The Forgotten Prince (Shifter Rebellion, 3) Read Free Page B

captains of the
guard.
    Drayden inhaled deeply. “And who is
this mighty triad who is to free and claim this powerful twin of my
mate’s?”
    Agarri was drawn back into the
conversation, curious to know the answer.
    Khal shook his head. “I don’t know
names. But one of the males is exceedingly large, with part of an
ear torn off.”
    Drayden’s eyes widened. “Amaden? I
didn’t think that hard male would ever find a mate. He’s not the
gentlest of males. Perhaps this isn’t the mission for
him?”
    “ It will take a strong
male to weaken Agarri’s brother and make him see reason. The other
two, one was of white hair, nothing like I’d seen before, and the
other had odd greenish eyes. They’re all strong of body and mind,
stronger than they’re given credit for.”
    Drayden closed his eyes for a moment
before reopening them. “We’re to send a triad of misfits to find a
powerful shifter, who if exists, could be the end of us
all?”
    “ Who you see as misfits
are only males misunderstood. Their differences are the thing that
will speak to Agarri’s twin. His deformity was viewed as a
weakness, him, a freak. They understand his pain all too
well.”
    Drayden looked thoughtful a moment. “A
very wise summation, Oracle.”
    Khal’s lips twisted, as if he would
smile. “Does this mean you believe me?”
    “ I’m a male who likes to
see proof. But between my cousin, his brothers, and my mate, they
seem to have plenty of faith in you, so who am I to argue? I will
send the triad to seek out this other male and bring him here.
We’ll see how right you are then.”
    Khal lowered his head and bowed
slightly. “You’ll see. This will turn the tide. The end is
nigh.”
    Agarri hoped Khal was right. The
suffering of their people needed to end.

Chapter Four
     
    Amaden lifted his heavily laden fork
to his lips, trying to ignore the looks and glances his way without
scowling. Let them look their fill. They’d never see another like
Amaden. Kannomite warriors were the giants of the shifter world.
Amaden was a giant amongst those giants. He towered at least a head
over every male in the room, and his shoulders barely fit through
some doors.
    So he tended to stand out.
    It didn’t make the stares and leers
any easier. Being an outcast for most of his life, he should’ve
been used to it. He wasn’t.
    Intimidation helped squelch the
disrespect, but that would mean he would have to lose it and his
dinner would get cold. Two males walked up to his table and sat
their plates across from him, and Amaden released a breath. His
triad brothers helped calm him. Greylin’s shock of white hair
garnered almost as much attention as Amaden’s size did. And if
anyone noticed Ryllan’s glowing green eyes, he would get just as
much notice as the other two.
    They were a band of freaks, brothers
in arms drawn together by their natures. Imperfections were not
accepted in the shifter world where everyone was beautiful and
flawless, and could become even more so with a simple shift.
Amaden’s shifting powers were limited because of his size—he
couldn’t become any smaller than he was. Greylin’s hair and
Ryllan’s eyes followed them into their shifts, so they too were
flawed.
    But the three of them made up for it
in their power and cunning on the battlefield. For that, the other
warriors tolerated them and their “deficiencies”.
    “ I’m very ready to get off
base and on to a new mission,” Greylin said lowly. “I tire of being
on display.”
    Amaden grunted in agreement. “I still
don’t know why we chose to join this fight. They look at us as if
we’re lepers. Why do we care what happens to the
planet?”
    “ It is still our world,
under siege. We do not turn from the weak and powerless,” Ryllan
said. “If we were to run away when we were needed most, it would
only give the others more reason to hate us. Their assumptions
would be proven right.”
    “ What do I care what these
warriors think of me? We spent the