Page 16 of The Renegade Mate

Chapter nine

Mai

The table was laden with an array of dishes, colors, and fragrances that danced in the midday sun filtering through the dining room window. Tucker’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he reached for a drumstick. Food was important to werewolves. We needed a lot of calories to fuel our Shifts. The Bridgetown Pack was no different, and this lunch would have been a feast on a human’s table.

I wanted us to fit in and knew we had to start as soon as possible. I had to get them to engage with us. “I’m curious about the name Bridgetown. Why is your Pack called that?”

“Ah, it’s the story behind this place, a history that defines us,” Michael said, his voice filled with warmth, cutting through the jovial chatter.

“Don’t get him started,” said Camille. “Once he gets going on our history, it’s hard to shut him up.”

“It’s okay, I’m interested. Really.”

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Camille smiled at her mate.

“It all began with an Alpha pair called Richmond and Isona,” Michael continued, winking at Camille. “There was war between two local wolf Packs, not unlike our recent past, but in their time, they emerged as a beacon of unity. Richmond and Isona were from opposing Packs, you see. Their kin were killing each other, yet those two fell in love. They fought their own Packs so they could be together. Eventually, they persuaded their families to stop the war and insisted on building a new town between the two territories,” Michael explained, his voice tinged with reverence. “They believed that a place of common ground, that belonged to neither one Pack nor the other, could be a place where werewolves from both sides could come together to heal the wounds of the past, and having this as a meeting place for disputes between the two would stop any future wars.”

“What happened to the original Packs?” There were only the Three Rivers and Bridgetown in this area now.

“Oh, they both got subsumed into Bridgetown eventually—though that is another story altogether—then Three Rivers was established sometime after that.”

“So, none of the original Packs remain?”

“Well, I suppose we are all descended from them, so in a way, yes, their blood runs through ours.”

“I didn’t know.” I glanced at Ryan. He shook his head. He hadn’t known, either. Was it Oliver who had a lot to answer for? When he was the Alpha, a lot of our history had been forgotten. Or had this been buried even before Oliver came along?

“Bridgetown,” I murmured, the name now holding a deeper meaning for me.

“Yes,” Michael affirmed, his gaze meeting mine. “We were founded on unity and hope for a peaceful future, and it’s a legacy we strive to uphold every day. It’s more than a name; it’s our way of life.”

Ryan crossed his arms. “You’re talking about the human tourists who come here?”

Camille leaned forward. “Yes. When we took over as Alphas, Bridgetown was dying. Three Rivers was the main town in this area. All roads lead there, all shipping and trade go through your territory. We had to do something, or within a generation, Bridgetown would be lost. So, we took the principles of why we were founded and applied them to the human world. What we offer here is a chance for humans to interact with us. To see that we are not the scary big bad wolves that some parts of the media and government portray us as. The Wolf Council supports our aims here. We draw in tourists, who spend their money here, which supports our community and means our young people don’t have to leave to find work. The tourists spend time alongside werewolves; they are served coffee and beer by us, taken on hikes or canoeing trips by us, they party with our kind, and then go home and tell their friends that we’re not so scary and the rumors they’ve heard about us are bullshit.”

Michael nodded. “There are hardline factions in the government that want werewolves to be contained in camps. They don’t believe we are a ‘safe species,’ as they like to call us, and have been calling for laws that will regulate our everyday existence.”

“That is why Bridgetown is so important. We’re not big enough to be an official conclave city where humans and werewolves live side by side. But we are a vital place in the northeast for humans and werewolves to interact. We’ll need human allies if we want to stop these factions in government from wielding power over us. We need to show the world we are united, that there is peace and prosperity when humans and werewolves mix.”

I was silent, trying to take it all in. I’d not heard about these different factions in government; I’d been too busy just living day to day. But this affected us all.

Tucker, unable to contain himself for long, broke the silence with a triumphant grin.

“And that’s why we have the Bridgetown festival every year, to celebrate unity! You should see the games and races,” he exclaimed, eyes gleaming, his excitement spilling over.

Henry cast a knowing glance at Tucker. “You only like it for the food; admit it.”

Tucker’s cheeks flushed, but he grinned unabashedly. “Well, duh!”

I glanced at Ryan, sensing the connection between these people and what they were trying to achieve for all werewolves.

Danni, her previous stern demeanor now softened by the family gathering, chimed in. “And we mustn’t forget the dance. Even Tucker doesn’t dare miss the chance to dance with his sister.”

Tucker rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

“You’ll join us, won’t you?” Tucker asked, turning to us with an eager grin. “The festival is the highlight of the year, and it’s at the end of fall, just a few weeks away.”

I glanced at Ryan. There was something more to Tucker’s question; it was a chance to fully engage with this community. And yet, I couldn’t help but desperately hope we’d be attending as a visiting Alpha pair, not because we were still living here.

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