Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(71)
Kaden stepped forward to greet them, but they ignored him and walked past, marching straight up to Wesley. The man at the front gave my brother a firm nod. "I am Pierce, beta of the Capricorn pack. We are here to honor our alliance with the Cancer pack." He shot Kaden a sharp glance, then turned back to Wesley. "Though we find your new company...problematic."
My hackles rose at his tone. How dare he talk about my alpha that way.
"It's nice to meet you," Wesley said, diplomatically ignoring the beta's last words. "Grab some eclipse glasses and a beer and settle in. We'll start soon."
I glared at the betas as they walked to the picnic table with the food and glasses on it. Kaden, sensing my anger, walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
“It's fine. We knew not everyone would accept the Ophiuchus immediately. It's a relief they're here at all."
Since when had he become the level-headed one? I crossed my arms, still annoyed by the way they'd acted. "I guess."
We waited a bit longer, but time was running out. The sun slowly faded away behind the moon, becoming smaller and smaller as totality approached. That meant we only had another hour or so before it was all over.
As we waited for other packs to arrive, I watched the other alphas and betas interact with each other, along with the other shifters they'd brought. This wasn’t the same joyful interactions that I’d seen at the Convergence, but it was good to see so many shifters in one place, getting along despite being from different packs.
After another fifteen minutes passed, and the sun was the smallest sliver of light, Kaden said, “No one else is coming. Totality is about to begin, and we need to get this meeting started too.”
I sighed but knew he was right. If the other packs weren't here already, they weren't coming. Besides, we knew the Aries, Taurus, and Scorpio packs were already allied with the Leos, so they hadn't been invited, and we'd just learned that the Aquarius pack had fallen to them too.
“Damn, I’d hoped that Virgo and Gemini would make it too,” Wesley said, and I heard the disappointment in his voice.
"Four of the packs are here," I said, trying to find the bright side. "That's a good start."
Wesley squared his shoulders and nodded. “You’re right. It’s more than we had before, and if they agree to ally with us, we stand a chance.”
"It'll be enough," Kaden said, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Let's get started."
Chapter Thirty
The totality began, leaving only a small corona of light above us, casting the area in murky darkness. We walked toward the area we'd set up earlier, a circle of picnic chairs where all the alphas and betas would be able to see and hear everything. Wesley invited everyone to join us, and anticipation raced through me as the shifters gathered around for the start of our own mini Convergence. The alphas and betas sat in the chairs, while their other pack members gathered behind them. I took my own seat in the Ophiuchus section, my stomach clenched tight with nervous energy.
“Thank you all for coming,” Kaden said, after calling for silence. “We've recently learned that the Leos are planning to take over all of the packs and make them submit to their rule, with the help of the Sun Witches. We're here to discuss how we can stop them."
A ripple of unease went through the gathered shifters. Wesley moved to stand beside Kaden, an obvious show of support. “You all saw what happened to the Cancer pack at the Convergence,” Wesley said. “The Sun Witches stood by and did nothing while my entire pack was slaughtered, including my parents. It was only by sheer luck that I survived to be able to make it back to my pack and take us into hiding.” He looked around the gathered shifters, pausing for a moment as a few of them whispered. “We recently got news that the Aquarius pack have bowed to the Leos' rule. The Aries, Taurus, and Scorpio packs are already lost, and we don’t know about the Gemini and Virgo packs. They might also be under the control of the Leos for all we know.”
“Of everyone here, who will be next?” Kaden asked as he looked in turn between all the various packs. “You’ve seen how the Leos operate. They want absolute subjugation, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to take that lying down. We have to stand up to the Leos and the Sun Witches if we want to retain our autonomy and freedom.”
"How do you know all this for sure?" asked the Libra alpha, who had called himself Ethan earlier.
"The Leos captured me, and their alpha told me his plans," I said, rising to my feet.
“Aren’t you Jordan’s mate?" the Capricorn beta, Pierce, sneered. "Oh, wait, no. He rejected you. What are you even doing here, half-breed?”
The word twisted something in my gut. It had been ages since I’d heard it, and I’d forgotten how much it hurt.
Kaden stepped in front of me and growled, low in his throat. “Ayla is the Ophiuchus alpha female, and you will treat her with respect, beta.”
I cleared my throat, shoving my shame and anger down so I could keep my voice level. "Yes, Jordan is my mate, which is how I know all of this is true. The Leos are working with the Sun Witches, and together they want to unite the Zodiac Wolves—under their rule."
"The Sun Witches have always been neutral allies," Pierce said, sitting back and crossing his arms. "Why would they help the Leos do this?"