It's Reth's Birthday (Anniversary?) this Sunday! If you'd like to join me for the LIVE voicechat with Reth Merch giveaways, and some fun surprises, visit linktr.ee

/aimeelynn and join my discord chat. The event will be there at 1pm PST, Sunday, 6 February (Los Angeles date and time!) See you there! (This message added after publication so you aren't charged for the words.)

*****

ELRETH

The crowd below her in the amphitheater bubbled like a boiling pot with shock and unease.

Elreth raised her hands.

"I understand that the Rite is rare, but the time has come to acknowledge that the disformed do not lack, they add to the Anima. Their purpose is unique—the chance to pursue that as an established tribe is not only their right, but it benefits all of us—

"

"If the prophecy is even true! It was given by a disformed! Very convenient!

" a voice called from the crowd.

Elreth sighed quietly and held herself in check until she could answer calmly.

"The disformed that received that prophecy was only disadvantaged by it—I am ashamed that we as a people have treated our own this way for so many generations. Gahrye read the winds for years. He was very reliable—and affirmed by others with similar power. There was no plot.

"

"I heard they're bringing humans in!

" Someone else shouted.

"You said that the humans are the enemy! Why are we letting disformed bring them in—maybe they are the enemy! Maybe they are the invasion!

"

Voices rose in a babble at that an Elreth set her teeth.

Who had revealed the human mates? Who had been stupid enough—

"Most of the disformed with human mates are settled in the human world, not in Anima,

" Aaryn spoke firmly, his voice raised only enough to be heard by the crowd.

"The few that have come here over the past twenty years have been avoiding WildWood, knowing that they will not be well received. They are remote and disengaged. They have not harmed us.

"

"How do you know? Maybe this human with the weapon, maybe they're one of the mates?

"

Elreth shook her head.

"No. They have been scented and…

" she trailed off, rethinking how to approach this. She couldn't allow it to dissolve into an argument that would force her to censure the people. The conflict would only raise their resistance to the disformed.

Taking a step forward towards the edge of the stage, Elreth stood, waiting for the crowd to quiet, feeling her Alpha power, letting the pressure of her dominance weigh on them until their protests turned to murmurs, then to near-silence.

She stared over the crowd, not angry exactly, but conscious of her own authority—and their resistance to it.

"I have not brought this to you for approval,

" she said, the acoustics of the amphitheater carrying her voice to the outer edges of the audience.

"There are powers at play, histories you do not know. I am here to tell you that the humans are a threat—a very real one. And the disformed are the weapon the Creator has provided to help us overcome them. If you do not accept that, you either believe I am working against you, or I have been deceived. My only opportunity to prove to you that that is not the case is time. So you will have to wait—but hear me: All citizens of Anima are precious. Including you. And including the disformed. We have reached the end of the days where it will be accepted that you would… lower another faction of our society.

"Our hierarchy has been established for millennia, and you see the value of it. The disformed will live within our structure, their power given only where it is earned. But hear me, Anima… I renounce your prejudice. You have been proven mightily incorrect. The disformed may not be able to shift as you can, but they give their own lifeblood to protect me and you. That is a humbling fact.

"You may not like it, you may not want it, but you will accept that the disformed are a unique and necessary part of the Anima, and you will answer to me if you treat them otherwise.

"

Then Aaryn broke in from just behind her.

"And the disformed will answer to me if they do not respect the natural hierarchy of our people. The establishment of a new tribe is a serious undertaking that must be earned. No Anima will be overlooked. Respect and honor are a two-way street.

"

Aaryn stepped to her shoulder and even Elreth felt the surge of his Alpha power—the urge to bend the knee to his conviction.

For a moment, as the people whispered and murmured among themselves, she had to blink back the pinch of tears. She had been so terrified that Aaryn had given up on his own Alpha, that he was so undermined by his mother and losing the Alpha to Gar… but no. Her mate stood at her side, strong and proud, weighing his people, weighing their people.

She could have kissed him for sheer joy. Instead, she nodded.

"We are all different, Anima. Our tribes differ, our persons differ, our beasts differ. Our strength has always come when we have allowed each people, each person, to walk into the strengths. In this way we provide for each other's weaknesses and benefit from each other's power. In this, nothing will change.

"When we walk into the Rite of Veneration, you will provide your challenges. You will test your brothers and sisters for their strength—and you will see with your own eyes what they are capable of.

"But once they have proven themselves, your hesitation to accept them will not be tolerated. Those of you who have always been concerned, your tribes will no longer carry the burden of providing for the disformed. Just like any other tribe, they will be required to contribute to the Tree City, to our needs and assets. Just like you, they will be accountable.

"

Elreth paused and shook her head.

"It grieves me that this is something I am forced to… to convince you to accept. It has always grieved me that those of you who know the value of the disformed have not stood in fiercer defense of them. But it does not matter. All of our sins will be in the past. All of our prejudices will be forgotten.

"In three days time, we will hold the Rite of Veneration. Each tribe will bring their challenge to the disformed, and the disformed will answer. In the event that a challenge is… uncertain, I will judge whether the tribe has won. And I will not be easy on them.

"Our strength is in our strength! Do you understand that? I can no more deny the weakness of the disformed, than their strength. I can no more deny the weakness of your prejudice, than the strength of your convictions!

" she called, her voice fierce.

"Do not test me, Anima. Step into the future with your strength. Bring your challenge. See history played out. And let us all walk together into whatever the future holds. But do not play the child and stamp your feet and bellow at me for your resistance to change.

"

Her voice echoed across the amphitheater, and no one responded. Many submitted, dropping their chins and rolling their shoulders forward, their bodies reflecting their intention to follow.

Elreth smiled for those Anima, but her eyes remained fierce for the rest.

"Follow me, Anima,

" she said, more quietly this time.

"Follow me and I will keep you safe and strong. Defy me, and I will see you dead. Just as I would any other enemy of my people.

"

The entire crowd seemed to hold it's breath. Elreth nodded once.

"The Rite is called. Alphas, lead your people. Determine your challenge. We walk the Hallowed Grounds at sunset on the third day.

"

Then she turned on her heel and strode out, skin humming, mind spinning, uncertain if she'd won their hearts or not, but certain that, no matter where they stood now, continuing to argue would only weaken her position.

She was grateful when Aaryn followed her off into the wings, and took her hand as soon as they were out of sight of the people.

So, so grateful.