by humans. A similar poison was sent to the vampires, they were nearly exterminated.”

“When the truth came out,” Lyria said, “the other supernaturals blamed the witches. They stood by as we were hanged to death. The sirens dwelled in water, so the waters were poisoned. The fae lived in forest, so the forests were set ablaze. No one escaped. It was slaughter.” Her voice dropped. “The remaining supernaturals went into hiding. Werewolves were shunned as punishment for what their Luna had done, even though she was human.”

A heavy silence settled over the room. The story was horrifying, a massacre that spanned five supernatural races. Nova felt the weight of it pressing against her chest. She truly did.

But she refused to believe it had happened without cause.

Eretria sighed. “That is why werewolves were kicked out of the council until now. We need their forces, but then you came along, posing the same threat we faced years ago.”

“She’s not a threat.” Rune argued.

Lyria cocked a brow. “Really? Do you know why I reacted so violently in her? It was because I sensed something dark. A trace of a blessing that had grown corrupted.”

Nova’s eyes widened. “What? How’s that possible?”

“You tell me.” Lyria answered. “You look very much like Veronica but you can’t be related to her because she killed her unborn child with her, her only family. So why?”

Nova shook her head. “I don’t know why. In fact, I have no answer for you.” She said quietly. “But I do know one thing. Veronica must have had a reason. Humans wouldn’t have gone that far unprovoked.”

Lucien’s eyes glittered. “What reason could justify attempting to wipe out five races? They killed the old. The young. Babies in their cradles.” His voice turned cold. “Nothing justifies that kind of insanity.”

Nova bit her tongue. It was a difficult argument to counter.

“I’m sorry,” she said finally. “For what you went through. I can’t imagine what it was like, living in hiding for years.” She lifted her chin. “But modern humans know nothing about this. If you start a war, you’ll be doing exactly what was done to you. You’ll be killing the innocent.”

“Humans aren’t innocent.” Lucien retorted. “It seems your mate hasn’t told you a lot. Humans never stopped hunting supernaturals. How do you think the miracle cures for cancer, sickle cell, and other incurable diseases were discovered?”

“Through research.” Nova said, though her voice wavered.

Lucien’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Research. Yes. Research on supernaturals. Vampires, werewolves, witches—every day, one of us is being poked, sliced, and skinned in a bloody laboratory somewhere to make life easier for your kind. Our lives are nothing but tools for you. It’s happening right now as we speak.”

Nova's face drained of color. “I don’t believe you.”

He laughed. “Humans are very aware that supernatural exist. Your news report, your fantasy books, your conspiracy theories, those are their way of soft-launching us into your society.”

Her mind reeled. The articles she’d scrolled past. The sightings. The rumors she’d dismissed as fiction.

Rune’s voice was low when he spoke. “The last time humans attacked the pack, my parents were killed. Along with many others.” He paused. “The abandoned houses on the outskirts, those were homes to the dead.”

Lucien pulled out his phone and placed it on the table. The video playing on it was grainy but unmistakable. A werewolf was strapped to a metal table as figures in white coats moved around it with surgical instruments. It’s wails were heartbreaking.

Nova looked away, her stomach turning.

“We have proof,” Lucien said calmly. “All we need to do is step into the light and reclaim what was once ours. And we are not afraid to use force. We’ll rule the world once more.”

Her voice came out barely a whisper. “How are you going to take over the government?”

Lucien’s smirk returned. He slid a stack of papers across the table toward her.  

“Has it not clicked yet?”

With trembling hands, Nova picked up the first article. Twin doctors—miracle surgeons received a presidential badge of honor. Best surgeons in the country. The photograph showed Lyria and Eretria, smiling.

She turned to the next. Lucien Nightfire. Owner of global chain of luxury hotels. Industry leader in food production. She remembered Adrian insisting on buying only his brand of water, a status symbol among the wealthy.

The third article featured Valcrest. The country’s largest conglomerate.

She rummaged faster. Page after page. Politicians. Media moguls. Tech billionaires. Celebrity faces she’d seen on magazine covers her entire life. All of them supernaturals. Some in government. Some controlling the nation’s wealth. Some shaping public opinion from behind anchor desks.

The papers slipped from her fingers, scattering across the table.

She glanced at everyone in the room, her voice hollow. “You are the government.”