“Okay. Thank you, Walter,” I said, making it clear I didn’t want him to stick around. I needed to be alone for some time.
Learning that my grandmother didn’t trust me enough to tell me what was going on had cut open a new hole, showing me a new type of pain. I’d never thought of myself as a disappointment to her. But apparently I was wrong.
Or was I?
I closed the door behind Walter and stood there, a whole new train of thought entering my mind.
Maybe it wasn’t that my grandmother didn’t trust me enough to tell me. Maybe shedidtrust me. Enough that she knew I wouldn’t let this go.
That I would figure it the hell out. For her.
Lincoln
My walk to the meeting grounds was fraught with tension. The last time I’d called a meeting, it had been to announce that the Chained was gaining power, that he was sending forth shadow minions, and that we all had to be on guard. However, I’d called that meeting in a few hours.
This time, I’d given the pack nearly twenty-four hours to stew. Immediately upon my return to the den, I had spread the word that there would be a meeting the following evening. Then I’d gone to work, arranging the few things I needed done in order to get out in front of what I was sure would be a rather robust rumor mill.
There was simply no way Cassius and Noel hadn’t gone to work against me. That was fine. In fact, I wanted it. They would spread the word of what I had been up to, and expect to use it against me. Which is why I couldn’t wait to see their faces once I dropped my plan in their way-an obstacle they couldn’t avoid or run over. They would have to accept it or be called out as hypocrites in front of the entire pack.
I tried to keep my smugness to a minimum. After all, just as I could come up with devious plans, so too could my opposition. Noel was no rookie, and he had the support of the Elder Council as well. I still had to tread carefully, and be ready for the unexpected, just in case.
Looking around, I could see minimal movement throughout the den. Under the cover of the trees, our lands were usually full of life and laughter. Not tonight. This meeting was important, and the pack could sense it. Mothers would have put children to sleep. Elder siblings would be charged with looking after their younger kin. Only those who absolutely could not be spared would miss this.
All of which meant, as I walked into the amphitheater, the electricity in the air reached out and latched on to me, threatening to paralyze muscles and freeze me in the spot.
I snorted, shrugging off the pressure and continuing without so much as a hesitation. I was the alpha. This wasmy pack, and the day I was afraid to face them was the day I didn’t deserve to stand at the front and be their leader.
Torches on the wall and along the walkways flickered and cast shadows across various carvings set into the walls, the floors, even the risers of the various levels, all viewable as I descended to the center of the pit.
Conversation slowed, the silence flowing out from my position in an arc. Some tensed, expecting explosive confrontations. Others readied arguments and insults. Still others sat back and prepared to watch in silence, evaluating everything before they made a choice.
Two-legged forms dominated the landscape. It was the only way to pack that many shifters into the small space, though some still lounged on all fours, often acting as back rests for others.
We were a close-knit group, long-standing differences of opinion aside.
I moved to the front of the stage and waited, basking in the presence of my ancestors’ ancestors. Long had my pack lived in the forest, and just as long had we been the caretaker of it. Before the coming of the Chained and the great battle long ago that bound it to the heart of the forest, the wolves of my pack had padded these trails and filled the clearings with laughter and love.
That must not be lost in the growing darkness. As must our duty. It had shifted over time, but our love for those endless wilds had never faded. The elders were losing sight of that, I feared, though I did not understand why.
To my right, they sat in a knot, all in human form. Not a single wolf among them. Many kept their faces neutral, but others such as Elder Jackson didn’t bother to hide their ire. The same was reflected to my left, where Cassius sat next to Noel, not even bothering to hide his smug satisfaction, as if the outcome of the meeting could not be in doubt.
Noel, for his part, looked more composed, as I expected of the only wolf to put up a challenge against me in the trial to become alpha. Unlike the elders, who acted from what I believed to be fear, Noel held a different set of opinions, ones that clashed with mine. I did not approve, but I could respect that nonetheless. Usually.
