Page 185 of Wolf Roulette

“We’re still only two thousand againsttensof thousands,” Eleanor spoke into Nathan’s mic.

I dipped my head. “At one point, I’m sure our ancestors wondered how they’d ever hold their own against werewolves. But… I agree with you. We don’t stand a chance with our current numbers.”

Shock. Fear.

Bitter disappointment.

“Over the last few weeks, I’ve been in talks with the vampires of Bluff City,” I told them. “As you heard on Sunday, they number more than fifteen thousand.”

I absorbed the wave of their horrified reaction, listening as they breathed the wordvampirewith horror.

In the first lull, I jumped in again. “We’re in need of friends right now. Not only does an alliance between pack, tribe, and the Vissimo clan offer greater security, but it prevents any potential alliance between demon, witch, and vampire against us at a later date.”

Pascal handed her mic to Tessie.

“Vampires,” the council woman repeated. “Who drink human blood?”

There was a loud outcry at her statement.

“The idea of a vampire is terrifying.” I studied them closely. Were they aware of the difference of this reaction to their reaction over Luthers? On some level, the tribe knew werewolves weren’t a threat. “More than that, theunknownis terrifying.”

Some stewards were standing now, unable to stay seated.

I let the outcry die down. “On Monday, five hundred guests entered tribal lands. You’ve trained with these guests over the last two days.” I paused. “Did you ever wonder what they were? Because I can tell you, they’re not human.”

Silence.

“Our guests are vampires.”

My stewards had been quiet in the past, but this took the prize.

I forged on. “At the beginning, I asked how your training with them had gone. You were approving and even excited. My apologies for the subterfuge, but I wanted to show you something important.” I gripped the microphone tight. “I smell your fear now you know the truth—and it’s a natural response. Fear warns us to proceed with caution in new territory. Fear helps us to fully consider our options before making big decisions. To beruledby fear of the unknown is another thing. If we don’t regulate our reaction, then with time that natural response festers to something darker. Fear can become avoidance. Avoidance to wilful ignorance. Combined, that becomes an angry disregard that rots to blind hatred. Yet at the root of all that remains one thing.Fear. Those who hate have allowed that emotion to rule them. What’s more, they’ve convinced themselves they don’t feel fear at all—that their hate is warranted and just. And that makes them small. Tiny.”

Some people here were tiny.

For a time, I was on my way to becoming one of them.

But they were a minority before my return to head stewardship and they became less each day.

Hate could be reversed.

If there was one thing I blamed some of my Thana ancestors for, it was their encouragement of bad will betweenNi Tiakiand pack.

I refused to be that leader.

I got up and returned the mic to the stand. “The stewards in this tribe arenottiny people, but there’s real danger in allowing our fear to regulate the crucial decision we must make. It’snormalfor so much change to feel unsettling and scary. The game could end tomorrow. We could enter a partnership with the pack and face a fight against outside threats. We could align with a vampire race we haven’t had many dealings with. With all that to consider, you wouldn’t be alone in wishing to avoid all of it, but I urge you to check that emotion in its tracks. This tribe and this head team have your back. I will not allow harm to befall any being in this valley—tribe, pack, or members of the public. And that is why I present the following plan to you now.”

The head team joined me up on stage as discussed.

“A series of polls will be sent out immediately after this gathering. You will determine if we approach the pack with a counterproposal or if they will be exiled from the valley. You will decide what clauses are added to a partnership contract between us.Youwill choose whether the tribe pursues negotiations with the vampire clan to form an alliance against outside threats. I stand by what I said earlier. This is not my decision, but the entire tribe’s. The future of the Ni Tiaki is in your hands. I only ask that you decide truly and without fear in your hearts. Because this is it.”

I’d done everything I could.

And it didn’t feel like enough.

Nowherenearenough.

“Pascal,” I murmured. “Please do the honours.”

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