And Then There Were Four

Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Sanctum of Elders

Being new to the shifter lifestyle, I had never been to the Sanctum before. The home of the elder council, and the place of governing reign for the shifter community. I expected it to be something like the pentagon or even the white house,

Instead, though, it looked like a castle in the middle of nowhere that needed severe renovations, and something bright to take away from its gothic appeal.

I was all for the gothic looks, but this… seemed more run down.

“Are they poor or something?” I asked no one in particular as I looked out the window

The guys all laughed as I turned my gaze to James, who was smiling.

“No, the outside looks like this for a reason. So no one comes in and they can carry on as they please,” Hale replied, casting glances to Damian in the front seat.

“Ivy, when we get in here, I want you to stay close to one of us at all times,” Damian said softly as he glanced at me through the rear-view mirror. “Please.”

“Okay, okay. No wandering off. I got it.” The car moved down the driveway and came to a slow stop.

Security was high in this place, and it took six security guards surrounding the car before we were able to get out and move towards entering the building.

“This is a little much,” I said under my breath, causing Damian to give me a side glance that spoke volumes about how much I needed to stop talking. With a smirk though, I looked back at the twins, who were trying to contain their laughter as we walked up the steps towards the main door.

The doors swung open by two more guards as we entered through to a very elegant main foyer. I finally understood what they said before because the outside did not depict at all what the inside would look like. “Whoa…”

“Do you like it?”

I took note of a brunette walking towards us in an elegant pants suit. “I do love to see newcomers’ reactions.”

I wasn’t sure who this woman was, but something about her didn’t sit well with me. Perhaps it was her professional appearance or the fact she was wearing hot pink heels with a leopard print suit, but she wasn’t someone I would confide in

“It’s definitely lovely. Thank you for having us,” I replied, putting on my best Luna voice as I admired her choice of clothing. She must have got dressed in the dark

“Yes, you must be Ivy. I have heard so much about you.” She said with a smirk as she turned her attention to the guys at my side. Her smirk grew as she took them in © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Laughing to myself. I stepped forward, catching her attention with a smirk of my own.

“Yes, I am. They’re all mine. I was blessed with four mates.”

The girl’s smile slowly fell as she ran her tongue against her teeth, grinning “Well, aren’t you lucky? Right this way.”

The clicking of her tacky heels against the tile floor was grating on my last nerve, but thankfully we didn’t go far before we stopped outside large double doors where two older men stood in black robes, with three secunty guards

I felt the confusion run through the men as they took in the sight before them, but gently touching Damian’s arm, I was able to calm down the one who was stressed the most

“Welcome, all.” One of the men said firmly, with no expression on his face. “Thank you for being able to make it. I was sad to hear that you missed our last meeting due to a sick mate”

“Yes, well, I’m sure you know how hard it can be for new mates sometimes,” I replied sweetly. “I’m feeling much better now, and I’m happy to help however you might need it.”

Chapter 78 Sanctum of Elders

Lv.1

It was a lie. I didn’t trust these men, and even though he was looking at me with intrigue, I wasn’t going to show him | actually was picking up on his behavior.

I had a feeling something was off, but it wasn’t until the woman addressed me again that I realized they were really up to something

“If you will follow me this way, Ivy. I’ll show you to our waiting room while the men discuss business.”

“Excuse me?” Talon snapped, looking towards the woman as he pulled me closer to him. “Now, now.” The older man replied. “It’s okay, but we just can’t have her in there on private meetings. It’s for Luna’s and Alphas only.”

“She is our Luna,” Damian replied. “What game are you playing at, Ralph?”

So that was his name. Talon’s grip on my arm was tight and turning to him, I shook my head before slowly letting him kiss me.

“Yes,” Ralph replied slyly. “She may be your mate, but she hasn’t officially been made your Luna.”

The growls from the men shook the room, and it was clear that the disrespect this man was trying to throw around wasn’t going to go over well if he continued. It was obvious he was doing this on purpose.

He was trying to get a rise out of the guys, and that was something I couldn’t let happen. ‘Enough.’I said through the

link.

Their eyes turned towards me, and slowly I shook my head again. ‘Do as they say.’

‘Ivy, no. Damian and Hale responded at the same time.

‘Don’t argue with me.’ I replied, before turning my attention back to Ralph.

“Goodness, these men just don’t like to let me out of their sight.” I laughed, causing the others to let go of their tension and laugh as well.

“Of course, of course,” Ralph replied. “She will be just waiting down the hall in the lounge area. There is nothing to worry about. It shouldn’t take long.”

