Page 60 of Season of the Wolf

“Where were you?” I whispered, nudging her when I leaned in.

She took a breath first, glancing toward Dallas again before answering, “Clan stuff. My mom and I had to see the Elders today.”

The only time I’d known anyone to meet with the Elders was either when someone had done something wrong, or when they, or the entire clan, faced danger.

“Why’d they send for you?”

She shook her head. “They didn’t. My mom actually arranged it.”

Tuning Dallas’ instructions out, I focused on Beth when she said more.

“Things have been … weird lately. My mom’s our pack alpha, but the balance has been off at home since we got back,” she shared. “Usually, I can feel that she’s ranked above me. I know that sounds weird, but that’s the only way I can explain it. But she says the same thing’s been going on with my uncle and Roz.”

‘Weird’was a relative phrase these days. And plus, without a pack of my own, I couldn’t have related.

“Has that ever happened before?” I said close to her ear.

Her head shook. “No. Never. Which was why we went to see the Elders.”

We paused our quiet conversation a moment when Dallas passed a warning glare our way. However, as soon as he turned to address the crowd again, we finished.

“Apparently, there have been other reports of what the Elders referred to as ‘stratumdeviation’.”

I stared. She said that like I actually knew what it meant.

With a quiet laugh, she broke it down for those of us whoweren’tprivy to the knowledge her parents passed down to her.

“In short, she’s no longer my alpha, but I’m not hers either,” she stated, adding, “… yet.”

“Yet?”

Beth nodded. “First, there’s kind of a period of limbo, where her authority within our pack will continue to diminish while mine is strengthening. The Elder explained others have had a sense of the shift in power as well—kids being able to override their alpha’s commands most notably—but they have a feeling it’s happening on a much larger scale than what’s been reported.”

I didn’t respond, unsure what the long-term implications might be of something like this happening. Especially right now, with there being so many other moving pieces to factor in.

Beth and I partnered up when the time came and took to a mat deep in a corner. One I made sure was far, far away from my brothers. Even with the effort I made to convince them to stay behind at the house, they insisted on coming to support me.

The few weak punches I threw were easy for Beth to block as my gaze volleyed between her and the guys. They were definitely watching. When I faced forward again, my very patient best friend followed my gaze.

“You know them or something?” she asked, making my stomach drop.

Hilda would kill me if I told the whole truth, so I answered as honestly as I could without saying too much.

“Sorta-kinda.”

Her brow quirked when our eyes locked again. “Is that even an answer?” she smiled.

“It is. I just met them yesterday,” I added.

“Are they some of the shifters who came to help?” Her tone wasn’t suspicious at all, just curious.

“Yeah.” I was happy these questions were easy to get around without lying.

Beth gave a shrug and then took her stance again when I did. I had to relax, pretend they weren’t here, because if I couldn’t, there would surely be more questions.

We exchanged a few hits and settled into a good rhythm when a shadow darkening the entrance caught our attention. My punches slowed again as I watched Nick saunter toward the center of the room in sweats. He seemed … bothered. Maybe it was his tense posture or that uncomfortable look on his face that gave it away.

He exchanged a few words with Dallas before being assigned to alternate partners with a team that had already been paired near the bleachers. Nick sat with both elbows perched on his knees while watching the two spar, awaiting his turn. His gaze drifted around the room, observing until, eventually, it landed on me.

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