But when my eyes locked on to Noel’s, the other dire wolf did something unexpected. He smiled. Broadly. Broadcasting his eagerness for the meeting to get started spoke of a deep confidence in the outcome.
Time to shake that.
Instead of looking away, or seeming unsettled, I paused my scan of the room, leveling my gaze at Noel and not letting it move. Then, ever so slightly, I smiled at the edges.
Watching his pupils dilate in surprise, I allowed myself to feel a sliver of the disdain I carried for him to shine through.
That’s right, you bastard. I know exactly what you’re up to. But you have no idea what I’m going to do.
The meeting was brought to order properly this time by Elder Germander, who said some solemn, respectful words about the gathering of the pack and a focus on unity. But the instant he finished, Noel shot to his feet, demanding to be allowed to speak.
“Of course,” I said, taking the reins back from Elder Germander and giving a lazy wave to my biggest opposition. “Be my guest.”
Noel’s forehead wrinkled ever so slightly in confusion at my tactic, but he hurried to the front of the amphitheater without any hesitation.
“My fellows,” Noel said as he addressed the majority of the pack. “I come to you today with grave news. News of betrayal. News of disobedience and disregard for the council of our elders and traditions. I come to you with news of treason and literal sleeping with the enemy.”
I wish, I thought, taking a nanosecond to enjoy the thought of Sylvie’s warm body writhing beneath me as I claimed her properly. Then I dismissed the thought and focused once more on the meeting before us, raising a hand as if we were in class, interrupting Noel before he could continue.
“Point of order,” I drawled. “I am not actually sleeping with the enemy.”
Sylvie deserved the respect of me admitting to the truth of that.
“Yet,” Cassius said. “It’s only a matter of time.”
I smiled broadly, clapping my hands together twice and pointing at him, enjoying the confusion on both his and Noel’s faces. “Exactly. Not yet. I’m glad you get it. This will make things much easier.”
Cassius looked at Noel for support, but Noel was just as confused and caught flat-footed as his supporter. Instead of telling them my plans, I waited for Noel to gather his thoughts. It made him look weaker that way.
“What are you suggesting?” he finally asked, the background muttering of the pack growing louder by the second.
“I’m suggesting that you’re right on the money.” This was the part I didn’t like. The part that I had to say, but I didn’t want to. Deceiving my pack did not make me feel good. But it had to be done. “My plan is to sleep with her.”
“She is the enemy of our pack!” Elder Jackson shouted. “This is unacceptable.”
“Correction,” I said, pointing at him with a flourish. “Wethink she’s the enemy of our pack. We don’t know for certain what the old witch did or did not tell her. We know her and her bloodline are a danger to our pack. We believe she’s up to something.”
“She must be,” Jackson replied. “Else why would she have not left already? She’s staying for a reason, despite her grandmother’s death.”
“Also correct,” I said, agreeing and throwing Elder Jackson off as well. “As you told me, we did not have to worry about the grandmother. She had grown too weak. But we don’t know enough about her granddaughter. And we must learn more.”
Elder Jackson frowned, twisting the tip of his beard back and forth, a sure sign he was agitated. “Is that what you’re sayingyour plan is? That you intend to seduce our enemy to gather intelligence about her plans?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” I said, feeling slimy as all hell. “I will get close to her. Gain access to her trust and what she’s up to. The easiest way to do that is to seduce her. She’s already falling for me. It’ll be easy. Once she’s on her back, I can make sure she’ll give it all up.”
I wanted to vomit. That was not the way I viewed Sylvie, and I hated lying to my pack. The entire thing was despicable, but until I could figure out how to stop the paralysis the elders were spreading through my pack, it was the only way forward I’d come up with that ensured I could remain as alpha.
Noel’s face clouded with anger as I completely undermined his entire plan of attack. Numerous heads were nodding thoughtfully in the audience now. More than a majority. I had the support for this, and he knew it. He was just pissed that I’d pulled the rug out from under him so smoothly, when he’dknown he finally had me with my back to the wall.
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