Kissing each of them, I smiled, and they reluctantly let me go. I knew they were watching me, but I didn’t want to look back. If I did, there was a chance, I wouldn’t be able to continue.

Because even though I was keeping myself together for show. I was slightly afraid. I was afraid that if something happened, I wouldn’t get there in time, and I wouldn’t know what to do if something happened

to one of the guys.

Even thinking about that now made my heart race and my palms sweaty.

“Right in here, please.” The woman replied, gesturing towards the open door. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” She laughed, “someone will be with you shortly.”

As the door closed, I took in the surrounding room. There wasn’t anything special about it, but it did have a flare to it that spoke volumes about whatever “woman” decorated the room.

The only reason why I said that is because the room literally said for the ladies of the packs and had a very feminine virtue to it.

However, I could be wrong. One of my best guy friends back in Georgia was gay, and he had better style than any woman or man I knew.

Thinking about him at that moment made me make a mental note to call him when I got home. He should have been getting ready to start his new job in Miami soon, and I couldn’t wait to hear how it was going.

Walking around, I stared at the photos on the wall until a knock came on the door and I turned to see the one person ! wasn’t expecting to see-Priscilla, the seer,

“Priscilla?” | gasped with confusion. “What are you doing here?”

A twinkle of mischief in her eye caught my attention as she closed the door behind her “Well, the same thing Kara is

Chapter 79 Sanctum of Elders

Lv. 1

doing here, of course.”

“Hello, Ivy.” A voice said, causing me to spin around to see Kara standing behind me.

“How the fuck did you get here, and why is Priscilla here?”

I was more than confused. I was spooked out.

I hadn’t been what I was very long, and I was still getting used to everything, so to have Kara popping up like that was unexpected. Yet, watching them both take a seat, I felt that whatever they were here to say was important.

“We don’t have much time dear, please sit down.” Priscilla gestured towards the seat across from her.

I didn’t bother to have her ask me a second time as I straighten out my dress, and sat down across from her, waiting for them to explain what they were doing here.

“You are growing just as beautiful as I expected you would.” Priscilla smiled as Kara watched on. “I was hoping that things wouldn’t go as they are now with the council, but it is still falling in line with prior visions.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” I replied, shaking my head. “You knew that I was going to do this?”

“Of course I did.” She laughed, “but before I get to me, you need to listen to what Kara tells you. There has been something to happen you will need to be careful of.”

“She is right,” Kara replied with a sad smile. “There has been an issue to occur, and unfortunately one of our own is, down here causing issues.”

“Issues?” I asked blankly. “Can’t you guys like… do something about it? I don’t know why you’re telling me

“Well, I’m telling you because you’re going to be affected,” Kara replied. Her eyes displayed more emotions than I had seen before and shaking my head, I tried to wrap my head around how she was even here.

“How the hell did you get in here?” I asked, looking around for a secret door.

“I’m a celestial, Ivy. I can go where I want.”

“So, I can like pop in and out too?” I asked with excitement, thinking of all the places I would go with that kind of power.

“No.You’re not. You may be a celestial descendent, but you are different. It’s complicated.” She replied with amusement

“That sucks.” Something like that really could have come in handy.

“Ivy, I came to warn you to be careful. This person isn’t to be trusted, and if he gets his way, there could be drastic changes for the future of you and your mates.”

Looking at Kara and Priscilla, I couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. How was I supposed to protect people Icared about if I had no idea what I was up against?

Before either of them could say another thing. I felt something come over me that didn’t seem right. A wave of uneasiness that seemed to start out slowly, and slowly begin to grow. “Something’s wrong…”

“Yes, you need to go to them, Ivy.” Priscilla said softly, catching my attention. She was a strange individual with an aura around her that was familiar, yet made me question the faith I could put into her.

“Will I be able to take on what’s coming?” I asked her, wanting some kind of verification that my future with the guys would be okay. Hoping that I wasn’t going to lose them when I only just got them.

“I can’t tell you what will happen that far. There is no use in changing fate, only you will be able to determine how your future goes. However, I will tell you to listen to the voice inside you. It will guide you in the direction you need to go.”

Once again, a cryptic message that gave me no answer. At the same time, though, I was well aware that I was more than just some human girl who didn’t know how to protect herself Completely the bond with the guys gave me an edge

Moving towards the door, I hesitated for a moment, looking back at them once again. Only this time Kara was gore, and Priscilla stared at me with a content smile.

“Thank you for everything,” I whispered, watching her nod her head.

Chapter 78 Sanctum of Elders

Something was wrong with the guys, and my mood quickly changed when I left the room. I would go on a warpath for them, and it was the last thing any of them wanted me to do.