When I woke up, it was only 5:30 am. I got dressed in grey basketball shorts, a white tank top, and black Converse. As I walked out of the castle to begin my morning run, I put in my headphones and played my Disturbed playlist. Since we were leaving this evening, I decided to run a little longer than normal, so I didn't get back to my room until 8. I took a quick shower and got dressed in black skinny jeans, a dark grey shirt with a skull on it, my chains and jewelry, and finally my black combat boots.
"Look who finally decided to join us." Josh said as I sat down with my breakfast. I went with French toast sticks, strawberries, bacon, and my usual orange juice and black coffee.
"Sorry, I had lost track of time on my run this morning." I said as I put a piece of French toast, dripping with syrup, into my mouth.
"How far do you normally run?" Jacob asked, after swallowing his own mouthful of food.
"I normally run a mile before and after school, and a little more on the weekends. Since I had lost track of time today, I ended up running about four miles away from, and back to, the castle." I answered, before drinking some of my coffee.
"Damn! No wonder you're so fit!" Amber exclaimed, her eyebrows were raised in shock.
"So, we don't have a sound board at our house yet, but do you guys want to come over next Saturday? Hannah should be getting back to us by then anyway." I asked Jacob and Amber. Since we had the music room at our house, it would make sense that we'd practice there when we weren't at the studio.
"Sure! We'd love to! Would that be okay?" Amber said, looking at her parents for approval.
"That's fine with us, but remember that you also have Alpha training." Luna Monica said, looking at her daughter. Seeing my confused expression, Jacob clarified the situation.
"Amber was born five minutes before me, so she was born with the Alpha powers. She needs special training to learn how to control it. Luckily, I was born as a Beta, so I don't need training like she does."
"I see. So that's why you've had the time to explore your interests, like sound boards." I said. Pack hierarchy was different from that of Dragons and Ayakashi. Packs had the Alpha and Luna at the top, with Betas and Gammas below them, and then the rest of the Pack members. Whereas with Dragons and Ayakashi, the King was at the top, then the Heads of the Clans with their respective members. Clans were separated into the Element that they used, Fire, Electricity, and Poison are a few examples. There can be two or more Heads per Clan depending on the number of sub-Clans within the main group.
"So, Andrew, is it true?" Amber asked out of nowhere, with an innocent expression on her face.
"Is what true? I don't understand your question." I said, honestly confused.
"Is it true that you're really a Dual Shifter? And that you're the King of both species?" Amber clarified with a 'duh' look.
"Yes. That's why my Aunt and Uncle had your family sign the contract swearing secrecy. I'm the first Dual Shifter in history, so a lot of people either want me dead, or they want to control me for their own gain." Explaining my particular situation was easy enough, since I've gotten used to it by now. It still sucks, but it's my life and I'll be damned if I let anyone control me against my will.
After breakfast, I went to the gym and started a light workout. I had put on a clean pair of basketball shorts before beginning, but I kept my shirt, socks, and shoes off. I was so focused on my pull-ups that I didn't hear the gym door open, until I heard a gasp. Dropping to the ground, I turned around and saw Jacob and Amber. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were open as well. I saw the mix of horror and pity in their eyes and I got irritated by it.
"Don't give me that look. Pity doesn't look good on you guys." I said as I wiped off my sweat with a towel. They quickly recomposed their expressions before replying to my comment.
"Sorry. We just weren't expecting to see what we just saw." Jacob was the first to speak.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for my reaction. It's just rare to see a Shifter with as many scars as you. After all, it takes a lot of damage to leave scars like that." Amber replied next.
They weren't wrong. The majority of my back, torso, arms and legs were covered in scars. Some were thick, some thin, and some were jagged. They're the results from being tortured with different types of knives and whips. All were dipped in a mixture of Dragon's Bane, Wolfsbane, and silver. These were poisons that, in low doses, only weakened us. However, if the doses are high enough, they can be used to kill.
I explained to Jacob and Amber how I got the scars, and it angered them. They felt the same way I did about the Hunter's Association. That they are a menace and shouldn't be allowed to function as a legitimate organization. The Hunter's Association was, or the HA, has been around since the first Shifters were created, so they are the oldest organization that's still functioning in today's society.
"That's horrible! But we now better understand the need to keep this a secret. After so many years of not being able to capture you, if they finally did, then there's no telling what they'd do. And with them forming an alliance with Blood Witches and, most recently, rogue vampires, the HA is even more unpredictable and dangerous than before." Amber said, her voice low in barely suppressed anger.
"I didn't know they had an alliance with rogue vampires. That's news to me." I said, shocked. Normally, if you weren't human, then the Hunters would kill you. For them to team up with vampires, not only is it unheard of and abnormal; but it means that they don't care what they have to do in order to reach their goal: to eradicate all Shifters in order to make the world a place for only humans.
"The alliance was formed about a month ago. That's why Esmeralda came with us for this visit. She had a vision about it. We came to let King Bartholomew know about this issue." Amber said.
"That's right! They've been trying to get rid of the Hunter's Association for a while, but the Council needed more proof that they were a threat to human society first. This is the proof they need, but it still won't be easy." I exclaimed. My Aunt and Uncle had been trying to disband the HA, but the Council kept saying that they didn't have enough evidence. It also didn't help that they refused to let me step in front of those old geezers. I might be a Dual Shifter, but I was also ⅓ Human.
"You're right that this information will be useful for our case, but that's not all that we can use." Uncle Bartholomew said, walking into the gym with Aunt Maria beside him.
"What do you mean by 'that's not all you can use'?" I asked, confused.
"What we mean is this." Aunt Maria said, finally speaking. "If you would be willing, we would like you to testify in front of the Council."
My jaw dropped in shock. They finally wanted me to make my existence known to others. I had tried persuading them for years, but they kept saying that it wasn't time yet. Was this what they had meant by that?
"Do you guys know what this will mean? If I come forward to testify, then I'll be exposing my true identity. There will be no more hiding it afterwards." I said, reminding my Aunt and Uncle of the gravity of this situation.
"Yes, we are fully aware of what this means. You are no longer weak and, if you really wanted to, you could easily reclaim the thrones for the Dragons and Ayakashi. Not to mention, if you did decide to testify, then you would constantly have a guard detail at all times. Now, Andrew Arcanum Umbra Slate, will you testify to the Royal Council against the terrorist organization known as the Hunter's Association?" Aunt Maria formally asked.
"Yes." I answered, resolutely.