Chapter 124

Loiza's POV

After that joke of a Council meeting earlier I came to the conclusion that I needed that carefree feeling on my birthday from Avalon. In reality, Cressy and Ayana were my first Circle. Cannabis is grown, harvested and dried in Avalon and is treated just like any other crop. Everyone in Avalon is a supernatural being with rapid regeneration, so killing a few neurons isn't a problem at a very tender age, we start smoking and eating it usually at 7 to help our mind and soul merge to better commune with the Goddess. It helped with our focus since the weed helped channel our emotions. We also grow peyote, tabaco and very specific mushrooms for this purpose. We are Priestesses after all and for our respective tribes we are their spiritual guides, we are their witches and shamans. So when we had our first Circle here I was confused as to what we were smoking, I was even concerned for a moment it was tabaco, I didn't like it, with the exception of a cigar here and there. But the taste was off.

When they insisted it was cannabis I felt terrible for them! That was the worst weed I had ever had! My Temple wasn't far from the broken Sentinel fort, so I just stripped and shifted to run over and get my own brew and shared it with them. I remember that before mating with Kayden, we were having a Circle and Cressy couldn't handle it... Nina says she took it from me room, but I didn't grow it, I had confiscated it because it was sub par weed, it's fine for us and Ayana, but Cressy's physiology is different and anything less than perfect can get her out of whack.

"Izzy we beg for mercy and forgiveness! No wonder you were confused... And here we were making jackasses out of ourselves laughing at you! You definitely get this round cousin we won't doubt you again!" I miss Talia. Of all the things discussed today the fact that my order to contact the Saint Germaines was dismissed is what really angered me. Time is ticking and my cousins are there! I love Lola and Umbros and when we were in London, I was glad Lola was there. As a Gamma herself who was trained with Ura I always felt at ease in any mission with her. Umbros is a fine fighter and an exceptional Truth Seer, however... the man can't fly or drive anything for shit! Well, to be fair, not to OUR standards. It's like he's HUMAN when it comes to that, but he's a good sport when we tease him and he is pretty good with his own clap backs. He IS after all brother to Talia and Lola and their own tongues were sharpened blades! But Talia is a circle member and our loyalty to The Circle was absolute.

I put on some jeans, a t-shirt and riding boots... There may not be unicorns here but who knows what the day will bring and we do have horses. But I did want to pay a visit to The Red Light District to check out the renovations and what shows would be up. I also needed Nina's help... Freya was a lone rogue before with limited exposure to frivolous things, but Nina isn't. She's a shameless nympho with ample experience, she should be able to help me pick up some stimulating toys. My lust grows by the day! I was verifying Alpha physiology more closely since my own has completely changed into one, and that increasing lust will only keep growing. After the extraction of India I have to start getting the pack ready for the first assembly I have been planning for, I really NEED Kayden. And it just reminded me of the fiasco earlier this morning and how pissed I am at my brother! As I'm thinking about this I brush out my Queens braid and opt for the regular French fish braid that always made me feel comfortable... Damn my hair is growing really fast, it's almost to my waist.

"Great! You're ready! You look beautiful!" Ura KNOWS what day it is, but he knows me the best of all my siblings and knows my disdain for the celebration... At least for myself. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss both his cheeks before repeating that on Freya. As Twin Souls I guess she knows everything too. I'm ok with it, she and Tony have become official Circle members and surprisingly they integrated effortlessly, making me wonder how Kayden would fair in The Circle, would he even like partaking in it?

"Yeah, I had to change and just finished my hair." I can tell Frey is exited, it's her first Circle Excursion and I'm sure she's seen how they are in Ura's memory. Last time we hijacked a cloaked plane and landed outside NYC to watch Chappelle at Madison Square Garden. We shopped before and we went to The MoMa to see the new exhibits. Nina always insisted on visiting at least one museum every time we would go... She's a Kappa and it makes sense she would want that, as she would give us her point of view on the pieces we would be enraptured by her explanation and story telling of the piece as we would look at it through her eyes. I learned a lot about my own taste in art and my own aesthetic thanks to my sister, because of her guidance in art, I acquired my own taste in the visual arts, music, even fashion. When we went to London to declare war on The Council, Ximena had several choices for me... It was Nina who reminded me that Kayden would be there and asked me how I would like for him to see me for the first time in so long and then she gazed at the white ensemble, there were three choices red, white or black... Before Nina's comment I was going to go for black.

"Everyone is going to be dressed in black Izzy! Are you going to allow the Lady Moira to be the one who steals your spotlight?" I thought that was a sensible observation and then I thought to go for red... After all if it became violent, the blood would be hidden, or at least not look so obvious. But Nina put her foot down.

"No! The red is obvious, and it makes you look like you are fearful of violence breaking loose! So WHAT if there's blood?! You will show them that you don't care, isn't it how it works in your little individualistic mind? If push comes to shove, show them that you're willing to go in white, that's why Moira uses white too! It proves your confidence in your own skills that you will be unscathed and Kayden's eyes will be on YOU!" I couldn't argue with her logic either making me smile at the thought of him seeing me and the choice was made.

"Heeey! Circle Excursioooon! Last time was New York right?!" Nina and Tony finally arrived... Nina always had to have her makeup perfectly done. I hugged and kissed them both. Antoine has become the other brother I needed and he has been giving me pointers on being a better Alpha, he has already told me how the training is with the Guerrero family, he wasn't used to Osupa training... EVERY training for combat is intense and to be frank, that's the way I like it otherwise I get bored. Training in Avalon is even more excruciating than here and it helps to become extremely disciplined. There is no space in Avalon for mistakes, one careless move could destroy it! Priestesses are not just spiritual guides, we are trained to be weapons, and the harder the training the more dangerous that weapon becomes. So I'm not really worried for the Alpha training, it's the Prime Priestess training that has me worried, my mind will have to become a sheet of ice calm, cold and still.

