Page 99 of Wolf's Mark

Wolves were contentious beasts. They loved to act as if they weren’t interested in obtaining more power, being top dog in our world. It was a lie and one that had festered and grown through the years. Male wolves were born with extra testosterone.

We spouted our importance and touted our leadership abilities all while hungering for sex. I’d seen it in action. I’d experienced it myself.

We’d always competed in the old days. Pick a time or place and we’d had no issue entering into a fight for superiority. In centuries gone by, it would have meant to the death.

I could see nothing had changed by looking at the faces of the various prickly men walking into my home. Some had never been here. I refused to tolerate bad behavior inside my home.

My solid look at each other of them as they arrived should allow them to understand where I was coming from.

If not, they would be banished. Werewolves barking at our doors or not.

“Welcome to my home,” I said as so many of the members of the pack spread out through the wide expanse of connecting rooms. I was surprised and pleased so many of them had come.

More were on the way.

I could smell them.

“It would appear we had no other choice,” one of the strongest members of the pack stated with contempt in his voice. He pushed his way through the crowd, staring me down as if we were supposed to get into a bitter battle.

Eliza Banning was big, powerful, and worked the land using his six-foot, six-inch body for manual labor to provide for his family. Once upon a time, he’d been in the group of eight of us being trained, considered an equal in power and strength.

The two words resonated in my mind for entirely different reasons.

He was looked up to by his peers, taking no shit from anyone. However, the man was strong willed, and could easily convince members of the pack that what we needed to do was wrong. He’d won many a contest when we were teenagers. He also loathed the ground I walked on.

Maybe my brother was onto something. My mother was the matriarch, but would never be considered the leader of the pack. That had been my father’s job, the one he’d shunned and walked away from.

For a better and more human life.

How ironic.

Now it was left up to me to take the helm.

I needed to step up to the plate, even if it pissed off many of the Elders.

“Not if you want to maintain your lifestyle,” I told him while also stating what I felt was the obvious to other members of the pack. “Not if you want to live. We are facing a crisis whether any of you want to believe it or not.”

The reactions were mixed, some of the younger pack members laughing amongst themselves, chiding my thoughts openly as they bumped fists with their buddies. The Elders remained on the sidelines, watching me carefully as if expecting me to fuck up such an important meeting.

But I sensed their basic approval. My lack of leadership had been a bone of contention on the council and throughout many of the packs.

The laughter finally died down and Eliza’s brother, Danton, stepped up, glaring at me as if I was totally out of my mind. “A crisis?” he parodied, including using my same hand gestures. “From werewolves? They are a myth, a story we heard as children. We don’t give a shit what the council said, what they tried to lead us to believe. This is all about politics. This is all about boosting you into the position of leader. We won’t accept.”

“As my son said, you will need to if you want to live. Werewolves are real and they are dangerous. They are also hungry. We allowed them to return to a position of control. We looked the other way because of our desire to lose all that we are.” Mother appeared as if from the shadows, everyone in her path moving out of her way. I wasn’t entirely certain it was out of respect or because they were terrified of her. She was reported to know spells that could damage our kind, although I’d never seen her act on punishing any of our own. Maybe too much time had gone by.

She was dressed more demurely in a dark dress. It didn’t suit her personality, but her choice of attire conveyed the heaviness of the meeting. I noticed her eyes had found Sedona, studying her in the woman’s critical way.

Eliza snorted. “Bullshit. If so, prove it.”

“Do not talk to our mother that way, Eliza,” I told him. “She is your matriarch and the wife of your former leader.”

“A man who ran out on his family into the arms of another woman?” Danton laughed, which prompted the others to do the same.

My wolf was ready to attack.

“That tells us everything we need to know,” Eliza chimed in. His smirk was one I wanted to wipe off.

“Enough,” Mother hissed. “We have proof of their existence and you will pay close attention. Time is running out for our survival.”

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