“I already told you I’m sorry, Max,” Benjamin, one of the head elders of the Council said, smiling apologetically. “You know the only way we could have intervened was if the human herself filed a complaint against Leon. We always take the word of a shifter over the word of his human. And when it comes to matters such as this, the common knowledge of the community seems to be that you and Leon have been at odds for quite some time. There is bound to be some bias in your accusations. Without the human’s confirmation, there was nothing we can do about it. We already let you know that.”

“That doesn’t excuse any of this,” Max said, unable to contain his fury. No matter how agitated he was with Sadie, he would always do whatever he could to protect her. “I can’t be around to watch over her twenty-four hours a day. You’re going to need to deal with this somehow. Leon is a menace. If they get their hands on her, there’s no telling what’s going to happen.”

“I understand. But what we are more interested in right now is your safety. They mentioned blood magic, did they?”

Max growled. “None of that matters. My family is fucked up enough without having to worry about some stupid superstitions. I don’t have any kind of blood magic. It doesn’t make any difference, even if I did. They still have no right to hurt Sadie.”

“Well, from what I understand, they actually didn’t hurt Sadie. They were simply coming to attack you. Maybe the issue you have with Leon is with Leon, not anything to do with the human.”

“How can you even say something like that? Even Terry saw Leon trying to grab the girl and take her away somewhere. He let her go when she told him to, for some reason, probably because he saw I was winning the fight and he knew I would do anything to save her and he didn’t want to end up dead on the lawn of my yard. Regardless, something has to be done.”

“The Council would like to see you safe, Max. Please, come into the refuge. You will be safe there with us. Your safekeeping is important.”

Max gaped at Benjamin, fear and disbelief roiling in his chest.

“I just told you that Sadie is the one in danger here. I can take care of myself. I can shapeshift. I can fight. And I can win. That Sadie? She’s just a human. She’s defenseless. And as far as I’m concerned, you let her get in harm’s way by not heeding my request for her protection.”

Benjamin sighed and shook his head. “I can’t continue to explain our reasoning to you. It is clear you do not understand, and that is your right not to. However, what is important to us is making sure that whatever the reason that these shifters have been trying to get rid of you is not something that is going to be dangerous to all shifters. We need to test your blood, Max. We need to understand the blood magic they are talking about, in order to better understand their plans and spoil them. If you are not going to come into protective custody with us, could you at least come with me to visit the alchemist?”

Max sighed heavily. “Fine, but that’s all I’m going to do. I’m never gonna do anything for you guys again. Not when you let Sadie almost get killed.”

“You could have told her to complain about Leon if she believed it was a threat. But I understand why you would feel this way. Come now, Max. We need to get this done as quickly as possible. There are some dangerous creatures out there, and they could really ruin things for us all. I don’t want to see anything happen to you. Or because of you.”

The last line was spoken with an uncharacteristic harshness. Most of the time, the elders on the Council were soft-spoken and very balanced. It seemed strange that they would let go of their tempers. Even though Max was clearly provoking them, it was strange to realize that even an elder had its limits.

Max was familiar with limits. Somehow, whenever he was alone with Sadie, no matter how close they seemed to be getting, something happened that pushed one or both of them to their limit. He never let it stop him from letting her go, though. Even after she had left, he had shifted into his wolf form again just to make sure she got home safely. After everything that had happened with Leon, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“Max, it’s a pleasure. I haven’t seen you since you were a child.”

Max swallowed hard. He had remembered encountering Vince. He was the alchemist, and Vince wasn’t even really his name. It was just short for whatever his true name was, which was so ancient and entrenched and mystery that most people had probably forgotten what it originally meant. Vince was old. Older than dirt. One of the oldest shifters in existence, as far as he knew. And it had been quite memorable when he had been brought here as a child by his mother. They had been whispering about something, something Max didn’t know or understand. But now, he was here again, and thought that maybe he was starting to get a deeper grasp of what it was his mother must have been so concerned about.

“Is it true that Max is somehow linked to blood magic?” Benjamin asked.

“All will be revealed when the time is right. I know you understand what it means to ask such a question. But please, sometimes, understand that there is discretion that must be used. I could not tell anybody what this boy’s mother had told me. Not until I knew for sure. And not until it was of importance.”

“We understand,” Benjamin said briskly. “All I am asking is whether or not this blood magic is going to be detrimental to us in the near future.”

“On the contrary,” Vince said. “This blood magic is highly protective. Max’s is part of the bloodline that is exceptionally important. Some of the ancient shifters came from royal blood on our home planet. In that world, royalty was blessed with the ability to protect the ancient magic that bound us together and provided us with the ability to shapeshift.

“If anybody is attempting to get rid of this magic, then you must understand that their goal is most definitely going to be malicious. Do you know what would happen if all shapeshifters in this community would cease to be able to utilize their ability to shapeshift? We would be completely vulnerable, and the Serah Stone, the source of all shifter magic as we know it, would undoubtedly fall into the wrong hands.

“We can’t let that happen. Max, your blood magic is crucial. We have to make sure you are safe at all costs. This is why, in a way, I allowed for you to leave this place. I wasn’t sure whether or not you would return. But it was foreseen that your blood is one of the most crucial links in protecting us all.”

Max studied Vince, shaking his head slowly. Somehow, all of this was beginning to make perfect sense. Had his parents abandoned him out of necessity, and not out of malice? It was impossible to say. After his father had left for the mountains, his mother had become depressed and started to drink. She brought in all manners of men to their home, leading to a tumultuous upbringing that had left Max feeling scarred and troubled. Once she was finally out of the picture too, he hadn’t had anybody to turn to. Not until he met Sadie.

“Sure,” Max said, finally. “I will let you protect me. But only if you let me do one thing first. Let me make sure Sadie is all right. Let me get rid of Leon and protect her. I know something bad is going to happen. I can feel it in my bones. Please, just trust my intuition. I may not be suited to be the leader of the pack, but I know I walk my own path and I do so for a reason. So, please, let me do it.”

Vince and Benjamin studied him for a moment, and then Benjamin glanced at Vince. He seemed to be waiting for a sign of some sort. And so, Max turned his gaze to Vince as well, and all of them were silent. Finally, Vince took a deep breath, and smiled at Max.

“Yes, my boy. You are here for a reason. Now, go out there and show them what you’re made of. We’re all counting on you.”