"Ok so you want to stop first at the Red Light District, I think that's a grand idea! But why do you need my help?" Oh boy.

"C'mon I'll tell on our way but first The Circle must enter the spiritual realm!" I hand each a piece of caramel. Antoine is confused.

"Papi it's weed... It's just that it's edible, it'll take time to kick in but the high will last for hours!" His smile grows as he pops it in his mouth. Fatima and Roxana have been perfecting and experimenting on making edibles, I think they are already better than Domingo's but I don't dare say anything. Once he declares his pupils Masters I would be open to sponsor an edibles shop should they want to, but out of respect I can only voice it when they become Masters, otherwise it would be very rude and could cause conflict and I care and respect Domingo and Berto to much for that. They could have opened the best restaurant in Karaya, and yet they have always stayed serving The Fort.

Once in the car we tell the driver where to go, Hernán is an amazing driver and I understand why he left being on the field, must be hard for a Delta to have such a simple life. He and his mate Johanna are VERY fertile, every Heat has been successful, they already have 8 children and she's pregnant again! Serving and living in The Fort gives them a lot services and security and Johanna is a Master teacher. She's the one who is already prepping a proper curriculum for my pups and every child who lives at The Fort, but being an Osupa teacher is not simple. She has to take the Greek coding into account to best stimulate the childs mind. Her own father was my first Master when I was three... Master Yaureibo was another casualty of Mt. Cemí.

"Hernán, how are you guys doing?" He smiles at me through the rearview mirror.

"We are doing great Cacique! Johanna is exited to have her first meeting with the future Alpha, it will be her first time teaching one!" That's true! There's been no Alpha births in The Fort since Yadiel, my pups are the first in 20 years.

"I want you both to remember that anything you need I am also here to serve you, understood?" An Alpha may lead the pack but is also officially everyone's servant.

"Thank you Cacique, understood!" Ura puts his arm around my and Freya's shoulders and kisses my temple.

U: 'Have I told you lately how proud of you I am?'

F: 'Me too, me too!'

L: 'Guys no cheesy bullshit today PLEASE!'

N: 'Why are we in The Circle link?'

U: 'I am linking? Damn Izzy this is good stuff! Sorry Nina it's just this is how Izzy and I are most used to talking around people.'

N: 'Seriously? You two were always the weird ones!'

L: 'Oh fuck off! Besides, why talk when you and Talia never stop?! If it wasn't for Ura's patience with me I probably would have never joined the Link!'

N: 'What do you mean?' I look at Ura. Sigh...

L: 'I don't want to talk about that now, and since we're in the link better because I need a favor and I want it to stay in The Circle.'

N: 'Fine, spill it!'

L: 'Which shop has the best toys?' Ura slowly takes his arm off my shoulder and Freya and Tony bursts out laughing at Ura's weirded out face. Then Nina and I saw it and couldn't contain ourselves!

A: 'Dude you should see your face, does this car have a camera? I want a copy of the recording if it does!'

U: 'Tony don't even brother! I wouldn't have been freaked out if it was YOUR mate! I'm suuuure she's shown you PROUDLY the shit she's done, but try being a bystander to THAT! It was torture to have your family in scandal after scandal! As you have seen we aren't a standard pack, gossip escalates here. It was hard on all of us...' He gives Nina a cold glare and she looks to the side with her nose held high. '... Izzy and I are chatty in The Circle, but back then... the reason Izzy and I are so close is because of silence! Every day everyone would try to make me join in conversation, it would really aggravate me and then Izz came back and she was even quieter than me! She never pestered me, everytime we crossed paths at home she would just smile and nod, and it would piss me off when even AT HOME people would be suspicious of OUR SISTER! Why? Because she's quiet? So what?! I was quiet too, was I also an outsider? And then she struck my heart with an arrow... that's why I never can stop loving Izzy. So yeah the question was something that freaked me out because we have never spoken about that between us, I have never asked her of the things I heard when we were missions with Víctor, I'm not an idiot I know something happened and it was very intimate but I never said anything. We have always respected our space and our intimacy and just like when she came from Avalon she has never pestered me to give up any information about myself that I don't want to share. So yeah it wouldn't bother me from your mate because even though she says we're the weird ones... Seriously Nina WE'RE the weird ones?! You were grounded and you couldn't do shit about it so you went out and did whatever you wanted to stab Dad but didn't think it would affect ALL of us! It was so selfish of you! The only reason there's a circle to begin with is because of Izzy! If she hadn't actually had the strong pair of cojones to actually face Dad, your first and only trip out of this island would be to Blood Moon! And if she hadn't done that you would still hate her guts just because she got along well with dad! And then when Natalia invited us to The sentinel Fort you and her started making fun of Izz just because she was asking what we were smoking! I understood why she was asking because I had already smoked with her beforehand at her Temple. If you wouldn't have been so focused in your anger with Dad you would have noticed you had an awesome sister regardless of her relationship with our father. That was all on you! So no, if you think in your little mind that the circle started because you and Natalia were all cool and shit you're totally wrong! Actually Izzy's first circle was with Cressy and Ayana! Izzy was a BOSS when you were still doing watercolors! Seriously Nina, what is your goddamn anger with Dad? Did he rape you? Did he abuse you? Did something happen that we don't know about? I'm not kidding! Is this just about not getting all of his attention because you were a Kappa? Dad was Beta to the largest pack on the planet and here you were lighting fires left and right because Nina couldn't go see the FUCKING MONA LISA! ---- Whoa this edible is AMAZING! I have been wanting to get all shit of my chest for YEARS! I feel so light night now!'

What. The. Fuck... I just wanted a carefree day!